Double Page Spread 2

1) How does the choice of band featured in the article suggest who the target audience will be?

This double page spread focuses on Suzanne Shaw, from the pop band Hear'Say. The facial expression that she is pulling is quite humorous, and the clothes that she is wearing are very young. This suggests that this band aims at quite younger people, therefore meaning that the target audience for this magazine are young and fresh teenage girls, aged between 12-14 years.

2) What type of language is used in the article? Give examples of words or phrases which are specific to the style of the magazine.

The language on this page is extremely informal and colloquial, quoting phrases from Suzanne that read "That was wicked" and "No, I love 'em!". This type of language represents the kind of band that Hear'Say are. They're a very young band, and this type of language would appeal to their listeners.

3) How is colour used?
There is a lot of blue used in this article. This blue is extremely pale, therefore targeting their younger audience. It is also a very bright colour, which has connotations of the band being bright and vibrant themselves. It is in the background, the borders for images and the speech marks that are positoned at the top. Throughout the magazine, there are also other interviews, and the same blue colour has been used in each one. This makes the magazine have a consistent colour scheme for these type of interviews. Therefore, when the user is flicking through, they can instantly recognise what this double page spread will be about.

4) What style of text is used? Is it similar to any other pages? What does it say about the image of the magazine and the audience?
The style of text is a basic sans serif font, with the answers to the questions being in Arial. This is quite an easy font to read and understand, which appeals to younger people who may not be able to read as well. It is also extremely informal, which has connotations of the magazine wanting to have a friendly relationship with its readers.


5) How is the double page spread laid out? How much of the pages are taken up by images and how much by text? How does this reflect the audience? What do they value?
One A4 page on the left is taken up by an entire image of Suzanne Shaw. This is because during these times (the years 2000-2003), people would often rip this page out and stick it on their walls as posters. By having this whole image on this A4 sheet, it is allowing the readers to do this.
On the right, there is mainly text, with a picture of her when she was younger. The pull quote spread across the page, in a much larger font, which attracts attention to it. There is not much text, which suggests that this audience do not like to read much, and prefer to look at images. This is because they are younger, and are more used to just flicking through a magazine.


6) What tone is the magazine using when addressing the reader (as a close friend, a member of an 'in' crowd or an informed intelligent fan?) - provide evidence
The magazine does not address the reader much throughout this interview. The only part which addresses the audience is the text that reads "Suzanna on starting early and finishing up a pop star". This is quite direct and tells the reader exactly what the interview is going to be about. This shows that they want to have an honest relationship with their readers, and want to be very clear about what they want to say.

7) How is the artist/band presented to the audience through the images? You may wish to carry out a contextual analysis.

The image is positioned on the left side of the magazine. It is very fun and silly, which shows the viewer that she is quite young and doesn't mind people seeing this more laid-back and casual side of her. The fact that it is also medium shot, showing her from the waist up, also proves that she doesn't mind her audience knowing about her. Her clothes are also of a very young style, as well as her hair style and cap. This appeals greatly to her target audience.

8) How does the style of the article match the style of the front cover?
This magazine is similar to the front cover in some ways, mainly due to the image of Suzanne Shaw. She is pulling, as mentioned above, quite a funny and excited expression. On the front cover, the image of the whole band are also pulling the same expression, showing that they are having a lot of fun and don't take things too seriously.

9) Does the article demand any prior knowledge? Give examples.
This magazine does not require you to have any prior knowledge, as the interview asks her most things about her life up until now. However, the reader may find it helpful to know that she is quite famous, as the pull quotes both describe her opinions on fame. For example "I wanted to go to Hollywood when I was three!" and "A few platinum disks hanging in the bathroom would be nice".

Smash Hits Powerpoint

View more presentations from lulubee.