Exam Practise

 Analyse the front covers for both GQ and Saga magazines commenting on

• Visual codes
• Layout and Design
• Language and mode of address

Saga Magazine has Michael Caine on the front cover, he is in the centre of the page and is using direct address this feels like he is including the audience by looking straight into the camera at them. He is wearing a suit, looks very smartly dressed and is wearing glasses which shows that he is smart and intelligent. This shows us that the target audience are around the same age as him (40 - 50 ) and may share the same views on life. It also suggests that the target audience would be of quite a high demographic because of the type of clothes he is wearing. The fact that Michael Caine is a man and he is on the front cover could suggest that the readership is male dominated and this might be someone who interests them. Next to him is a quote from the interview in the magazine, this could leave the readers wanting to know more about what he has got to say about crime therfore enticeing them to purchase the magazine. It might also interest them because in the quote we can see that he may of came from a rough background so the readers could find out how he went from poor to a rich famous actor and this would be aspirational for them.
The Front cover uses 3 main colours which are red, white and black. The black and the white connotes an old fashioned feel but the red suggests there is something interesting about the magazine or something new and exciting. The simple bold typography and the colours stand out because they are against a white and grey background. This makes the magazine look smart and straight to the point. apart from the main interview with Michael Caine there are four other features on the cover, these all feature celebrities who are around the same age as the target audience. The target audience would be interested in these features because they are sterotypical things for older people to do as hobbies such as gardening and cooking. One of the features also includes a interview with the BBC about Agisam and this relates directly to the target audience. Across the top of the page it says 'The UK's Bestselling Monthly Magazine' this helps to persuade the target audience into buying the magazine because it has been voted best monthly magazine by the readers and critics which shows the the majority of the target audience would enjoy reading this magazine. The masthead is at the top of the front cover to the left and readers of the magazine will be able to recognise the name and the logo of the magazine straight away because it is recognisable, 'magazine' is written in bold whereas 'Saga' isent this makes it stand out on the page because the majority of the typography is in bold. The front cover also features the website for the magazine so that the target audience can access the magazine and its content in different forms for example Mobile phones and laptops suggesting that the target audience have enough money and intelligence to be able to access the magazine all the time.

GQ also has one main celebrity on the front but it is Clint Eastwood, he is wearing jeans and a denim shirt this shows that even though he is quite old he is still on trend and in fashion. He is also using direct address which means he is looking straight at the potential reader, this could leave the reader wanting to know more about him and what the interview is about. The text that anchores the image is 'Badass of the year' This is in bold white typography and also suggests that he is currant and interesting in the media at the moment, it also shows that even though he is considered to be old he is still considered to be cool aswell.
GQ magazine also has three main colours that are used on the front cover, these are red white and blue. The blue could suggest a that the preffered target audience is men and the red connotes danger and excitment which shows that the magazine would interest readers. The front cover features 3 main articles one of which is 'Men of the year' and features many different types of men and they are all different ages this shows that the magazine is aimed at men aged from around 25-35 of quite a high demographic because the people that are featured are aspirational and well off. The other main article features talkes about tings that mainly men are interested in such as cars and gadgets. The website is shown at the bottom and so is that iphone app this suggests that the target audience has enough disposible income to spend on expensive phones so that they can acess the magazine from the internet aswell. The slogan under the masthead 'Look Sharp. Live Smart' relates to the target audience because they are of quite a high demographic and although they care about manly things they also care about fashion and things that are on trend at the moment.