Component 2- The Big Issue

What are the Big Issue’s aims?

To present homeless people in a postive and sympathetic light because supporting the homeless is their main goal

When was The Big Issue founded and who by?

1991- John Bird and Gordin Roddick

What type of buisness is The Big Issue and what does this mean?

Social Buisness- a social buisness meaning profits are re-invested into the organisation

How has The Big Issue become diversified?

The Big Issue shop- offers sustainable products. Suppliers create opportunities for disadvantaged people. This aims to dismantle poverty through social trading as 70% of a products value goes to those who need it most

The Big Issue foundation- financially independent charity that opertes on an open door policy working with individuals who have taken the first steps to get out of poverty through helping them: open a bank account, learn/train and reconnect with family etc…

The Big Issue invest- The first uk social merchant bank that offers loans from £20k -£3m to social enterprise. Since its founding in 2005, over 330 organisations have been invested in and the currently manages £170m worth of social funds.

What are the key points for the front cover?

• Lit up 25 amidst a night sky adds a sense of Hollywood glamour to the brand and building excitment, athough this is slightly ironic given the traditional minimalistic nature of the brand.

• Whilst typically in the magazine industry celebrities are the central focus, for the 25th anniversary edition the brand itself is the subject of celebration and fascination.

• Breaking its own convention, the logo placed in the centre rather than towards the right reinforcing celebration of the brand itself.

• The motto ‘a hand up not a hand out’ is under the masthead suggesting this is integral to the brand identity.

• Celebrity names featured at the bottom are diverse in nature from Daniel Radcliffe to Theresa May- thus offering broad appeal.

• The headline ‘25 years of a Publishing Revolution’ appears to politically praise the brand as being the source of revolutionary change

What are the key main points for the Grayson Perry feature?

The enlarged shoes, colourful costumes, exageratted makeup and bright yellow background, is a parallel clown attire suggesting Perry is able to somewhat make fun of himself. However the contrast with his serious expressionand the low indimidating angle thus implying he is multi-faceted.

The contrast between masculine and feminine semantic codes such as the watch on one wrist and the bracelet on the other, break away from the media streotypical gender binaries and embracing mutiple aspects of identity.

• Perrys letter ‘to my younger self’ takes on a confessional tone as he reminses being 16 from his mothers ‘volcanic temper’ to having an ‘instinctial desire’ to dress in female clothes making the reader feel they are priviledged to exclusive insight especially in honest and emboldened phrases that begin paragraphs such as ‘at 16, i was a complete mess’ and ‘i wish id had the emotional intelligence’.

• Admist the feature, there was a sense of gradual growth resulting in an ending- ‘i miss that thrill of being that weird bloke in a dress who is slightly dangerous and riduclous’

Who is it published by?

It is published by independent publishers Dennis publishing Ltd and The Big Issue publishing Ltd

Sales context

It is sold by street vendors who are homeless, or almost homeless.

Vendors buy the magazines for £1.25, and then sell them for £2.50

Since 1991, The Big Issue has sold over 200,000,000 copies in Britain alone

Whats The Big Issue’s mission statement?

‘Our mission is to dismantle poverty by creating opportunity by creating opportunity through self help, social trading and business solutions’.

What is the target audience of The Big Issue

• 18/35 year olds

• Working or middle class

• ABC 1

• Both men and women (including the LGBTQ+ community)

• Explorers

• Reformers

Grayson Perry notes

• very left wing themes such as Grayson opening up about being a transvestite

• Confessional narrative encourages a personal relastionship between Grayson and the reader- we learn more about his life story so, therfore audiences feel that they know hism better than they did before.

• The use of strong language such as ‘fucked’ suggests that The Big Issue is a more niche magazine that does not have to adhere to strict guidelines on what can and cannot be included. This also suggests that the target audience for this article are more mature.

• Audiences that are more intellectual are more likely to know who Grayson Perry is.

• This type of content is suited for magazines such as The Big Issue, more left wing as audiences are more likely to be open and accepting of people who do not conform to strict gender binaries