Media analyis of contents pages

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The main image in this contents page is the feature that stands out the most. They have done this so that the reader becomes attracted and therefore wants to find out more. The picture really represents the target audience for this magazine – the target audience would be punk rock and heavy metal lovers, these type of people are really rebellious and dangerous people and these are the same characteristics that the picture is showing. Everyone in the picture is looking at this one guy and everyone knows what is going on apart from the reader, this makes them want to get involved and find out why this guy is the centre of attention. Another big reason why this photo is the main image is because ‘Kerrang’ feel that this is a very big page in the magazine and will be the most popular page which is why they are broadcasting it the most out of all of them. Putting the most popular page as the main focus will draw people in because they will think the other pages will be similar by also being interesting pages. The title of the contents page stands out a lot; they have done this by putting it in a bright red background, red represents danger and this is what the target audience love – this will draw them in. Because the title has a bright red background, they have chosen contrasting colours in white and back for the writing, even the white next to the black contrasts each other. These are the factors that make it stand out. The font of the title looks like it has cracks in it, this will appeal to the target audience due to the fact it looks like it has been destroyed, punk rock and heavy metal lovers like the look of destroyed or broken objects. The cracks in the title could also represent that ‘Kerrang’ is a magazine that has been around for years and is still battling on, still producing top quality magazines. On the right hand side of the page, there is a column stating all of the pages in the ‘Kerrang’ magazine, under some of these page titles are some little summaries telling the reader what the page is about. This makes the contents page better because it gives more detail to the person looking at the page, enticing them to keep looking and reading though the magazine. It has been put as an un-bold grey font to show that the page name, which is in a bold black font, is the more important piece of information which will attract people more. The only pages with summaries underneath them are the most popular pages; this has been done so that the reader knows what to expect from the best pages in the magazine and to know that these are the pages that will interest them the most. The layout of this contents page is very attractive, the main attractive factors are the main image and the side column of the page; the main image stands out a lot and makes people want to know what's going on in it. The side columns contrasting colours which include black, yellow and red make it stand out as well; another good thing about the layout is that it is fairly simple as everything is not all over the place, this will mean that the reader will not become confused at any point and will be able to look at the contents page very easily and then find the page that they would like to read. The simple but effective layout will draw people in as many things stand out. As I mentioned, the side column is a very attractive feature of the page, this is where the subtitles are included. The names for the subtitles are very short and most of them are even one worded titles; this is good because it gets right to the point of what that part of the magazine is

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Transcript of Media analyis of contents pages

Page 1: Media analyis of contents pages

The main image in this contents page is the feature that stands out the most. They have done this so that the reader becomes attracted and therefore wants to find out more. The picture really represents the target audience for this magazine – the target audience would be punk rock and heavy metal lovers, these type of people are really rebellious and dangerous people and these are the same characteristics that the picture is showing. Everyone in the picture is looking at this one guy and everyone knows what is going on apart from the reader, this makes them want to get involved and find out why this guy is the centre of attention. Another big reason why this photo is the main image is because ‘Kerrang’ feel that this is a very big page in the magazine and will be the most popular page which is why they are broadcasting it the most out of all of them. Putting the most popular page as the main focus will draw people in because they will think the other pages will be similar by also being interesting pages. The title of the contents page stands out a lot; they have done this by putting it in a bright red background, red represents danger and this is what the target audience love – this will draw them in. Because the title has a bright red background, they have chosen contrasting colours in white and back for the writing, even the white next to the black contrasts each other. These are the factors that make it stand out. The font of the title looks like it has cracks in it, this will appeal to the target audience due to the fact it looks like it has been destroyed, punk rock and heavy metal lovers like the look of destroyed or broken objects. The cracks in the title could also represent that ‘Kerrang’ is a magazine that has been around for years and is still battling on, still producing top quality magazines. On the right hand side of the page, there is a column stating all of the pages in the ‘Kerrang’ magazine, under some of these page titles are some little summaries telling the reader what the page is about. This makes the contents page better because it gives more detail to the person looking at the page, enticing them to keep looking and reading though the magazine. It has been put as an un-bold grey font to show that the page name, which is in a bold black font, is the more important piece of information which will attract people more. The only pages with summaries underneath them are the most popular pages; this has been done so that the reader knows what to expect from the best pages in the magazine and to know that these are the pages that will interest them the most. The layout of this contents page is very attractive, the main attractive factors are the main image and the side column of the page; the main image stands out a lot and makes people want to know what's going on in it. The side columns contrasting colours which include black, yellow and red make it stand out as well; another good thing about the layout is that it is fairly simple as everything is not all over the place, this will mean that the reader will not become confused at any point and will be able to look at the contents page very easily and then find the page that they would like to read. The simple but effective layout will draw people in as many things stand out. As I mentioned, the side column is a very attractive feature of the page, this is where the subtitles are included. The names for the subtitles are very short and most of them are even one worded titles; this is good because it gets right to the point of what that part of the magazine is about meaning it is very un-time consuming for the reader, all they would have to do is glance over it and they would automatically know what the upcoming pages were about. As I also earlier said, the contrasting colours in yellow and black were used to make the writing stand out; these colours were chosen to catch the eye of the target audience/public and to encourage them to look at what the writing says. The page numbers in the side column are red, this tells us that the pages are ones that will excite the reader – we can tell this by the target audience and the colours combined. The main images in the centre of the page have the page numbers in big next to them with a star in the background of them to show that they are the most important pages and to reinforce that they are the main ones. The other images on the page include 2 secondary pictures to promote 2 other main pages in the magazine, these images are smaller to show that they are not as significant. There is also a picture of the editor next to her message for that weeks issue of the magazine, this image is almost trying to scare you which will again appeal to the target audience – these type of images are ones that they love to see. In the top right hand corner next to the title, there is the issue number and the date that the issue was published; this issue was issue 1397, this tells us that ‘Kerrang’ is a very successful magazine that sells a lot of copies each week. The date is important to have because then people know that the issue they’re reading is the current one and so they know they’re keeping up-to-date with the latest news.

Page 2: Media analyis of contents pages

The main image is huge in this contents page, it instantly grabs the attention of anyone who looks at it, it covers just over 2/3 of the page, which is a lot of area to give the main image; it was a brave move that ended up being a smart one. The man in the image is James Blunt, who is actually a big music star, him by himself will attract any music fans let alone the size of the picture. James is looking straight in to the camera making him look like he is almost staring at you, this will make the reader feel that he his personally staring at you – consequently attracting you to the page to see what it says. As well as staring at the reader, James also has no facial expression at all; this is effective because it doesn’t give anything away meaning the reader will actually have to read the page to see what the content inside the magazine will have, having no facial expression could also mean that James is a very secretive person because he doesn't give off any emotion – this could indicate that the story on him in the magazine may be very limited as he doesn't give much away. James Blunt is certainly the main story and the biggest story in this issue of the magazine, we can work this out because he is the only image on the contents page and it is a huge picture as well, taking up most of the page. The colour of the title on this contents page contrasts with the background, the background is white and main part of the title is black, when these 2 colours are placed on top of one another they really stand out and make the piece of writing really eye-catching. As I said, the title is black, black itself is a very bold colour; this could indicate that this magazine makes bold statements in the stories they write, which would attract the reader as it makes the stories more interesting. The title is underlined was it is a very significant part of the page that they want the public to be able to see clearly to be clear of what the writing before the title is about. The underlining line is a very bold black line – this is also a feature that makes it stand out. On the left hand side of the page is a list of the pages in the magazine, below most of these page names (subtitles) are brief little summaries where it states a tiny bit of info about the page. This makes the contents page better because it gives more detail to the person looking at the page, enticing them to keep looking and reading though the magazine. It has been put as an un-bold grey font to show that the page name, which is in a bold black font, is the more important piece of information which will attract people more. Summaries are usually placed under the most important pages in the magazine which are most often 3 or 4 pages but on this contents page, 13 out of the 16 stories have summaries under them, this tells us that the ‘Q’ magazine thinks very highly of itself as it thinks over 80% of the stories included are very good. The layout of this contents page is very simple, nothing is complicated at all; this is good because as it is simple, everything is not all over the place, this will mean that the reader will not become confused at any point and will be able to look at the contents page very easily and then find the page that they would like to read. The simple but effective layout will draw people in as many things stand out. The layout of the page has been based around the main image as it is the biggest part of the page; even though its been built around something, it actually does not look like that because everything is very neat which attracts the public because no ones wants to be looking at a page that is all over the place. The names for the subtitles are very brief; this is good because it gets right to the point of what that part of the magazine is about meaning it is very un-time consuming for the reader, all they would have to do is glance over it for literally one second and they would automatically know what the page was about. The subtitles are the same font and colour as the title, this tells us that the subtitles itself are important but not as important as the main title because the title is significantly bigger in font size and it is also in capital letters. The page numbers in the side column are red, this tells us that the pages are ones that will excite the reader because red symbolizes danger and action, meaning that most of the pages that will be read will be full of exciting information. The red contrasts the black that is the colour of the subtitles, this makes the page numbers stand out in the page, it makes the numbers eye-catching. There are no other images on the contents page apart from the big close up shot of James Blunt, which is in fact the main image, this tells us that maybe the other stories are not as good as the James Blunt one and that none of them will be as popular as it, which is why they’re making it the main focus. On the left and right of the title, there is the issue number and the date that the issue was published; this issue was issue 232, this tells us that ‘Q’ is a very successful magazine that sells a lot of copies each week. The date is important to have because then people know that the issue they’re reading is the current one and so they know they’re keeping up-to-date with the latest news.

Page 3: Media analyis of contents pages

The main image in this contents page is one of the feature that stands out the most. They have done this so that the reader becomes attracted and therefore wants to find out more. The picture really represents the target audience for this magazine – the target audience would be hip-hop and R&B lovers, these type of people are really unique and quite wacky people and these are the same characteristics that the picture is showing. The man in the picture is holding very unusual items, items that the target audience would be attracted to; some people may even feel that the items he is holding is more eye-catching than the man himself. The tattoos on his body suggest that he is a very brave character indicating that he is afraid of nothing hence why he has no top on – he’s ready for anyone. This may mean that the pages inside of the magazine about this man are very interesting ones as he gives off every impression that he is a very open type of man. Another big reason why this photo is the main image is because ‘VIBE’ feel that this is a very big page in the magazine and will be the most popular page which is why it is the only one broadcasted properly out of all of them. Putting the most popular page as the main focus will draw people in because they will think the other pages will be similar by also being interesting pages. The title of this contents page is not a normal type of contents page title compared with other magazines; but this is good because it differentiates ‘VIBE’ from its competitors and it makes it unique. It is different because the lettering for the word ‘contents’ is not in an ordinary straight line, it has been divided up into 2 letters, then 4 letters, then 2 letters again – there is a feature of symmetry here as well, another factor that will attract the audience. The white colouring for it contrasts against the dark red background which makes the title stand out a lot even though the main image is the main attraction. Another feature that makes it stand out is the boldness of the title lettering, when readers look at the page for a quick second, the boldness is what will catch their eye. On the left hand side of the page is a list of the pages in the magazine, below most of these page names (subtitles) are brief little summaries where it states a tiny bit of info about the page. This makes the contents page better because it gives more detail to the person looking at the page, enticing them to keep looking and reading though the magazine. It has been put as the same colour as the subtitles but the difference is that the summaries are not in bold, because of this people can tell that the subtitle is the more important piece of information stated which will attract people more. Summaries are usually placed under the most important pages in the magazine which are most often 3 or 4 pages but on this contents page, all of the stories have summaries under them, this tells us that the ‘VIBE’ magazine thinks very highly of itself as it thinks its stories are very good. The layout of this contents page is very simple, nothing is complicated at all; this is good because as it is simple, everything is not all over the place, this will mean that the reader will not become confused at any point and will be able to look at the contents page very easily and then find the page that they would like to read. The simple but effective layout will draw people in as many things stand out. The layout of the page has been based around the main image as it is the biggest part of the page; even though its been built around something, it actually does not look like that because everything is very neat which attracts the public because no ones wants to be looking at a page that is all over the place. The names for the subtitles are very brief; this is good because it gets right to the point of what that part of the magazine is about meaning it is very un-time consuming for the reader, all they would have to do is glance over it for literally one second and they would automatically know what the page was about. The subtitles are the same font and colour as the title, this tells us that the subtitles itself are important but not as important as the main title because the title is significantly bigger in font size. The subtitles are in bold to make it stand out against the summaries underneath of them and also against the dark red background. The page numbers in this contents page do not stand out at all, they are next to the subtitles in the same font, font size, colour and boldness; because of this, to notice the page numbers properly the reader wouldn’t be able to just glance over the page, they would have to concentrate by reading the text – this is a bad feature of the contents page. There are no other images on the contents page apart from the big close up shot of the man, which is in fact the main image, this tells us that maybe the other stories are not as good as this one and that none of them will be as popular as it, which is why they’re making it the main focus. In the top right hand corner of the page, there is the date that the issue was published; the date is important to have because then people know that the issue they’re reading is the current one and so they know they’re keeping up-to-date with the latest news. There is no issue number of the magazine placed anywhere so that the reader can see it; this may indicate that ‘VIBE’ is a fairly new magazine and it hasn’t published many copies as of yet.