Analyse the contents page

1. Analyse the contents page
from NME
Task 2b

2. Language:
A conversational tone is
used this is seen in it’s use
of irony and humour “thank
god the sun has
disappeared, eh?”.
Colloquial language is used
through out “eh” the tone
is very informal and casual.
Listing is used to identify all
acts on tour and give key
information. Pronouns such
as “we” are used to involve
the reader within the
article and establish a
relationship with reader.
Verbs such as “playing” are
used to bring a sense of
action and make the article
appear dynamic.
There is use of the semantic
field of the music business
e.g. “gigging”.

3. Font:
A combination of serif and sans
serif fonts are used on the
contents page. The main title
“NME Contents” uses
contrasting colours to make
the brand stand out and assert
and reinforce brand identity.
Heading like “news” and
“touring special” sub headings
are in a clear modern font,
they have a bold design. I
think the font on this page
connotes a clear sense of
freshness and modernity.

4. Mise en scene/ main image:
The woman seen in the image
is dressed in a tie dye shirt
which is typical festival wear.
She is standing next to a tour
bus as the article is called
“touring special” so the image
has a strong link to the
article. She has short
platinum blonde hair atypical
appearance of popular female
artists. The background of the
image shows a sunny day,
perfect festival and concert
weather.

5. Titles
Titles are obvious
and easy to spot as
they are in larger
and sometimes
colourful font .
Page Numbers
The magazine does
not use typical
page numbers on
the contents. It
includes something
called a ‘band
index’ which has
the band name and
the page number to
find content about
them which is a
form of a unique
layout.
House style
The contents page conforms to
the colour scheme presented
on the front cover of red,
white and black giving a sense
of consistency.
Brand Identity
This is shown through
the house style, the
prominent NME
heading and fonts
used. The sub
headings of ‘news’,
‘reviews’ etc outline
the content NME
focuses on.
Target audience
NME target audience
and main audience are
middle class students,
mainly male. The
audience’s interests
include music and
technology which may
be why so many online
websites are mentioned
eg ‘NME.com’.

6. Shot types
There is one image
included on the
contents page and it is
a medium shot. It
appears casual and
effortless almost like a
holiday photo.
Date/issue number:
The date is placed right
under the main title ‘26th
September 2009’. It is in
small font, not very
noticeable.
Boarders around
images:
The border around
the middle section
with the image and
text has bolts on each
corner, similar to a
flight case in which
musicians keep
equipment in when
travelling, this
reinforced the main
topic of ‘touring’.
Grab quotes:
There are no visible
grab quotes on the
contents page.
Masthead:
Clearly visible in red
font at the top of the
page, demands
attention.
Definition of
caption:
provide (an
illustration) with a
title or explanation.