Music magazine contents page analysis

This is a contents page from the magazine ‘Vibe’ which makes the huge ‘V’ on the greyscale background important. It has been deliberately designed in the style of the Vibe masthead and cleverly placed as it matches the colour scheme of the page.

The colour scheme of the page is white, grey and black mostly with a touch of a beige/white so overall the page is very tonal and calm. The background from top to bottom fades from black to a very light grey, almost white colour making the model stand out more while the darker grey at the top makes the ‘contents’ writing stand out.

The ‘contents’ has been split into three parts which I believe is extremely effective and makes the magazine more appealing to the younger generation and modern. It is also original from other magazines that tend to just write ‘contents’ in a straight line. The font used is sans serif and is in block white capitals standing out hugely. The page appears to be fresh and new. The contents is fairly simple with only two sections- ‘features’ and ‘fashion’ which have been written in italics adding a sophisticated feel to the page. The sub head lines such as ‘barely there’ match the greyish theme being written in a very pale blue/grey. Extra information has been written underneath each subtitle with the names of each star of the article in bold so the reader straightaway knows the main topic of the story. Black dots have been used to part each

The main focus/image of the contents page is the model. This model is Ciara who is a well known RnB/Hip hop artist which is an area I am hoping to look into within my magazine along with pop. Her clothing matches the simplistic colour scheme of the page as she is mostly wearing nude/beige colours. However her shoes are quite a main focus as they are heels and also a purple/lilac colour reinforcing that this magazine not only cover music but also fashion too. Ciara is in a very body-confident pose showing she is positive in what she wears and perhaps encouraging others to be as self-confident as herself. Ciara is wearing silver jewellery again reiterating the fashion articles and also matching the colour scheme of grey. The image was clearly taken in studio and the background of the image has been edited out. She is looking rather directly at the camera making the image direct to the reader encouraging them to continue

Extra information has been placed at the bottom of the contents. The date has been placed at the bottom-‘October 2008’ showing the magazine is issued monthly. Also the name of the photographer who took the photo of the Ciara is at the bottom for those perhaps interested in modelling or photography. The date of when the photo was taken and where the photo was taken (New York City) has also been included perhaps for those who are fans of Ciara.

The colour scheme of the contents page matches the overall scheme of ‘Q’ magazine which is notably red and black and white. The masthead has been used at the top of the page along with ‘contents’ where the typography is white, bold and also in capitals making it clear what is going to be included on the page.

The main image on the page is of Adele – a woman singer who was the next big thing back in 2008 and the magazine reiterates this by exclaiming her to be ‘Britain’s brightest new talent.’ Here the magazine could be seen as patriotic, proud to be British. A close up shot has been used to portray the fact that further on in the magazine the reader will be getting close and personal with Adele, finding out about the insides on her life. She is looking at the camera but not completely directly perhaps presenting an aura of shyness. She doesn’t have a lot of makeup on presenting herself as natural and radiant. Her hair colour almost matches the colour scheme of the page with

At the top of the page the date has been written-‘May 2008.’ Only the month has year has been used showing the magazine is issued monthly. Below the date is the magazine’s website showing where the reader can find out further information and the magazines aim is probably to get the reader to subscribe.

Down the left hand side of the page is the contents. The colour scheme and typography is continued here. The ‘features section’ must be the main section of the magazine as it has been placed first. The title ‘features’ in white capitals has been placed on a red background making it clear. The first word I see in this section is an exclamatory ‘New!’ straightaway making this section appealing. Rhetorical questions have also been used in this section causing curiosity, suspense. The page numbers are in red along with the black information which is continued down this side of the page into ‘Women in music’. This section appears to be giving a very feminine feel so this section will appeal to women although the entire colour scheme of the page would appeal to both genders. A box-out has been used in the ‘women in music’ section’ of the colour grey adding a tonal colour to the section. The ‘every month’ has again been written in white placed over red making it stand out and appeal to the every-month purchasers of the magazine. Although the magazine includes new articles they also have a set organised section every

The ‘Q review’ section has incorporated the entire colour scheme of red, black, white and grey along with an image. The image shows two men. One appears much laid back with his hands in his lap- appealing to younger generation. The other is making direct contact with the camera enticing readers in. The two models are in dark clothing apart from the white top which still matches the colour scheme. The magazine has used a puff by stating that it includes ‘the world’s biggest and best music guide’ appealing hugely to those interested in music. This section will be useful to those thinking of going out and purchasing new albums, CD’s as they will know what to and what not to buy.

A box-out has again been used on the image of Adele of the colour white making the number 78 stand out. 78 is the page to go if you are an Adele lover. The picture of Adele is also the largest on the page emphasising that she is the main article in the magazine.

A graphic feature has been used in the top left hand corner of the page of a star shape with the white writing ‘for your eyes only’. This is enticing for the reader as it makes them feel important and special. They’re the only people reading this information.

The colour scheme of the contents page is blue, orange, black and white. The mise-en scene of the page is busy with lots going on and a lot of images used so this page will appeal to young teenagers and children who prefer to see colour on a page rather than a sophisticated look. The masthead has been used again on the contents page so they are proud of their brand. The word ‘contents’ hasn’t actually been used on the page which is unique to this magazine from the others I have looked at. Instead they have use ‘WE LOVE THIS...’ in black capitalised letters standing out from the white background especially with the colour filled ‘O’. The ellipsis encourages the reader to continue on reading.

Down the right hand side of the page we have images used to show what is included in the magazine. These images include the likes of one direction and Joey Essex appealing to young girls. Quotations are also a popular way to entice readers in on this magazine contents page. Quotes are a good way to summarise an article so I may interpret this into my magazine. The page numbers down the side are in white italics standing out from their yellow or blue background. The main focus of the page is Kelly Rowland and Tulisa in the centre showing that The X Factor is the main article in this issue. They both appear to be smiling and in contrasting clothes to each other but still matching the scheme. Their smiling faces actually contradict the quote stated by Tulisa below the image. The quote however shows her to be figure of power capable of

Down the left hand side of the page is letter from the editor which is different from all the other magazines I have looked at. However I believe this is a nice addition to the contents page as it almost a welcome into the magazine and inside look into how the magazine was made. The image used I believe is a picture of the editor which gives readers an insider on the team who create the magazine. The ‘Inside this month...’ has used the same typography as the main title on the page and also the same ellipsis encouraging buyers to read on. The main contents of the page have been put in a text box and the page numbers are in bold orange matching the colour scheme. The information next to the numbers is in black and I can see that short snappy sentences have been used making the contents easy to follow and short to read getting straight to

At the bottom of this page a range of pictures have been used to show the free posters you get when you buy this magazine. Young readers will want these posters if they like the artists on them or if they like having posters in their room. I believe giving away freebies with a magazine is a good idea in order to make people want to purchase your magazine so I may interpret this into my own magazine. Also at the bottom page is the magazine’s website were reader’s can find out more information and more than likely be able to subscribe to the magazine. I have seen the website of every magazine I have analysed included on the contents page so I will use this on mine.

The main colours used on this contents page are grey, black and white complimented by blue creating a calm, sophisticated tone.

Denotation is the literal meaning of something. The model in the middle of the page is wearing nearly all black, is knelt down and looks happy giving the magazine a joyful tone right from the centre of the page. This picture has been taken in a long shot as you can see from her had down to her feet. The 3 pictures at the top have been placed in a row and I believe look effective as all the models are in some form of blazer/suit. All the images are different showing the magazine is jam-packed full of exciting articles. The first picture again uses a long shot and appears to use props of windows in the image. The second image presents an unshaven man from a high angle shot. The third image presents a neat, radiant woman looking innocently shocked.

The masthead has again been used on the contents page- ‘billboard’ and the colours used in the masthead can be seen throughout the contents- blue and black being explicitly used along with fragments of yellow, red and green so the magazine is clearly organised.

Connotations- The main image in the centre presents a young model with free-flowing hair and a huge smile, she is kneeling down presenting innocence. Her highlighted hair and fashionable wear will appeal to the young readers. The insert images at the top of page present the magazine’s variety with a first picture of a confident looking artist with a hands-in-pocket pose presenting calmness. The second image presents a middle-aged man showing a wide-range of stories within the magazine, he appears to be intimidated. What is he being intimidated by?-curiosity. The final image shows a model with radiant makeup and a young look again causing curiosity because she looks shocked. What has she been shocked by?

The huge ‘contents’ title at the top makes it clear what this page is for. The typography is big, bold and black appealing to both genders and standing out from the white background. The further subtitles are also in capitals and black but they have been complimented by some blue titles which again appeal to both genders as the blue is a pale blue presenting gentleness and not a too loud effect on the

Down the left hand side of the magazine we can see the top selling albums and songs at the moment so this magazine appeals hugely to music lovers and keeps them up to date with the latest trends on the music scene. The colour yellow has been used to split the column into sections along with a multicolour being used down the middle making this section stand out from the rest of the contents page. The ‘no 1’ is in white and in the same font as ‘contents’ -stands out to the reader.

The mise-en-scene of this contents page is quite neat as not a lot of props and images have been used. It has simply been split up into three clear sections of the charts, the contents page and ‘home front’. The general contents part of the page is clearly laid out with the main headlines, sub-titles, summary of the articles and page numbers which are typical conventions of most magazines. The typography of the ‘home front’ title is the same as the ‘contents’ typography and is white against a black background making it stand out again to the reader. The home front section shows online exclusives so the magazine gives more than what others do through the word ‘exclusive’. Further stories are also given in this section about different cultures of music including country and Latin so this magazine appeals

The page number ‘35’ has been put in a text box and is bolder than others showing this to be a significant page for the reader to look at.