First Contents Page Analysis.

1. How does the contents page follow
general and layout conventions?
The contents page of Top of the Pops
maintains the brand identity of the
magazine by keeping the colour scheme,
fonts artists and general layout and style
the same throughout each issue and each
page of the magazine It establishes its
own style, but also manages to follow
conventions. It is usually conventional to
find a copy of the front cover with
annotations on, and this is present at the
top of the page; it is placed at the top of
the page so the readership see this first,
so they can easily find the main articles of
the issue. The contents page is also
divided into sections, which is also
conventional, and for each article in the
magazine, there is a brief line of
information about it, along with a page
number. Images that relate to the content
are placed around the contents page,
while the colour scheme reflects the
readership, the genre of the music, and
also shows a symbiosis between the
contents page and the front cover.

2. The first thing that is seen when you open
the magazine, is the title ‘Inside the mag…’
and this immediately tells the audience that
this magazine is theirs to enjoy. The word
‘mag’ is informal slang, which sets an
informal and friendly tone for the
readership to enjoy. The words ‘Inside the
mag…’ are placed inside a pink rectangle,
which grabs attention because of the bright
colour, establishes the colour scheme, and
reflects the femininity of the readership.
The writing is white, which stands out from
the pink, and is in a very feminine font;
white also represents the innocence of the
reader.
The annotated front cover is a good feature,
and is usually seen in pop magazines; it will
appeal to the young female reader who
would be keen to find the main articles
easily. It is placed in the middle left, and this
is a prominent area for our eye’s to go first.
This reinforces the idea that the content on
the front is most important, and will interest
the reader most. Each sell-line is annotated
with the page number, so the readership is
easily directed to it. It also shows that the
magazine understands the readership, and it
encourages and shares the information with
them.

3. The contents themselves are placed in 6 sub-categories:
‘3D posters, ‘We boys’, ‘celebs and gossip’, ‘all about
you’, ‘wins and offers’, and ‘we shopping’. These sub-
categories are reader friendly, and relate directly to their
interests. Unlike other music magazines, there is less
interest on music, and more emphasis on boys and
fashion, suggesting that the young reader wants
something different from just a music magazine; rather
than hearing about new songs, she would want to hear
about what her favourite celebrities are wearing. Top of
the Pops is generally a more fun magazine, which helps
reflect the genre of pop. By saying ‘we love’ so often, it
emphasizes the importance of these things in the minds
of the magazine and its readers, and also shows the
shared interest between them. The magazine’s passion
for these things could urge the audience to love them
more.
Following conventions of content pages, a brief line of
information is given with most features, e.g. Crazy in
love – The stars get slushy, with the most important part
in bold to grab the attention even more. On each one,
just enough information is given to hook in the readership
without giving away the whole article; this ensures that
the reader will turn to the page to find out the rest.
Helping to set the tone for the magazine and establishing
the brand identity, mode of address is used informally
and friendly to echo the language the audience use
themselves; they feel like the magazine is on the same
wavelength as them. such as ‘Your Oops!’. When
presented with casual phrases like this, the readership
will see the magazine as a friend.

4. The ‘we boys’ subheading says ‘we’ve
highlighted everywhere you can get inside boys’
heads or simply find some cute pics to stare at.
Yum!’ Abbreviations like ‘pics’ and ‘yum’ would
interest the young audience, as they can relate
to it, and see the magazine a friend it can come
to. This also suggests that the magazine
includes a lot about boys, because titles from
each different subheading are highlighted. ‘We’
is used, showing that the magazine shares the
reader’s interest in their love of boys. The
highlighter effect suggests that the magazine
have picked out the most important parts of the
magazine for the readers, and the yellow stands
out so attention is drawn to these sections.
Images are used throughout the contents page,
making it more visually attractive, so the audience
will not look at the contents page and be
immediately put off reading it. A picture of One
Direction looking directly at the camera and smiling
gives the magazine a friendly and welcoming feel,
so the readership will be willing to open the next
pages of the magazine. They appear to be holding
dolls of themselves; showing there fame and giving
the readers a short idea of the article. There is also
an image of the clothes, shoes, and makeup that
will be featured within the magazine, giving the
readers a sneak peak, and making them want to
open the magazine. The page numbers are next to
the images, so readers can direct their attention to
these pages.

5. Overall, this contents page is very easy
to digest, and is visually attractive. The
colours pink and yellow dominate the
page, achieve the feminine look that is
also fun and youthful. Pink also features'
on the front, and throughout the
magazine, so the brand identity is
secured; the fonts are also the same.
The contents page is easy to read, not to
bright, and allows the readership to
navigate their way around the magazine
easily.

6. Overall, this contents page is very easy
to digest, and is visually attractive. The
colours pink and yellow dominate the
page, achieve the feminine look that is
also fun and youthful. Pink also features'
on the front, and throughout the
magazine, so the brand identity is
secured; the fonts are also the same.
The contents page is easy to read, not to
bright, and allows the readership to
navigate their way around the magazine
easily.