The Big Issue revision- lesson 1

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 Magazine conventions:




Analysing different front covers:

  • The masthead is very feminine but also reflects strength and power- Red colour palette but the use of serif font makes it seem attractive and professional
  • Cover lines are used to show what content is in the magazine- lots of health articles and tips
  • Joe Wicks mention is juxtaposed with the ideology of the magazine- it is women's health
  • White, black and red colour palette contrast but complement each other. It could represent strength too.
  • Mid Shot angle used to show Kayla and illustrate the feature article;4-week full body plan
  • "free access" tries to persuade the reader to buy it as its exclusive to the magazine
  • Mode of address is happy, light and healthy- reflects the values and attitudes of paper and its reader
  • Very masculine- model 'showing off' to audience about muscles
  • The tag line "big arms, broad shoulders, no BS" is informal and attracts a younger audience. The catch phrase makes reference that men should look like the model by having big arms etc and the magazine will teach them how to achieve that
  • Mens version of Women's health- creates a gender divide between the two magazines but they use same house style; colour palette and typeography etc
  • Black masthead makes magazine appear strong, masculine and powerful, which gives the impression to the masculine reader that they will look that way after reading the magazine
  • Model in middle third of the page ti take up most of the layout and is the most eye-catching feature
  • The most important/effective text is placed at the top as that is where the readers eye is drawn to first.
  • 'Special shop edition' undermines the sole purpose of the street magazine
  • Appears very illustrated/edited/cartooned to appeal for entertainment and catch the readers eye
  • Use of Joe Wicks will be familiar to audiences and uses this celebrity endorsement as he supports the magazine- he probably would've done this free of charge to help the magazine
  • Yellow, blue, red and black are colours that represent summer, when lockdown was occuring, and the black is contrasted against it
  • Barcode is very small compared to other magazines- reflects they aren't mainstream
  • Simple sans serif font used to be direct and is easy to read for the reader
  • Increased price to £3.00 to help the homeless
Does the big issue follow the typical conventions of a magazine cover?

No they dont because they aren't a mainstream magazine and need to follow their conventions of a street magazine to reflect its social values and help the homeless/poverty situation. Their front covers faithfully don';t follow the conventional house style of mainstream magazines because they need to appear different as it needs to attract a socially aware reader. The big issue styles vary from realistic stark photography to stylised illustrations that connotate historical contexts which the big issue are known for its campaigning. A repeated big issue convention used is intertextuality which is unconventional for mainstream magazines and this is used to reflect other era’s and create a nostalgic feel for older audiences, thus it can reach a wider market. Therefore, this shows that the Big issue conform to being different as it needs to appeal differently than other mainstream magazines. It is a contrasting example of how elements of media language can be used to construct alternative representations that appeal to a particular audience.








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