The Big Issue - Lesson 1

Similarities with Newspapers:

- politicial stories

- news

- headlines

- informative

- gossip

Differ from Newspapers: makes us question what is fed to us

- colour

- simplistic language

- entertainment

- less political leaning/bias

Front Covers:

- need to catch eyes

- fighting to compete/survive as a product

- first impressions count

This cover shows a central image of a woman clearly enduring fitness. She overlaps the masthead to take over the page and is surrounded by cover lines. The colour palette is a collective of reds, black and yellow. This creates an alert/warning connotation which links to the intensity of the fitness. 

She seems more glammed than when she'd be doing an actual workout. It creates a hyperreal feel that following her 4-week plan, you'll look like that.

It's very traditional in terms of layout and what is seen on the cover (text, image etc.)

The Big Issue cover features Joe Wicks, a nationally known fitness trainer who obviously helped with exercise during lockdown 1.0. They aren't conventional with their covers and it creates a USP. They stand impartial to politics and 'sides' in gossip - rather opposing those in general that do wrong. An support those who do right. They're very colourful with the yellow and striped background. This cover in particular connoting a certain joy brought from Wicks' videos. They don't have a house style which actually almost creates their own. With this cover, they've taken the photo and edited it to seem superhero-like with kind of traditional comic patterns. It pushes the representation of Wicks as the hero. These styles and choices differentiate them from their competition and when seen in newsagents etc. next to others, they have a definite eye-catching ability. The masthead is seen very clearly and contrasting with the rest of the page. It creates an iconic look that is noticed and recognised internationally.