Magazine Deconstruction #1 - Q

The main part of this front page is clean and well laid out; this suggests the magazine is aimed at a more mature audience. It is quite minimalist compared to the others (NME and Artrocker) this suggests that it doesn’t need to rely on graphics to attract readers, and instead trades on its reputation.
All of the cover is in the same font which helps convey an image of tidiness and uniformality. The colours used are red, black, white, and grey; which connote the magazine’s base in rock music, as well as performing as a contrast for each other – making the text more striking.

Matthew Bellamy is portrayed, on the cover, to be an anarchistic rock-star, as suggested by his pose and his dress, which is black and military looking. There is only one other image – framed in white and at an angle (possibly to make it look like a photograph) this makes it more visible as it juxtaposes the straight alignment of the text. The masthead is obscured as it is being destroyed by Matt; this suggests that the magazine is well known enough to be able to hide the title without losing potential readers. The names on the cover are quite well known - suggesting an appeal to casual music fans, as well as more serious ones.

The contents pages make use of a lot more images than the cover, to illustrate the features. This is to catch the reader’s eye and make them look through the contents to find which page it appears on. The contents is split into two sections – ‘Features’ and ‘Regulars’ – This helps make the featured articles more prominent and help the reader find their desired article, after reading the name on the cover. It also makes the contents tidier, as the different aspects of the magazine are split up into sections, making reference easier. There is a considerable amount of text for a contents page – this consists of a tagline designed to draw a reader in to reading the article.

This double page consists of a large image covering an entire page, and a block of writing on the other. The image is a simple mid-angle mid-long shot, and consists of the three band members standing in a triangular formation, so it is very clear who is the leader; also he is the only one looking straight forwards at the camera, suggesting he is the most important. They are dressed the same as the singer is on the cover to keep continuity, in a slightly military fashion which connotes that they are dramatic, and perhaps convey some politics in their music.

The article is fairly plain black on white, and split into three columns, continuing the sense of tidiness presented in the cover. There is a small image in the centre which is set at an angle to look as if it were a photograph dropped on the page, as opposed to an illustration, although it does, however, keep away from the text so as not to obscure the story. There is also a quotation in the centre to entice the reader to read on to find out the context in which it should be taken. The article is written in the first person, with the writer recounting what the band have told him.