Analysis of 2 feature articles

Analysis of 2 Existing Feature Articles

NME

The title of the double page spread is in a bright colour which stands out from the image. The title is also a pull-quote from the text so the reader can relate back to it once they have read the article. By using the key colour pink throughout the double page spread, it keeps the whole article together. It is also use to highlight key point like names in the article. This example, like many other magazines, sticks to a few colours, in this case two. This is a typical feature of a magazine. In the middle of the article there is a big pull-out quote which breaks up the text and also allows the reader to see what is in the text.
Having a large image of the band immediately tells the reader who the article is about. By using one image and some smaller images allows there to be more text and makes the page neat and not cluttered. This is something I may use in my magazine so the audience find it easier to read. The picture of the band is quite simple compared to those of Q magazine. I think that that the demographic for this article would be between the age of 20 and 40 because the band themselves are of a similar age. Also, the article is about them reforming so an older audience that liked them before are likely to like them again and read this article. However, a younger audience may be interested in a ‘new’ band because they weren’t old enough or born when they were around the first time. The use of dropcap letters at the beginning of the paragraphs shows where the new paragraph begins and the change of topic in the article. This is another typical magazine article feature.
The style of the article is chatty and informal with swearing in places. This immediately shows their target audience is more middle class as higher a higher class audience are less likely to read an article with swearing in it and something with an informal style. The article begins with a quote introduction which makes the reader feel involved straight away.

Q Magazine

Again this magazine sticks to key colours, red, black and white, and makes good use of them. These colours are typical colours for a music magazine. Their title is different to that of NME. In this article they have used a block colour to highlight the title, drawing the audience’s attention. The style of the title is different too, rather than using a quote from the text they have just used the artists name and a small amount of text to explain what the article is about. They also use borders and colour to highlight the key topics in the text.
Similarly, they have used pull-quotes from the text, following typical magazine features. However, compared to the article in NME it uses a larger amount of pictures and it looks like there is less text. However, the types of images in this article are different. In NME it is a basic picture of the band stood together. In Q magazine the photographs are more artistic and abstract. This could be because of the different type of audience. The audience that read Q magazine are more likely to belong to the upper class band on the socio-economic scale (A, B) whereas, the audience for NME are more likely to be middle to lower high class (C2, C1, and B). This could mean that the NME audience are less likely to be interested in the artistic side of the photograph/article and more the content.
The style of the article is different too. This article is in a more formal style compared with NME’s chatty or jokey style. This also reflects the target audience. Q magazine is more formal because of the slightly older and higher class audience which expect to read something more formal. This article also starts with a quote introduction; drawing the reader in, creating an interest of what is going to follow in the rest of the article.