The Big Issue

General facts:

• started in 1991
• niche magazine
• slogan 'a hand up not a hand out'
• seller makes £1.25 per sale
• 100,000 copies sold each week
• 2000 Big Issue venders in the UK
• hybrid genre - entertainment and social issues
• similar papers in more than 120 countries
• 100 people approach the big issue foundation every week

Big Issue aims:

• help homeless people (financial)
• gives them confidence
• gives them experience and training
• allows them to have a real job instead of beg and steal.
• improves public problems.
• 'ethical capitalism' - John Bird - making money the right way.

Analysing a Big Issue front cover:

• Masthead - the title of the magazine.
• plug - text that 'plugs a feature that will appear inside the magazine.
• puff - main story on the front cover
• cover star
• anchorage text - text that anchors the main image and gives it meaning.
• banner - text that runs across the bottom of the cover.
• skyline - text that runs across the top of the cover.
• CLAMPS
• CLIFT
• DRCAGES (representation)
• social, cultural, political