This big issue cover is from November 2017. It features the well known character Paddington Bear, from the many books, movies and programmes made of him. The image of him has been used as both an advertisement for the new film being released, and as a link to the homeless and immigrants from other countries. being part of our community.
The image is set in a snowy, night-time London. Homelessness is a big issue faced in the city of London, and as the film is also set there it has a strong link to both of its messages towards the readers. The Big Issue cover features the 'British icon' Paddington in the snow, and is both paying homage to the popular fiction bear and highlighting the issues of homelessness in London at Christmas time. The background shows us that it is in London, as we can see city buildings and, the most obvious clue, Big Ben's famous clock tower. Just behind Paddington, we can also see the Thames to the right of the image, which once again adds part of London into it. As London is the capital of England, it is a good use of location due to the link between that and the headline 'Migrant British icon'. The Big Issue may have chosen to use the silhouette of the landmarks to signify the homeless issue in London and draw attention to the migrant crisis in relation to the EU referendum.
The use of the snow may have been used to show the harsh weather conditions that the people living on the streets are often faced with. This therefore links to the companies main aim to aid homelessness, by giving them half of the profits, in order to help them find a warm place to stay for the night. On a more obvious note, the snow also links to the 'spirit of Christmas'.
As it is famously known by many, Paddington wears a blue duffel coat and red floppy hat, which is featured in the cover photo. The coat almost blends into the dark-blue back ground, yet it is slightly more of a royal-blue, so it is still detectable against the background colour. The red hat instantly stands out and, along with the gold lettering, is the brightest colour used so it pops out and is more noticeable. The famous brown bag that Paddington takes with him on his travels is also seen in the shot, as he holds it in one hand whilst waving with the other. The colour blue has been used in multiple tones to convey a night-time scenery. The blue may also symbolise the blue from the British flag, which again links to nationality.
The headline of the cover features the phrase 'Migrant British icon' and is followed by the main title 'One Of Us'. 'Migrant' has been used to give the sense of normality to the word, as it can often be lost or misused in politics and has become negatively associated with. Migrants are stereotypically associated with criminality and shown to be evil, however Paddington has been used in the hope that the kind -hearted, adventurous qualities of the fictional character are then associated with 'migrants'. The heading, 'One of us', personally addresses the audience through 'us', to represent everyone as a whole community together, and almost signifies that we're all the same, no matter where we come from and so should stay together. The bottom headline reads 'Paddington and the new spirit of Christmas'. Here the use of the adjective in 'new spirit' signals a change to the audience and a sense of new beginnings, which can also relate to many people's concept of 'new year, new me'.
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