Textual Analysis - Q magazine

The front cover of this magazine is really simple.  It is the simplicity that makes this a very successful design.
The mast head, a bold red and white Q, in the top left corner tells you what the magazine is, and it is instantly recognisable on the shelf of a newsagent, this is because it has become a brand identity.  Q gets its name from music being cued up ready to play, the name was changed from "Cue" to "Q" to avoid confusion with a snooker magazine.
The bold silver writing in the top right applies to the issue as a whole, "All New Look Issue" is explaining that there has been significant change to the magazines design.  This also makes the magazine look expensive and classy.
The cover of the magazine is very simple, the main feature being the photograph.  Angus Young is the lead guitarist for an iconic rock band, he is wearing his iconic "school uniform" and is in a classic pose.  The photo is obscuring the headline of the main article in the magazine, this headline is in a bold clear font, it also relates to the picture that is obscuring it.
The glossy, high quality paper that the magazine is printed on reflects the price, £3.90, but you do get quite a lot for your money when you compare it to other publications.

This is anoth front cover of Q magazine.  It is a flod out cover that is crammed with artwork from a Gorillaz album.  This cover is very well layed out because it is complex, but not busy.  As with the previous cover, the mast head is in the top left corner telling you what the magazine is, this one has also been incorperated with the graphics on the front.  There are cover lines along the bottom of the page, they help direct the viewer across the page when the cover is folded up.
The graphic on the front has been provided by the band, because they use cartoon charactors instead of photos.  The strap line across the top of the page advertises Q magazines status in the media world.  The bubble below the mast head advertises one of the main articles, to correspond with the graphics.  As with the previous cover, it is high quality paper and high quality printing.