Feature Article Analysis

JUDGEMENTTypically, a feature article doesn't tend to have that many words on one page. Normally it's a turn off for the reader but given then importance and reputation of the main cover, Rihanna, more words means more information about her. This means that more of her fans will buy it and it will increase sales.

COLOUR SCHEMEThere is no specific colour scheme to the article. However, no bright or clashing colours are used so the feature article is still visually appealing.

TARGET AUDIENCEIn the Stand First, Rihanna is described as a “siren” and there are debates about who ‘pays the bills’? Her posture in the picture is also one of confidence and power, additionally, the actual pink siren that she holds shows that she wants her voice to be heard. The feature article is constructed to show Rihanna as a women of power who embraces her femininity. This appeals to feminists so the main target audience would be women and more specifically – feminists.

MAIN IMAGEThe main image has direct address with the reader which makes the magazine more personal and draws the attention of the reader. The feature article is of Rihanna – a high profile celebrity which adds value to the feature article. This is because she has a lot of fans or people who admire her which maximizes sales. Her red hair also helps her to stand out as it is a very bright colour and matches her lips. This effect makes her look more elegant.

STRUCTUREIt has three columns to make the page look more sophisticated. It also enables more information to be on the page without the words overwhelming the reader

CAPTIONThis credits the photographer for the image. It has a red box surrounding it so that it stands out.

STAND FIRSTThis paragraph gives the reader an idea about what the article will be about. Phrases such as “penises everywhere” attract the reader as it is quite unusual and funny. From the Stand First we can see that the article is in the form of an interview so will attract audiences from people who would want to see from Rihanna’s point of view.

CONTENT Many links are made to other high profile celebrities in the article such as Jay Z and Katy Perry. This adds value to the magazine as their fans will read it as well.

DROP CAPThis tells the reader where the article starts so allows better navigation. It also serves as a connection to cover star Rihanna. An important logo/symbol for her is the letter ‘R’ (the first letter of her stage name) which is the same as the drop cap.

MAIN STARThe main star is the British musician– George Ezra. Relatively, he isn't as famous as other musicians which explains why he is under the ‘Q Introduces’ section as Q is a British music magazine. The purpose of the feature article, therefore, would be to propel him into the limelight.

MAIN IMAGEIn the image, George Ezra is using direct address with the reader which makes it more personal. He is the only person in the shot in which he holds his guitar and is seated on train tracks. The image presents him as a humble character which makes him more likeable to the audience. This is probably his first feature in a magazine and first impressions count.

COLOUR SCHEMEThe colour scheme is very simplistic – red, black and white. This is advantageous as using a wide variety of colours that could potentially clash would be less attractive to the reader. However, the feature article looks a lot more classy and sophisticated like this.

EXTRA INFORMATIONIn this box, key musical details about George Ezra are given. This helps ‘introduce’ him and potentially establish a fan base. It has a black background and white writing. The effect of black on white helps it to attract the reader.

FONTSA variety of fonts are in the article which draws the readers attention to different parts of the page. The font of ‘Q Introduces’ is all the same and is specific to the Q House Style.

DROP CAPSDrop Caps are used on both parts of the page to easily direct the reader where to read. They stand out against the article as the text is white surrounded by a red box.

SIDE ARTICLEThis is atypical of magazine feature articles. However, as George Ezra isn’t a high profile celebrity, the section on Ella Eyre adds value to the magazine. The picture presents her as laid back which will appeal to the reader. The Stand First stands out in red and gives the reader a chance to grasp what the article is about and so gives more freedom to them.

JUDGEMENTThe use of pictures and large sized text takes up a lot of space of on the page. This is beneficial as too many words can overwhelm the reader. However, there are still enough words to be a feature article. Therefore, there is a good compromise between visually appealing and informative.

PULL QUOTE The pull quote is in the middle of the image of George Ezra. This is an unusual place to put it which is original. It is white against the forest background to stand out. The quote, again, is very humble which makes him more pleasant to readers.

From the analysis, we can see that feature articles of magazines often have a lot more

information than the rest of the magazine. This is aided by structuring the text into columns to

make it look more sophisticated. We also discovered that a main purpose of

feature articles is to add value to the magazine. This is done in a number of different ways

including celebrity influence, additional information and side articles.

Because a lot of information is given in these articles, they often possess conventions such as drop caps and Stand Firsts to direct the audience

and give them more freedom.

Inspiration