This contents page from Mixmag magazine follows conventions of magazine layout but also breaks some conventions. It has a column of content on the right side and images, including a main image of a woman dancing at a club. While it follows the typical layout, the title "Contents" is less bold than usual. The images also break conventions, with one showing a band with guitars despite the magazine focusing on dance music. The page maintains Mixmag's branding through its simple yet sophisticated layout and imagery relating to the club scene.

1. This contents page, from Mixmag music magazine, follows
general and layout conventions effectively; the textual
content is in list/column form, there is a main image on
the top half of the page and there is also more than one
image – three general and layout conventions, all of
which are used in contents pages of most magazines. The
mise-en-scene also helps create Mixmag‟s brand identity;
it looks similar to many of Mixmag‟s other contents pages.
Although it follows many conventions of contents pages,
it also breaks quite a few – the title „Contents‟ located on
the top right hand side of the page isn‟t very bold and
significant. Unlike Mixmag‟s masthead on it‟s front covers,
it almost blends in, as we wouldn‟t notice it without the

2. black background behind it. This therefore breaks
conventions of music magazines, as in other magazines
such as Top Of The Pops and NMEthere is almost always a
bold „Contents‟ written around the top of the
page.Mixmag have made „contents‟ less bold so that it
goes with their simplistic, yet trendy, layout; if it was written
in a larger font it may look tacky and not as aesthetically
pleasing. However, in magazines, if the title isn‟t placed at
the top of the contents page, it tends to be placed on
the top left or right hand side and so, in some ways it
follows conventions. It doesn‟t feature a main
headline/sell-line on it however, which is also
unconventional, and instead all we see is a bold “109” in
a funky font underneath the main image. This suggests
that Mixmag isn‟t afraid to stand out and be unique, whilst
also hinting to the audience that the main story they will
want to read will be on page 109 without giving away too
much or using cheesy headlines/sell-lines.
We only see two images feature on the contents page,
which is usually full of images and looks very
hectic/complex – this contents page links with the front
cover in the sense that it too has a simplistic layout
compared to other contents pages. The main image is
really vibrant and refreshing, and makes the contents
page look interesting (if you removed the main image the
contents page would look basic and bare) as we see a
girl dancing in a bikini top in the middle of a club/rave
atmosphere. Her blonde hair is mid-air and looks slightly
wild, and it is clear to the audience it is not a model
posing as the image feels as if it was „caught in the
moment‟ making the reader feel as if they too are in a
club/rave atmosphere – they image may also remind

3. them of nights out they‟ve had and so they may also
reminisce. The girl dancing also looks really caught up in
the moment, and this makes the magazine feel much
more edgy and urban. The image of the girl reflects the
euphoria and freedom experienced in a club and clearly
signals the genre of the magazine, which is important
considering the ambiguity of the second image. The use
of a „real‟ partygoer also allows the audience to feel that
they are included and made part of Mixmag. They or
someone they know could end up in the magazine.
Although the girl is in provocative clothing, she isn‟t
presented overly sexually, which is unlike Mixmag as they
tend to present women in a more sexual/seductive
manner. The male reader may still find her attractive,
however, she isn‟t simply there to be something the male
audience can look at and objectify; she is there to make
the magazine feel more fun and to remind the reader of
raves and clubs they have been to and why they love
dance music so much. She also doesn‟t make direct
address with the audience, creating a sense of mystery
which may make the reader curious to find out what is on
page 109. The other image which features on the page is
extremely unconventional as it shows a band with five
members; a few of which are holding guitars. This is a
common image which would feature in magazines such
as NME and Kerrang!however, guitars are never usually
featured in Mixmag as that is rock iconography – Mixmag
focuses solely on dance music. This is extremely
unconventional and so, as said before, may reflect how
Mixmag isn‟t afraid to break boundaries and conventions
(it wants to stand out). There is also no other genre
specific iconography on the cover which could confuse

4. new readers as to whether Mixmag is a dance magazine
or rock magazine, however, it does reflect the loyal
readers Mixmaghas as they will not question the genre of
the magazine. The second image will however intrigue
the readers, who will want to find out what the article is
about, as it doesn‟t directly link to dance music/dance
culture. The layout is also key for the main image as it is
the first thing the reader will see, due to its placement on
the left hand side of the page. These images – especially
the main image – will draw in the reader as, stated earlier,
they create a sense of anticipation and mystery, like a
sell-line on a front cover, the reader will want to know the
back story behind the image. They will also remind the
reader of their favourite artists and memories on nights out
etc.
The list of contents follows the format of Mixmag as a
magazine; the textual content is laid out in columns on
the cover and throughout the magazine. There is a long
column/list going down the right hand side and across the
bottom we see smaller columns. The text on the contents
page is also very light and spacious, so it doesn‟t
intimidate the reader who may be put off by lots of text
within the magazine.They don‟t tend to be very organised
in terms of topics, and tend to just have the main article
titles with a small piece of text explaining the article
underneath. The articles inside are presented to the
audience in a really serious way; the text under the article
title hints about the article whilst not giving too much
away. It suggests the reader is very spare of the moment;
although they like to be organised and have some sort of

5. structure in their life, they like to be spontaneous and
impulsive sometimes. Mode of address also helps to spark
the readers interest in the articles, such as the use of
direct address in the sell-line “the club live acts you must
see” (underneath „live and direct‟). The reader will feel
that it is imperative to turn to the article otherwise they
may miss out on something which they need to know and
the use of direct address will draw the target audience in.
The information under articles such as „Survive you euro
rave‟ (“Avoid jail, brothels and Scooteron your clubbing
trip abroad with our survival guide”) is very ambiguous
and wacky (making the reader curious) but also refers to
dance artists/genre terms they will know such as “scooter”
(Scooter is a techno artist who had a hit in the early 2000‟s
which was very cheesy). Some page numbers such as 109
and 38 are also written in different font to the others
signifying that these are key articles that the reader needs
to take in – this could be reflective of the funky, fun-loving
target audience that Mixmag appeals to; rather than
having the same font within the whole contents page,
Mixmag have made their contents page more
aesthetically pleasing and fun to look at. The text that the
content is presented in is very plain, black serif text which
isn‟t really fun or vibrant at all. This may be reflective of the
fact that the readership knows how to have fun but takes
music seriously.
The layout also follows Mixmag‟s own conventions; it has a
main image on the left hand side and column on the right
hand side going down, with a horizontal column going
across the bottom. It maintains brand identity as it has the

6. same layout every issue, and the main image also shows
a girl in the midst of a club/rave environment – this is a
common image (a person in a club/rave environment) on
the contents page. It follows the front cover in its
sophisticated yet simple layout; the reader knows where
to look to find what they want. It is spacious looking and
easy/clear to read, even though the font is little. As there
aren‟t many images featured the layout doesn‟t look very
tacky or complex, and so in ways it the layout helps to
maintain Mixmag‟s brand identity and theme. The
information on the cover mount at the bottom of the
page, which again, is a convention of Mixmag‟s contents
pages, will help the reader be informed – they will be able
to determine whether or not the music on the cover
mount CD is for them and so they will feel as if the
magazine is catered to them, personally.
The contents page is nowhere near as colourful as the
front cover usually is and looks much more basic
compared to it. It features mostly white, black and yellow
as a colour scheme and it doesn‟t seem very vibrant.
However, the colour scheme reflects the male readership
and makes the magazine seem much more serious than it
would with a bright colour scheme for the contents page.
Although it looks slightly bland, it also helps to make the
contents page look more spacious therefore the
information is easier to digest for the reader. As stated
before, these colours reflect the serious side to the
reader‟s love of dance music, showing that although they
like to go out and have fun they are passionate about
dance music and take this passion seriously.

7. In conclusion this contents page from Mixmag maintains
and creates their brand identity and also reflects
readership within the magazine through things such as
font, typeface and colour scheme.