Contents Page Conventions

What is a contents page?

The contents page is usually found on page 3 of the magazine and its purpose is to inform readers of what type of articles are inside the magazine. It includes page numbers, title of articles and different pictures. The contents page allows the reader to navigate around the magazine without any trouble and find specific articles they want to read. The contents page is one of the most important key features of the magazine because it gives the magazine a 'purpose', it also allows the reader to understand what genre the magazine is.

Layout of the magazine

The contents page has similar conventions to the front cover such as having the masthead at the top of the page and images must be included Usually the layout would have 2 to 3 columns and go either side of the main image, this makes the articles easier to read therefore the reader can find different articles quickly. Just like the front cover the contents page has a main image, this image relates to the featured article as it is the main focus of that magazine issue, however the contents page does include other smaller images as the contents page should be have an equal amount of images and text, this makes the contents page more interesting and allows the reader to visually work out what else will be inside the magazine. The article titles and page numbers are found next to each other which helps the reader to quickly find different articles inside the magazine to read.

NME magazine's contents page is a perfect example of this, it follows the conventions of having a main image with 3 different columns around it, its easy to read and doesn't look too busy however they could improve it by including more pictures as there is more text than pictures.

Masthead & Subheadings

The masthead of the contents page usually is at the top of the page and in a sans serif font so it is big, bold and easy to read by the reader. It will usually read 'Contents' or may have the front cover masthead to show consistency and fluency. Every contents page needs subheadings so that the readers are able to easily and quickly navigate around the magazine, they will be able to find specific articles they want to read. Subheadings will be 'Reviews' 'Regulars' ETC. and will have article pages and titles underneath them.

COLOUR

The colour scheme of a contents page will either be completely the same or similar to the front cover and the rest of the magazine this is to make it consistent throughout which makes it look professional. This also allows the readers to understand the genre and theme of the magazine, for example a brightly coloured magazine using colours such as pink, blue and purple will usually a pop magazine. Also it allows the readers to understand if the magazine is a special issue suchs as Halloween or Christmas editions.

Front Cover Conventions

 The front cover of a magazine is the most important part of a magazine because this is the first thing the reader will look at. At first glance the reader needs to see something that is eye catching to keep them interested for when they look carefully at the sell lines to get an idea of what is included in the magazine. Magazines must have a similar style and theme throughout each issue to become recognisable but must also differ to keep the reader coming back and buying each issue, for example the logo will be the same on every issue but the colour scheme may vary due to the artist being featured or it may be a special issue. While creating a front cover you must keep the target audience in mind as well as the genre of the magazine in order to create the most professional magazine

The masthead usually the most eye catching convention as it is generally the first thing we look at. The masthead usually has the biggest font on the magazine front cover so it is the first thing that the reader sees and the colour of it is usually different to the cover lines/ sell lines so that it stands out from everything. The masthead also needs to stand out from all the other competitors on the shelves otherwise the potential buyer will look at the more attractive magazines on offer. Sometimes well known magazines like 'Rolling Stone' or 'Kerrang!' will have part of the masthead covered with the head of whoever is on the front of the magazine this is because the magazine is so well known that the whole masthead doesn't need to be seen because people should already know what magazine it is, especially if the potential buyer is a regular reader. This is an example of Kerrang! covering part of their masthead with the band 30 Seconds to Mars.

The 'Z' formation rule is also an important because in a 'Z' formation the reader will see the logo (if there is one) in the top left hand corner and then read the masthead followed by the most important cover lines, sell lines and images which leads the reader to end up at the bar code in the bottom right hand corner allowing the reader to decide if they will buy the magazine or not. When creating a magazine the 'Z' formation rule is extremely important because it could determine whether the reader will buy the magazine or not, therefore whoever is designing the front cover of the magazine needs to put the most eye catching images and intriguing cover/sell lines to tempt the potential buyer to buy the magazine.

Q magazine is a good example of using the Z formation rule Starting at 'Q' then following onto '100 most shocking moments in music' which is intriguing then there are a few cover lines, then moving down to more cover lines which leads us to end up at the bar code where we then decide if we want to buy the magazine or not.

The Main image is the most important image on the page. Most magazine companies use their main image to show what that issue of the magazine is about, in the music magazine industry there will be an artist or band on the front cover usually from the waist up. The artist or band on the front cover will usually be the most popular artist from that week/month/year so it attracts more customers. The main image should be centred so it creates enough room around the outside for the sell lines and cover lines and the artist will be looking straight into the camera so it creates eye contact with the potential reader. If the potential reader is interested by what images are being shown then they will carry on to read the captions and if the captions interest the reader further then they will carry on to look at the article names and pages so they can read what its about.

The colour scheme, one of the first thing a reader will notice is the colours on the magazine and decide how attractive the magazine is, the more attractive the magazine is the more interested the reader will be. Having a colour scheme makes the overall magazine look more professional which will attract more customers.The colour scheme can also affect the readers mood for example bright colours like yellow can make the reader feel happy and cheerful while dark colours like black can make the reader feel depressed and upset. However in the music magazine industry the colour schemes are used to show what genre the magazine is and the audience they are trying to attract.

for example The Fly use dull colours in their background such as white, grey and black because it is an indie music they is trying to attract indie music lovers. Dull colours such as black are considered 'cool' by indie people as many of them only wear plain, dark and dull colours, their music taste ties in with their fashion style therefore indie magazines would want to use these colours. Similar to the Kaiser Chiefs on the front cover that are wearing plain colours like black, grey and brown.

Typography is the font and text on the page, the text needs to be eye catching and attractive in order to attract someone to the magazine. Most of the font should be the exact same, apart from the sell lines which can be different to attract the reader, this is because if there are too many different fonts on the page then the magazine will look messy and unattractive. The arrangement of the text includes font, font size, line length, leading and kerning this is important because the wrong arrangement could result in the magazine looking unprofessional.

A front cover and a contents page are very closely related, the front cover gets the reader interested about what else will be in the magazine therefore the contents page goes into more detail about what is on each page which interests the reader further. Both pages have images which makes the magazine more exciting and aesthetically pleasing rather than just a block of text.

Colour

The Colour Wheel

The Colour wheel was invented in 1706 by Sir Isaac Newton, he arranged red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet into a arrangement on a rotating disk. One use of the colour wheel by designers is being able to see which colours are well suited and which aren't. The colour wheel is separated into 3 different sections, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary colours. By mixing the Primary Colours together you are able to create the Secondary Colours and when mixing the Primary Colours and Secondary Colours together you create the Tertiary Colours.

When creating a magazine the colours are just as important as any other part of the magazine because it can have an impact on the way people think and feel about the magazine. Colours can cause reactions such as irritating or soothing your eyes, people see colours before they absorb anything else. Colour Harmonies are taken into consideration when creating a magazine, colours that are opposite sides of each other are called 'complimentary colours' for example red and green, they go together to help things stand out and look vibrant however should not be used for text as it will become difficult to read.

White -White connotes light, goodness, innocence and purity. However in advertising, white connotes coolness and cleanliness. 

Black - Black is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery. However black also is associated with negativity and sadness which is used in many rock magazines because rock music is also associated with negativity and sadness.

Purple - Purple is associated with royalty. It connotes power, nobility, luxury, and ambition. However dark purple connotes gloomy dark feelings which could be used in a rock magazine because it suits black and they both cause the same feelings.

Blue - It connotes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven. However the colour blue is also thought to cause positive impacts on the body such as calmness which wouldn't be used for a rock magazine because rock music is loud, exciting and fast.

Green - Green connotes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. Green is also used for hospitals, medicine and peace which creates a sense of safety.

Yellow - Connotes joy, happiness, intellect, and energy.

Orange - Orange connotes enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation. It is also a very tropical colour.

Red - Red connotes energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination. However it also connotes passion, desire, and love.

Typography

What is Typography?

Typography is the way text is presented on a page it is used to create readable and visually satisfying text without the reader realising. This is important when creating a magazine front cover because the more aesthetically pleasing the text and the rest of the magazine is the reader will more likely buy it. For example the choice of font, colour and size can affect whether the reader finds the front cover aesthetically pleasing. Typography can be used to convey feelings, also if the font of the title doesn't match the font of the text and what it's about it can affect how the piece of text is understood, for example if a really important, serious text has a girly and fun font for the title the reader could become confused because the title will mislead them into thinking it would be an informal text but once they read the serious text they could become confused and uninterested.

Sans-serif fonts are simple fonts without any decoration or features at the end of each letter. These fonts are usually used for headlines rather than the main text because they are easier to see from far away however sans-serif font can also be best for smaller fonts because it keeps the general shape and its easier to read.

Serif fonts are more decorative fonts, Times New Roman is a commonly used serif font. Arial is a commonly used sans-serif font. Serif fonts are usually used for printed work. Serif fonts are easier to read in printed work than sans-serif fonts.

What is a music magazine?

A music magazine is a magazine that is completely dedicated to music and the music culture. Music magazines usually include photo shoots, concert reviews, and famous artist interviews they also sometimes include a cover mount which is a recorded CD on the front cover for the reader to enjoy. There are many different genres of music and typically one magazine will stick to one genre, for example, rock, metal, pop, classical or R&B.

Music magazines stick to one genre so they can target one specific audience, some people will only listen to one genre and only stick to that genre, and therefore if a reader only listened to metal they wouldn’t want to buy a magazine targeted at pop, classical and metal. Therefore the genre of a music magazine will determine the type of audience it will attract because everyone has different personal taste and style. Examples of two different genres of music magazines are Kerrang! And Billboard.

Genres -

Rock

Rock magazines generally use lots of dark colours such as blacks but also use grey and white this is because it connotes the serious and deep lyrics of many rocks songs. However rock music is also considered 'emo' or 'punk' and these stereotypes are associated with dark colours and sadness. For example Kerrang! is a rock magazine and has used black as a background and white for the masthead however the band name 'Bring me the horizon' is in yellow to attract the reader.









Pop 

Pop magazines usually are bright coloured and exciting which

pop music is like, its loud, happy and fun to listen to so pop magazines have followed that same approach in their magazines. Pop magazines usually use the artists most popular in the charts which appeals to the people that want to keep up with the latest celebrities music and gossip. This type of magazine is aimed at a wide audience because it features whoever is popular at the time which could attract a large range of people.

Indie

Indie magazines are considered to be cool and edgy unlike

any other magazine you have seen before because they are 'different'. Indie magazines usually have a chilled colour scheme such as black and white background, the artist wearing dark colours and the typography is red, yellow or white. NME have followed this typical indie magazine style therefore we know it is indie. Indie magazines attract people that enjoy finding new music or are interested on the artist on the front cover.

Rap/Hiphop

Rap magazines usually have a set colour scheme of red,

black, white and yellow however this can vary throughout different issues. There are usually only one main image on a rap magazine this is to focus on the one artist on the front cover, they are usually posed in a scary and intimidating way because rap music is usually associated with 'gangsters' which people are usually scared of. They typically have tattoos, listen to rap music and look scary which rap magazines try to recreate on their front covers to appeal to their audience.