Research Ed Sheeran Q Magazine analysis, 2.

The headline relates to the image because 'Q' magazine has become a recognized iconic sign of music magazines and Ed Sheeran has become a widely known and acclaimed artist, the 'Q' is also the feature that i notice first in the top left hand corner, it stands out very clearly and also fills a large amount of the page. The house style is very clearly red and colours complimenting this for example black, white and greys. There are 7 cover stories on the front cover, allowing the magazine to grab the attention of the readers with interesting stories.

The font size is varying on the cover stories, the larger font catches the eye of potential readers first, a convention of music magazines is to use larger font on the more important text, for example the name of an artist, if the reader sees a well known artist they are more likely to pick up the article. 

The model is not looking directly into camera and instead, is focusing on the distance, which is breaking a code and convention of music magazine. The reason for this could be because he is looking towards his future in music, however Ed Sheeran is quite an edgy artist and is therefore allowed to break the conventions of magazines, he is also well known for not contributing to the media scene, avoiding photos in magazines and appearing in his own music videos for example therefore this photo reflects his personality. The shot type is a medium close up and is extremely sharp and clear. I think the target audience is mostly men because of the black and dull clothes. 

The body of the model is covered by his name and the strap line, however in contrast to this the top of Ed Sheeran's head covers the headline. The background is grey with a highlighted area around the head and body created in a photo studio.The image is in colour however the chosen clothes are very dark representing his raw and grungy sound with a splash of colour in his hair and eyes to represent the pop genre that the artist also represents which consequently appeals to the target audience. Little effort appears to have been made on hair and makeup, his whole outfit and look creates the indexical sign of a chilled out pop star, this vibe is created by the scruffy  hair (also a symbol of the music genre) and dressed down style. 

Anchorage has been used here by using the strap line to explain the meaning of the prop, suggesting to the reader that the guitar is highly instrumental in Ed Sheeran's success and is therefore a symbol of Ed Sheeran and his brand. This helps create the mis-en-scene of a stripped back simple and relaxed vibe. There is no free CD available suggesting that the artist is well known and needs very little promotion.

The headline is in san serif making it much easier to read. 

The word essential is displayed on a banner, this is because it is a buzzword and it is therefore important that the word stands out and draws the attention of the audience with this positive and exciting word. The circle is also a PUFF it is a brightly coloured circle drawing attention to the '50' 

How this magazine has influenced me. 

Breaking a convention of overlapping the models head over the masthead creates the effect of the model being more in the foreground and consequently a lot more 3D.