The Big Issue: front cover, contents page and website analysis

Analysis

• The model is Joe Wicks (The Body Coach). Joe is a fitness instructor who creates workouts on his YouTube channel for people to do. When the corona virus hit and schools had to close, Joe decided to become the 'nations p.e teacher' by doing a live stream on his YouTube channel at 9am Monday-Friday in the effort to keep families moving.
• The masthead is bold and clear to read. The use of having it in a box allows it to be eye-catching and appear separate from the main image. The white text on the black background allows it to stand out.
• There is a barcode which is significant as this edition is a special store edition as the magazine is normally sold on the street by vendors but has recently been sold in ASDA and WHSmiths due to the pandemic. 
• The colour scheme is bright which signifies the positive energy that Joe is trying to bring to households. 
• The background has a cartoon effect to it as it is digitally created which subverts typical magazine conventions as it doesn't look as professional.
• Joe is the main image with no other images being on the front cover which allows the reader to pay full attention to the model. This may suggest that the magazine believes that Joe deserves a lot of attention and recognition. 
• The main cover line reveals who the model is, along with a positive quote from him about the magazine. This will allow the buyer of the magazine to automatically view Joe positively as he has the same views as the buyer: that the magazine is a good thing. There is a play on words with the text 'punching through' due to Joe representing fitness but also helping families manage through the pandemic. This play on words allows the cover to be viewed as light-hearted entertaining. 
• The typography of the main cover line is bold and easy to read due to it being black on a yellow background. The font may be simple to signify that the message Joe has is simple. 
• Joe is positioned to performing an exercise move which represents the industry he works in. The shot is attempted to look natural but is evidently staged due to the facial expression that Joe is pulling. This suggests that the magazine likes their models to be natural but it is hard to achieve this due to the unnatural nature of the magazine industry. Joe also has a white outline around him which makes it appear as if the image of him has been cut out and placed there which again adds to the image being unrealistic and creating a cartoon effect.
• Joe is wearing sports clothing and has has little hair and makeup work on him which shows he is more interested in the message and service he is providing rather than his appearance. 
• There are cover lines which are written in yellow against a black background which contrasts the main cover line which is written in black against a yellow background. This may suggest that their are differences within the stories covered which shows that the magazine has a wide range of stories. They are in a small sized font which may be to ensure that Joe is the main focus of the reader.
• The overall font is fairly easy to read due to it being thick and in colours which compliment the backgrounds they are on.
• There is a box at the top of the page which says that this issue is a 'special shop edition' as the magazine is normally sold on the streets but is unable to be due to the pandemic. This may therefore mean that the magazine is trying to target a different audience as it may be able to have more of a mass audience in supermarkets. 

Analysis

• The main image is of one of the vendors for The Big Issue and features copy underneath about the man. This allows the reader to know the purpose of The Big Issue and gain knowledge on how to help further. 
• The image is an almost full length shot of the man which allows the reader to be able to clearly see the man. This may be to allow the reader to feel as if they are physically talking to the man in the street and are creating a personal connection. 
• The main image also takes up nearly half of the page which again shows that the magazine values this man as important.  
• The man in the image is wearing bright clothing and appears to be very happy. This contrasts the stereotype of homeless people as they are typically thought to wear dark clothing and be very unhappy. By this man being the opposite to this, he is showing how The Big Issue has helped him, therefore creating a positive ideology around the magazine.
• The accompanying title to the main image is introduces the man in the image and is very welcoming to the reader. The typography is larger than any other on the page which may suggest that the magazine thinks that this piece of information is more important than  any other presented on the contents page. 
• The slogan of the magazine is shown on the page which further establishes their brand image and ethos. 
• The colour scheme of the page is red, white and black which are the house colours of The Big Issue. They create an atmosphere of importance as they are compliment each other to stand out. They also show sophistication as the colours aren't too adventurous which is appropriate for the current affairs genre with a cultured audience. 
• The typography of the title 'contents' is unusual as it is bold and underlined yet features a full stop and no capital letter which is uncommon for a title. This unusual effect may suggest that the magazine is different from other current affairs magazines in the market due to the distribution methods as well as its intended purpose. The lack of a capital letter but the use of a full stop creates the effect that the beginning isn't good but the end is better which may be a metaphor for the sellers of the magazine: they haven't had a good start in life but with the help of The Big Issue, their future is better. 
• The second image is a lot smaller than the main image and differs in style as it has been created digitally. It is the front cover of a book which creates an educated and cultural effect of the magazine due to the contents in which it covers. The image selected shows a man trying to help another but it isn't working, the man is still under the rain cloud. This may be a metaphor for life and mental health issues as the man under the cloud may feel as if he is unable to accept any help. This suggests that the magazine values important topics and issues such as mental health which shows it to be a magazine of guidance and help for readers.
• The main articles are then titled in numerical order and vertically which allows for the reader to be able to follow the structure clearly. The use of the bold titles and red boxes for the page numbers also allows for the structure to be clear. 
• Each of the titles of the articles are accompanied by a short piece of copy which provides the reader with a bit of information on what the article is about in order to gain the reader's interest. 
• The titles of the stories are very short and clear. The stories feature topics based around current affairs and social change due to the nature of the magazine.
• The overall layout of the contents page allows for the reader to gain the information they need very quickly and easily. It also remains within the house style of the magazine. 

Analysis

• The website of The Big Issue uses buttons, images and clear titles to make it easy to navigate for users.
• There are buttons at the top of the page that when selected take you to the segments in which the buttons are titled. This allows the user to get to where they want to really easily. 
• The buttons titled 'latest' and 'culture' have drop down options which means that when selected, the user can select an option from this list and be taken to that specific part. These two buttons have drop down options due to having lots of information associated with them so it allows the user to narrow down the option they would like so that they can gain the relevant information they require quickly. 
• There is an option for users to search what they are looking for which is a helpful feature. 
• There is a button at the side of the page that when clicked, has many other options for the user to select including other parts of The Big Issue brand including The Big Issue shop. This allows users to see how the business is vertically integrated and be able to visit these different parts of the business.
• The logo is shown which allows users to know straight away that this website belongs to The Big Issue. It also allows users to establish the connection between the magazine and the website as they both feature this logo. 
• The colour scheme is red, white and black which is what they are on the magazines also. This allows for consistency across all of The Big Issue brand. 
• There is a main image that takes up a large portion of the screen. The image is on a roll over system which means that a series of images are shown. The images are relevant to the most recently published magazine. They also show key bits of information in relation to the brand so that users are able to see key images and gain key information very quickly and in an interesting way.
• The main images are very bright which allows for the users's attention to be grabbed. It also allows for a positive atmosphere to be created. 
• As the user scrolls down the website, their a variety of other articles that they can select to read. Their is a small image with an accompanying title for each image which the user can select to read the story. This use of both text and image allows for the page to look appealing and allows the website to try and grab the users attention. 
• Each of the images has a label attached which identifies the key feature the article is about. E.g 'Housing benefit discrimination by landlords ruled unlawful' has the label 'housing' 
• There is a mixture of images and video options on the website. 
• There are links to the social media accounts of The Big Issue. 
• There is an option for users to subscribe to the magazine which allows for ease. 
• The website also has adverts that appear on the side of articles. 
• The date is attached to each article along with the name of the journalist that wrote it.
• The overall layout of the website is easy to use and is very interesting for users.