Magazine Cover Analysis 3

GQ (Gentlemen's Quarterly) is a fashion-based style magazine produced by Condé Nast, with a primarily male target audience aged 20-44. The audience is typically affluent and and well-educated, which is emphasised through the cover above, and they have a preference for luxury brands. The secondary audience for GQ is likely to be an older, still male, audience, who may be attracted by the political discussions within. The cover above is the August 2019 cover, featuring Raheem Sterling. 

GQ’s masthead is large and bold, taking up the top left of the magazine cover, which strongly conforms to typical magazine conventions, making it easily recognisable from the top for audiences. This is primarily coupled with Sans Serif fonts, creating a strong, modern image of the magazine. Some Serif fonts are also featured, to add a layer of sophistication and an educated-appealing background. The masthead specifically takes up the largest font size, showing its importance.  

This specific cover uses colours that strongly emphasise the idea of wealth, confidence and luxury. In specific, the use of orange is crucial in creating a connotation of confidence and pride – it helps to present a constructed ideal of the masculine identity, highlighting the importance of confidence as a man. Gold is used to create connotations of wealth and success, which would strongly appeal to the upper class audience. It also reminds the readership of Raheem Sterling’s success within his football career. Like most magazine covers, black and white is also used to help add contrast and separate the coverlines from the image. Sterling is not wearing a shirt, revealing his physique to the audience. This shows the ideal of the ‘spornosexual’ man – a man who is focused on his body in an atheletic context. His direct of mode address emphasises his confidence, and by tilting the camera to a low angle, it suggests Sterling’s power and strength as a player makes him someone to be looked up to, in a metaphorical and literal sense.  

The main coverline is vague, which helps to create an intrigue amongst the readers and draw them in. The use of phrases like ‘Guardian Angel’ and ‘saved’ suggest that Sterling is a hero to his support, and should be looked up to and respected as a role model. The rest of the coverlines have discussions surrounding politics and music, helping to create a sophisticated image, while also appealing to the male audience overall. 

The dateline of this cover is August 2019, with a selling line of £3.99. This can be considered a relatively cheap price, but still it higher than some magazines – this reminds the audience the brand is sophisticated, but ensures it remains easily distributed to a vast majority. 

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Masthead: 

• Large, bold 

• Top left-hand corner 

• Abbreviation of ‘Gentlemen’s Quarterly’ - modernises the magazine 

Colour Scheme: 

• Black, orange, gold, grey 

• Strong connotations of masculinity  

• Black connotes sophistication 

• Gold connotes wealth, luxury and success 

• Orange is typically masculine, and connotes confidence 

Fonts (Sizes): 

• Primarily Sans Serif  - modern, sleek 

• Limited Serif fonts – sophistication, educated 

• Connotations of middle-class audience 

Main Image: 

• Raheem Sterling 

• Football – appeals to young men 

• Shirtless – reveals abs – role model for men – spornosexual 

• Direct mode of address – confidence, power 

Supporting Images: 

• None 

Cover Lines: 

• Politics discussion – sophisticated, educated audience 

• Music discussion 

• Coverlines primarily focus on themes that men would be engaged in – football, politics 

Main Cover Line: 

• ‘Guardian Angel’ - religious connotations 

• Suggests power and greatness 

• Importance of having someone like that a role model 

Dateline/Selling Line: 

• August 2019 

• £3.99 

• Relatively cheap price, but still higher than some magazines – sophisticated, but easily distributed 

Rule of Thirds: 

• Sterling takes up the centre vertical third  

• Masthead top horizontal first – follows regular conventions 

• Main coverline takes up lower horizontal third 

Target Audience: 

• Men  

• Upper class backgrounds 

• 20-44 

• Disposable income 

• May also appeal to older men interested in the political stories