Feature Analysis

Cheryl Cole is the artist featured in this article from Q magazine. She is a member of popular girl band, Girls Aloud but has recently gone solo. Along with becoming a judge on the X Factor, being the face of numerous advert campaigns and being voted sexiest woman on Earth, Cheryl has taken the world by storm. The magazine has transformed her usual pop image into a ‘rock star,’ this image fits perfectly with the target audience of the magazine, but however, she is still recognised by her fans and lovers of mainstream music. By using Cheryl Cole, the magazine can now attract a wider target audience. The article consists of 6 pages all together, two are full page photographs of Cheryl, four are the article itself and one page is dedicated to introducing the feature.

The aggressive black, white and red theme is continued throughout the article. The first page of the article is on a black background with a huge red ‘x’ as the focal point. This immediately grabs the attention of the reader and it seems as though ‘x marks the spot’, Cheryl is the hidden treasure we’ve all been looking for. ‘Pin-up, player, fighter, superstar’ are used under the image and are words that the magazine want the reader to associate with her. The article then goes onto say ‘All hail’ they are making her seem God-like or like a queen. Cheryl Cole stands out from the over writing as it is highlighted and an ellipsis is used to invite the reader to continue in the article. The next page is a long shot of Cheryl standing on a very high roof, looking over the city. The long shot image allows the reader to see her body language and complete outfit. She is standing upright, her back slightly arched, chin up, fists clenched and legs slightly apart. She looks very aggressive and powerful, this is targeting women as they will want to emulate her. Her outfit definitely suit’s the rock image they have intended for her, her top is detailed with sharp studs and so are her heels, her leggings are ripped and is wearing punky wrist wear. The fact that she is very high up and looking down on the world shows her importance and unearthly God-like features the magazine is portraying her as.

The next page is where the article really takes off, an image is still being used in the bottom right hand corner, it is in the same location as the photo before. A huge red ‘C’ is used behind the article text, establishing an reminding the reader of who the article is about. The layout is clean and tidy, the text is kept in columns and quotations are used in big red font. These quotations make the article feel more personal and the reader feels as though Cheryl is actually talking to them. The quotations that are used are very informal and sets a mood of easiness and comfort, the reader can relate to her because she seems to be an average person. The captions used for the photographs are comical and keep the easy-going feel to the article. This comic effect and the photographs give a release for the reader as the article is quite in-depth. The balance of photos and text is even and so appeals to people that enjoy reading and those who prefer images.