This is part of my textual research; I analysed the codes and conventions of existing, published front covers, contents pages and double page spreads of magazines.

1. ANALYSIS OF
EXISTING
MAGAZINE PAGES

2. The masthead is on
the top left hand
corner –
conventionally placed
here/Formulaic. NME
is an abbreviation for
New Musical Express.
Conventionally, there is a
predominant image of The
music star taking up most of
the front cover who has the
biggest story in the magazine.
A form of a magazine will be to have a banner; a strip
running across the top of the magazine offering more
information about the content of the magazine. Here,
there is an equivalent to the banner on the bottom
left; it is a list of other music artists featured in the
magazine.
Their brand identity
appeals to their target
demographic of young
people (specifically young
boys), predominantly from
the ages of 17 – 25. this is
because the colour pallet
consists of what are,
arguably, masculine colours
– red, white and black.
PLUS+ is a buzz word
put in place in order to
pull the audience in
and make them more
interested in the
content.
Also, it is written in capitals
which appeals to them as
young boys tend to seek
power and status as a man,
therefor, they would be
visually drawn to this
typography as it is quite
square and hard edged
which may represent
dominance and
masculinity, perhaps
because it could be seen as
representative of the male
body; harder and more
rigid.
There is direct address in the
way Haley Williams is looking
straight at the camera as her
band members behind her
are doing. As It is a magazine
aimed at boys, an attractive
successful woman placed as
the main image would appeal
to them as she is in line with
the male gaze. The bright
pink of her lips is the exact
same colour as the
typography and they both
hugely contrast the otherwise
monotone and sombre
coloured pallet. This
subconsciously allows the
viewer to see this, as Laura
Mulvey put it, as an abstract
shape that is sexually
attractive to men.
The Main feature story if
conventionally written in the
biggest text on the front cover,
other than the masthead. The
typography is in all capitals
which is relevant as this
magazine is mainly aimed at
young men. The name of the
artist, Paramore, is written in
pink which is reflected on her
lips which shows she is in line
with the male gaze and make it
more appealing to men as
being a sexual object.
The puff is in a somewhat
conventional placement. The
purpose of it is to advertise
or draw attention to an
something the audience may
be particularly interested e.g.
a completion, winning a prize
a special feature in the
magazine etc. the puff also
follows NME’s brand identity
in it’s colours
There is formulaic
placing of the bar code
on this front cover.
A lot of the time magazine
front covers will have a
secondary image or even be
littered and crammed with
them in order to make them
look busy, exciting and
‘bursting’ with interesting
articles. However, the NME’s
audience is quite older and a
pack of images in the front
cover is likely to not appal to
them. In addition, magazines
aimed at older, ore
sophisticated audiences tend
to have even fewer images.
The subheading offers further insight into another
big story in the magazine. Having it placed at the top
above the masthead is a little bit unconventional.
The Price and date also follow the conforms
of a front cover as they are placed at the
corner of the magazine near the bar code.
The tagline under the main featured artist is actually referring mainly to
the girl alone rather than the group. In “fallen for them”, they mean
“fallen for her” again this is directly aimed at boys to be attracted to her.
This small ribbon on
the edge also works as
a puff of sorts as it is
advertising something
of importance to the
reader hat can be
found within the
magazine.

3. The mode of address suggests that this front cover is
mainly aimed at boys. This is due to the typography
throughout the different aspects of the front cover such
as the subheadings and nature of the feature stories. Also
by the representations of women.
The colour palette of this
issue is different from other
issues from this same
magazine. Though this may
be, the brand identity is
followed through by the
typography of the masthead.
This font and capitalising of
letters is constant in all
Blender magazine covers,
even if the colours vary.
The masthead typography is in
capitals to appeal to men. This may
be because in a patriarchal society,
men are more dominating than
women and capitals mirror this, or
maybe perhaps because capitals
resemble males more and lower
case letters resemble females
more structurally speaking; the
male body is ‘squarer’ whereas
that of a woman’s is curvier.
The cover star is clearly in line with the male gaze as she is wearing
a nightdress which is very short and low cut so it reveals a lot of
what is sexually appealing to men. She has a slight ‘cant’ of the
head which can come across as her being accepting of her
submissiveness. This representation of her being weak and
vulnerable as a woman is reinforced in the mise-en-scene of her
sitting on a bed; she is literally inviting the reader into bed with her.
This is suggested directly in heading for the main article ‘in bed
with Beyoncé’. This once again reinforces hegemonic vales of
woman being objects of desire to men. There may be a suggestion
of innocents in her as what she is wearing is white which has
connotations of purity. However, her lingerie which is showing from
under her nightdress has alternative representations. It’s just about
showing as if to say that she is sexually confident as black is often
associated with this, as well as deviance and mystery.
The fact that she is holding the solid edge of the bed frame could reinforce the male gaze on
her as it could be seen as a phallic symbol. The image is also somewhat framed in a way that
is physically trapping her within the bedframe which is also reminiscent of a cage. This puts
her in a submissive recumbent position and is suited to society’s dominant ideologies.
The cover star has also been retouched through digital
enhancements using Photoshop and therefore shows a
hyper-real representation of women. This is done in order
to tap into the dreams and aspirations of its readers.
There is formulaic placement of the barcode at the bottom right corner.
The main feature stories are written
in yellow blocks to highlight their
importance and also to remain
consistent with the mode of address.
This is also done to draw the reader in
by making the front cover appear
more crammed and busy and
seemingly more exciting. In addition,
It cold be argued that it reinforced
dominant ideology as the blocks are
all hard edged rectangular shapes
which surround the female cover star;
she is surrounded by patriarchy.
There is a banner at the bottom of
the front cover which is a strip
running across the magazine is
conventionally placed. This is to
give additional information about
the content of this magazine.
Hegemonic values
continue to be reinforced
in the secondary image of
girls being sexual objects
as she is also in line with
the male gaze due to the
revealing clothing, the
way she is touching her
hair and also the way in
which she is posed which
outlines the curves of her
body which is sexually
appealing to males.
It is quite clear to see from the phrasing of
the small taglines of the feature stories
that this magazine is aimed primarily at
boys. This is because they use harsher
language that sounds somewhat darker
e.g. ‘The Killers take aim’, ‘Kevin Federline
is going to do’ than what is expected of a
magazine aimed at girls which would
conventionally have more stories to do
with celebrity gossip and would have more
of a lightheaded tone.
The featured music artists are written in black and are on yellow
block backgrounds which is reminiscent of nuclear safety signs . The
reason for this may be because this colour combination is so
arresting that it would almost convey to the audience that this is
important must read information.
The strip running across the top
of the cover acts as a sort of
puff which advertises
something the reader would
take particular interest in.
There is a blade
slash looking
mark through the
masthead as part
of the typography.
This could be
emphasising the
point that this will
get you the
information fast
and efficiently.
Orange may have been used
for this issue as it is quite a
warm tone which is suitable
to the mise-en-scene being
sexual and intimate.

4. This magazine published
in 1977 is specifically
aimed at an audience
interested in electronic
music. During its few
years of success,
electronic music was a
pretty new phenomena so
it was quite popular.
This is not a very formulaic front cover for a magazine
as there is no photography; replacing it as the main
cover image is an illustration that conveys meaning
relevant to the genre of the music.
It breaks the convention that magazine front covers are
crammed full of feature stories and contests. A reason
for this is that this was made before most digital
technology enhancements were made e.g. before social
media made an appearance, so there was no need to
promote exchange of sorts. Also, it is tailored to the
audience who would have been somewhat more
sophisticated and therefore it is suitable that there isn’t
a sort of chaotic composition of information or any
secondary images.
The primary image clearly would appeal to the target
audience as it is mainly of men who would be attracted
to images including machinery as such as it is
considered quite masculine. Also, the images repeats
the square shape very often which is also quite
masculine as it is argued that because it resembles the
male biological structure more, it would appeal to
males more.
The conventional aspect is that the image, though not a
photograph, is in fact an illustration of a famous person
that readers of the magazine will aspire to be like. Also,
what is conventional is that his name ‘Robert Moog’ is
written under the image. It is also the biggest font size
(with exception to the magazine name) to reiterate that
this is the magazines main story for this issue.
The colour palette consists of very sombre and subtle
colours which are very monotonous and would appeal
to men because of this because it is seen as quite
masculine.
The date of which it was
published is conventionally
placed at the top right
hand corner of the cover.
The volume number's
placement is on top the
left corner which is
formulaic for some
magazines.
The typography of the masthead is written in a font
which could be seen as quite futuristic lettering. Maybe
this is because it is written with an effect that is
reminiscent of 1950s comic books where it seems like
the writing is popping out and 3dimentional whereas
today it could be considered outdated.
There is a sort of tagline for ‘synapse’ giving the reader
more information about this magazine; that it is made
for a niche market of those who like ‘electronic music’ of
that time period.
Instead of having a banner which is a strip running
across the bottom or top of the magazine offering more
information, there is alternatively a list on the bottom
right corner offering a further insight into the content.
It is written in the same typography of the main story
heading which is consistent with the mode of address.
The image could be conveying that because it is
electronic music, it is moving quickly and it is fast
tracked which is why there are lines going diagonally
up, demonstrating a sense of speed and excitement; as
if the reader will enter the machine filled electronic
future after reading this issue.

5. Magazine Front Covers
From analysing these three existing magazine front covers, it is clear that they follow particular
conventions such as the masthead being of the largest font in the whole page, there being a main
image which dominates most of the page, there being feature stories with a line of information
about the artist or story, a tagline for the main story and the main story being the second biggest
font size on the page.
Some magazines however, may not follow these conventions as they may be aimed at niche or
boutique audiences. In this case, the conventions can be broken in order to appeal to their specific
demographic such as not having feature stories so obviously laid out, or even at all (little white lies),
or having a painted or drawn main image rather that a digitally photographed one. Some of the
same conventions of more mainstream magazines still exist, but they’re just coded differently to
appeal to their audience. Also, some unconventional magazines may choose not to use digital
alterations on their photographed models as this may be a unique selling point which would be
specific in appealing to their niche audience, though the formulaic alternative would be to follow
the hegemonic values of society and create hyper real images by using Photoshop and other means
of retouching images in this form of print media.

6. The brand identity of this magazine is
shown in the double page spread article as
the magazine’s logo is evident in more
than one place on these pages. This may
be as this magazine ‘WE ♥ POP’ is aimed
at a very young demographic,
predominantly girls between the ages of 8-
13 and would need constant reminding to
become a brand they recognise.
A convention of double page spreads is
that there is usually a large main image
dominating the whole of one of the two
pages. Though this breaks that convention
slightly by having it at the centre of the
two pages as if it were one whole page, it
is still quite typical as the image of the
artists of the article are taking up a large
area of the spread.
The fact that the heading spreads over both pages is formulaic of double page
spreads as it links the pages to show they are both part of the same article.
Though in this case, the main image itself does that same job as it is placed in
the centre. This may however be due the audience being very young and needing
additional visual cues in order to understand that the two pages are in relation to
each other: this is why this D{PS is set out as one big page with an article on it
rather than two pages of and image in one and the article in the other.
This stereotype, along with the brand identity, is
reinforced in the tagline for this particular article
as it is written in an identically shaped speech
bubble to the masthead/brand identity.
The mode of address is clearly tailored to
suit its audience of mainly young girls as
there are feminine colours present
throughout it’s form e.g. the background is
white with wide pink stripes.
This femininity is consistent in the brand identity as it is in a
speech bubble, somewhat reminiscent of a text message. This
would appeal to girls of this age as they are beginning to
become interested in mobile phones and verbal
communication. However, this reinforces the stereotype that
girls are only interested in gossip and ‘chit chat’.
The images have anchors;
small captions describing
the image. They are written
very informally with light
hearted language which is
very appropriate to the
demographic.
This particular music group would be appealing
to the target audience because young girls tend
to be attracted to quite young, feminine looking
boys as their appearance is delicate and
harmless. The background also adds to this as
the colour has connotations of warmth and
compassion.
at the beginning of the article, the opening
sentence is written I bold and, as it has a
younger audience, in a bigger font size to
the rest of the article. This is because
children will not be patient enough to read
it if in the same font size .
There are two secondary images as part of the
same article, this may not seem formulaic but as
the audience targeted is quite young, additional
images are necessary as they are less
sophisticated and would not be as tolerant to
more writing.
Paragraphs are put into columns
as a conventional format but
additional to this, they are
broken off into smaller sections
as a young audience probably
wouldn’t read through huge
amounts of writing
This article is a question and answer session for
this music group from the fans of the magazine.
There are small logos differentiating the types of
questions asked. They are all in different colours
and make the page look more visually alluring
and amusing; it is exciting and busy visually so
that it would appeal to the audience.
The fact that this is a Q&A with fans of the
magazine suggests interactivity and exchange.
Magazines today must include this in some form
otherwise they will not have success.
The shapes including quotes
and advertisement of a new
album help to further break
down the text and keep in
tact with the mode of address
with the feminine colours.
The website of the magazine is present at
the bottom next to the page numbers.
This is evidence of synergy; old and new
media having a symbiotic relationship
where they benefit each other through
promotion of one another.

7. The title of the double page spread stretches out
across the entire two pages in order to relate the
two pages to the same article. This is formulaic.
The typography matches the apparent colour
scheme of the double page spread; red
black/grey and white. This colour palette
correlates with the genre of hip hop and R&B
and it is also quite a masculine one at that which
suggests that this magazine is mainly aimed at
boys; this is reinforced in the typography being
written in capitals as capitals appeal more
masculine. Maybe this is because they resemble
the male physique more accurately or because in
a patriarchal society, men hold power.
However, being in front of a female figure adds a
more feminine feel to the typography as we can
associate the colour with the brand identity of
the music artist. This image of a young,
successful woman may appeal to girls as they
may aspire to have this form of success through
media influences; sells the demographic a dream
to reach self actualisation
The colour red with
the image of the dps
star have femininity
attached to it as red
is associated with
lust and romance
Masculinity is however
reinforces in the
transparency of the
typography allowing
us to see the brick wall
run through it.
The magazine’s Website is shown at the bottom
in it’s banner on both pages. This demonstrates
the magazine’s promotion of synergy, meaning
there is a symbiotic relationship between old
and new media that is mutually beneficial.
Today, this is the only way to gain success for a
magazine due to development in technology.
The phrase ‘One to one with…’ at the top corners act as a sort of buzz word as it
implies that this interview is significant in individuality and exclusiveness; creates a
more exciting, more private and intimate feel to the article’s content thus making it
more appealing to the reader.
The magazine’s brand is reinforced in the banner
next to the page number, where the date is also
written. It is quite conventional for the magazine’s
brand to appear numerous times, even in the dps,
so it can be ingrained in the readers minds.
There is not much writing in the
copy of the double page spread.
This may be due to the demographic
it’s aimed at; younger people –
presumably teenagers, who are
probably not at the sophisticated
enough stage to be tolerant of
massive amounts of writing.
The background of the main image dominates the
entire double page spread which is appropriate for
the target demographic as it reflects the stereotype of
the genre present; hip hop/ R&B. the image is of a
brick wall with the music artist leaning on it while
sitting on apparent pavement in what is presumably, a
suburban street. This choice of location for this
photograph may be to reinforce the genre of music as
the origins of much of this is urban which would
appeal to the audience targeted as the setting of the
place would be familiar to them and the music
involved. This representation of a grimy, present time
oriented city life is reflected in the typography of the
title as the edges of it are also quite grimy and almost
reminiscent of graphite – this is mostly found in the
city and is a popular form of street art amongst youth
in some urban areas.
The music artist is very much in line with the male gaze as she is
sitting on the floor and unable to physically defend herself
making her vulnerable. What adds to this is the camera angle in
which the voyeur (the camera) is looking at her; in a high angled
shot looking down at her, almost looming over her and thus
making her weak and submissive in the frame as she is literally at
a lower level of power and she is clearly being dominated.
The fact that she has a slight ‘cant’ to her head enforces her being in line with the
male gaze. There are additional negative sexual connotations in this image as she is a
young woman, sitting on the floor of a possible street corner, with what looks to be
some sort of light shining on her, leaving her exposed and even more vulnerable;
almost like ‘a deer caught in the headlights’. However, it could be argued that she in
fact has power as her direct address suggests she is controlling the male gaze.
The clothing she is wearing is
appropriate for the music genre
and audience demographic.
However, it shows her further
exposed, also highlighting the
curved of her body making her
more of a sexual object .
The high contrast highlights city life and the
aspiration of delving into the city’s ‘bright lights’

8. The main image of the double page spread
dominates one whole page of the article. This is
a formulaic feature of magazines
The title stretches out across both pages which
is conventional of magazines as it visually links
the two pages together so the reader knows
they’re part of the same article.
It is conventional for there to be a
drop capital which signifies where
the article begins.
The target demographic appears to be for boys
interested in the rock/indie rock genre. This is
evident as the colour palette of the whole
double page spread consists of quite sombre,
masculine colours such as black, grey and white.
The magazine’s (Kerrang) brand identity includes
the colour red in their palette (red, black and
white). Though it is not widely featured, the corner
of the page with the small ‘pop out’ of ‘news’
includes the colours of the magazines brand
identity; relating the article to the magazine.
The magazine’s website is evident on the top left
corner of the page under the heading ‘NEWS’. This
shows that they are promoting synergy as they hope
the new and old media platforms will benefit each
other in success. Due to the rise in digital technology
and the fall in printed information outlets, involving
synergy, interactivity and exchange in magazines like
this is the only way they can be successful
There is a caption for the main image about
the artist on the bottom left corner. It is
written in a black box, showing consistency
to the design of the dps as the title is also
written in similar black boxes or strips.
The page
numbers
are
conventio
nally
placed at
bottom
corners
The typography of the title is in capitals which
is appropriate for a target audience of mainly
boys as they’d have aspirations to be powerful
and dominating as evident in capitals. Also, it
suggests loud volume and rebellious rowdiness
which is reinforces with the exclamation mark.
This is relevant to the rock music genre and
the audience being expressive and young.
The fact that the title is a quote from the music
artist featured, makes the article more appealing to
the audience as it seem more personal and
intimate; it’s almost addressing the audience
directly, it is also makes the interview seem more
exclusive and therefor more exciting.
The copy is columned which is conventional as it
organises it and also breaks up the writing, making
it appropriate for the younger audience as they will
not be interested in reading large amounts.
The reason that the word ‘ABSOLUTLY’ is written in a
far bigger font may be because it acts as a sort of
buzz word in the article; making it appear more
appealing to the audience.
The ‘a casual Friday’ part of the title is written in
pink font which may be because pink can have
connotations of laziness and warmth; therefore
being relevant to the story. It is an interesting
contrast from the white and black of most of
the other text which is reminiscent of bright
lights and a busy music artist’s life. Next to this
the pink appears more toned down and ‘casual’.
The mise en scene of the image accompanies the
content of the article being about the artist’s less
public and ‘superstar’ lifestyle. This is shown by
the bright lights; seeming to be camera flashes
scattered and stage lights boarder around the
entire the spread and the fact that the artist is
positioned outside of this frame. This shows him
stepping off the stage and being mire layed back.
Also, he is wearing a white t-shirt with short sleeves which portrays him in a
more comfortable and relaxed state. The slight ‘cant’ of the head he had also
makes his presence less dominating and godly as many male music artists are
portrayed in magazines; instead, he is represented as more approachable and
average. This image of him being ‘one of us’ would appeal to the demographic
as it shows him in a more relatable presence meaning the audience will be
able to see themselves in that position more easily; this image allows them to
reach temporary self actualisation (Maslow’s hierarchy of dreams)
The questions are written in small
white boxes which additionally
breaks up the chinks of writing and
highlights this as an interview article.
However, less dominating he may appear, he
still holds power in this image
Due to the short sleeves showing his tattoos(which
are considered very tough and masculine) and also
the background being reminiscent of rock or metal
expressing masculinity.

9. Magazine Double Page Spreads
From analysing these double page spreads, it’s clear that some of the conventions of a double page
spread are that the main image usually dominates the whole of one page while the article copy is on the
other, the title of the double page spread tends to spread out across both pages to show that they are
part of the same story. This acts as a visual bridge which binds the two together. It is also formulaic for
them to have page numbers as well as a website link to promote synergy and exchange. There is often
also a tombstone which is placed at the end of the article, traditionally to0 signify it’s end, but in many
modern articles from modern magazines issued, the tombstone is additionally used to promote synergy
as they can put in the magazine’s website on the tombstone or an advert to win a prize from the
audience visiting it’s online presences.
Drop capitals are also very prominent across beginnings of magazine articles as they highlight the
beginning. It is also formulaic that the opening paragraph tends to be written in bold text and sometimes,
if the magazine is aimed at a younger audience who would want to read less, it will be at font size 10
unlike the rest of the copy which will conventionally be size 8.
Pull quotes are also very formulaic. They’re used to pull the audience into the article by having a quote of
the most entertaining or most shocking aspect of the story which draws them in; it has a similar function
to buzz words which are on the front cover.
Typically, there would be an information box for the artist featured which would give the audience more
insight into who they are, especially if they are up-and-coming musicians whom the magazine are trying
to promote. The mise-en-scene of the image also formulaically has to match what the article is about.
The genre and story concept is somehow represented in within the components of the images. All these
elements are coded to appeal to the specific demographic of the magazine.

10. Contents list divided into sections, the typical of those are: Features
and regulars. They are in black blocks to show how the sections are
differentiated ad also to remain consistent with the mode of address.
Main image is the artist that was featured in
the front cover. This is formulaic of contents
pages and it is done as this is the musical artist
that the issue is writing the biggest story on
The brand identity is constant throughout with the
colour pallet of NME being in quite masculine colours;
red, white and black to appeal to it’s demographic of
manly boy between the ages of 17 and 25. It is in
capitals as they may be viewed as more masculine and
powerful because of how much more ‘squarer’ they
ae I shape in comparison to lower case letters. This
would definitely appeal to boys as part of their
dreams and aspirations are to be strong and dominant
just as there capital letters are representing.
By having the contents tittle as ‘NME THIS WEEK’ an element of
excitement is added as it reminds the viewer of how new and updated
the information within this magazine is; that it has to be delivered each
week packed full of new things, almost as if to echo ‘we have what’s hot
this week’ and in doing so it is clearly appealing to its target demographic.
The date of when the issue was placed in stores is
formulaic in placement in the sense that it is at the top,
however, typically it would be on the front cover oft the
magazine.
The page numbers of the magazine that is allocated with an
article is usually an even number, though there are some odd
numbers of pages. The reason for this is that throughout a
magazine, there will be advertisement, normally placed on an
odd numbered page as the articles tend to be on even numbers.
There are small arrows pointing towards articles
that are featured on the front cover to assist the
reader in finding the cover stories of their interest.
Along the left side is an index of all the bands and
artists in the magazine. As the NME is an eclectic music
magazine, it makes sense for them to have a band
index as readers in favour of different artists and genres
can find their way to their preferred article. It also
shows that this contents page is serving its purpose of
being a sort of ‘map’ for the audience to easily navigate
their way through the content of the magazine.
An unconventional aspect of this contents page is that
the image on it does not have a number on it in anyway
to indicate which page the associated story is on, it is
formulaic for many magazines to do this.
The red arrow at the bottom is
used to draw attention to the ‘gig
guide’ that is highlighted in this
issue which clearly will interest
the readers as it is placed in an
arresting coloured shape; red
which has connotations of
danger, though in this context is
used for the reinforcement of
the brand identity. However,
there is still that element of
urgency telling readers to go to
the page now when combined
with that particular shape.
Quite often, contents pages will have advertisements
for subscriptions for getting their magazine regularly.
It will often involve using the internet such as visiting
their website or social media platform, this in turn
promotes synergy and exchange by using old and
new media to benefit each other, and the magazine.
A lot of the time in magazines, this kind of subscription
advert will be placed in the editorial, especially as this
was more common before. However, nowadays,
especially when aimed at a less sophisticated
demographic, they tend to morph aspects of this into
the contents page just to appeal more for the reader.
The drop capital at the beginning of the small paragraph signifies the
start of a piece of writing and is formulaically used in magazines. This
is here to invite the audience in with a small review of sorts from the
magazine editor. It is written in quite a colloquial tone to appeal to
it’s target demographic. This is the alternative way of writing the
editor’s letter, which is conventionally placed in a separate editorial.
The main image fits in
perfectly to appeal to the
audience of NME. This is
because the 3 colours of it’s
brand identity are obviously
prominent in the mise-en-
scene (black, white, red). Also,
it is an image of musicians
playing their instruments,
some of which that appear to
be rock musicians which is a
genre the NME is slightly in
favour of.

11. The girl here is completely in line with the male gaze because she
is lying down in a recumbent position; physically unable to defend
herself and therefor showing utter submission towards the
audience who in this case is male and the clear dominant party as
we, being the viewers, are looking down at her and gaining visual
pleasure as voyeurs of a patriarchal society. Hegemonic values
are apparent by the way she is laying down on the floor, allowing
her to be passive and powerless because she is physically at a
lower level to the reader. Visually, the composition of the outline
of the ‘V’ going past her feel look like puppet strings tied to her
shoes making her a literal puppet; easily controlled, manipulated
and vulnerable and following the dominant ideology of women.
The clothes she is wearing are
very minimalistic, tight fitting
and exposes a lot of flesh. By
wearing this, she is further
depicted through the dominating
views of a patriarchal society as
a sexual object because the
curvatures of her body are
clearly accentuated and ‘cut into
abstract shapes’ that are
typically ranked purely by
attractiveness to men.
The colour of the background is a sombre grey which is
reminiscent of rock and metal; both very hard, strong objects.
Therefor, a very masculine colour palette for the contents page to
appeal to men more. Also, the bodysuit and shoes worn by the girl
replicate this masculine colour, emphasising the negative
representation that she is the property of man; she is enslaved
and taken advantage of by men. This is further shown by her
jewellery; it is reminiscent of handcuffs or slave chains suggesting
she is in complete submission. She is also further exposed as there
is an apparent spotlight of sorts on her which focuses all attention
on her as the object of desire.
It is arguable that she is not in fact
in subordination but actually in
control of the male gaze by use of
her direct address to the audience;
as if she knows she is being
watched and she is the one
manipulating the viewer.
The heading is very unconventional as it is broken up into three
parts and put under the part before. It is also not formulaic in
placement as it is on the right corner though still aligned to the
left. This may have been seen as appropriate for a mostly male,
teenage audience interested in pop music (this magazine’s target
demographic) as perhaps they felt their young audience would be
more attracted to and find more interest in a visually unique
contents layout. Maybe the youth would be more open minded
and accepting of the breakage of conventions due to their state of
mind which is at a stage of beginning to formulate strong views.
Also, maybe the magazine is trying
to tap into the self actualisation of
these young boys; their dream to be
sophisticated and powerful – thus
being interested in a more
sophisticate contents page format.
In order to reinforce their
brand identity and make it
for ingrained in the
reader’s mind, there is a
large ‘V’ at the top
showing it’s presence over
half of the whole page.
The appeal to a mostly male audience is evident in the
typography. It is in capital which is likely to appeal to boys more
(maybe due to the association to power and dominance in them
and this being an aspiration for many boys) and with the dark
greyish background behind it, reinforces that dull, sombre palette
with connotations of masculinity.
The image has an anchor
which is conventional of
contents pages. This is a small
caption of sorts to accompany
the main image. It is there to
provide more information
about the story that features
the artist.
There is a number next to
the image which is also a
conventional feature. It
tells the reader which
page the article about the
artist featured is on.
On the bottom left corner there is information about the photograph taken (model,
photographer and date of photography) which acts as a small accredit the photography.
It is formulaic to have the page number at the bottom outer
corner of the page. There is also the date of when this issue was
published. The magazine’s brand is again reinforced here as ‘VIBE’The contents list is conventional in being sectioned into
categories; a ‘features’ section is quite typical though the
‘fashions’ section is something unique to this magazines; this is
for regular readers of this magazine to have consistency with.
The white title typography adds quite a fresh modern and
neat image to the whole page; though unconventional, it
looks sleek and organised would appeal to audiences.

12. It is formulaic for the image
featured on the front cover
to be the predominant
image on the contents
page. It is also formulaic
that it is on the corner
which allows enough space
for the list of contents
The brand identity is reinforced at the top of the page
next to the heading, also at the bottom next to ‘review’,
this is how the magazine makes it their own; makes it
iconic for them to have a ‘Q contents’ and a ‘Q review’.
The brand logo is of a large ‘Q’ (‘which
stands for Quality’) written in white in
a red square background. Also, black is
part of the colour palette of this
magazine’s mode of address. From this
colour palette and brand identity, we
can tell that the main target
demographic for Q magazine are men
who are slightly older and therefore
somewhat more sophisticated.
It is conventional for the
main image on the contents
page to have a number on it.
This is to help the reader
easily navigate, and find the
feature story
The mise-en-scene is
appropriate for the audience as
it includes quite dark sombre
colours which add to the
masculine colour palette of the
magazine as a whole which
would appeal to older male,
reformer type personalities.
The contents list has
a conventional
division saying
‘features’.
The date of the issue’s release is written on the
top left hand corner and is conventionally placed.
The is a subscription box of sorts included at the bottom allows
readers to receive the magazine regularly by ordering it
monthly. Before, with the rise of magazines, it was typical that
there’d be an editorial page which included this but recently,
this advertising of the magazine to readers to become regular
subscribers is often added in the contents page as readers are
more likely to take notice of it here making it more practical.
The is also an anchor attached to the image. This is a small caption
offering more information about the article featured in the image.
The location where the band in the image is
photographed in is appealing to their target
demographic. This is because it reinforces dominant
ideology of men being powerful and dominating in
society by having a whole field and city in the
background stretched out behind them in the distance;
as if they are the rulers of the vast land – they have
that much power. The camera angle in which they are
photographed in (low angled shot) additionally puts
these four men in a strong authoritative position
Their clothing suits
the brand identity
of magazine by
having quite neutral
masculine tones of
back and white.
This image of four men
in a clearly dominating
stance may appeal to
the aspirations of the
audience; wanting to
have that power and
control.
This contents page seems to stay very structured to it’s colour scheme without many other tones associated.
This may be due to the audience being older men who are more sophisticated and will be tolerant of a less
busy, more subtle layout of the page. The mise- en-scene of the main image is also quite calm in mood.
The contents list follows with the
convention of mostly having even
numbers. This is because magazines
advertise a lot and use full pages to do
so on the odd ones most frequently
There is an ‘oasis special’ section
in the list written in gold which
breaks the otherwise consistent
brand colour theme of red and
black along the contents. The
one in the special is written in
gold which magnifies
Importance; looks very rare due
to it’s relation to gold.
The secondary image in the review box also conventionally has an
anchor and a number attached to allocate it with a page reference.
.
The review box placed at the
bottom I something unique to
this magazine that it’s regular
readers can rely on. It is in a
grey box rather than a white
one like the rest of the contents,
perhaps to signify that it is a
reliable, constant feature of this
magazine; grey represents
solidity and stability in some
ways.
This magazine has a favour
towards rock music which is
why it’s band identity is white
black and red. They made this
brand identity consistent
throughout the contents page
by having the sections of the
contents division written in
red strips and the headings
(Contents/Review) in black
strips

13. Magazine Contents Pages
In modern magazines and magazines issued after the introduction of web 2.0, it is quite important
to include evidence of synergy and exchange such as displaying social media platforms of the
magazine and the website link so audiences can engage by interacting and connecting. This is an
essential feature if any magazines were issued today because audiences have become active instead
of purely passive consumers. Therefore, there are always elements which allow and advertise
synergy and exchange such as a subscription box to allow weekly or monthly issues to be sent to
readers.
In contents pages, the main image tends to be of the artist featured on the front page and
depending on the age range and sophistication level of the target demographic or the type of
magazine, there will be more or less images; if the audience is more sophisticated, the con tents will
reflect this by having less images on it. Also, they will tend to have page numbers on all the pictures,
including the main one with an anchor attached so the reader could skip straight to that story.
As the sort of ‘map’ of the whole magazine, the contents page needs to be the most easily navigable
so that the reader can use it to go anywhere they want within the issue. They do this by aligning the
numbers accurately with the story title and making it look as visually ordered as possible with
repetitively accurate the spacing and arrangement.
The title of the page will conventionally say ‘contents’ so that it is immediately clear to the reader,
however, some magazines personalise formulaic magazine codes to appeal to their young and
enthusiastic audience. E.g. the NME’s contents title is ‘NME this week’.