Chris Briant WGSB AS Media Studies
Contents Page Analysis
Title
The title of the magazine is situated to the left of the word "Contents" as a prompt to the reader so that they know what magazine they are reading if they were reading this page. The title is also the same colour as when it is on the front cover to continue the house style of the magazine, and to further continue the house style of the magazine, the title is situated in the top left hand corner of the page like on the front cover of the magazine. In this copy, the title "Q" is white and the word "Contents" is black, which helps both of these words stand out. This highlights to the reader well what this page is about. The whole colour use of the title and the word "Contents" is minimalistic which allows the rest of the page, most noticeably the colour red, stand out so the page will captivate the reader.
Images
The images used on this contents page of Q consist of the main artist, Cheryl Cole, and images of the other artists included in the magazine. Overall there are 9 images on the page that are to do with the articles inside the magazine, and these images help to let the reader know what articles are inside the magazine just at a glance, they don't have to read anything to know what the main articles are in this issue. The main image is a studio shot of Cheryl Cole which takes up a large proportion of the first page of this contents. The image has a grey filter on it which is an interesting concept to use as it doesn't really stand out that much on the page, however, because there is a grey filter on the image it looks different to the rest of the images, so it does stand out in a way. The casual clothing she is wearing tells the audience that the article won't be too serious and formal, it should be relaxed and an enjoyable article for the reader to read. The other images on the page are smaller than the main image of Cheryl Cole which helps to keep focus on her, as she is the main article in this issue of Q. It also helps to reader realise at a glimpse what the main article of this issue is which should entice some people to buy this issue.
Colours
In this issue of Q on the contents page, there are only a few colours used on the page. The colours that are used are red, black and grey, and these colours are used for text, cover line dividers, on certain pieces of page furniture, and various other parts of the page. The main colour of note on this contents page is the colour red. This may be because the main colour of Q is red, seen in the masthead of the magazine, and it also may have been done as red is an eye-catching colour and can catch the readers eye from afar. The colour red also helps to continue the house style through the whole magazine, as it is used frequently throughout this issue of Q. Black is used fairly frequently on the contents page, mainly for the text, as it is a sophisticated colour and doesn't draw too much attention away from the striking images used on the page. Grey is probably the least used colour on the page as it is mainly used for the cover line summaries that are in a very small font size compared to the rest of the text on the page. This means that there isn't much attention drawn to the cover line summaries, as grey isn't a colour that can catch the eye of the reader very well at all. Also, the use of the colour white is important as it is the colour used for the background of the contents pages in this issue of Q. It is important, as white is a colour that means a lot of colours can be used on top of it and they will look prominent on the page.
Text
On the contents page, the font used for the title is the same as on the front cover, this helps to create a house style within the magazine for all issues as the magazine title is always gpoing to be the same font no matter who is on the front of the magazine. Like in any magazine, the more iomportant pieces of text are made bigger, like the page numbers for each of the articles in this issue, this is done so that the reader can glance at the page and find the page number they want to go to, so they can read the article of their choice. This helps the ease of access of the magazine, as readers won't struggle to find their way through the magazine. Most of text on the page is quite small in this contents page which tells us that this issue is quite sophisticated and formal, unlike sometimes when the main artist is a rock artist, as Q make the magazine more like that genre of magazine, so the magazine is a bit more like a magazine such as Kerrang, in terms of appearance.
Q Contents Page Analysis
Rolling Stone Contents Page Analysis
Title
The title of the magazine is situated in the top left hand corner of the page, but unlike the previous magazine, Q, the title isn't the same as it is on the front cover. This is interetsing as Rolling Stone may have done this because their magazine is so well known, so the reader doesn't need a prompt to know what magazine they are reading. The publishers seem to believe that the unique look to Rolling Stone is enough for the reader to know what magazine it is. This is why the title is onlt represented with two letters "RS" which obviously stand for "Rolling Stone". On this particular contents page, the word contents isn't seen on the page. However, it makes sense as Rolling Stone is a magazine that has a fairly intelligent readership, meaning they are likely to be aware that this page is the contents page in this issue of the magazine. The title on the contents page isn't the same colour as it is on the front cover of the magazine. This may have been done to fit in with the house style of the contents page, so that it looks in place and blends in well with the rest of the content on the page. The title is written in a large, black, serif font, which connotes sophistication and looks elegant on the page. Due to it being in such a large font size, it attracts attention and makes the reader aware that this magazine is a Rolling Stone magazine. As well as this, the issue number, which is next to the title on the page, is the same size and font as the title. This helps both pieces of text to stand out, and the fact that the issue number is in the colour red, that helps that piece of text to stand out even further.
Images
The images used on this contents page of Rolling Stone are of the different front covers that have been made for this special edition issue of the magazine. The images consist of all the main artists features in the article that are being shown on the front cover, which supports music magazine conventions. Overall there are only 4 images on this contents page, compared to 9 on Q's contents page, which supports music magazine conventions, as most music magazines only have around 4 or 5 images on the contents page of the issue. The pictures used also identify what the main article is all about, which helps the reader to know what is inside the magazine at a glance. All of the images that are used on the contents page are close up studio shots of the artists that are to do with the main article in this issue of Rolling Stone. They all look like images that are to do with the main genre being looked at in this issue, which is hip-hop. The images are also engaging, as the artists are looking straight at the camera, which should catch the readers eye.
Colours
In this issue of Rolling Stone, the contents page is very minimalistic in terms of colour, as there aren't many colours used on the page at all. The colours that have been used on this contents page are white, red, grey and black, and are continued throughout the magazine to create a house style for Rolling Stone magazine. The main colour used is white, as it is used for the background of the whole page. Then the colour black is the second most used colour, as most of the text is in the colour black, so that it stands out on the page. This helps to draw attention to these pieces of text, meaning that the reader is more likely to read them. Also, because black is the opposite of white, its stands out more prominently on the page than the grey text, which draws focus to these areas of the page. The colour grey is used mainly for the article summary pieces of text, just below the main cover lines on the page. This helps to keep focus on the main cover lines, as grey doesn't stand out too much. Lastly, the use of red is only apparent for the issue number, and the features titles along the left hand side of the page. Red is used here as it is a striking colour, and one that can catch the readers eye effectively. It helps to identify where the reader should be looking on the page, as these are the most important parts of the contents page.
Text
On the contents page of this issue of Rolling Stone, the font for the title is different to the font used on the front cover. This is interesting, as Rolling Stone may have done this so that their title looks unique and more prominent on the magazine. As well as this, it may have been done to make the contents page look more sophisticated if a plain, serif font is used for the title. However, this means there isn't really a house style associated with the magazine because of this, which goes against normal magazine conventions. But Rolling Stone may have done this as their magazine is so well known that they don't really need to make the magazine look bold and vibrant by putting their title on the contents page. Like in Q magazine, all the important pieces of text are made bigger, or are in a different colour. This helps the reader know what parts of the page are of importance, so they can read about the most interesting things that have been included in the magazine. The text for the most part is quite small, which makes the page look more sophisticated. This combined with the readership of the magazine, means that this style suits the people who read the magazine, as they are mostly intelligent and intellectual individuals.
Billboard Contents Page Analysis
Title
The title of the magazine is situated to the left of the centre, at the tops of the page, and like Q, the title is the same on the contents page as it is on the front cover. This seems to have been done to match the overall style of the contents page, as if the title was in the style of the one in Rolling Stone, then it would look out of place and the reader would probably be put off by the title. The most interesting part of the title though, is the size of it on the page. The text size is very small compared to other pieces of text on the page, for example the word "Contents" is huge and prominent on the page, whereas the title is the complete opposite. This may cause some confusion to people who glance at the magazine, as they don't have a clear promt to what magazine they are reading. The title is written in a black sans-serif font, and looks fairly modern and well finished on the page, but as I analysed earlier, it should be bigger on the page, so it stands out more to the reader. The counters in some of the letters "b" "o" "a" and "d" have all been filled in with the colours red, green, blue and yellow respectively. Even though the title is small on the page, this effect helps it to catch the eye of the reader, so overall it does stand out, but if the text size was bigger, it would seem more prominent on the page.
Images
The images used on this contents page of Billboard are of the main artists included in this issue, as well as of the main artist on the front cover. On this contents page, there are 4 images that have been used to make the reader aware of what articles are inside the magazine. This supports magazine conventions, as most magazines only have around 3 or 4 images on the contents page, meaning this issue of Billboard supports that convention. This differs from the contents page of Q that I analysed, as that had 9 images on the contents page, and may discourage the reader from buying that issue. This is because it may not be aesthetically pleasing for the potential buyer to be looking at an overload of images. In this issue of Billboard though, the images don't bombard the reader, as they are subtle and not too large on the page. This helps to engage the reader, as at a glance they can see what will be inside the magazine, and it also isn't too much for their eyes to cope with, unlike magazines such as Kerrang. An interesting concept used in this issue of Billboard, is that there are 2 images of the artists that don't have them looking straight at the camera. This may mean that this page doesn't seem engaging to the reader, and may mean the page doesn't catch their eye. As well as this, Billboard are challenging magazine conventions, as usually images used on the contents page are of the artists looking at the camera. This however may be seen as unique to the reader, meaning they may be more inclined to buy this issue of Billboard.
Colours
In this issue of Billboard the contents page is quite full of colour as there are many different colours used throughout the page. The most noticeable colours that have been used though, are white, black, blue and green. There are also other colours that have been used on the page, but they have only been used for the left side of the page where the list of contents is. The use of colours for that part of the page brightens up the whole page. The main colours that have been used help to create a house style for the whole magazine, mainly the use of white for the background, and black for the important text on the page. The word "Contents" is written in a black font and is emphasised on the page because of its size. This helps the reader to identify at ease what page they are on, which in turn means the magazine as a whole is more accessible and easier to navigate through. The colour white is used for the background, which helps the text on the page to stand out and seem more prominent on the page. The colour blue is used mainly to highlight key articles to try and catch the eye of the reader when they are looking at the contents page. It is also used for parts of the page where there is page furniture, so in this issue blue is the colour that is used for a divider on the page that separates the list of contents from the feature columns on the page. This helps to separate the main articles from the less important articles in the magazine. Lastly, the colour green is used to highlight some features on the page, such as the word "Events" and "Online" at the bottom of the page. This may have been done to try and draw attention to this part of the page so that the reader will see that Billboard have a way of reading the magazine online, which in turn would help to increase Billboard's readership.
Text
On the contents page of this issue of Billboard, the title is the same font and colour that it is on the front cover. This helps to continue the house style of the magazine over to other pages, which to the reader should be appealing as it makes the magazine look more professional and well finished. It also supports music magazine conventions, as in most music magazines the title is the ssame on all pages it appears on in the magazine. A plain, serif font is used for the title of the magazine which makes it look modern and appealing to its young target audience. Similar to Q magazine, on the contents page of Billboard magazine, the pieces of text that are more important are made bigger, or have been highlighted in a different colour to the rest of the text on the page. This helps the reader know what parts of the page are significant and worth reading, which means they can read about the more engaging articles and stories that have been included in thi issue of Billboard. Most of the text is fairly small on the page which allows for more text to be put on the page, so that Billboard can try and intrigue a wide audience, as they can include articles about artists to do with various different genres of music. This helps them to have a modern aspect to their magazine, as they are trying to be unique by including more than just one genre in their magazine.