Both the Q magazine and NME share similarities in the use of presentational devices. The mastheads are very similar in style because they are both red, black and white in the top left corner of the page. The mastheads symbolise the name of the magazine and the rich brand of Q and NME. This may connote the idea of whom the magazines target audience are, preferably Q/NME readers.

In Q there is a main image of three adult figures in reasonably smart clothing, in contrast to the rough rock look of the teens in NME. It shows the target audience for the magazine clearly, Q being for young adults and above, and NME being for teens. In NME the teens have a rough and more edgy look highlighting the main input feature type of the magazine.

In Q the main cover line is music based but formally written compared to NME. NME aims to advertise upcoming artists using informal language to attract the younger audience who are more likely to be interested in the magazine. The colour of the main cover line links into the theme colours of the magazine masthead; black, red and white. Whereas in Q the main cover line uses dull more mature colours and font styles.

The background of Q is plain white which is more sophisticated and fairly typical to older readers. This has a significant effect as the front page is the first thing customers become attracted to when purchasing a magazine. Therefore, people are normally appealed by designs more likely to suit their age or style.

The NME magazine has a more busy rough background as well as busy sell lines which include more images than in Q. This shows that NME aims to be more visually informative than Q, and Q is more likely to contain more textual information for readers to absorb.

NME covers a more niche audience whereas Q is mainstream and includes various types of genres that appeal to a wider range of audience. Both magazines also have puffs which are simple phrases that outline the success of the magazine. This is to promote the magazine further. However, both magazines effectively attract the target audience properly using the distinctive design of the front cover.