Researching contents pages

Contents pages are important because they inform readers of what is going to feature in the magazine and where they can find them. They sometimes include a message from the main publisher telling consumers about competitions and any special articles that may appeal to them along with loads of photos of music artists that are involved with this certain issue. It also introduces the magazine and will determine whether the reader is going to like what they read at an early point, so it is important to attract there attention and include and promote everything possible to keep them interested and intrigued to what's coming up next.



This a contents page from 'Q' the biggest music magazine within the UK and interviews and features some of the biggest artist around the globe such as Arctic Monkeys, Noel Gallagher and Bowie and are known for there simple trademark red background and white 'Q'. The big red banner catches readers attention straight away and stands out from anything else on the page so it makes a statement and is bold and confident and is what consumers will expect to see throughout the rest of the pages. The colour scheme is very much kept the same throughout avoiding confusion and creating a professional feel. 'Q' is known for its bold white font and red background so regular readers will know straight away what it is but for new readers it is simple and stands out so it will attract there attention on to it. Less is more.
The text has been placed along the left and right side with the images in the middle, this fills out the double page spread contents page and there is no gaps or spaces so there is as much information as possible advertising what the magazine has produced this issue. The overall structure looks professional and tidy with the colour scheme being shown again with the same red, white and black which is already showing continuality at a early stage. The photos are of different sizes and shapes which adds edge and shows the importance of the music artist and who is going to be featured in the following pages. The photos represents the articles and provides a insight to consumers so there's not to much of an anticipating and even boring build up.
The subheadings are in a bold font compared to the text underneath so it stands out and the vital part is more visible compared to the detail underneath, it will help the readers find what they are looking for as the page numbers are placed next to the headings to avoid confusion. All of the font is also the same keeping to the consistent and professional feel again.
This is the exact genre and type of contents page I need to be researching to gain inspiration and knowledge of how to create my own successful contents page. This is the perfect example as it keeps to the specific colour scheme throughout and is an eye appealing, bold, informative contents page that is detailed and allows the consumers to go to whatever page they want easily as the numbers are clear to see. When creating my contents page I don't believe its necessary to provide a description under every subheading as I would want keep my readers wondering what the articles consist of and would want to get something from my articles without already knowing what they are going to include.

This is a slightly different layout compared to the above but is the same type of genre and style that I should be focusing on. The bold title NME is in the same recognisable text and font as well with 'Contents' placed next to it, so its obvious what this page will include. The colour scheme to this music magazine seems to be white,black and red with the subheadings in white and black and the rest of the text in black. The page numbers are in red so they stand out from the rest and are clear and easy to see. Unlike Q this magazine has a advertisement at the bottom promoting subscribing and the prices of the magazine, this is a deal that readers can sign up to and receive the magazine at a discounted price, the word 'just' emphasised this and makes consumers believe they are getting a really good deal, this part is subverting to the usual conventions as well as the colour scheme has proven to be red, white and black but have included yellow on the advertisement just so it stands out even more. They have also included there website and number so you can easily contact them and get the subscribe offer as well so they make it very easy for consumers to join.

The main image that is clear and visible to see is of the Arctic Monkeys and the heading and page number is below, NME have also included a paragraph about this article but haven't done this with any others, so this makes it clear that this will be the main feature in the magazine and are proudly advertising it. I believe that its a good idea to widely advertise and entice readers in with promoting a big star featuring in the magazine and keeping the other articles more secretive so readers don't know what to expect.

There isn't as much going on in this contents page and the layout is different compared to the previous Q page, the subheadings are at the right so they are neat and kept together, where as before they were on the right and left side. I believe that placing them together and apart works both ways and still looks professional, I will consider this when creating my music magazine.

I am also going to make sure that I keep to my colour scheme because this enhances the professional feel and keeps to the conventions.

Not all of the pages and numbers have been included and I feel that's vital to keep consumers interested and aware of what's inside and where they can find certain articles that interest them, although its not necessary to write a paragraph underneath everyone, I think that its important for readers to know what's actually inside without giving to much
away.