textual analysis

1. Textual Analysis- Contents page

2. Masthead
• For the masthead they have chosen to keep the
title simple by just using the word ‘contents’. This
would have been done to ensure that the target
audience can easily know what the page is about
and, considering, the nature of the topic, where
they can find everything in the magazine. The
font that they have chosen closely resembles the
style of writing that comes from using a stencil.
This could have been done to ensure that the
title stands out. This is especially effective
because the same font is used in all other main
titles on the page, this ensures that the reader
can differentiate between the topics on the
page. They have used black font against a white
background to ensure that it stands out. The
gaps in the letters because of the font show this
even more because it allows you to see the
background through the text.

3. Images
• In this particular contents page they have chosen to use four
pictures. Three are located at the very top of the page, just under
the masthead. The colour scheme of all of the pictures is the
same, black white and grey. The images are all used to advertise
who the main artists are in that issue of the magazine. My using
images on the contents page this allows the target audience to
quickly see who is in the magazine without having to read through
the whole page. This could be very beneficial because the
contents page usually contains a lot of text that people may not
want to read all of. The images all have the page number that the
person is featured on in the bottom corner, again, allowing the
target audience to quickly find the page. The black and white
colour scheme ensure that the pictures are eye catching because
they lye on a white background. The larger of the four images in in
the middle of the page on the right and this features a woman
bending down. The woman's hair is curled and blowing away from
her face, this paired with the smile on her face connotes an idea of
fun and being carefree, these are all themes in pop music and
would attract the target audience.

4. Numbers and text
• Throughout this page there is a lot of numbers and text,
this is because the idea of this page is to give the target
audience a small idea of what is going to be featured in
the magazine. Due to this, some of the article titles are
paired with cover lines. these articles also have a blue title
that has been capitalised in order to make them stand
out. On the left of each article title there is the page
number. This is essential on the contents page as it allows
the reader to find the article in the magazine. The articles
are written in chronological order and are split into four
themes, ‘upfront’, ‘features’, ‘music’ and ‘in every issue’.
This could have been done make it easier for the target
audience to find what they are looking for in the
magazine. The theme 'in every issue' could be considered
very important because it would allow regular readers on
the magazine to find the same articles that they always
read. This theme could also be used to develop a fan
base. The features section would also be an important
theme because it would be where all of the new articles
about the latest artists would be.

5. Colour
• In this contents page Billboard magazine has chosen
to stuck with their classic simple colour scheme that
they normally use and that is part of their brand. They
have mainly only used black, whit and grey. They have
chosen to have the background as being white. This
ensures that the reader can easily read the text, which
is the most important part of any contents page. They
have used a bright blue stripe down the left hand side of
the page and at the top a and the bottom of the page
the split up the page. This bright blue is conventional of
the pop genre as it is bright and playful. They have also
used this blue colour for some of the more important
headlines. Apart from this they have used black for the
text on the page as this stands out from the white
background. O the left of the page they have a mostly
grey stripe witch has the current music charts which
shows the conventions of the topic of their magazine.
They have has this in grey so they is stands out from the
otherwise mostly white page.

6. Layout
• Conventionally for a pop music magazine contents page they
have chosen to have the title ‘contents’ at the top and they have
made it the largest piece of text on this contents page to ensure
that it is eye catching and the target audience will know where to
find everything that will be featured in that edition of the magazine.
Directly underneath this title they have chosen to have three similar
sized pictures of the people that have articles about them in the
magazine. They then follow this with the majority of their text. The
the right that have what is the largest, and mostly likely the most
important image on the page. The image of a woman crouching
down is integrated into the page so that the text easily flows around
her. this would conventionally indicate that this image would be the
most interesting to the target audience. At the very bottom of the
page they have a section on other places to find them like ‘online’.
This would be in order to make it easier for their target audience to
find them and make them more accessible and therefore more
popular. To the right of the page they have featured the music
charts at the time that this edition of the magazine was published.
This would be another thing that would be interesting to their
target audience. At the top of this they have included a small
version of their masthead in order to further advertise their brand.