3. INTRODUCTION
The ‘We Love Pop’ contents page has been designed in a way which is fun and
interesting for it’s young readership to look as, so they do not feel as though they are
being bombarded with information and are therefore more inclined to read it.
Through carrying out an investigation into the contents page of ‘We Love Pop’ it is
possible to identify similar features which occur throughout the issues of the
magazine.
4. CONVENTIONS
These four contents page for this pop magazine can be seen as conventional in many way.
One repeated feature is how the masthead is in a bold, black font which makes it stand out
and clearly indicates the purpose of the page. The main image on the page relates to the
feature article which is on the cover to further excite the audience and links with how the age
group of the readership of this magazine would be fairly young so they would prefer to see a
balance of text and images. In addition to this the main image used on the contents page is a
mix of males, females, solo artists and bands which indicates that pop music has a wide range
of artists within it. In each different contents page there is a letter from the editor placed next
to the main image which shows that the magazine wants the audience to feel connected to the
through the use of direct address and also colloquial language as the editor says ‘all the goss
straight to you’. This also links wit the interest of the reader as they would find gossip
interesting and would encourage them to carry on reading. There are also brightly labelled
page numbers along with more images of artists with humorous captions underneath such as ‘I
love cougars’ underneath an image of Harry Styles. This engages the audience as they are
being entertained through the use of language consistently in all issues.
5. ARTISTS
The main artists which are used on the contents page are always placed in the middle
third of the page drawing more attention towards them, and adding more colour
alongside the text. The is also a number in the corner of the main artist image
indication where they can find more information on them. On the right hand third of
the page is a group of images of various artists which are usually male, which relates
to how the target audience are young girls who are interested in the topic of
celebrity males. In addition to this there is also a line of celebrity faces placed at the
bottom of the page, and the celebrities featured in these are predominantly male. By
using mainly male artists on the contents pages of this magazine makes it clear of
what the interest of the readership are and also reflects the type of artist they would
like to know more about.
6. SIMILARITIES & DIFFERENCES
The overall layout of each of the contents pages are very similar, as the headline,
main image, letter from the editor and page numbers are always located in the same
area. This makes it easier for the audience to know where to find all the information
and allows them to become more familiar with the magazine. Despite this, there are
some subtle differences between the contents pages, for example the background
colour which changes with each issue, though this does not give much difference to the
overall look. This may be done so the audience does not get bored of the look. There
also some other subtle colour changes for example in some issues the magazine will
alternate the colouring of the page numbers. One final difference is the artists which
appear. This variety enables to audience to continuously widen their knowledge on
different celebrities and keeps the information current. The similarities create a strong
brand identity, and the differences enable the audience to stay engaged in the
information being given out to them.
7. FONT
The main font used on the contents page is black serif. This text type remains
throughout all the contents pages. The headings are written in a bolder version of this
but still in black which is fairly unconventional for a pop magazine since usually there
are more bright, eye catching colours used for the text. Keeping the text fairly plain
allows the rest of the page to be more creative without looking busy, and therefore is
an effective use of text. The page numbers are written in different colours which
allows the reader to notice immediately where they can find an article they were
interested in without having to search the page. In each addition of the magazine the
editor’s note signs off with her signature which makes it more personal and also adds
an element of creativity to the page.
8. QUOTES
Quotations are used heavily throughout all the issues of this magazine, even on the
contents page. It helps entertain the reader and always have an element of
excitement and interest present, for example one caption on the contents page is ‘I
was in pieces leaving Marvin’ (boyfriend) so this makes the read want to discover
what happened between them. Another example of quotations being used to
generate excitement are when one famous boy band member from One Direction
says ‘If I tease you that usually means I like you’, so while this will entertain and draw
in the reader, it is also giving them advice which they would want to learn more from.
The quotes are always in a brighter font colour than the overall black text which
shows that the magazine particularly wants them to stand out since they know it will
interest the reader.
9. COLOUR
Colour is used heavily throughout the magazine to reflect genre, and is unique in each
issue of the magazine. Similarities are the areas of the page which the colours are
used, though each section is a different colour each issue. The main text is written in
black so that it does not make the page appear too busy, and also makes it stand out
more since it contrasts against the white background. The areas of the page which
change colour are the border, quotations and page numbers, since they are what the
reader would be most interested in looking at. These are always shown in bright fun
colours, for example pink occurs most often. This may be because it is stereotypically
a feminine colour and therefore would appeal to the female audience. The brightness
and overall positive colour scheme is representative of pop music.
10. LAYOUT
The layout of the contents page is kept the same throughout each issue to maintain
brand identity, and also so the audience can familiarise themselves with the layout
and therefore get to know the magazine better which would encourage them to keep
buying it. The main image is always placed in the centre on the page with the
headline at the top. The editors letter is located next to the main image, in the left
hand third which is where the eye is drawn to first and will consequently encourage
more people to read it and feel connected to the editor. The page numbers are
placed at the bottom left hand corner and images of various artists are placed on
the right hand side of the page. These all remain the same throughout every issue of
the magazine and therefore creates a strong brand identity.
11. CONCLUSION
Having carried out this overview, it is obvious that We Love Pop has its own brand
identity and signature look that can be effortlessly acknowledged by its target
audience. This is achieved through the use of stylistic and layout devices among the
issues, and is a clearly successful way in helping the magazine to sell and succeed.
