Big Issue Essay

How do the two Big Issue Covers you have Studied use Media Language to Construct an Alternative Representation of an Event/Group/Issue?

(20 Marks)

The Big Issue uses its 21-27 of January issue to convey its ideals in a way that is easily comprehensible and gives a view into the ethics of The Big Issue and what they aim to change in the world. The most prominent text on the cover is the slogan of ‘A Homelessness State of Mind,’ not only is the text in a large, capitalised font but it is also in a bright yellow. This brings the main theme of the issue to the forefront of the readers mind, alongside the callouts labelling the brain with statements such as ‘keep walking’ and ‘avoid eye contact’ which are also in a bright yellow with a black font are the clearest statements on the cover, stating the problems with society’s views of homelessness and how we must change and stop treating the homeless more like inconveniences than human beings. The bright yellow of the text in the coverline and callouts stand out from the muted colours of the rest of the cover, portraying that the issue is important to those at The Big Issue, as they are a company aiming to create stable jobs for the homeless, currently employing 1500 vendors in the UK. They likely understand the struggle of being homeless and being isolated within society. This cover confronts the norm in society of treating the homeless with scorn and disdain rather than treating them as humans in a bad situation who just need help to get back on their feet, as The Big Issue intends to do. This cover comes at homelessness from a different angle and suggests that rather than homeless people need to change, society should change to be better and more welcoming, a somewhat controversial comment.

Similarly, in their 1-7 April issue they bring a controversial statement to the forefront, with a quote preview from an interview with Rutgers Bregman stating ‘pay binmen more than bankers!’ This is once again using black and yellow to make the key words stand out at a quick glance, with the full quote in a large font covering the majority of the cover. The Big Issue ensures that the key arguments and topics of the issue are the clearest and most prominent features of the cover. John Bird, the founder of The Big Issue often touts that The Big Issue supports ‘Ethical Capitalism’ so likely somewhat agrees with the statement featured on the cover as it supports paying jobs often considered ‘lower down’ higher rates as they are exhausting jobs that few people are willing to do.