The Big Issue Information

who sells it?

• vendors in towns and cities

• supports people in need of a job/suffering from homelessness

what is their content about?

• stories about helping people

• wide variety of stories (not constrained to one genre)

• social issues, news and entertainment

• often uses a zeitgeist topic (what’s trending)

• regularly uses celebrities on their covers

who are the big issue?

• award winning magazine

• launched in 1991 (due to the increasing number of homeless people in london)

• they encourage selling skills

• sell the magazines to vendors for half the price it is sold to customers as (£2 for vendor, £4 for customers)

how many copies have they sold?

over 200,000,000

how many people have sold the big issue?

92,000

how many vendors start each year?

3700

1) how much have the vendors earned in the past 25 years?

2) how much did they earn from sales in 2023?

1) £115,000,000

2) £4 million

how many people read the big issue online?

1.5 million people

what do the big issue group stand for?

• bring together, media, investment, services and campaign initiatives under a shared mission

• create solutions through enterprise for those living in poverty

what is their audience like?

affluent and environmentally, socially and ethically aware

• 66% say they buy products that give back to society

• 77% say they’re willing to make compromises for the environment

• 86% say they plan to buy sustainable products this year

• 90% say its important a company acts ethically

what is their slogan?

a hand up, not a hand out

analyse their slogan

• repetition of ‘hand’ is reference of living ‘hand to mouth’ (no disposable income)

• not simply a donation

• a hand helps them up the employment ladder

• stereotypical visuals of homelessness (on the floor, TBI helps them up)

what is a masthead and where would you find it?

• the name of the magazine

• found at the top or bottom in big writing

what is a cover line and where would you find it?

• brief summary of the stories

• usually found at the top

what is a splash image and where would you find it?

• typically corresponds with the lead story

• the whole page

what is a graphic/blob and where would you find it?

• it is a box around text

• accompanied with the text

what is a tag line and where would you find it?

• companies slogan

• can be found anywhere

what are five symbolic codes in magazines?

• location

• costumes

• props

• make-up

• colour

what are three technical codes in magazines?

• lighting

• camera shot

• camera angle

what are three written codes in magazines?

• typography

• layout

• mode of address (tone and style used to communicate with the audiences)