(Post 4) Contents page magazine analysis

 Contents page magazine analysis

I have analysed 2 contents pages, which are very different from each other. I purposely chose very different contents pages, so it is more interesting and not repetitive.

My first contents page analysis is on a pop magazine called top of the pops. 

There is a heading at the top of the magazine called ‘inside the mag…’ This is at the top and is in white writing under a pink background, so it can stand out and it is the first thing the reader can see & understand. ‘Inside the mag’ is a more simplified way of saying the ‘contents page’ they have purposely written it like that, as the readers are aged around 10-15 years. 

The page numbers are under different sub-headings, for example pages 7,12 and 13 are under the sub-heading ‘Celebs & gossip.’ But to make it easier for the reader, there is an image of the front cover on the top left, that has been labelled with page numbers for the main stories. 

There aren't any social media or website links included, this is confusing, as this is a magazine with mainly celebrities and most of these celebrities have social media accounts and websites where you can see what they get up to and strengthen their fans loyalty. On the other hand, I can see why this magazine wouldn't include social media or website links, as the readers are quite young and their parents do not want them to be on social media and non educational websites. Also, this magazine is quite old and has been made a long time ago, because you can see that on the bottom right of the magazine, the famous one direction pop boy band are still together. Whereas, one direction split up in 2015, so it has been at least 5-6 years since this magazine was made and released. In 2015, not many children had brand new mobile phones, but now in 2020/2021 almost every child has a mobile phone which has access to the internet and social media. Therefore, it is understandable that this magazine did not include social media or website links.

There is no editors note which has been used and this is understandable as this is a children's magazine and children won’t be interested in reading an editor's note. 

The main colours used in this magazine are very bright and colourful, which include pink, white, yellow, red and black. The background of the magazine is white, so it helps all the other bright colours stand out on the page. A good example of this, is that most of the numbers are in bright pink and most of the letters are in black. 

On the top left of the magazine there is a clear link to the cover page, as there is a screenshot of the actual front cover of the magazine.

They have used 5 sub-headings, to help divide the magazine content. For example, one of the sub-headings is called ‘celebs & gossip’ so all the pages that include celebs & gossip are on there.

There are 5 images used and most of the images are giving you more of an idea of what the subheadings are about. For example, one of the sub-headings is called ‘we love shopping’ and there are 2 pictures of some shopping items, so you have an idea of what sort of shopping items there are. 

I would say that there is a good balance between text and images used. 

There is no issue number and date, most likely because this is a magazine for children aged around 10-15 years and this isn’t a huge concern for children to see. 

From looking at the contents page, there are about 62 pages in total, this is normal as this is a magazine for children aged around 10-15 years.

My second contents page analysis is on a rock magazine called Kerrang.

The heading is on the top of the contents page, named ‘KERRANG! CONTENTS’ This is at the top and is in black writing under a yellow background, so it can stand out and it is the first thing the reader can see & understand.

The page numbers are under different sub-headings, for example pages 54 and 55 are under the sub-heading ‘Gig Guide’. 

There aren't any social media links included, this is understandable because this magazine was made on 12/01/13 and that was 8 years ago, so social media wasn’t very popular compared to what it is now, so the editor decided not to add that. However there is a website link for a chance to win a prize, if you answer a question which is about the rock band. 

There is an editor's note in the bottom left of the contents page, this makes the reader feel more involved and interested in the magazine. Also, it gives the magazine more of a personal touch, as you get to know more about the editor of the magazine.

The main colours used in the magazine are very dark and spooky, which include black, white, red and yellow. These colours connote power, death, scary, fear, halloween, blood, war, rage and pain. This makes sense, as this magazine is about a rock band and these things normally relate to rock bands.

There are three font colours used in this magazine, which include black, white and yellow.

I cannot see a link to the cover page on this content page. 

They have used 8 sub-headings, to help divide the magazine content. For example, one of the sub-headings is called ‘albums’ so all the pages which include the albums are on there.

They have only used 2 images in the contents page. The first image is of a rock band called ‘all time low’ and this image takes up ⅔ of the contents page. The second image is a lot smaller, only takes a small part of the contents page and is an image of the editor of the magazine. 

Even though there are only 2 images used, there is still a good balance between text and images used. This is because one of the images takes up ⅔ of the contents page, so it balances out the text to images ratio.

The issue number and cover date is on the top left of the contents page and is easy to read.

From looking at the contents page, there are about 63 pages in total.