2. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A CONTENTS PAGE?
The purpose of a contents page is to give the
reader more information about what is in the
magazine. It shows all the stories that are
shown in the magazine rather than just a few
like it does on the cover page. Also each story
is numbered so you can see what page it is on
and makes navigating the magazine easy.
3. TYPICAL CONVENTIONS OF A CONTENTS PAGE
Contents page usually follow a house design and are
easy to read. They use colours that are relevant to the
magazine and are usually the same or similar to the cover
page. They are normally one to two pages long and are
set out in columns, normally 3-4 to make them easier to
read . They also have a big image of a feature article and
a few smaller one’s relating to other article’s. These
images are usually anchored with a number to show
which story it relates to. There is also sometimes a letter
from the editor, welcoming the reader to the magazine
and what they can expect from this edition.
4. HOUSE STYLE DEFINITION
House style is the specific usage and
editing conventions followed by writers
and editors. The colour scheme, font’s
and layout. These will all become
consistent with the magazine giving it a
personal and familiar feel on most
pages.
5. EXAMPLES OF HOUSE-STYLE
The masthead from the front cover is repeated on
the contents page, also the font is the same, a
kind of rectangle shape to each letter.
The colours are the same on both
pages, red, white and black. These are
the main colours and creates a familiar
feeling when used on both pages.
Both pages have a main image then writing
around it. On the cover it has sell-lines and
one anchored to the image. On the contents
the feature article is the main image and has a
paragraph about it.
6. CONTENTS PAGE ANALYSIS 1
This is the contents page from KERRANG! Magazine.
It has a big main image which is the feature story and more
smaller images to show what else to expect in the magazine.
These images are anchored with numbers to show which page
you can find this story on and a small phrase to explain the picture.
The images are of bands that feature in the magazine and show
them at gigs, this entices the reader and makes them want to read
more.
It is laid out in four columns to make it easier to read and looks
more professional. The title ‘contents’ is yellow on a black
background which makes it stand out and catch the readers eye.
This is the same as the small subheadings such as ‘news’ and
‘gigs’.
There is also a letter from the editor. This makes the reader feel
like the magazine is talking directly to them.
There is a quote from Kirk Hammett which will make readers, who
may be fans of Metallica, want to read more about him as they
recognise his name.
7. CONTENTS PAGE ANALYSIS 2
This is the contents page from Q magazine.
The Q masthead from the front cover is placed in the corner and is very
small. This makes it subtle and contrasts with the front cover as it is very
large and stands out there. It is placed at the top of the page along with
the title ‘contents’ which makes it the first thing the reader see’s and the
colours, red, black and white create a house style.
There is a big main image which relates to a featured story. This image is
anchored with a quote which gives the image more meaning to the
reader. This would attract fans of this band to the magazine.
There is also an every month feature. This would appeal to frequent readers
of the magazine as they would feel familiar with this section. In this
section there is a page named ‘subscriptions’, this may entice the reader
as ‘Q’ could have offers on and save the reader money.
The section named ‘Oasis Special’ will entice fans of that band making them
want to read more.
The review section at the bottom of the page balances the page out with all
the writing being on the left hand side of the page. Also, with the image
being on the right hand side and all the writing flowing down the left into
the bottom right, it makes the page easy to navigate.
9. CREATING A HOUSE STYLE FOR MY STUDENT
MAGAZINE
The similarities my contents page will have with my front
cover are:
• The use of the same font (minion pro)
• The colours will be the same (Purple, Green and White)
This will help create a house style for my magazine.
