Masthead: similar one used for the front cover to show continuity in the magazine. The title isn’t as large as it was on the front cover because the emphasis on this page is the content of the magazine as opposed to establishing the magazine brand. The word ‘content’ is also found at the top of the contents page in a yellow sans serif font that contrasts against the black banner, which grabs the readers’ attention.

Subscriptions: deals for magazine subscriptions are featured in the contents so that readers can subscribe and have the issues sent directly to them. It has been placed on the bottom right corner and the magazine has tried to use strong colours to keep readers attention, as it is the last place where they will look. It also makes the magazine multi-platform.

Main image: the main image doesn’t appear to link to the main cover image used for the front cover that I analyzed earlier, which is an unusual feature as magazines tend to use synergy across the main cover image and the main feature. The magazine may want to create awareness for another of its features. The photo also shows the theme of the magazine with the “rock” like pose which sees the artist singing in the microphone. The artist who has been photographed fits in with the rock music genre from the jacket he is wearing and the tattoos on his fingers, which are usually associated with a rebellious and rock look.

With the contents, they have used the house style with the yellow and the black writing. They also followed the house style as they have written the information in the colour black. The layout is quite clear, as readers are able to identify the different articles and where they can find them. The magazine has positioned the writing on the right hand side of the page. The page number comes before the text follows with a few words about each article. The page numbers are in a red colour that contrasts to the black and yellow, making them stand out to the reader. Credit to photographers: credits to photographers who have taken the images on the contents page have been included which is usual convention of a contents page in magazine

Issue number and date: they have put the information about the magazine, which provides the costumer with the date of the issue, and the number which is a usual feature of a contents page.

Colour scheme: the main colours used are black, yellow and red which contrasts with the colour scheme used on the front page. The basic colour scheme makes it easy on the eyes and makes everything look clear unlike the front cover, which used various colours making the page look busy.

Small images appear on the contents page of 2 articles to feature and the page number. This enables readers to locate the particular stories and see what it looks like before they even look through the magazine and gives them a preview of what to expect. This is a common convention used in most magazines.

Editor’s note: The editor of the magazine has written a small note welcoming readers to the magazine and by doing this it adds a personal touch to the magazine. The note also informs to readers of extra details that are exclusive to the magazine and nowhere else. Adding this note makes readers feel part of a community and encourages them to repeatedly purchase the magazine.

Layout: the contents page is dominated by the main image, which is unusual from the other contents pages I have analyzed. It has one column of texts and a quotation in the bottom left hand side of the page, which again differs from the other content pages I have looked at. Blender magazine have used a simplistic and minimalist layout for their contents page, something that is common in most of their issues, as I noticed earlier when analyzing one of its front covers.

The font used throughout the contents page is sans serif, which makes the magazine look modern, and appeal to their target market of teenagers and young adults. There is not much text on the page and minimal descriptions of the features included; this may appeal to their readers as they won’t want to read lots of information just to gain an insight on what to expect.

A direct quote from the main feature Katy Perry has been included on the page. This creates curiosity and draws readers in to see what is meant by this quote from the artist. People reading this magazine will be a fan of Katy Perry and therefore including this quote will further attract them to read the interview she has done for the magazine. This is an unconventional feature that is not usually used on a contents page from looking at other contents page.

Colour scheme: very simplistic colour scheme of black, white and red. The plain background emphasises the central focus on the pop star featured, who is this issue’s main story

Masthead: the contents title is very eye catching and stands out from the page. The font is very big and bold, which attracts readers to the page. The font is a sans serif giving the page an informal and modern look reflecting their target audience who are teenagers and young adults. The black colour of the title contrasts against the white background and helps make it stand out. The positioning of it at the top makes it noticeable and it is the first thing we see.

Main image: The picture on this contents page is of Katy Perry and this shows the target audience that she will be the main feature in this magazine. The image is of an artistic and creative style as the artist is seen holding a blown up toad stood, this makes the image look fun, innocent and also quite odd. It also shows how quirky and unique Katy Perry is. The artist appears to look smaller than the inflated object she is holding which again furthers the idea of her innocence. The clothing of the artist is feminine and girly, reflecting her target audience of teenage girls who want to look their icon. Her outfit also matches the toad still to avoid clash in the colours. The white spaces have been used to attract attention on the artist and the ‘contents’ title, which both stand out from the page and grabs the readers’ attention instantly.

The contents page has only mentioned its 4 main features of the magazine. The editor may have chosen to do this as they feel it is their 4 best stories and the ones that will help attract readers’ to purchase the magazine. Once the reader has purchased the magazine and read these 4 features, then they will come across the other articles that feature.

The magazine’s web address has been included on the contents page as it hasn’t been on the front cover and the designer felt that it was important for the website address to be positioned somewhere in the contents page.

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Masthead: the distinct ‘Q’ logo is positioned at the top left corner of the page followed by the ‘contents’. The logo is showing the house style, with the red, white and black and is involved within the entire magazine. They have also included the magazine information (issue number and the date) in the black banner because it is the first thing you see and therefore make it noticeable. This makes the magazine available to a much wider audience – makes it a multi-platform, and allows them to advertise more as well.

Main image: the magazine have used a photo of artist Adele, showing that she is one of the main stories with the issue and helps attract readers to the story. The image is the central focus of the page as it is the first thing the reader notices. The artist is looking into the distance as if she is deep in thoughts and not looking directly at the camera. There is also a caption over the photo with the artist’s name and informs the reader that the feature will look at the life of the artist who is ‘Britain’s brightest new talent.’

The features of the magazine have been positioned on the left third of the page. The layout of the contents is clear and this creates an easy way to navigate through the magazine with the ease of use. The numbers and titles of each section, such as ‘Features’ and’ Every Month’, are in the same style as the ‘Q’ making a house style and memorable for the reader. Also, the title of each page is in bold making them stand out and eye catching. The names of artists and bands featured also in a bold font to signify their importance to the magazine issue.

The magazine has also included a section in their contents named ‘women in music’. Each issue of Q magazine focuses on a particular theme and this issue looks at the famous women in the music industry, such as Adele who is the main image on the page. This section stands out from the others as it is in a grey colour, suggesting that the central focus is on female artists.

The magazine’s Myspace profile has been included which creates synergy as the magazine is not only advertising their brand but is advertising the social networking site.

The ‘Review’ feature on the contents page creates a lure for the audience and also makes a focus point as it is at the bottom of the page where the eye looks last. The box contains more text about additional features in the magazine and a sub image of a band is on the left hand side of it.

‘Every month’ suggests to the reader that this is always included in the magazine, which creates a house style but can also show them as being multi platform. It includes entertainment for the reader such as crosswords and Q Mail. Subscriptions for the magazine are also mentioned.

Colour scheme: the main colours used are white, grey, black and red to create a simplistic and professional look that will attract their older audience. All the mentioned features are clear and help the readers in locating the articles they want to read.

Masthead: The same title that would appear on the front cover has been used to show design synergy in the magazine. It has been positioned in the top left corner of the page in a smaller font and follows the house style. The issue date has also been included in the title banner, which is a typical convention in most magazine contents page.

The magazine decides to include one of their smaller stories on the contents page to attract readers’ attention before they continue reading. They decided to include this particular story as they felt it was important to establish this story at the beginning by writing ‘everybody’s talking about…’ Once they read this, readers will want to continue reading the magazine to find out other gossip and stories the magazine has to offer.

Main image: the image used is humorous and amusing as the faces of 2 celebrities have been cut out and edited to fit the bodies of the image. The readers can tell from the visible editing that this image isn’t real but makes them laugh as the woman stands there with a knife, ready to throw at the man on the wheel. The image mocks the celebrity couple’s failed relationship. This image has been created to fit with the heading ‘The Jordan & Alex Circus’ as the photo looks like one that has been taken at a circus. Because of its entertaining element, the photo isn’t taken seriously and readers understand what is meant by it once they’ve read the box beneath the picture.

Links to the magazine’s Facebook and Twitter page have been included where readers are able to ‘follow’ the magazine and find out more information that may not be included in the magazine. This makes the magazine multi-platform and is an example of cross media convergence, where they are building an online community.

Colour scheme: the contents page uses the 3 main colours or white, black and red, which create the house style for the magazine. Red is traditionally used as it reflects the title of the magazine ‘heat’ and we associate with fire and the colour red.

The date and the website address have been included at the bottom of the page where it is the last place readers will look, similar to the Blender magazine I analyzed earlier. The website is in the same red colour as the ‘heat’ title to create continuing colour scheme.

A smaller insert of the front cover has been included under the title of the contents page, emphasizing the design synergy across the magazine. The stories that featured on the cover are mentioned first which suggests that these particular stories may be the more important to the magazine than the others and they feel that they need to attract attention on them first. The content of the magazine has been divided into 5 clear sections to make it easier for the reader to locate the article they may be looking for. The 5 sections have been clearly headed on a black banner in white text to stand out from the page. The layout of the contents is clear and creates an easy way to navigate through the magazine with the ease of use. The page number of each feature is in black followed by the storyline in a red colour and further details beneath in a smaller black font. Sub-images have been edited in Photoshop and included on the page beside their article to create more interest for the story and helps in the creation of the busy and packed page which is a usual feature of gossip magazine.

The structure of the contents page is similar to the Q magazine contents page I earlier analyzed as they both include a main image in the similar position, and the contents text is fitted around the image in an L shape with the title covering the top part of the page.