The contents page is laid out into sections so that the reader can clearly see which photo and quote is together and from what page it is from. There
are nine sections in total, all split up using thin black lines. The background of the page is white so that is looks clearer and easier to read. The title ‘INSIDE THIS WEEK’ is bold caps locks and is black with a slight blue shadow to make it look slightly 3D and therefore looks as though it is coming out of the page. It is positioned in the centre of the page at the top and is the biggest piece of text which symbolises that it is the most important. It also has the date underneath in italics and much smaller to state the issue date.
There are 7 pictures of bands/artists that are featured in the magazine shown on the contents page with a quote below which is to do with the article on the artist. Also on the picture is a page number which is seen on one of the bottom corners of the pictures. It too follows the titles bold, caps lock look with the black lettering an a slight blue shadow, however it is a different font, probably to keep the overall contents page looking interesting and different rather than having the same font used for all the text. The quotes about Glasvegas, PJ Harvey, and Mike Skinner are all in black caps lock but are not bold and are in a different font that has been used. Because it is thin it stands out more and is easier and clearer to read. Unlike the previously mentioned pieces of text it does not have a blue shadow. This means that it is obviously not as important so the editors did not want it to stand out as much. The quotes for Faris and Jessie J have a different font to the other bands/artists, the font used is in italics and looks more fancy, it is still in black but is not in caps lock; however it still stands out as it is a different style of font. Everything Everything again have a different style of font as their quote is in bold caps lock and it a lot thicker than the other mentioned fonts. This makes it stand out at the bottom of the page and contrast the rest of the fonts used.
The middle quote and picture are the largest on the page which makes them seem like the most important article. There is no quote, only the title ‘Shockwaves NME Awards 2011 – nominations revealed’ this title is in another different font which is more curled and fancy looking than the others used. The text is in black which again contrasts with the white background so it stands out and is clearer to read, it again has a slight blue shadow that again emphasis’s the articles importance in the magazine. The middle picture also has the NME shockwaves Awards logo in the bottom right hand corner which makes it seem more official. The red logo contrast with the dark colours in the picture so it stands out more. All of the texts for all the articles underneath the quotes are all in the same font. It is a thick black font which is in caps lock but smaller than all of the other text previously mentioned on the page. It gives additional information on the article to attract the reader to read it. The thin section towards the bottom of the contents page to the left shows the remanding magazine pages and their page numbers. The title ‘Plus’ makes it seem as though they are bonus pages to featured ones. The title again has a fancy font and is black and bold to make it stand out. It is also in caps lock to stay in keeping with the layout of the rest of the page.
In the section located in the bottom left hand corner is a turquoise box that is advertising subscription to NME magazine and gives details to the offer which is 35% off. It also gives contact details and pictures of four previous NME covers. It is in the same font as the main title of the page but is in white instead of black and has not shadow this is to make it stand out from the turquoise pugs colour to make it easier to read.
The overall layout of the contents page of NME magazine is the same every time apart from the information and the pictures on it. The clear 9 sections layout makes it familiar and easy to read, especially for consumers who normally buy NME. The white background and black font makes it seem formal and manageable to read and process. A contents page should advertise and inform the whereabouts of the certain articles in the magazine in a clear fashion for the consumer.
KERRANG MAGAZINE - ANALYSIS OF CONTENTS PAGE:
The Kerrang contents page has a specific colour scheme of Black, white, red and yellow. These colours have connotations of rock and rebellion especially black, white and red. These colours are traditionally seen on front covers of Indie, Rock, Alternative, Metal music magazine covers and stand out and contrast each other. The interesting colour used on the contents page of Kerrang magazine is yellow. Yellow normally implies happiness, brightness and joy which is not the style that Kerrang tends to go for due to the artists and bands they feature. However in this context the yellow fits in well with the red, black and whites. It makes the main pieces of information stand out even more and adds a touch of colour to the contents page to make it more interesting to look at for the reader. The background is white which makes it contrast the others colours and makes the text stand out.
There are 6 pictures used in total on the contents page. The main one is located at the top of the page and takes up almost half of the page. This again adds to the interest of the oage as the photo itself is quite interesting as it is not of just the artists singing but of a moment when they walked into the crowd so the reader can also see the audience. This in a way makes the magazine more friendly and inviting and makes the reader feel a part of the world of music.
The title ‘contents’ is in a bold font that is in yellow, contrasting with the black background to make it easily readable. It looks almost quite scruffy and grungy which again fits in with the image of the magazine. Directly beneath is the magazines issue number and issue date in a smaller font and in white rather than in yellow. It is also in caps lock, again to make it seem bold and ‘in your face’. There is a title for the artist in the picture which is on a white rectangular pug box so that the text stands out. The text again has the grungy effect just as the ‘Contents’ title had except that this one is in black rather than yellow. There is a page number for is which is white and bold and has a red circle and black star behind it to make it stand out from the white background and also highlight it so that it makes the reader want to look for that page number.
The magazine name is located in the middle of the page almost; it is not only the name of the magazine but also its logo which is unique to the magazine. It is white and stands out from the black strip it is on. Next to this logo is the title ‘This week’ which is in the exact same format as the title ‘Contents’ at the top of the page. It stands out again like the logo on the black strip and is one of the largest pieces of writing on the page.
On the far right is a section that the editor of the magazine has written. There is a picture of them at the top of the section, followed by a column on her note for the week’s edition. The ‘A YEAR’ that begins the column makes it look interesting and attracts the consumer to read it as is in caps lock, bold and larger than the rest of the writing that continues. The black makes it look sophisticated and formal. There is then the signature of the editor which makes the paragraph look formal and professional as if it were an important document but the fact that it is only the editors first name makes it personal and less formal than having the full name.
The actual section of the page which gives the page numbers and titles of the articles is smaller than the picture above which shows that Kerrang is more focused on the importance of the artist rather than the information. There are eight main titles which again the previously mentioned ‘Contents’ and ‘This Week’ title with yellow writing e.t.c. and also black rectangular boxed pug backgrounds to make them stand out. The page numbers are in a thick small sized font and are in red to make them stand out from the text beside them. The title of each page is black, thick and bold in caps lock to make it stand out to the reader. The text beneath it gives extra information about the article but is in a smaller font, still black but not caps locked or bold, this shows that it is not as important as the title of the article. There is a pug next to Muse and Limp Bizkit and on it in white caps lock writing is ‘cover story’ which shows the consumer where the main featured artists sections are in the magazine. At the bottom of the page in the middle is a picture of Behemoth with the title ‘posters’ running across him and then below stating the artists that are printed on posters for this week’s edition. The title is in black with a brown rectangular pug box behind it to make it stand out from the artist.
The overall contents page layout for Kerrang magazine is much more packed and grungy looking compared to NME and Q for example. However both have white backgrounds and mainly black lettering and section off information using thin black lines. Kerrang has a note from the editor on the contents page unlike NME and Q which gives the touch of personality.
Q MAGAZINE - ANALYSIS OF CONTENTS PAGE:
The general layout of Q magazine is always neat and formal looking. Apart from adverts and the front cover, the contents page is the first page the consumer will see in the magazine. It is therefore imperative that the contents page makes a good impression on the consumer. The background is white which is a neutral colour which will make bolder colours stand out and makes the page look more interesting and easier to read. The main colours used for text purposes are red and black. Against the white background both these colours stand out. Usually red, black and white are grouped together to display a rebellious and rockfish image, however here, the way in which the text and images are laid out makes it look more adult and formal rather than youthful and fussy. The red rectangular pug running along the top of the 2 pages highlights the information in it and makes it stand out as the most important info needed on the page. The Q is white so it stands out from the red backing and is in a large font. It also acts as a logo for the magazine. The text ‘Contents’ is in the same font as the ‘Q’ but looks slightly different as it is smaller and is in black, however it still stands out from the rest of the page due to the fact that it is larger than most of the rest of text on the page. Towards the right of the page it shows the issue number which is in white again standing out from the red backing. The font type also matches the ‘Q’ font and therefore all matches all looks clear and professional rather than having different font types. The picture in the top right hand side of the page is of the front cover and is on a slight angle with a thin shadow around it to make it look as if it’s standing out a bit from the page and look more interesting.
The text containing the actual info on the contents is in 2 columns and is split up by red lines which are quite thick and break up the text so that it is easier for the consumer to decipherer between the different pages. The red line stands out from the white background and it’s bold and a bright colour, which makes it the perfect colour to break up text. All of the text in the columns is in black which shows that it is not important enough to be in red as red would be used to make it stand out, where as the use of black makes it subtle and informative for the reader. The title of the article and the page number are both in the same font type as the ‘Q’ but are in bold so they stand out and are easier to read and also catches the eye of the consumer. The text below it which gives a little more info on the article is again in black but is smaller and not bold.
There are 8 pictures used in total on the page, all advertising the leading articles. The larger is of Liam Gallagher and shows that he is the featured artist for this issue of Q magazine. The page number is in white in the bottom left corner of the page
The overall layout presents itself to be targeted at an older audience to that of other magazines such as Kerrang and perhaps even NME. It appears classy, yet at the same time up to date and in keeping with the latest new in the music industry. The pictures are different and have a certain style to them. The house style of the magazine is clearly shown in its contents page through the use of the same fonts, same colours and the overall way in which it is presented on the page using pugs and colour to divide up the information.
No comments:
Post a Comment