I would say that a contents page would be the second most important aspect of a magazine. It is there too ensure that any potential reader who has been intrigued by the front cover, is persuaded to carry on reading past page one. A contents page usually contains much more writing than a front cover as more information is needed, however pictures are also useful in grabbing the readers attention.
The big NME sign at the top of this contents page relates to the front cover and it keeps the house colours of red, white and black. These colours have connotations of opposites in the black and white and originality in the red, these being key themes of the “New Musical Express”.
In an even bigger font than the title, ‘This Week’ is written to make the fact that we are looking at the contents page totally obvious. This may be because the makers have tried to keep the magazine format the same throughout, including the contents page, and it would be less easy to make the distinction between different pages.
The band index at the side of the page is a feature unique to NME. Because it covers all types of music, the magazine uses the index to attract people with different tastes by helping them find quickly what they want to read about. This feature also promotes the extent of articles in the magazine and subconsciously impresses the reader by the amount of contents, even though it would be exaggerated.
The actual content of the magazine is down the side under subheading. Although not everything is shown here, the main features are put down in order of where they appear in the magazine. This section of the page is not as clear as it could be as it does not show easily what the content is and therefore may put the reader off.
Things that were on the front cover are emphasised by ‘on the cover’ arrows in red. These contrast with the black of the rest of the writing which stands out to the reader.
Colour is used to great effect on this page. Sticking with the house colours of the magazine, red, white and black keep the page simple and consistent there is also a slight divide between the two colours of red and black. There is an obviously high amount of red on the left side, which consists of the title and the band index. This is probably because these two features are the same each week, and so the colour must help the reader make the distinction between them and the articles unique to this issue.
The picture in the contents page is an action shot that links to the paragraph of text. It shows a novelty event or piece of news that has happened in the time of the magazine going to press and it relates to the New Music ideology of the magazine. It is not an editorial comment like in most magazines, but it is a permanent feature in NME.
The language used in the contents page also presents different ideas of the magazine. Young slang related to the music scene is used in plenty, for example; “crash” and “like”. The writing is very up-to-the-minute and they definitely appeal to youth music lovers, who are the target audience of the magazine.
The main lifestyle that is being represented is that of young people, students etc and the music that is most important to them. Also, the producer is slightly promoting the stereotype of the “indie kid”, wearing skinny jeans and checked shirts.
The institution of NME is IPC Media, which is one of the UK's leading consumer magazine and digital publisher, with a large portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year. It was formed as International Publishing Company in 1963 and owns titles such as Now! and WOTV.
Lydia Cook
The big NME sign at the top of this contents page relates to the front cover and it keeps the house colours of red, white and black. These colours have connotations of opposites in the black and white and originality in the red, these being key themes of the “New Musical Express”.
In an even bigger font than the title, ‘This Week’ is written to make the fact that we are looking at the contents page totally obvious. This may be because the makers have tried to keep the magazine format the same throughout, including the contents page, and it would be less easy to make the distinction between different pages.
The band index at the side of the page is a feature unique to NME. Because it covers all types of music, the magazine uses the index to attract people with different tastes by helping them find quickly what they want to read about. This feature also promotes the extent of articles in the magazine and subconsciously impresses the reader by the amount of contents, even though it would be exaggerated.
The actual content of the magazine is down the side under subheading. Although not everything is shown here, the main features are put down in order of where they appear in the magazine. This section of the page is not as clear as it could be as it does not show easily what the content is and therefore may put the reader off.
Things that were on the front cover are emphasised by ‘on the cover’ arrows in red. These contrast with the black of the rest of the writing which stands out to the reader.
Colour is used to great effect on this page. Sticking with the house colours of the magazine, red, white and black keep the page simple and consistent there is also a slight divide between the two colours of red and black. There is an obviously high amount of red on the left side, which consists of the title and the band index. This is probably because these two features are the same each week, and so the colour must help the reader make the distinction between them and the articles unique to this issue.
The picture in the contents page is an action shot that links to the paragraph of text. It shows a novelty event or piece of news that has happened in the time of the magazine going to press and it relates to the New Music ideology of the magazine. It is not an editorial comment like in most magazines, but it is a permanent feature in NME.
The language used in the contents page also presents different ideas of the magazine. Young slang related to the music scene is used in plenty, for example; “crash” and “like”. The writing is very up-to-the-minute and they definitely appeal to youth music lovers, who are the target audience of the magazine.
The main lifestyle that is being represented is that of young people, students etc and the music that is most important to them. Also, the producer is slightly promoting the stereotype of the “indie kid”, wearing skinny jeans and checked shirts.
The institution of NME is IPC Media, which is one of the UK's leading consumer magazine and digital publisher, with a large portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year. It was formed as International Publishing Company in 1963 and owns titles such as Now! and WOTV.
Lydia Cook
