magazine double page spread analysis

Double page spread analysis

The headline of the article is gossip girl, which is intertextuality to the popular TV show also called gossip girl. This makes the headline quite witty and means that many people will make the link and already have an idea on what the article is about. This could suggest that the target audience would be young  female adults, as these are the types of people that would be the primary target audience for the TV show.  However, this headline doesn't give a lot away, intriguing the audience to read it and understand more. The headline is short and snappy to intrigue the reader. Half of the headline is pink and the other half is white, linking to the house style, of pink, black and white. Two different fonts are also used throughout the article, again linking to the house style. All of this links together, making the magazine look very professional and well organised on the page.

The main image is of the woman who the article is about, Nicole Bitchie, it shows her looking and facing away from the camera, creating enigma for the audience as to what she is looking at. Although the magazine looks like it could be for women because of the colour scheme, Nicole is wearing very little clothing and very high heels. This could make her sexualised, meaning the magazines secondary target audience could be men. This therefore shows that the audience for this magazine is fragmented, as they are targeting different groups of people. Although there is a lot of light in the image, there is a shadow on her face which could link to the fact that she is a blogger, and people don't really know who she is behind her stage name. Under the main image is the by-lines, which show in this case the stylist, hair and makeup artists. This promotes them and their work so that they can be hired by others to work for them.

A pull quote is used at the top, before the article to create enigma as to what the article is going to be about and also to show Nicole's opinions. The quote is 'People thought my site was bigger than it was... They thought I was popping!' The ellipsis used creates a sense of mystery, as it suggests that some of the quote has been missed out. Mystery is also created, as the pull quote doesn't give anything away about what the article is actually about. The use of the word 'popping' could suggest that the target audience is teenagers, through the use of this slang term. The quote is in a lot bigger font than the main text, showing that it's more important, and also it draws the readers attention before the main text does.

A stand first is also used on this double page spread, it says 'Nicole Bitchie, the famously fearless gossip blogger, is afraid of the ocean.' This stand first shows us Nicole's job and why she is famous, to give us an insight into her life. It also says a little unknown fact about her, that she is afraid of the ocean, which creates enigma for the audience making them want to read on. The stand first also uses alliteration, 'famously fearless' which attracts the audiences attention. The stand first is all in capital letters to show that it is very important to read before the audience reads the main text. Also, it attracts the readers attention.

There is also a tagline, which says 'the for-real-rags-to-riches story of Nicole Bitchie, the infamous blogger who cannot tell a lie'. This could also be a link to intertextuality, as it shows a link to the famous children's story of Cinderella. This could also show a message to the audience of the magazine that you can do anything you want to if you put your mind to it. The fact that the tagline says 'cannot tell a lie' this makes the audience interested, as there is a sense of enigma by the fact that the tagline stops short leaving the audience wanting to know more. In the tagline, it says Nicole's name in bold, suggesting that she is a celebrity and of importance. At the end of the tagline it says who the article is written by. This means that the audience can look for other stories by that author if they like that article, and also it promotes the author to maybe get more possible writing jobs etc.

In the bottom corners of both pages, it shows the month and year of publish. This constantly reminds you of the time of year, and also if you want to know which issue it is, you don't have to turn all the way to the front cover. The website, www.ebony.com, is also in the bottom corners to remind readers to visit the website and again so they don't have to flick through the magazine to find it. It also reminds us of the name of the magazine, as it is in the website name. There is also page numbers in the bottom corners, which are helpful for the reader to look at the contents page and see where the article they want to read is in the magazine.

The main text is set up into three columns, making the text appear tidy and not all over the page. The main text is all in the same font type and size all the way through to make the magazine look professional. The font is also the same as the date line at the bottom to make the page look well organised. The main text is written in informal language to relax the reader.

There is also a box in the middle of the main text which talks about all of Nicole's favourite things, this means that the audience can get to know her better and also relate to her and see she is not just a celebrity. This box uses two different fonts and two different colours which all fit in with the house style of the magazine, making it look organised and professional. In the box the word 'favs' is used, and also listed is Nicole's favourite technology items, this could suggest that the primary target audience could be young people, as this is the kind of thing they are interested in.

This article could attract a mass audience of people who like to read this magazine, and also young adult females who are the primary target audience. However, this magazine could attract a niche audience of people who like Nicole Bitchie, and people who just like reading blogs. I think this article could be aimed at anyone from the social economic model, as it shows someone going from being in the C2,D,E section of the model to the A,B,C1 section of the model. This article would attract aspirers, as they want to know how they can get rich and to be liked, they would see Nicole as a role model. People could use this article to find out more information on Nicole and blogging, or to escape from their daily lives and read about something different.