Analysis of Contents Pages

I need to make a contents page for my magazine. The purpose of the contents page is to give the reader some means of navigation around the magazine. A good contents page will include headlines with a relevant page number and subtext to further develop the headline. Smaller pictures are normally found to give the reader a further idea of what it is they are navigating towards. Depending on the size of the magazine, it will depend on whether there is lots of information or small amounts. A contents page will occasionally be split up into different sections highlighting which page falls under which category.

I am going to look at contents pages from 3 magazines, down from the 4 when I analysed double page spreads. I have decided not to include Car magazine because it is not the required genre of magazine. My AS Coursework specifies that I need a music magazine and so I have decided to look solely at music magazines to give me the best chance of creating a contents page worthy of selling.



NME


This contents page comes from the NME magazine. It is certainly eye-catching with the green bubbly effect splattered across the majority of the front cover. The layout of the page is fairly standard, with pictures in the middle, a main headline which will attract the reader towards that page and further (smaller) headlines towards the right. This contents page also has a band index so the reader can easily find their favourite band. I have not seen this in a magazine before, however I believe that this is a good idea and a good thing to have in a contents page; something where the reader can navigate straight to something they want.

• The masthead of the magazine (NME) is positioned in the top right hand corner of the magazine, with the words 'This Week' following. The letters 'NME' are in the same font, style and colouring of the front cover and therefore this gives the magazine a continuity that will be obvious to the reader. The colours are the typical NME. They have used 'This Week' instead of the words 'Contents'. This is to set this magazine apart from the rest and therefore it could show how they (NME) find themselves different to other magazines as they cover aspects other than music, shown in their 'NEWS' section.


• In the bottom left hand corner there is an offer to 'Subscribe today and save over £45'. NME are obviously recruiting more people to buy this magazine and therefore they have printed an advert offering a decent deal. This deal also fills up space and therefore NME are left with a full page instead of an empty space at the bottom of the page. NME could quite easily have found some other means of advertising as I am sure there would be many other willing companies, however they have decided to further their own profits and following.


• There is not a main image, but four smaller images. These images are of double page spreads inside the magazine, however all four fall into the headline topic 'Albums of 2009, In the Studio'. This means that the magazine will have first hand access to bands recording new albums scheduled for release in 2009. This will be an interesting story for music fans as they would see whether or not their favourite bands are releasing albums. This is the main feature of the contents page and it is clearly trying to catch the reader's eye and attract them towards this particular story. They also write 'Everything you need to hear this year', which is another line which is drawing the reader towards this article as the reader will trust NME and therefore will accept their views.


• On the right hand side the stories are split into separate headings; News, Studio News, Reviews and Live!'. This shows how NME covers most aspects in music, as they have grouped heading together. All of these headings cover different news stories and therefore the magazine has something that other magazines don't. 'Live!' is ended in an exclamation mark as it is trying to capture the thrill and excitement of live music in five characters. The 'Studio News' section carries on the green circles theme of the page. This is because you can find the main feature of the contents page under 'Studio News', and therefore it is making it easier for the reader to find. Towards the bottom right is 'The UK's No1 gig guide starts page...' all in capital letters. This draws the reader's attention towards it, however to claim that it is the UK's number 1 gig guide is quite a statement, although the readers will trust NME and therefore will also believe that it is the number 1 gig guide in the UK.


• The band index along the left hand side is different to other magazines. It is another contents in the contents page, as these bands will no doubt already have been covered in the sections on the right hand side. This is another simple way of finding the band they want and thus helps reader satisfaction. One drawback of this method may be that the reader looks at this section, sees that there are no bands that they like and therefore decide not to purchase this magazine.

Overall, I think that this contents page is cleverly thought out and well laid out. I think that the lack of imagery is a slight downpoint, however this page still catches the attention of the audience in different ways, and the addition of the band index section is an added bonus.



Kerrang



This contents page comes from Kerrang magazine. It appears to have a different layout to NME's contents page, however I believe that the same principals are there and most of the same codes and conventions have been used. With this contents page there are more apparent images, not of double page spreads. The images do not have an obvious, large headline unlike in NME, however the size of the imagery will be large enough to make the reader look without needing a massive headline.

• Unlike the NME contents page, there is no mention of 'Kerrang' anywhere in the page. I think that Kerrang have decided not to involve their name in the contents page becuase the reader has bought the magazine knowing that it is a Kerrang magazine and therefore there is no need to plaster their name all over it. 'Contents', however, is written in the top right hand corner of the page, much like the NME contents page. This is because they want the reader to know what page they have turned to and, naturally, when you turn a page the first thing you see is the top right hand corner of the next page. There may have been adverts between the front cover and the contents page, and therefore it is easier to find if flicking past the adverts. It is in black and yellow, which is a vibrant combination.


• Underneath 'Contents' in the top right hand corner of the page there is a quote. "Angels & Airwaves? Never heard of them. But Blink 42's not a bad band...". This quote is taken from the front man of Metallica. This quote is directly under the 'Contents' part, and this will add emphasis onto the quote becuase a) it is higher up the page than most of the headlines, b) it is underneath the title of the page and c) it is bigger than the box containing 'Contents'. There is a comic sense to this quote, as Angels & Airwaves are the spin-off version of Blink 182, not 42 as stated. Music fans will know this and find it slightly amusing and therefore they may turn to this page to see whether there are any other entertainment values.


• There is one main image on this page, and that is of the Chiodos frontman. His image is how I would depict someone associated with this style of music; being heavily tattooed and looking slightly forlorn. There are 5 other smaller images surrounding this one, main image, showing the importance of this article and making the reader more likely to turn to this page. Along with the images is the name of the band, thus making the image more recognisable and effective. There is also one or two lines about what the article will be researching and talking about, thus making it more appealing to the readers. The images range from posing to the bands in live performances.


• Along the right hand side, much like in NME, there is the main bulk of the contents page. This, also like NME, has been split up into different sections, however there are more section than there were in the NME contents page. This is a good thing as it makes the contents page easier to look around and easier to find the article that the reader desires. Instead of a subheading explaining what the article is about, there is simply the name of the band which the article features on. I think that for a contents page to be effective, there needs to be some sort of clue as to what the article is about and therefore I believe that this is not necessarily the best option.


• In the top right hand corner of the page is an introduction from the editor of Kerrang magazine. This is a nice touch as it created a friendly and personal atmosphere, and it will also increase personal relations between the magazine and it's fans. This is quite a common feature of a magazine, however it is not normally positioned in the contents page.

I think that this contents page is well laid out, however I also think that it is slightly cluttered and this makes it look untidy. I think that they could reduce some of the images and add more information to the headings on the right of the page.

Q

This contents page comes from Q magazine. This is the most conventional contents page out of the three, with one main image which would attract the reader towards this particular article. The headings are all in one main section, although there are headings under 'Oasis Special', which appears to be a one-off. There is additional information under the heading which will entice the reader to the article. Underneath the main image they have their reviews section so that the reader knows where to go to find the reviews.

• The masthead is positioned in the top left side of the page, unlike Kerrang and NME. It is titled 'Q Contents', which therefore mentions the name of the magazine and what page this is. I was surprised that an established magazine such as this would place their heading on the left of the page, somewhat concealing it from page-flickers. The 'Q' is in the standard red and white which people have become accustomed to, it has become a symbol.
• The bottom left of the page includes an 'Every Month' box, which includes the things which appear every month in Q. This is, presumably, a recurring theme, and this will give the reader a continuity so they know certainties in each edition.
• The main image is of the band 'The Courteeners', a new band; yet a band that I would expect Q to follow. It is a strange image, seen as though it has not been taken in a studio, yet in the countryside. This gives the article a difference to other articles already, just by the photo. In the image is what page number, band name and a quote from the article, which would entice the reader to find out more and therefore read the article. This is a very prominent image and takes up a fair chunk of the page, something that NME did and Kerrang failed to do.
• The page orders are on the left of the page, not the right as they were in Kerrang and NME. They are not split into different sections, however there is one particular, special edition box; 'Oasis Special'. This will bring in fans of Oasis and therefore Q will have a sharp rise in customers when this edition comes out. There are headings, not the names of the bands a la Kerrang, and underneath the headings there is additional information - 2 or 3 lines - about the article, again enticing readers to read each individual article. There is an additional box entitled 'Reviews', which is underneath the main image. This in itself has an image, and also more headings with more information under each heading. This is so the reader can navigate straight to reviews to see whether Q agree with their rating of an album, or to see whether this album is worth buying as they would trust Q to be correct.

This contents page adheres to most of the codes and conventions required in making a good contents page. There is a main image, clear headings with expanations and it is very easy to navigate around. Overall, I find this contents page to be the best of the three as it is easy to look at and simple to use, however I also believe that this contents page is plain and needs something else, whether it be more pictures or less text.

Whilst looking at these contents pages, I believe that the best was Q, with Kerrang and NME fighting out second and third. What impressed me with the Q contents page was it's simplicity and how it was easy for the reader to use effectively. So, from these analyses, I have seen that it is important in a contents page to have:

Pictures

The pictures give the reader a better idea of what to expect from the article and therefore they may have more interest when it comes to browsing through the magazine.

Headings

Good, clear headings are essential as the reader will be looking at the contents page seeing whether or not the magazine is worth purchasing. The headings will need to be clear to the reader otherwise they may be overlooked.

Explanations

Explanations of the headings. These are required to enlighten the reader into what they are going to read and it also whet's their appetite over what is included in the article.

Masthead

The main headline is important and needs to be easily seen as, chances are there are going to be adverts between the first page and the contents page.

I believe that if I adhere to these codes and conventions then I will have created a good contents page which, grouped with the front cover and double page spread, will be the basis of a good magazine which could soon head to the bookshelves.