Analysis of a double page spread music magazine: Interview/Feature
'Spin' is an eclectic and bold magazine with a broad music coverage. 40% of the readers are between the ages of 22 and 29 with 61% being male readers. This double page spread is an interview with Madonna, the target audience would be interested in reading about her because she is a well known successful artist whose music is recognized by people all over the world. Madonna's music ranges from pop, rock, dance to electronic, which relates to the target audience I have identified as they are interested in a variety of music especially indie-pop.
The masthead is the name of the artist in bold blue text with a simple common font to attract the reader's attention and allows them to know clearly who this article is about. Under the masthead is the by-line along with the sub-heading, it is short and snappy but it leaves a big impression on the readers as Madonna is said to be "The one and only". The target audience will be attracted to the sub-heading and will wish to find out what makes Madonna so special. Although the sub-heading is not the same colour as the masthead, it still gives a consistent design feel because it is just a few shades darker and in the same colour family. The colour of the text ranges from blue to black. The masthead and the sub-heading and by-line are in blue, which separates it from the main article, the colour gradients from the light blue masthead to the dark blue of the sub-heading then changes to black for the main article. The colour blue is a cool toned colour, which could possibly suggest how Madonna is a step ahead/cooler than other performers, especially when she was wearing the cone bra costume.
The element of drop capital is not used in this article because it is an interview with Madonna, meaning there are no particular paragraphs. However if this is to be a paragraphed article, it would be a good idea to use drop capital because it shows the readers where the paragraph begins, plus it livens up ad enhances the text. The interview is well laid out as it is written in three columns on side side of the double page spread. By separating the interview into three columns, it makes the article easier and smoother to look at rather than an entire big block of paragraph.
The interview between Ingrid Sischy and Madonna can be seen as rather informal as they both greet each other with a simple "Hi" and "Hello". This makes the interview seem more casual which is much more relaxing for the readers to look at. The questions asked by Ingrid Sischy are highlighted in bold which allows the readers to see the difference distinctly between the two's conversation. Within the interview, Ingrid Sischy made a reference to Madonna's latest album release, not only will the readers be notified about the artist's latest album, some readers may also want to know more information about it and therefore they're able to gain what they wish to know through the interviewer's questions. The interviewer also asked about Madonna's involvement with Malawi, which makes the target audience aware of Madonna's kind hearted activity as it gives her a chance to explain why she decided to be involve and aid the people who need help.
The main image of the article is a photo of Madonna, placed on the left side of the double page spread, this gives the readers a clear image of who the article is about even if they just briefly glimpse through it without looking at the masthead. In this photo, Madonna is looking alluring and desirable in the photograph which draws not only me but the target audience to read the article. The lack of eye contacts in the image between Madonna and the readers along with the ripped piece of organza-like fabric between her teeth are very enticing. We are unable to see what she is wearing due to this image being a close-up photograph, however, this image generally relates to the genre of music because it looks rather contemporary.
The lighting for the image would be a high key lighting, but only one soft light is shining directed onto Madonna's face from the left in stead of the usual three lights. Madonna has been lit this way because it shows homogeneous and the high key lighting suggests happiness whereas low key portraits are dramatic and convey a lot of atmosphere and tension. This photograph has stayed away from the typical medium close-up and is a close-up shot. This makes Madonna seem unusual and not like any other artists. It also reinforces how Madonna has been in the music industry for a very long time and has been very successful which makes her a very special artist who is allowed to receive special treatments. Although her facial expression doesn't convey happiness, the readers are still able to recognize her joy as she is one of the most famous artists ever. Madonna has been positioned with the 3/4 perspective along with lifting her head up slightly in this close-up shot. By lifting her head up slightly, she is looking down at us which makes the readers seem like her followers and that she is the goddess, which is pretty much the reality.
The prop of the piece of black soft organza fabric is semi-transparent, which suggests how the readers may think they know all about Madonna but if they are to look underneath the top layer (black fabric), they may realise there's more to Madonna than to shown on the media, such as her never ending act of kindness.
Overall, the photo looks very simple but the close-up allows the readers to see the details, such as the eye make-up which may seem simplistic and ordinary yet the extra lines on the crease suggest something much different.
Source: http://www.slideshare.net/johncon/spin-magazine-research
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