1. 1. Conventions of a magazine contents page Sacha Relf
2. 2. a magazine contents page has cer tain conventions to make it look good and appeal to the audience making it easier to read. There are a few main conventions in which ever y editor follows to complete designing a contents page including; the main image, different sections and the masthead. Contents pages also stick to the same specific colour scheme as the front cover so that the magazine flows well. Overview
3. 3. Images Usually, on a contents page there should be only one main image or a few images which covers 50% of the whole page. Usually, the image is of a person or thing in one of the main articles. So, in a music magazine this could be a particular artist such as; (if you are doing a pop magazine) Jessie J. When you take the image of the person, it looks much more professional to take the photo of them against a blank coloured background, the best being white. This means that all the readers attention goes to that main image to attract them to read on in the magazine and also makes the typography easier to read. Every image has to contain anchorage text and a page number. It could also have a pull quote or description too!
4. 4. typography Contents page information is usually separated into at least 3 different sections, main sections being; regulars, exclusives. Text on the page should remain the same size and font apart from the exclusives. Exclusives are special meaning that they need to stand out more from the other sections, this could be done by changing the size, style, boldness or colour of the font, or maybe even underline it! At the top of the page there always has to be the name of the magazine and the issue date. The contents page also can include many other information anywhere on the page such as: vPhotographer credits vContact information vWebsite vSocial Media info (Facebook page & Twitter) vImage of front cover
5. 5. LAYOUT The layout of a music magazine contents page includes the common conventions for every magazine (masthead and logo at the top with the body text underneath). Usually, the text is split into three different sections on the page which makes the page easy to read and find specific parts in the magazine. On either the right or left hand side of the page is where these columns regulars and features are habitually listed. At the bottom of the page is where you would find all the details of social media, websites and photographer credits.
6. 6. subheadings The subheadings on a contents page guide the reader to specific parts of the magazine in which they want to read. They help to structure and order the magazine to make it easier for the audience to read but, without putting all the regulars, all the features and all the exclusive stories one page after the other. Each of the subheading use the same font which is usually bold and different to the masthead.
7. 7. colour The colour scheme of the contents page should flow from the front cover of the magazine. These colours should be simple and stand out against he background so can easily be read. Colour schemes usually reflect a specific theme on the magazine e.g. A Christmas edition would use reds, greens and purple therefore throughout the magazine these are mainly the colours which you would see. The colour scheme is a really important convention on a magazine as it helps it have a more professional look. Designers may use the colour wheel to help them decide what colours compliment each other and what colours go well together.