CONTENTS

PAGE

RESEARCH

Vinnie O’Neill

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A CONTENTS PAGE?

The purpose of a contents page is to give the reader more information about what is in the magazine. It shows all the stories that are shown in the magazine rather than just a few like it does on the cover page. Also each story is numbered so you can see what page it is on and makes navigating the magazine easy.

TYPICAL CONVENTIONS OF A CONTENTS PAGE

Contents page usually follow a house design and are easy to read. They use colours that are relevant to the magazine and are usually the same or similar to the cover page. They are normally one to two pages long and are set out in columns, normally 3-4 to make them easier to read . They also have a big image of a feature article and a few smaller one’s relating to other article’s. These images are usually anchored with a number to show which story it relates to. There is also sometimes a letter from the editor, welcoming the reader to the magazine and what they can expect from this edition.

HOUSE STYLE DEFINITION

House style is the specific usage and editing conventions followed by writers and editors. The colour scheme, font’s and layout. These will all become consistent with the magazine giving it a personal and familiar feel on most pages.

EXAMPLES OF HOUSE-STYLEThe masthead from the front cover is repeated on the contents page, also the font is the same, a kind of rectangle shape to each letter.

The colours are the same on both pages, red, white and black. These are the main colours and creates a familiar feeling when used on both pages.

Both pages have a main image then writing around it. On the cover it has sell-lines and one anchored to the image. On the contents the feature article is the main image and has a paragraph about it.

CONTENTS PAGE ANALYSIS 1This is the contents page from KERRANG! Magazine. It has a big main image which is the feature story and more smaller images to show what else to expect in the magazine. These images are anchored with numbers to show which page you can find this story on and a small phrase to explain the picture. The images are of bands that feature in the magazine and show them at gigs, this entices the reader and makes them want to read more.

It is laid out in four columns to make it easier to read and looks more professional. The title ‘contents’ is yellow on a black background which makes it stand out and catch the readers eye. This is the same as the small subheadings such as ‘news’ and ‘gigs’.

There is also a letter from the editor. This makes the reader feel like the magazine is talking directly to them.

There is a quote from Kirk Hammett which will make readers, who may be fans of Metallica, want to read more about him as they recognise his name.

CONTENTS PAGE ANALYSIS 2This is the contents page from Q magazine.

The Q masthead from the front cover is placed in the corner and is very small. This makes it subtle and contrasts with the front cover as it is very large and stands out there. It is placed at the top of the page along with the title ‘contents’ which makes it the first thing the reader see’s and the colours, red, black and white create a house style.

There is a big main image which relates to a featured story. This image is anchored with a quote which gives the image more meaning to the reader. This would attract fans of this band to the magazine.

There is also an every month feature. This would appeal to frequent readers of the magazine as they would feel familiar with this section. In this section there is a page named ‘subscriptions’, this may entice the reader as ‘Q’ could have offers on and save the reader money.

The section named ‘Oasis Special’ will entice fans of that band making them want to read more.

The review section at the bottom of the page balances the page out with all the writing being on the left hand side of the page. Also, with the image being on the right hand side and all the writing flowing down the left into the bottom right, it makes the page easy to navigate.

MY STUDENT MAGAZINE CONTENTS PAGE PLAN

CREATING A HOUSE STYLE FOR MY STUDENT MAGAZINE

The similarities my contents page will have with my front cover are:• The use of the same font (minion pro)• The colours will be the same (Purple, Green and

White)

This will help create a house style for my magazine.