Article Research No.1

Analysis of magazine article: XXL magazine
The article I am analysing is story style article from the music hip hop /RnB magazine: XXL. This magazine is imported from the USA which shows the definite lack of this genre in England! The article is a short reminiscent story from celebrity singer Ciara about how she used to feel going to concerts and seeing live celebrities onstage.
Layout and Organization
The layout of this article is neat and is laid out in a very formal way, it is over half a single page spread, and the text is displayed on the right with the main picture taking up the other left hand half of the page.
The text is in two equal, neat columns with a straight black line and a small picture in between the middle of them; this makes the article look very tidy and organized. However the small picture in between the columns is slanted slightly and bordered with a dark white to make it look like a photo to perhaps not make the columns look too formal. The main picture has sharp edges again to make it look neat and the masthead stays completely to the right of the page; it doesn’t cover any part of the main picture. The picture is also very dark; it is almost all black and grey and this matches the fonts used. There is a small logo placed in the top right hand corner of the picture; its design is in graffiti style and it looks as though it’s been spray painted. This relates to the genre of music this magazine is presenting; RnB/Hip hop is a very cultural street genre of music and the spray paint text could represent the lifestyle of the streets. The logo is also designed in white which contrasts with the black picture to stand out.
The mast head is in block capitals in bold, black font which matches the layout of neat columns and the big black main picture, and the lead is directly underneath this with more black font and bold text for the celebrity’s name: ‘Ciara’. This is so that it matches the theme of the layout and to link it in with the other articles in this section of the magazine
The pictures in this article relate to the text and give the audience an idea of what the article is about if they glanced at it. The main picture of Ciara is depicting her getting into a car at night, possibly from a show or awards ceremony as she is dressed up and unlike many of the pictures in this magazine she is smiling and doesn’t look intimidating. This contrast in facial expressions may attract the readers and engage them in the article as she looks different to the other artists. The smaller picture shows Nelly on stage, this relates to the article as she is reminiscing about when she went to see him live on stage, he is wearing red in the picture which matches with the small logo over the main picture and stops the article from looking too black and formal. This is used so that if the audience glanced at the article they may recognise him and want to read to find out what is mentioned in the article.


Maintaining Interest
The audience maintains interest throughout the article because it is concise and easy to read; it isn’t a long winded article about her life, it sticks to the music side of things which is what the audience wants to read about. It does this by cutting to the interesting parts of her story, it is only two short columns of writing and it fills up space with a main picture and a small accompanying picture.The audience may find this article especially interesting because Ciara has said everything that has been written down, it is written in 1st person and they can feel like they are in on her personal experiences. In the beginning Ciara recalls on classic band moments: ‘St Lunatics were at their all time high’ which some of the audience may relate to and want to read on, and she also name drops singers and bands throughout to have the same effect: ‘Destiny’s Child and 3LW’ they recognise the names and get interested in what she’s saying about them. Also it is written in a conversational style so the audience gets drawn in as though they are part of it. The picture in the middle of the text draws the audience’s eye towards it and they want to read on to find out what she says about the singer in the picture (Nelly).

Language used for target audience
I feel the target audience for this magazine is a male audience in their twenties, this is because the overall feel of the magazine is rough and tough, and the articles are too masculine for women, there are interviews with mainly male singers and provocative pictures of women in some articles. Also there is content such as swearing and long articles that wouldn’t appeal to a younger teenage audience, some of which isn’t suitable for younger readers. It appeals to men who like hip hop/ RnB music and who care about their image.
-Layout
The layout of this article appeals to the target audience because of its simplistic and neat layout; there are two black typed columns which are easy to read and give the article a formal and sophisticated look. Also the colours are masculine; black, red and white which appeals to men, there are no shouting bright feminine colours, they are all dark and appeal to men more than women. The main picture is set out on the left with the text next to it, it is easy to read and the picture itself will appeal to men because of her tight clothing and ‘off the shoulder’ dress.
-Language
The language used in the article engages the target audience because the language is informal but informative; it speaks in a conversational manner and this particular article is a key example as it is actually a monologue of what a singer is saying. Names are dropped in and the reader feels as if they are listening to her in person; there are non verbal pauses and short simple sentences. This doesn’t necessarily make the article flow very quickly but it does keep the audience interested as it is not complicated and long.
The mast head ‘Get up’ is imperative; it is instructing the reader to do something, it is slightly intimidating and brings the image of someone telling a person to ‘Get up and fight’. However this is not the context it is meant to be in, it is talking about getting up onstage and performing; but still it is a short and aggressive set of words and appeals to the audience as this is like the genre of music. Secondly the lead uses informal and language that the audience would use: ‘Nelly got it hot up in Atlanta...’ this ‘street hip hop’ language would appeal to the target audience as they use this language in conversation.
The article is in 1st person and this gives the audience an insight into the singer’s life; they could possibly feel personal identity with her and relate to her reminiscent past, it makes them feel as though they can understand what she is remembering.
She uses a lot of descriptive language and name drops places and bands that the audience can recognise. The audience would most likely value the opinion of this star as they know she is a highly talented singer of the genre and want to compare their opinion with hers. She also gives information on what its like backstage, her feelings and what she personally felt like; the audience then feel they are in on her personal thoughts and secrets: ‘I was fascinated by…’ thus making them want to be in on the gossip.