Contents Page Analysis

I have decided to look into different contents pages of my chosen genre, to get an idea of what to include, how to lay it out and design ideas. I also wanted to look into contents pages to see the different conventions they use, and what made each magazines contents page different.

NME Magazine Contents Page

The title of the magazine 'NME' has been included on the contents page to remind the reader of the magazine name. Also next to the 'NME' text it says 'This Week' to show the reader that it is this weeks issue, with underneath the date so you know what month and week issue it is. The magazine has included a 'Band Index' this allows the reader to see all the bands that have been mentioned throughout the magazine and on what page, so if they wish to read about a certain band they can find it easily. The fact the bands names are also printed in red makes the text stand out and also link in with the masthead 'NME' as that text is also red. The main image is of the band the 'Kasabian'; the image appears to be taken whilst they were performing instead of done in a studio. The sell lines have been categorised into different sections, such as news, radar, reviews, live and features; this has been done to allow the reader to find the certain articles they want faster. They have used coloured text for the page numbers, so it is clear to the reader what page each articles are on. Advertising has been placed at the bottom of the page, this appeals to the audience as it allows them to be able to purchase the magazines. 

Dazed and Confused Magazine Contents Page

This contents page has been designed in a very simple manor, including only one main image, of three blurred out faces, with the text running down the left side and the title of the magazine included at the top in a very small font. The colour scheme has been kept very simple only using black, white and grey; this presents a very dull appearance which attracts the audiences attention equally to the image and the text on the page. The text has been categorised into specific sections so it is easier for the target audience to find the articles they want to read quickly and efficiently.  Because of the simplicity of the layout and the colour scheme of this page it creates a modern, sleek, neat appearance; which will attract their target audience as it will be easier for them to read. 

Q Magazine Contents Page

This contents page has been kept quite simplistic including only two images; this makes the page less crowded and easier for the audience to read. The contents includes the features that are throughout the magazine, the articles have been given titles, and a description of what is included in each article; this will help the reader know and decide what articles to read. At the bottom of the page they've included 'Q Review', this will catch the audiences attention as it's a catchy name for the section. Also as its a review of the magazine the audience will want to read it to see what the newest releases and articles are like/about. The main image has taken up most of the page so this catches the audiences attention; at the bottom of the image it includes the anchorage text telling the reader what the image is about and what page to find that article.