Contents Page Analysis

I will be looking at 2 separate magazine contents pages; Kerrang and Q magazine.

Q magazine covers mainly pop and rock music using a range of styles. Looking at the various cover pages of this magazine, the House style is consistent throughout the different issues, using reds, whites and blues in the colour scheme. The layout is organised and professional looking full of content but not over bearing.

How does this transfer to the contents page?

House style Transfer to the Contents Page In Q Magazine

The colour scheme is transferred over to the inside of the magazine, with red being predominant throughout.

The typeface used on the front cover is used in the red text on the contents page, while a different, more formal font is used (in black to explain what each article is about). The smaller black font is also not in capitals.

One of the pictures pops out over the title “contents” much like the cover page photos over the logo “Q”.

The inside contents is structured like the over is especially with the editorial placement, it is very ordered and clear.

The words “review” and “contents” are also in different fonts to any used before, but notice that all the fonts compliment each other well and suit the style of the magazine which is very ordered.

Layout

The layout to this magazine is in blocks. There are three main columns with a forth showing articles that the magazine sets aside and promotes in a bold rectangle column. The Q review, a regular feature, is included here.

There is a grey area cutting off around half the page, effectively highlighting the articles on the white background as more important which includes the cover story and a editors special.

The columns have no lines separating them other than the extra forth column showing a clear cut between them using a small gap instead.

The page number is shown first in the largest text followed by the band in red and a smaller description of the article underneath.

Pictures

There are four pictures used in this contents page. Three of which are bunched together in the centre of the page.

The biggest picture is used for the cover story and is a close up of the lead singer of the arctic monkeys. This is the first picture a viewer would notice.

The second biggest is of the manic street preachers and they are in informal clothing and in a public setting.

The third is in a natural setting with natural poses and informal dress.

All of these pictures relate to featured articles and the majority are in informal dress in a public, natural setting. The photos don’t look to be professionally shot in a studio and provoke interest in the reader while making them feel more connected to the artists in the natural settings.

The last picture shows a performer from green day in a concert.

Page Furniture

Page furniture is different from magazine to magazine and is something that makes a magazine unique and can add to the look of the house style.

The diagonal cut off on some of the rectangles on the page in the contents page definitely makes the magazine look more professional.

The red tab for the Q interview is not used anywhere else in the magazine so it draws the attention of the reader and is signified as an important (weekly) section.

Both the cover story and 17 page collectors special relate to the picture and featured articles and both use the outline on the inside of the shape connecting them. Note that the collectors special furniture is especially visible to the reader as there is nothing else on the page in that green colour.

Articles

The layout for the articles is the same throughout, putting the page number in the top left corner and the name of the band it relates to beside it in capitals and red. This is done so that the reader looks at the band name first and If they see the band is one they like then they read onto the smaller text summary. The number and the band name are in the same bold text whereas the smaller summary is in a different less interesting font so that there is a clear divide between the artist and the summary.

The exception to this rule is the regular Q interview the magazine provide which uses a different font to any other used in the contents page and the Q logo drawing attention to it even without the page furniture. The picture has circulation of where it is from and there is no summery only a bold exclamation “the worlds finest music guide” setting it apart from all the other articles shown. This proves certain articles are given priority through page furniture, colour and typeface.

There are 19 articles in total.

The second magazine I’m looking at is Kerrang, a magazine based on punk and alternative rock genre(like the one I am creating). This genre is loud and has attitude, going against the flow. The magazine has to reflect this to appeal to their target audience.

The main colour scheme is of red, yellow and white and the page is very cluttered. The attitude in the genre as we see on the covers is reflected through the tilting of text, use of bright yellow and even as mentioned above the cluttered nature of the layout, with many pictures and a lot of text splashed around with little layout balance or order.

But how is this house style transferred to the contents page?

Like in Q Magazine the colour scheme is transferred over with reds, yellows, white and black in the page. This page is organised but cluttered with a lot of text and design features. It seems loaded with content and where Q focuses on quality Kerrang focusses on quantity.

The type face used in the front cover is transferred to the titles of the articles and the circulation, but as in Q the magazine uses a separate smaller, on caps font for the summary to the articles. The article sections use a different font again and are very bold and easily identified without being too large on the page.

The audience is addressed in a very informal tone using intellect such as “kinda” and “thingies”, as well as addressing the audience directly, investing them emotionally and making them feel like a part of the magazine “Hello readers…”

House style Transfer to the Contents Page In Kerrang Magazine

Layout

The layout has 2 main columns with different sections for the articles, such as News and albums. There is also a third, smaller column addressing the readers and crediting people who helped to create it.

There are no lines separating the articles in this magazine however note that the articles are split into sections which are identified in blocks of black with yellow text in it

The pictures on this page are scattered with the largest at the top.

The article artists and in other instances names are in bold on the page with the page number on the left in red. The summary is below this and uses informal speech.

Pictures

As I mentioned earlier The pictures are scattered (spaced out) throughout the page.

The band photos are all in the 2 main columns however none of them are to do with the main cover article. The largest is of a band in informal clothing indoors with exaggerated poses. This comes under the column news. The second largest picture shows a concert setting and comes under lives. The third artist picture comes under shots and shows a formal photo-shoot picture which seems staged. This type of picture is unusual in a contents setting. These pictures all vary in place, clothing and subject matter.

The other photos are in the 3rd column. The first shows the team who were involved in making the magazine in informal dress posing happily for the camera. This makes the reader feel much more linked to them and focuses not only on the magazine but also the people creating it.

The second set of photos shows people who helped creat the magazine, crediting them as well as a small boy who helped an the football club he belongs to, this also creates a connection with the reader on a deeper level than just the magazine, taking a look behind it at who was involved.

Page Furniture

The graphics on the circular design of the contents is speckled with white parts, creating the illusion that the words were stamped on messily.

The second design element is the border around the pictures which makes them seem like photos from an album which pop out using a drop shadow effect and are piled on top of each other.

Lastly the credits title is in a different text to all the rest of the page on a banner drawn and shaded to seem unreal, like a cartoon.

This contents page has less design elements than Q magazine.

Articles

The sections the articles go in have a black background with yellow text exclusive to sections. This makes the sections more noticeable than the articles so the reader will read them first to determine what type of article they wan to read.

The articles themselves use red font for the numbers and capital bold black font (same font as the red) for ether an artists name, or if it is not about a specific artist, the article’s title. This is in a font transferred from the front cover. The underneath summary is in not all capitals, not bold and uses a separate font that compliments the first font.

The articles are closer together than in Q and the summary is shorter.

There are 19 articles in Kerrang, which is the same number as in Q magazine.