1. Rebecca Miles
Comparing Double Page Spreads
The ‘We Love Pop’ double page spread is an interview with Tulisa. They kept
the magazine logo in the corner; however they have changes the name to ‘We
Love Tulisa’ so it relates to the interview and also makes to Tulisa seem
powerful and important. Instead of a straight forward title, they have used an
extract from the interview which may be controversial therefore encouraging
people to read on. The introduction seems like they are having a general chat
however they are still keeping it relevant to the interview. This makes the
reader feel that they be having a friendly chat with Tulisa rather than just a
formal conversation, and this will appeal to her fans. The questions again are in
chat form but they are still relevant to Tulisa and her current jobs and
activities. They are extracts and quotes from the interview scattered across the
spread and this breaks it up into sections and makes it much easier to read.
Another interesting way to make the interview easier to read is the way they
have highlighted certain parts of Tulisa’s answers so if the reader only wanted
to quickly read the interview, they have the opportunity to do so. The pictures
are relevant to the questions and are position next to a specific question. For
example, the picture of Tulisa with Co-judge Nicole is found right next to the
question asking about if the judges get along. At the end of the first page,
there is an arrow to indicate that the reader should turn over. Similar to this, at
the end of the interview itself is a little heart (which relates to the ‘we love
pop’ name) to tell the reader that they have come to the end of the interview.
The ‘Q’ double page spread is an interview with Biffy Clyro. It looks
much more serious compared to the ‘We love pop’ interview and this, may
reflect the audience of both magazines. The title is ‘A round with Biffy Clyro’
which refers to a round of drinks. This seems to relate to a more masculine
thing to say so it may either reflect the type of band they are or it may reflect
the ideal reader. It also makes it seem more like a chatty interview and this is
also shown through the questions. The questions seem more general chat
questions which anyone could ask to anyone and doesn’t relate to musicians at
all. This may appeal to fans as it gives them an opportunity to discover the real
band. The layout follows a common interview convention, with the question
being asked and the answer beginning with the band member’s name. In the
2. Rebecca Miles
corner is the ‘Q’ magazine logo, and also similar to the ‘we love pop’ interview,
there is a Q and the end to symbolise the end of the interview. The picture is
an action shot, and on the picture is another image saying ‘Winner: Best Live
Act’ which is represented through the action picture of the band.
Although both these interviews follow common interview conventions,
they also both have their unique ways of appealing to their target audience. I
may adapt some of these techniques into my double spread layout, such as the
symbol at the end of the interview and the quotes scattered across the pages. I
may do something more like the ‘we love pop’ interview rather than the ‘Q’
one as I am also creating a pop magazine.