1. Double Page Spread Analysis.
At the top of the double page spread it states ‘Exclusive Interview’ the word ‘Exclusive’ is a
buzz word which would trigger excitement. The fact the interview is exclusive means ‘Top Of
The Pops’ are first to get all the gossip. This would excite the reader as they too would feel
like they are the first people to get all of the gossip and information about the boy pop band
Union J. The use of the word exclusive is effective, as the Target Audience will know the only
way they can read this interview is if they have a copy of Top Of The Pops.
2. The double page spread headline is ‘Shake it up’ it is written a big bold colourful letters.
Colours such as pinks, greens, purples and blues have all been used; these are typical
colours which are seen in music magazines as they are seen as fun, exciting and vibrant.
These colours would trigger excitement for the reader to, as it makes the pages look bright
and intriguing to read. The letters are also in slight italics and the entire headline is on a
diagonal, this creates a funky and interesting look to the pages. The exclamation mark has
been used to make it stand out, create excitement and look bold. It would catch the
reader’s eye. It also makes it look loud which would be a fun feel for a young and bubbly
teenaged audience, all for things loud and attention grabbing. In addition to this, the
headline ‘shake it up’ has a direct link to the main image, as they are in some kind of diner,
drinking shakes. The pastel colours in the headline actually mimic the kinds of colours you
might find in a diner. By the headline including the word ‘shake’ also reminds us of this idea.
Underneath the headline is a standfirst. The standfirst is inside a text box in a long strip of
green colour. It is the same green which has been used on several of the letters in the
headline to create continuity. The text has been written in white to make it look
professional and to make it stand out. The language used in the standfirst is fun and
humorous. ‘take two scoops of fun, add a splash of superstar smiles and blend with a dash
of perfect pop’ gives the reader an image of making a milkshake or a smoothie, this would
interest the young TA as they would enjoy this drink as it is full of sweet flavorous and is full
of flavour. The adjectives used in the standfirst also link to the personality of the magazine
as it says words such as ‘fun’ ‘superstar smiles’ and ‘perfect pop’ these are all things which
the magazine are related to. As the pop genre is usually seen as full of fun and smiles.
Finally, many devices such as alliteration have been used to make it sound catchy and
amusing for the TA to read. Not only this but direct address has also been used to feel like
the magazine is talking to them and asking them this question personally.
The mode of address used in the standfirst is chatty and humorous. This is so the reader can
understand what it is talking about without the language being boring and complicated. A
young audience would not want to read too much writing without it sounding light hearted
and amusing. The words fun, superstar smiles, etc., also relate to the band. They are the
ingredients that have gone together to manufacture this band.
The use of direct address in the standfirst creates an inviting and friendly approach to the
article. The word ‘you’ is used in a rhetorical question to get the reader involved with the
article and feel conversational as if the magazine is speaking directly to them. This creates a
fun atmosphere and gets the reader excited for the rest of the upcoming article, rather than
the target audience getting bored and flicking the page.
The content of the standfirst encourages the reader to read the article because the mode of
address used is able to create a fun and imaginative image into our minds, it makes the
article seem glamorous and full of excitement. By linking it to the idea of making some sort
of diner drink, the reader wants to get involved and read about all the fun.
3. There are four puffs which feature on the double page spread, each are different colours
yet, each colour represents the colours in the headline. This again makes it look professional
to keep a continuous colour scheme throughout; this is also a convention of music
magazines to keep a colour scheme throughout. Each circular puff is a quote from a member
of the band. This would interest the TA as it allows the reader to get to know them. Also, the
TA may have a favourite band member and would only want to look at what that particular
member has to say. It creates a friendly tone as well as the reader feels they can get to
know the band members individually. The names of the band members are written in black
to contrast with the rest of the text, so that the names stand out and allows the reader to
quickly find out who said each quote. Finally, the fact the magazine refers to the boys by
their first names adds to the friendly feel as we usually refer to someone we know well by
their first name.
The image is of the boy band themselves which creates a clear link between the text and the
image. This is important as the TA would not want to be just presented with text, it is
equally important to see a visual as it also makes the double page spread more memorable.
It is also a convention for double page spreads to feature an image which links to the article;
it is usually a 50:50 ratio of image to text.
