Magazines: The Big Issue

The Big Issue

Who Is The Big Issue?

- The Big Issue is a niche magazine, outside the commercial mainstream with a unique audience. Typically highlighting their consideration for social, cultural and political influences and impacts.

The Big Issue essentially stands for 'ethical capitalism'.

Key context points which are examined are:

- Social Context

- Cultural Context

- Political Context

72% or 39.1 million people in the UK have access or reach to magazines. More people are now accessing magazines through digital devices, and lesser are accessing them through paper copies.

1)   Aimed to create impact whilst making profit, reinvesting profits to help millions of people affected by poverty by tackling the underlying causes of homelessness.

2) The Big Issue is a UK newspaper/ magazine founded by John Bird and Gordon Roddick.

3)  Originally published by 'Dennis Publishing' on September 1991.

4) The Big Issue is published in four continents and 41 countries - 50,000 copies sold per week.

5) It is financed directly from vendor sales and advertisement.

6) Exists to give those affected by homelessness financial income.

7) Sports, news and heavy focus on campaigning and political journalism.

8) Subscriptions are bought through the website or one copy for £4

9) it's slogan is 'a hand up, not a hand out'

10) the rerelease included more focus on campaigning and political journalism

Likely content on The Big Issue: celebrities, social issues and vendors.

VOGUE VS THE BIG ISSUE:

Vogue: superficial, bright colours, model, depth (text over person highlights importance)

The Big Issue: Depth (person over text highlights importance), split masthead as trademark and identity.

Intertextuality = a media text referencing another media text (NB Celebrities are a basic form of intertextuality)

The Big Issue's target audience in UK:

72% of Big Issue readers are ABC1. 

43% of readers are AB

Psychographics: Reformers Explorers.

The Big Issue is A political, it campaigns against anti-globalization, high energy bills, poverty, low wage, the governments unsuccessful systems. The magazine does this by offering vendors a hand up to set up their microbusiness

1) Does the front cover follow the style of the Big Issue? No. The center image is an illustration rather than a photograph, as well as it not focusing on anyone's identity, nobody's face is shown - the focus is only put on the drastic fleeing nature.

2) What can you say about the central image and why is the choice of image so important? What does it represent? Highlights regardless of views or gender or size, everyone will be affected. I believe the colours represent the political parties and bring them all together. All people are in corporate wear, suggesting they're officiated individuals

3) What can you say about the phrase The great resignation? What is the Big Issue implying and how does it link to their ethos and ideology?

4) Why would they make politics such a big issue? it effects everyone

Collective point:

How does The Big Issue portray events, issues and individuals in this front cover?

The magazine Industry has been a hugely significant part of media and how it is distributed globally, overtime the magazine industry has lost heaps of popularity due to newly introduced technology which ensure everyone can consume their information on their devices, 72% of people have access to magazines in the UK alone. Overall a large part of journalism has gone out of fashion and typically resorts to stories centered around small minded subjects such as celebrity gossip.

The Big Issue is a niche magazine, outside of the commercial mainstream with a unique target demographic and is widely known for their focus on social, political and economic problems. This specific magazine cover 

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