Double Page Analysis Two

This double page spread is taken from the music magazine XXL. The main image is of a band named “The XX.” The theme of the magazine is very mysterious and secretive; i say this because the colours used are very dull and bland, giving of a very dark and shadowy vibe. The language used in this extract is very formal as it is in Standard English, showing us that the target audience would be of a more mature age and would be able to understand this form of writing. The article is written as a continuous prose which is normally used for journalism and is unconventional for a RNB music magazine and not as a Q&A, which is what we would normally expect in a RNB music magazine, this therefore shows us that the target audience of this article is mostly presented to an older audience.

The big masthead and long subheading is very unconventional as it is very unusual for a music magazine, this is because it restricts the amount of space for the vital information on the band. As the subheading is very long, it can be seen as a mini introduction, this is beneficial to the audience as they can see what the article is going to be about.

The use of rhetorical questions in the introduction allows the reader to think about the question and to come up with the answer in their head, this makes them feel more involved and helps them interpret what the article is going to be about. This saves them time as they only have to read the introduction to find out what the main article is about, and if they find it interesting then they may want to read on.  The typography in the article is kept very constant and simple, making it easier for the audience to read the article. The only change in the style of writing is when the magazine writes the name of their magazine, NME in italic, this reinforces the reader that they are reading a NME magazine.

The main image of the group shows that the woman is placed in the centre of the image beside the two men; this shows us that they are protecting her. She is portrayed as androgynous, as she is dressed very manly and her hair is cut short. She and the man on the left hand side are looking directly at the camera showing direct address, this shows the audience that they are bold and brave and that they aren’t afraid of anything. However the man on the right hand side is looking down and away from the camera, this shows the audience that he lacks confidence and is the most venerable out of them all. The band’s name “the XX,” shows us that they are very rebellious and provocative; this shows us that the target audience of the magazine are targeted towards adults from 18 onwards who experience this sort of behaviour and are familiar to it.  The body language of the band shows us that they are very expletive and disobedient.