Research into Magazine contents pages

I have done some further research, now looking into magazine contents pages in preparation for creating my music magazine. Below, I have analysed two different music magazine contents pages.


The colour scheme of black, white and red result in the contents page looking very striking. The red in particular stands out, emphasising the word 'contents' and the date '01/07'. The colour scheme is also well used, as in the images the colours black and red are shown, which is appropriate for the colour palette. I feel the page division works well, with the 'features' column separate from the images. I feel this makes the page easier to read, which is useful as this is where the reader goes to find out more about the magazine's contents. The focal image of the page, being a member of a band playing drums, works well as it summarises what this particular magazine is about - drums. On my music magazine I will consider using this idea, and use a large image of a band member playing a rock music instrument, such as a guitar or drums, which connotes the genre of magazine.

This is another music magazine contents page, however this is an r'n'b cover, therefore not focusing on my genre; but I can still study this cover and learn and encorporate their ideas into my magazine. The reason this stood out for me whilst researching, was the very striking layout. The copy is lying down, with her legs in the air, which is the focal point of the magazine. This creates a third rule, which is visually attractive, interesting and eye-catching. There is also a slight gaze from the subject, which catches the gaze of the reader. I also really like the tilt used on the writing, as for this magazine, it creates a sense of style, and makes it look fancy which is fitting to the female aspect of r'n'b, whereas if I were to incorporate this into my magazine, it could be used to create a haphazard and wreckless effect, which is appropriate for the rock genre. The masthead 'contents' also works well, drawing the readers attention by splitting the word into 3 lines.

From this research into magazine contents pages, I have decided to reconsider my ideas. I am very sure that I would like to use the format used for the wording of 'contents', as I feel this is effective and appropriate with my genre of magazine. I will also use the idea of incorporating the colour scheme in the images I use, which is shown through 'Drummer' magazine. From both pages, I feel the large image works well, and I will most likely use this when designing the contents page.