Layout – The main image on the front page of the magazine is very dominant and spread over the page, it is mainly central but also diagonal and asymmetrical. The layout is quite clear and uncluttered, showing small amounts of text that show to be the most important articles of the magazine

Colour – The colour of the logo is red, and this is presented boldly in the top left of the page, however the text on the front does not match the logo; it is bright pink, white and black. The bright pink is used to grab attention and stand out from other magazines as well as standing out against the background image, the pink also draws attention to the most important pieces of text they want the reader to look at.

Text – The text is very bold and clear cut to give more impact on the reader and to make it stand out more. They use a different text at the side of the magazine about other articles inside; this is not as bold and clear cut as they want you to pay attention to the other text first.

Logo/Header – The logo is a very simple Q in a red box with a slogan underneath reading ‘A different take on music’. This suggests that they try to be different to other magazines and try and persuade you to read their magazine as it’s unique. The logo is very bold and stands out on the page, so it would be easily recognised on a shop shelf etc.

Cover/texture – The page is very glossy and almost looks plastic, the magazine is quite thick and also has a glossy back to it. This suggests it is a bit more upmarket and reflects the price of the magazine, which is a quite expensive £3.90, the texture is also very smooth.

Image – The dominating image is of Brandon Flowers, the lead singer of the band ‘The Killers’, posing in a strange position. It almost looks as if he is in a star position, and the text underneath ‘THE KILLERS’ reads ‘BRANDON – FLOWERS: THE STARMAN’ .The background shows a grey sky behind and it looks to be set in a strange location that isn’t very definable when looking at the front cover. It shows the reader that there is a cover story on him and his band inside the magazine and that they are the main article of this issue of the magazine.

Photography – The image if Brandon is a long shot, showing us the whole of his body from head to toe. This gives us an incite to his dress sense, body language and the type of band he belongs to. The depth of field is long as we can see far into the background, most of it being the grey, cloudy sky. This says something about the type of mood set, it is quite gloomy and miserable. The shot is taken from a low angle; this makes him look superior and important and dominant on the page.

Representation – Even though the main image is of a male, I think this magazine can also be aimed at females; they try to balance between sexes by advertising both male and female artists. Also, the pink text could be seen to attract a female audience. There are no signs of different ethnicities on the page, however I don’t think it intentionally discriminates against other ethnicities as looking through the magazine makes it clear that there are different ethnicities. I think the magazine is aimed at an older, mature audience as opposed to teenagers and younger audiences.

Symbol –  the only symbol used is a plus sign (+) to let readers know what else is in the magazine.

Information – the main piece of text on the page is ‘THE KILLERS’, this tells us straight away that this is a main story inside the magazine. Other text includes brief information on other artists that are featured in the magazine and the type of stories they have on them.

Mode of Address – The text is quite formal, it does not have any jokes or funny statements, and this connotes a more serious take on the music compared to magazines such as NME, and the type of audience they are attracting. The image is also direct and looking towards the reader.

Anchorage Text – The anchorage text would be the quote about Brandon being a starman as this reflects the main image.

Puffs – There are some short statements to the left hand side of the page, below the main anchorage text. This advertises stories inside the magazine including ‘Take That’, ‘Coldplay’ and ‘Amy Winehouse’, with brief statements to indicate what they’re about.

The magazine cover does not show any buzz words or graphic features, and this is because they take a more formal approach.

Double page spread

Layout – The page is very much dominated by the photograph of the band, it shows the rule of thirds using the ground, bodies and faces of each member. There is some text at the bottom of the left page to introduce us to the band; however this is only a small amount to ensure they do not overwhelm the reader with too much text in case they lose interest. The members of the band are spread out two to a page.

Colour – The colour matches the background from the front of the magazine, it remains dark, gloomy and dull. It seems like a strange setting but I think this reflects the personality of the band.

Text – Different text is used on these pages than on the front of the magazine, it is less bold and more old fashioned looking, and this goes nicely with the page as there is a feel of history and war to the page. They do try and make certain words stand out such as ‘Nice Dummies’ and ‘The Killers’ throughout the passage of text, this is to attract you to read it.

Texture – The pages are not as glossy as the front page, however they still have a shine to them.

Image – The image shows each member of the band, this introduces us to them and gives us an idea of what they might be like, by looking at their dress sense, body language and the background, so that we are ready to read about them over the next couple of pages. The location looks to be deserted and strange, with strange figured dummies around. The way they are dressed shows us they are unordinary and weird, the lead singer Brandon Flowers is wearing a shoulder piece and other members of the band are wearing spiked gloves, armour looking coats and holding a metal helmet; this gives us the impression that they might be tough and aggressive.

Photography – Again, the camera shot is taken from quite a low angle. The depth of field is quite long and shows the ground in front and behind the band. The composition of the photograph places the lead singer, Brandon, furthest forward in the photograph. This is to make him look superior to the other members of the band.

Representation – I don’t think that there’s much of an age representation on these pages as The Killers are a band who are enjoyed by various age groups. The page could be seen as aimed at males as the page is very male dominated and aggressive, but again, females are also interested in the band.

Mode of Address – The language used is ironic and strange, it tells us that it will reflect the article overleaf, and the strange stories it entails. It also contains a bit of joke about the dummies, maybe to relax the page a bit more. The photograph shows three of the members of the band being indirect, however one is being direct. This may suggest that he has more of a story to tell on the following pages than the other members of the band.

Anchorage Text – The anchorage text is ‘Nice Dummies.. and the band aren’t bad either’. This links with the photograph having strange dummy figures, and then tries to make a joke and bring in the band.