Contents page analysis

By James Willis

NME The masthead has been continued along with the colours and house style on the contents page. This gives the magazine a professional appearance as well as making it recognisable. The writing font has also been kept in the same font to keep the page looking the same. The date line has been incorporated into the masthead so you know that it goes with that magazine. Also it doesn’t state contents on the page but due to the layout and style of the magazine the reader can get from this that it is the contents page.

The writing revolves around the main image of Africa Exprez. This gives the reader a image that will draw them into the magazine and then they will explore the rest of the page. The band index and features/news are in two columns either side, this makes it organised and easy to find information and if the reader was interested in a certain article they could go and find it.

There is also a small insight into the featured article that goes with the main image. This could be to engage the reader and make them want to read on as well as setting a background idea and set the genre for the magazine. The magazine has its own platform to sell and promote there magazine due to its own advert £5.57 a month.

Vibe The house style of the magazine has been kept the same on the contents page using the same font and style. The masthead has also been included in the page along with the date line so you know if the pages got separated you could tell they went together. It also gives the reader some familiarity.

The main image is a mid shot and it takes most of the page and this will draw the readers eyes into the page. And then they will read the contents lines on the left third of the page. The background is a quite a dark red/burgundy and the writing is in white. This effect of light and dark stands out to the reader and again this draws attention to them so you read on. On the background colour there is a darker V for Vibe that will stand out towards the reader and is a subtle hint that it is vibe magazine.

Vibe has gone for a simple layout to make it reader friendly and they can find the information themselves. Most of the main titles are in bold so the stick out more and only include a minimal amount of words and the language used addresses but is short which makes the page uncluttered.

Billboard The use of the masthead is very subtle but effective at the same time as it doesn’t stand out massively but is still there and reminds the reader of the magazine and as it is positioned above the chart it is also putting there name to it.

The use of images also links in with the contents of the magazine as then the reader can make the transition between writing and images and also source the trending artists quicker. They also stand out against the white background. The overall layout of the magazine revolves around the images and the writing is in three different columns to make it more organised and simplistic to look at and they are all numbered toy can easily find pages. And each of these columns is separated again by sub-headings. There is a colour theme that is mostly dominated by blue to give it a fresh and up to date look and feel towards the reader.

Billboard contents page also features a chart down the left third of the page that music fans will be interested in. It also gives the magazine a unique selling point. As well as this due to the chart updating every week it will make the magazine feel fresh. The writing is small here but due to the genre and target audience being music lovers they will read this even though it doesn't stand out well.