The document analyzes the contents pages of three music magazines: NME, Kerrang, and Billboard. Some key similarities in how the contents pages are designed include displaying the magazine masthead prominently, using bold fonts and colors to draw attention to article listings, providing brief summaries of article topics next to page numbers to entice readers, and advertising future issues. The analyses explain how these design elements help target audiences quickly identify content of interest to decide whether to purchase each issue.

1. Analysis of 3 music magazine contents pages

2. Analysis of magazine Contents pages Contents 1.NME Sept 2009 Dizzee Rascal Edition

3. Contents page NME (SEPT 2009) ANALYSIS Date- The date is put on because it allows the reader to keep track of the magazine so that they are able to buy each copy in order and they will know if they have missed a copy. NME Masthead- The Masthead is the same colour as the front, this is done so that the target audience can recognize the magazine because NME are a popular magazine so they have a Masthead that is well known and familiar to a lot of people. The logo also fits in with the colour scheme which again helps the audience recognize the magazine from a quick glance The main image- is of little boots who is a indie solo artist and it shows her standing by her tour bus. The image relates to the Editors introduction underneath as it is talking about going on tour. The image is on a slant and is on a slightly grey background and also as corners like the amp cases that you take on tour with you which is a good effect because it all relates back to the touring special. The image is edited so it looks like a photograph- This is appropriate because it looks like a Polaroid picture which relates to the genre of music and tour photos in general Bands are listed in red with the page numbers listed in black- This is done to separate the page numbers from the bands so that the information is clear and its easier to see what page each band is on so it saves time for the target audience and is more convenient, this would attract the audience and entice them to buy the magazine Editors introduction to the contents of the magazine- This paragraph relates to the image and explains so of the main features/articles that can be found in the magazine, this is done so that the audience can have a quick glance at this section to see if there is anything in the magazine that is of interest to them so they know whether they want to buy it or not, it is done to attract the target audience and will include the most popular features to the audience to entice them to buy the magazine Previous/Future Editions Of NME Are Shown With Details Of Website/Phone Number ETC- this is done to advertise the next copy so that the target audience know what is coming up and what the main band is that is going to be featured in the next magazine so they already have an idea of whether they are going to want it or not. It is also done to advertise a subscription for people who are regular buyers of this magazine so that they are more likely to keep buying the magazine and it gives them the contact details so that they are able to contact the magazine if they want to subscribe. Banner at top- The letters in the banner are written in big bold capital letters and are in red and silver so they stand out on the black block background, the two words NME and content are written in different colours so that we know they are separate words because there isn't a space between these two words. Also the banner fits in with the colour scheme which makes it easy to recognize for the target audience as it is a popular, well known magazine so the target audience will be familiar with this colour scheme. Sub headings blocked out into black sub sections- this is done to make the different headings stand out (especially with the use of the white subheadings on the black sub sections) so that the main sections/features that attract the audience are easy to find and to make it more convenient and easy for the target audience to see where the main articles are Brief heading+ summary of content with page number in red- this is again done to make the main features/articles stand out and make it clear and easy for the target audience to see what pages these main articles are on, so that they are easy to find and more convenient and the target audience can see what is in the magazine at a quick glance so they know whether this copy will interest them.

4. Analysis of magazine contents pages Contents 2. Kerrang 2010

5. Contents page Kerrang (February 2009) Analysis Kerrang Masthead- the masthead used on the contents is the same as the masthead used on the front cover. This is done so that the target audience can recognize that it is kerrang magazine as it is a popular magazine so this masthead would be familiar to a lot of people and the target audience would want to be able to spot it at a quick glance. The letter are written in big bold letters so that they stand out and have lines going through them so they look broken which represents the genre of music which is rock as rock is associated with being rebellious and breaking the rules. The main image- the main image is of a crowd at a gig and this is used because it relates well with the target audience as they listen to heavy metal and rock music so this is the sort of behaviour they would be used to seeing at gigs as this music is associated with being rebellious and breaking the rules. Previous/future editions of kerrang are shown with details of website/phone number etc- This is done to advertise the next copy so that the target audience know what is coming up and what the main band is that is going to be featured in the next magazine so they already have an idea of whether they are going to want it or not. It is also done to advertise a subscription for people who are regular buyers of this magazine so that they are more likely to keep buying the magazine and it gives them the contact details so that they are able to contact the magazine if they want to subscribe. Brief heading + summary of contents listed in black with page numbers listed in red - this is done to make the main features/articles stand out and make it clear and easy for the target audience to see what pages these main articles are on, so that they are easy to find and more convenient and the target audience can see what is in the magazine at a quick glance so they know whether this copy will interest them. Editors introduction to the contents of the magazine- tells the target audience what the main article in the magazine is about and relates to the small image above the paragraph. This is done so that the target audience can have a quick read of this section to see if the article will interest them to entice the target audience to buy the magazine Date and issue number- The date and issue number is put on because it allows the reader to keep track of the magazine so that they are able to buy each copy in order and they will know if they have missed a copy Sub headings blocked out into black sub sections- this is done to make the different headings stand out (especially with the use of the yellow subheadings on the black sub sections). The contents is split into different sections, which are clearly labelled. This makes it easier for the audience to find what they want to read, and this will make them want to buy the magazine. Banner- The letters in the banner are written in big bold capital letters and are in white and yellow so they stand out on the black block background, the words “kerrang” and “this week” are written in different colours to clearly separate the masthead from the heading. Also the banner fits in with the colour scheme which makes it easy to recognize for the target audience as it is a popular, well known magazine so the target audience will be familiar with this colour scheme. This is the same with the block section containing the “contents” title at the top of the page.

6. Analysis of magazine contents pages Contents 3. Billboard 2009

7. Contents page Billboard (July 2009) Analysis The main image- the main image is a long shot of Hayley Williams who is the lead singer of Paramore with her arms in the hair so she is spread across the whole height of the page. She looks happy and excited and is dressed as a candy cane which is unusual as this is the July issue, but it relates to the text next to her which says Christmas in July, so it makes the target audience want to buy the magazine to find out what “Christmas in July” and page 12 (which is about paramore and relates to the image) is about. Billboard masthead - the masthead is the same as what it would be on the front of the magazine, this is done so that the target audience can recognise the magazine, as the magazine is popular so the target audience would be familiar with this masthead so they would be able to spot this magazine at a quick glance. The letters in the masthead are in different colours which represents the genre of the music and target audience as this magazine features all different types of music so the target audience would have different music tastes. Banner at top- the letters in the banner are black, big and in capitals so it stands out clearly and tells the reader that this is the contents page. The use of the broken link font represents the genre of music that the magazine is about and the target audience as billboard writes about all different genres of music so it is broken up into different sections and the magazine is target at people with different music tastes. Date and issue number- The date and issue number is put on because it allows the reader to keep track of the magazine so that they are able to buy each copy in order and they will know if they have missed a copy Brief headings +summary of contents with page numbers- this is done to tell the target audience the main features/articles that they will find in this magazine and a brief description of what they are about, so that they know whether the information in this magazine will interest them, and to attract people to buy the magazine. Sub headings - written in capital letters- this is done to make the different subheadings stand out (especially with the use of the font being bigger) the contents is split into different sections and these are clearly labelled so that the readers can find what they want to read easily and this will make people want to buy the magazine Certain words are writing in bus and green and some headings are in bold- this is done to make these words/headings stand out, the use of the repetition of the word “plus” and the colour of the font being blue makes this word stand out and this is done because it makes the target audience think that there is loads in this magazine, which will entice them to buy it. The use of the bold subheadings makes them stand out and this is done to draw the readers attention to the main features in this magazine again to attract them to buy it. The use of the “cover story” heading being in green separates it from the read of the information and instantly draws attention to the heading making it seem important and this is done because it is the most important feature in the magazine and relates to the main image, It will probably be the most popular feature of the magazine for the target audience so it will entice people to buy the magazine.