To get an idea of common conventions of feature articles I am going to analysis the Metal Hammer magazine. The target audience of this magazine is metal haed teenagers aged 15+. The gender of this magazine would mostly be directed at males however it could also be classed as unisex. The stereotypical view of this magazine would be sweety male bikers, etc.
The text is laid out in columns which makes it more easier to read for their target audience. Their target audience stereotypically will prefer to have shorter words to read instead of having to read long complex sentences. Over the double page spread over half of it is covered with a big bold title and an image which would make it more attractive to their target audience. The big bold title to me looks like something that could be there to design a bikers jacket, this could link it to their target audience. Also having black writing on a black background makes it stand out and easier to read. The text also moves around any object that gets in its way, for example the speech bubble, on the right page, has the text around it. This makes the readers eyes draw across to it when they get to that bit of text.
The imagery in the text has been placed at the bottom of the page. This is because most of the columns end up at the image, thus making the readers always end up at the image. The image is a medium to long shot and takes up about 2/3 of the bottom of the page. The characters in the image look either drunk, stonned or of their head which suits the stereotypical view of bikers. The star vehicle of the image is very good if you know who they are however the image could get more people interested in the band especially the stereotypical view of the target audience, bikers and metal heads.
The typography of the text is very easy to read as it stands out, however the text is dull as it is just written in blocks. They start each new paragraph with a big graffiti like letter. This suits the target audience for the stereotypical view of a teenager. Dick Hebdige (1998) stated ‘Youth as fun, youth as trouble maker’. As soon as people see graffiti they will instantly think that youths did it, thus this is represents Hebdige’s theory. The text in the speech bubble also helps the reader know one of the main parts of the interview without actually having to read the whole of the text. This also suits their target audience as the stereotypical teenager don’t enjoy reading much.
To get a better idea of double page feature spreads, the genre of this magazine is more pop and rock. The audience of this piece would be again at 15+ and the gender of this magazine would be unisex as both genders like rock and pop.
The text is laid out in to two columns which makes it easier to read for the audience. There isnt much text on the page which in one way makes it easier for the audience to quickly read the page, however doesn't really have much information on the band in the text. There is a big quote at the top of the page giving the audience a give away from inside the text. It is written in two different colours thus making it stand out more. This also makes the page more attractive with unisex colours. The colours also stand out because of the black background. Stereotypically teenagers prefer darker colours and this magazines sticks to this. The text has to stand out as its the first thing the audience are going to read and in this case it does. The only problem I think it has is that it cuts across the page and I don't think magazines do this for a convention, so I believe it is being broken in this magazine. This could show rebelious which would link to the youth theory 'Youth as fun, youth as trouble maker' from Dick Hebdige (1998).
The imagery is very good in this piece as there are numerous images showing different people in the band. This makes a great star vehicle for the audience to know who they are. The text again like the other has the images down the bottom of the text which always makes the reader end up at an image after reading the text. This happens as the text is laid out in columns. The images are medium shots of the characters at work in the studio or singing on stage. The only problem with the images I believe is that the characters aren't looking out of the page. This won't really relate to the reader as the audience want to feel like 'My chemical romance' are talking to them. This means it has no direct adress from the images.
The text is very small, this would make it harder fo the audience to read. The text stands out however as it is written in white on a black background, these again are both unisex colours. There is also another strip coming down from the top of the page. This gives the audience all the latest lowdown about the band which gives them more information. I like this feature of the magazine.
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