Contents Page Deconstructions

This contents page is filled with loads of words and information about bands and what is included in this issue of NME. The NME logo/name is also added onto the top of the page with the head mast ‘THIS WEEK’ in a very large bold font, this way the reader knows that this is the contents page. The date is also added underneath with a black stripe with a white font. As well at the black stripe the sub heads have a black background with a large white font explaining the topics available in the particular section. To the right of some of the topic there is a arrow with ‘ON THE COVER’ wrote on, this then lets the read confirm the page numbers with the stories on the front cover, this would be useful if the reader was really interested in the stories and wanted to read more. At the bottom of the contents list there is a ‘PLUS’ section, which is presented, in a smaller font, which could suggest is less significant than the more informative stories located above. At the very bottom of the right side there is a red box with ‘THE UK’S NO.1 GIG GUIDE’ this could make is superior because it has its own box and own area, this could be because it is more significant to the magazine and what it includes inside it. Right in the middle of the contents page there is a small story which is accompanied by a large image, the sell line is quite controversial as people might not like the advertisement of getting “HIGH” however the story seems to be about a local pub which could add a bit of real life into this magazine filled with celebrity singers/band. On the bottom of the page there is a advertisement for subscription to the magazine, also with a offer explaining there is 33% off, this is presented in a vibrant color which contrasted with the back banner. This also provides contact details to the magazine. On the left side of the page there is a ‘BAND INDEX’ which provides extra information for fans of the bands but also adds a unique edge to the magazine as I haven’t saw this is any other magazines. The color theme on this contents page is the typical NME colors; black, white and red, these are distributed well over the page and don’t make it look too colorful and over the top.

This Q contents page is very minimal in terms of not holding to much information however there is a small use of large images, including the picture, which over laps the head mast banner and covers up more than half the contents page. The head mast has a red background that contrasts with the color of the writing located in front of the red banner; the 'Q' logo however is located on the top left corner before the title of the page. The logo is represented in the way it is on every magazine of theirs, a bold, upper case letter Q in the color of white, by doing this it is stereotypical of Q magazine. The 'contest' however is presented in a small very toned down font, in the color black, however this doesn't contrast with the red background to much as it is a dark color and the shade of red used is very dark, this could be a thing that I think Q magazine would benefit from altering. This contents page isn't informative at all, considering only 7 stories are mentioned in some way on the contents page it doesn't reveal too much about the actual contents of the magazine, this could mean that the magazine hasn't really got a lot within the magazine of they could of just wanted to keep the contents page very simple looking and not over crowded. The choice of images used on this front cover represent both genders as a gorgeous female model, a male and a band are shown on the contents page. By placing the female model largest on the page and giving it the most space suggest that Q wants this image to be the main focus on this page, they achieved this by overlapping the image onto the Q contents banner, this gives this image a superior status compared to the other stories on this page. The actual list of the contents is located on the left side of the page and actually only includes 5 stories and a small description underneath the sub head. The sub heads are in a bolder font than the description this help distinguish between the description and title, however they are also distinguished by using a line to separate the two pieces of text. By choosing a red line to do this it not only shows the difference but it also help bring out the red in the banner as well as the separation lines. Furthermore the subheads used are celebrity names therefore not much description is needed as long as the fans and audience know that the stories are obviously going to be about them celebrities, this also could attract other audiences as the celebrities on this contents page are singers but the styles of music really contrast. The page numbers on the contents page are varied in sizes for example on the smaller less obvious stories the remain the same size as the text but on the images, for example the main image, the page number is presented in an extremely large font. This stand out a lot therefore the reader doesn't face any confusion when trying to find the right page. The themes colors used on this page are black, grey, white and red, these colors really tie together as they don't clash but they work together really well, with only having on bright colors which can be smarty used to help make certain areas of the page stand out a whole lot more than other parts.

This MOJO contents page is a very simplistic looking contents page, and it isn’t represented as one either, I think this is because there isn't a "contents" label on the page which may cause confusion to some of the audience, However the pages title is just simply the company name, "MOJO". this isn’t placed within a banner or neither does it have any type of separation lines, the background behind the title is the same as the rest of the page, this however has a great effect due to the layering of the title and its position of being brought to the front. Underneath the title there is a small section separated from the rest of the page, this is separated using two long white lines which cage around the writing within. The writing inside the lines is the date and issue number of the magazine. I suspect that this information will have also been present on the front cover which means it has been repeated on the following page. The issue number and date however was separated using an image which over laps the lines. This image of Florence is a very independent feeling image as it shows off Florence’s curves and her figure by the position she is standing in. Florence’s head over laps the banner, and in turns separated these two pieces of information. The image is a photo of Florence, she is faces towards the left and has her head/chine slightly risen, by doing this is accentuates he body. By positioning her like this and placing the photo where it is, this makes Florence look like she is looking towards the date, by doing this the reader may be drawn to look at the date more than what they would have, if it was a different image. The writing on this page is placed to fit into the shape of Florence’s body; therefore it’s a quirky way of representing the writing to fit in around Florence. The sub head on this page is the "FEATURES" section which contains more sub heads and a slight description along with the page number. The word "FEATURES" is presented in a red, upper case, bold font, this is also the case with the page number, by doing this is stands out from the rest of the text but also makes the writing superior to the other pieces of text on the page. Each sub head is wrote in a higher case, bold white font, this again makes it stand out more from the other pieces of writing, for example it stands out more than the description of the stories on that page. Underneath the stories there is a red separation line which holds the cover story within it, by doing this is it given its own section; it is also confirmed to be the cover story. this piece of text is then followed by another line which separates all the stories from the tag line which goes with the images, by placing this at the bottom this is typically one of the last things the audience should read, so it is then paired with the first thing the reader would most likely look at, the image. the colours used on this contents page are very simple and are very popular within magazines, by pairing the black, white, grey and red its makes the red stand out the most because the red is the only vibrant colour used on this page. The use of red really ties in well with Florence’s hair colour and makes it all look well presented.

By looking at other magazine contents pages it has helped me by inspiring me and giving me ideas for my own magazine contents page. I will apply the elements of these magazine to mine in small bits as I don't want to copy however I want certain elements to be included but with my own spin on things.