Magazine Analysis - Contents Pages

Contents Pages

Kerrang:

The contents page colour scheme is similar to the front cover. There has been an introduction of yellow onto the text which stands off the page and draws your attention to the text on a more image dominated page.

The text isn’t very descriptive and just gives a one line description of what will be on the page this will make it easier to find the band that you want to read about but it doesn’t give much of an insight into it. The images on the page are mainly natural poses unlike the front cover.

It also gives a little description from the editor which is a nice element as it gives some recognition to the person behind it all. The red has been minimised on this page so the yellow can grab the attention of the audience and to keep it fresh throughout the magazine but still keeping it relatable to front cover with the use of similar fonts and edgy design. The language is simple and to the point just stating the band names for the contents which isn’t very eye catching to the reader and doesn’t draw you in to want to read it. Whereas the main headline and the use of the bold font and colour makes you be drawn to it straight and admire the pictures around it.

Q:

The contents page is clearly image dominated but only by two. The image is eye catching as it takes up so much of the page so your eye is automatically drawn to it even through the picture isn’t too exciting it is more relaxed.

The colour scheme has remained consistent throughout this and the front cover and also works well on the page.  The contents list gives a fair amount of information about the pages and their content .This is good for the reader because they can find what they are specifically looking for at the time or for a later reference.

The overall layout and design has also been carried forward as it is very clean cut and straight just like the cover and again like the main image on the cover it is relaxed and in an outside setting not too forced or posed just natural and to the point maybe this is their ethos for the magazine. Red and white are the dominant colours throughout using subtle hunts of gold and black splitting the red and white up to keep it flowing and fresh. The language is simple and not particularly eye catching but it displays the articles and bands they are in the magazine

Mojo:

This contents page again is very image dominated. The colour scheme is stereotypical to the genre as many other magazines use this but this one uses more of the black whereas others make that minimal. This could be relating to the genre of the musician in the picture as his music is quite slow and has a darker tone, so this colour could be telling you this about the artist before you’ve even read the article. There is a lot of text about the contents which is good and it doesn’t look too cluttered.

They have used a quote at the end of the page which isn’t often used on contents pages but it gives a different slant on the magazine. It also will attract a different sort of audience to read the article as it states “Antony gives career advice” so people who may be interested will read it.

His pose is very mysterious adding to the whole tone and genre of the page. The pale makeup makes him jump off the page against the black making the image even more eye catching. No other images have been included showing that his article deserves to be the only picture maybe showing his status in the music industry? It also includes the date and issue number on the page which is usually displayed on the front cover making this magazine unique to the typical magazine. The headlines are just straight and to the point only stating the band names. It is organised and specific possibly making it easier to navigate around the magazine but it doesn’t catch your attention as a reader as it doesn’t use and intriguing or catchy language to draw you in.

NME:

The layout is very similar to the Q layout. The music magazines are of a similar genre and share many features such as colour scheme and layout like the dominating main image.

This magazine includes a band index on the left side which is unique to this kind of magazine. This is an even more specific way of pin pointing the artist you want to read about and navigating around the magazine. They have a little section of text with a headline like a mini article which will intrigue you to read on later on in the magazine which a very clever way to grab the audience.

They have incorporated yellow in to their scheme on this page which is similar to Kerrang and it really jumps at you as it is highlighting an important piece of information. They have used limited information on the description of the pages but this will appeal to some readers as they may not want a lengthy description of what they are about to read. The way they have designed the main image is subtle but effected. The shape of it that fits around the text is eye catching to the reader giving the magazine some edge from the other clean cut features. The title of the mini article is very intriguing to the audience and the language used is clever and it also uses ellipsis making the consumer want to read more.

Rolling Stone:

The magazine shares similar features to others predominantly the colour scheme. It is slightly different on this one as they have incorporated grey into the background possibly trying to be subtly different.

The contents page is set out in a blocky style and doesn’t have an image taking up the entire page. This works well as it shows all the different elements of the magazine in an organised way. They have two images overlapping at the top of the page but it fits well making it more interesting and edgy.

 A brief description is given about the pages, which is a good amount as it doesn’t take up the page. They have used a simple sophisticated text giving it a sense of status and formality maybe this is the type of audience they are aiming this at. The pose of the top image is a live image which is different to the other magazines showing the artist in action grabbing the audience’s attention but it also includes more posed images and gives a variation of shots throughout the page making it fresh. All of the headings are catchy and short making the reader be drawn to them and ant to read the story before rather than just stating the band name.