Analysis of Q's double page spread

Colour: In keeping with the front cover and contents, the colour scheme of red, black and white is used again. This maintains a flow through the magazine which makes Q seem professional and of high quality. Again the use of black and white would not be as powerful on their own but the slight elements of red make such a difference. Red adds virbrancy, passion and drama to the page. The background is white which makes the black and red elements stand out. It would be unusal for a rock magazine not to include the colour black as it is stereotypically associated with the rock genre. Like the front cover and contents, the colour scheme creates a classy, dramatic and bold impression about the double page spread.

Design: One of the images dominates a whole page expressing importance and power. The other image is on the other page in the bottom right hand corner surrounded by the text. The text and images are clearly seperated making the page smart and neat. The text is in ordered columns that reflect a newspaper style. This makes the article appear formal and mature which relates to the older target audience and the magazine itself. Also the times new roman text style stays within the theme of maturity. The line at the top seperating the article from the title and the thicker line at the bottom seperating the article from the page number, again create a smart appearance which expresses high quality.

Images: The main article is about Cheryl Cole so it is obvious that the main image is of her. The front cover shows a more personal image of her face but on this page it is a long picture. This enables the readers to see her clothes and body which the men in particular will be interested in. It also allows the image to take up a lot of blank space. The white background makes the reader entirely focus on Cheryl Cole as nothing else is happening in the background. The image is harsh and powerful. The other image relates to the one used on the front cover due to rain. All of the images of Cheryl Cole in the entire magazine follow the similar pattern of dark colours and seriousness.

Pose, style, hair, make-up: Cheryl Cole has a very seductive pose in the main image where she has her hand above her head and she isn't looking directly at the camera. She looks sexy which will attract men and women will aspire to her. She has a very serious expression which relates to the target audiences serious attitude towards music. Not one of the images has shown Cheryl Cole smiling but that would not make sense as the article is talking about the serious issue of her not knowing who she is anymore. She is used to putting on a fake smile for the cameras covering up her feelings but that is masking her true emotions. The main image shows her wearing the same outfit as in the contents. This consists of studs, slits, wet looking clothes and the main colour black which all are sterotypically associated with the genre rock. She is wearing revealing and provocative clothes that make her look sexy. This will particularly attract the male target audience. In the smaller image she is wearing a top hat which creates a shadow over the top half of her face. This cleverly links to the quote beside it 'I don't know what I look like any more'. This creates a mysterious mood. Both images show a wind swept hair effect which accenuates her brilliant features, particulary her defined cheekbones and jaw. So many women would dream about looking like this and so many men would want a girlfriend looking like her. Cheryl Cole's make-up consists of sexy smokey eyes, perfect pale skin and alluring seductive red lips. The colour of her lips really stand out and relates to the red elements on the page and the famous logo of Q.

How are words used on the cover? There is a large C in red which dominates the first page. The red and size really grabs the readers attention but it is still able to read the text underneath as it is in black. Obviously C stands for Cheryl which the readers will easily be able to recognise. Cleverly, there is another C beside it but in much smaller which refers to her surname, Cole. The large size and vibrant red signifies that her first name is far more important than her surname as it is actually her married name. She doesn't want to be known for being Ashley Cole's wife, she wants to be seen as an individual and have her own sucessful career which she cleary has. Interestingly, nowadays she is far more famous than her husband. The title 'Cheryl Cole' shows two different things as Cheryl is in itallic and Cole is in capitals. The itallic style shows a more girly and feminine side which Cheryl Cole is more known for and the harsh style in capitals portrays a much more strong and serious side. The title expresses the many different aspects of her personality. A quote is used which is very common in double page spreads. It is sectioned off from the rest of the article and clearly stands out due to being in red capitals and a larger font compared to the rest of the text. A quote gives the readers a little snippet of what the article is about and they are normally left quite open so the reader will have to read the article to understand it.

Language: The quote includes a rhetorical question, 'do you know what i mean?' which makes the readers think and therefore makes them feel more involved. It creates a more personal relationship between the reader and magazine. There is a short line on the smaller image saying, 'Best looking 'Slash' kissogram ever steps out.' This adds humour which completely contrasts to the serious story and Cheryl Cole's serious expressions. Humour eases the mood and adds a bit of fun. The language of the article is a bit higher than everday language but not to the extent that younger people will not understand it. The language is not intimidating but will especially target an older, maturer audience. There is a lot of text which shows the images and text are equally as important. A younger audience would be far more interested in the images than text.

Overall impression: The double page spread is kept quite simple and plain but it is still effective. The small elements of red and the powerful images make such a difference. The older target audience would not care about the simplicity as they're far more concerned with what the actual article is about. The double page spread is classy and mature, much to the taste of the target audience. A younger audience would possibly not like it as much because there is nothing quirky or fun about it, it is too formal for their taste. The overall impression you recieve from this double page spread is a serious but classy mood which reflects the target audiences serious attiutude and passion towards rock music.