Magazine Analysis - Q Article

This is a double paged spread from the magazine Q, which as a target audience of older readers who are fans of the rock genre. The article is about the band Red Hot Chilli Peppers and their careers as rock stars. The first part of this page that the readers are attracted to is the image. Three of the four band members are looking at the camera and therefore create an entry point for the audience as well as a direct mode of address which allows the readers to feel as though the band are directly talking to them. This makes the readers feel close to the band and gives them a sense of good feeling towards them.

The last person, who isn't looking at the camera may also make people want to find out why he is distant from the audience, unlike the rest of the band.

There is a headline near the bottom of the page so that it doesn't detract any focus from the image. This makes it clear to the reader what the article is about, if they didn't already recognise them from the image. The language used within the article is quite informal, a typical convention of a music magazine, however it is more formal than most music magazines. This would attract the target audience since it uses more sophisticated language than a rock magazine aimed at younger people.

The layout of the page is very simple since all the text is enclosed by boxes or written in columns which is a convention of all media text, not just music magazines. There are two columns of writing about the main bulk of the article but there is a circle in the middle of the page to give additional information about the band's CD.

The background of the main image is a dark pink/red colour which connotes passion, which is what the band feel about their music.

The opening sentence of the article is 'The Red Hot Chilli Peppers can be rightly regarded among rock's greatest survivors' and shows that the magazine hold red hot chilli peppers in high regard which would mirror the feelings the readers of the article feel.

The small box on the side of the article gives information about the band that isn't strictly relevant to the interview but is still interesting and relates to the band.

The sentences are often long and have a more complex sentence structure than Kerrang! Or NME since the target audience of Q is older and are more likely to sit down and read the article rather than skim over it.

The language used in the text makes the reader feel as though they are chatting to a friend rather than reading a magazine and encourages them to relate to the band. This is done by the mode of address which is very calm and casual, using slang and some music jargon but not too much to scare readers away. The language is easy to understand for both musically inclines readers and those that are interested in the artists themselves. Many colloquial phrases are used throughout the article.
Both formal and informal language has been used so as to appeal to both the young audience and the slightly older audience, both of which are interested in rock music.

There is direct mode of address used by the band since most of them are looking at the audience, making the readers feel more involved in the article

The style of writing is quite formal but uses colloquial phrases and swear words such as would be used in normal conversation, so as to appeal to the target audience who would read this article for pleasure, as well as to inform them about the band. Mixes of both complex and simple sentences have been used so as to make the interview flow and gives it a strong structural pattern.

The background of the page is a plain white colour so as to allow the text so show up very clearly on the article and make it easier to read. It also relates to the white of his hair, which is the part of the image the readers are first attracted to. By using the plain, white background, there is no attention diverted from the article or the images and the black text is easily visible.

In conclusion, Q magazine follows certain conventions of music magazines within the article such as using conversation tones within the text, as well as keeping the topic of the article casual and 'easy reading'. However, the formality of the language used is unconventional for a rock music magazine.