Tuesday, 26 January 2010

Analysis Of Music Magazine Content Page.

 The contents page of this magazine "Q" is very well set out. It is layedout in a very orderly way and it allows the reader the navigate the page easily. Q contents page follows the theme of the Q magazine front cover. The Q logo is similar on both pages and is positioned on the top left-hand corner as in every issue. The colours used are also the same; red, white and black which denotates passion, innocence and darkness which links to music and the pose which Cherly Cole is doing; biting her finger away suggests mystery and sexy. 

The font is the same on both pages and the text is all in capitals which is masculine and eyecatching. In addition some of the text on the contents page are in boxes like the box for the logo on the front cover which gives the magazine the more profession and neat look.
 Also the contents page is in 3 columns like all magazine.

  Down the left hand side the column has been split into two different sections; ‘features’ and ‘every month’. The ‘features’ section shows readers what is in this issue that won’t be in any other issue of Q. The ‘every month’ section shows regular readers where they can find things that are in every issue. In the ‘features’ section is a smaller part dedicated to their ‘Oasis Special’. This special is in its own separatesection of the features column and is written in gold to emphasis that it is a ’special’. The gold colour goes against the rest of the conventions on the contents page, which are white, red and black. So the gold colour used to write about the ‘Oasis special’ shows this is an issue which includes something no similar magazine will include.
The large picture of The Courteeners reflects the style of music that is reviewed and written about in Q magazine. They are dressed in skinny jeans and shirts and have long hair, which shows that they are a modern indie rock band. The people who read this magazine are going to be fans of indie rock music and will probably dress similarly to the band in the picture. The fact that they are by themselves is a way of showing that they are an indie band, indie is short for independent which is what they are in that picture. At the bottom of the page is a section that shows readers the reviews included in the issue of Q. There is a tag line that refers to Q as ‘The world’s biggest and best music magazine’ which could give an advantage over similar magazines when people are making their choice. The ‘review’ section boasts the different things they review such as; ‘CD’s, music books, digital music and DVD’s’. A list of examples is then given underneath to show readers what they can read about.


At the top of the page is the title “Contents” this is in a big, bold font. It’s in a black box, and the font is a bright yellow. This makes the page more noticeable to the reader, and evidently shows them what the page is about. Also in a smaller font there is the issue number and cover date this is to remind the reader what issue this is, even though its been published on the front cover.

Like many magazines, on the right hand corner there is a quick note from the Editor. This is alongside a picture of the front cover; in this short note the editor is talking about why Biffy Clyro (the main people on the cover) is included in this issue of the magazine. The type of language used is chatty and informal. “We Heart Biffy Clyro” they are using taboo words. This is effective as it relates to the target audience; and offers a more personal approach to the reader; as they feel they can connect and relate to how the editor is writing.

The contents page informs the readers, what’s going to be included, not only by text but also by pictures. I felt as the reader this was good in the sense of making the page look more attractive, as it would look quite boring and simple with just text. On the right hand side of the page there is a long column that highlights the main features included in this week’s issue. Small subheadings are used and these are shown in a bright yellow font. This is to show their importance by using subheadings and dividing the magazine up they have made it much easier for the reader to find exactly what they are looking for.

In the left hand corner there is a red box highlighting to the reader that they can get “K Delivered to their door” underneath this there is a number for readers to subscribe to this offer. The reason why they have used such a bright red is to attract readers to read and sign up to their exciting new offer. Again they could have put this somewhere else and filled up the space with better information.

The colour scheme is limited on this page, and the background is white. It’s main purpose is to inform readers what will be included in the rest of the magazine. There is a common theme of black and yellow, all the subheadings, masthead and page numbers are either in black or yellow. This keep the page tidy, and makes it easier for the reader to understand and read. Overall this is an effective contents page, it gives enough information to the reader without the page looking untidy or confusing.







This contents page from NME magazine is separated under different headings; news, radar, reviews, live and features, these are all down the right hand side of the page. Down the left hand side of the page is a ‘band index’ which helps readers find a specific band inside of the magazine which is a really clever helpful way of finding what you want quickly. To find something that had a place on the front cover there is a small red arrow pointing at the stories that are mentioned on the cover. The title of the article and the page number are clearly separated by two different colours used to write each of them in, red for the page number and black for the title. The NME logo is kept in the top left hand corner to keep the contents page similar to the front cover, again this is constant re-enforcement of the brand identity.

At the top of the page it says ‘this week’ in a large bold font, this reminds the audience that this is a weekly magazine. It is also a more informative title than ‘contents page’ because it gets the point across that it is a weekly magazine. And also less informal to accommodate there younger audience

In between the two contents are two large pictures with a small story underneath, this is a taster to give the reader an idea of what the rest of the magazine will be like. This doesn’t make this page a strict contents page as it also has a small story about Oasis who are one of the most recognisable artists in Britain.

Adding the story makes the page more interesting and fills the gap in between the two columns, the fact that a story was used about Oasis makes the story more appealing as they will be recognised amongst the British audience. If the story wasn’t there then the writing would have to be bigger which would go against the common conventions in NME, or they could have written an editorial to make the page more interesting and that is what most magazine contents have in it.

Also down the centre of the page is an advert that boasts NME’s subscription offer, ’subscribe today’ is written in a bright yellow colour to grab the readers attention which makes sure they know about the offer. The yellow used to write ’subscribe today save 33%’ is the brightest colour on the whole of the contents page. As it is the brightest colour on the page this could also indicates that the subscription is a bright idea. In a way this is looks a bit tack for a contents page and it could have been put in the back of the

The red, whites and blacks that are used on the front cover are continued onto the contents page keeping the magazine looking familiar throughout the issue. The fonts and font sizes are also kept the same.

The large fonts and spacious layout show that this is for a teenage audience who will only want a quick read to find out about new bands and gigs. This is why NME have also put a ‘band index’ on the contents page so that whenever someone picks up the magazine they can find what they are looking for straight away. Teenagers are going to want to know about gigs and there is a red box in the bottom right hand corner promoting the ‘gig guide’ and the page it starts on. It is in a red box so that the readers know that it is there and will not be missing anything.

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