Contents Page Codes and Conventions

Shakeira Darbyshire

Contents TitleAll contents pages have the title ‘Contents’ at the top because it tells the audience what page it is.

The word ‘Contents’ is usually in very bold writing and in a colour which will stand out from the background colour.

Repetition of masthead

The masthead is repeated most of the time at the top of the page.

It is usually smaller or the same size as on the front cover.

Repetition of issue information

Issue information is repeated from the front cover to the contents page often

It is repeated so that the reader knows what issue it is.

Column Structure

The structure of columns on contents pages are usually in 3 columns.

They are structured in columns of 3 to make it look clear and easy for people to read and find anything they want.

Section headers

Section headers help organise the articles and their pages so it looks structured.

Section headers also help the audience find particular pages so they don’t have to search the magazine for the page they want.

Title of article and article informationThe title of the article is

bigger, bolder and sometimes a different colour to the article information that goes underneath.

The purpose of article information is to give the audience more detail about the article.

House Style

The house style matches the rest of the magazine. This gives it a theme throughout the magazine which makes it look more organised.

The house style can signify the genre of music due to colour schemes, style of font, style of layout and style of language because it can have conventions of one genre.

Mise en sceneIn the images on a contents page there a multiple features which relate to the genre. For example, an electric guitar can signify rock.

The appearance of the artist/band also shows what genre it could be. For example, red and black clothing with long hair and a beard with tattoos shows that they are representing rock music.