Week 29: Contents Page Analysis and Front Page Analysis

I have analysed different Magazine Front Covers, Contents Pages and Double Page Spreads to help inspire me and help me in creating my own student magazine pages, within analysing these I looked at the colour scheme, layout, images and features.

Front Cover Analysis'

I analysed two different magazine front covers which I believe are the magazines which the target audience for my student magazine would read these magazines were NME and Vogue.

Vogue Magazine

Within this magazine front cover I analysed the image and the colour scheme as this cover featured Cheryl Cole and the colour scheme of the pastel colours worked really well with the image, as the colours which were used were pastel colours such as pinks, yellows and oranges linked in well with the image because the clothes which Cheryl is wearing is a pastel yellow. These colours work well together and the issue cover is eye catching because the whole magazine cover is linked together because of the image and the font colours.

Vogue Magazine Front Cover

NME Magazine

This is a magazine which I believe appeals more to the audience of males, as the colours used are colours which are bold and would appeal to males more than females, as the colours of the black and red work well with the theme of the issue and the font is very bold and eye catching for the main theme within this issue. The layout of this magazine appealed to me as they clearly stated the main theme for this issue, the albums of 2011 and this feature takes up the whole of the front cover and stands out, I liked the layout of the image over the main title as I think the image of the different artists is well placed on the front cover.

NME Front Cover

Contents Page Analysis'

Heat Magazine

I analysed the contents page of Heat magazine as this is a layout which I wanted to adapt for my contents page, as within this contents page they featured the main stories within the magazine and did not state every single feature within the magazine. Therefore this showed how they featured the main stories which would interest the reader and they featured these around the side of the page, under the main headings of On the Cover, 'News and Stuff', 'Features', 'Starstyle' and 'TV & Reviews', as this is a clear way of searching for a feature which you want to read about. Therefore the layout of this contents page is eye catching and clear, as they have featured an image of one of the main stories over half of the page with the contents around the left of the image to the bottom of the contents page, which is a layout which I have adapted for the design of my own contents page. I have also stated how the contents page links in with the front cover of the Heat Magazine.

Existing Heat Magazine Contents Page

Heat Magazine Front Cover

OK! Magazine

OK! Magazine has a similar layout to Heat magazine as they put their features into different sections, their sections included News, Features, Fashionista and Regulars, this showed every feature within the magazine, unlike Heat Magazine as they only highlighted some of the features. Also, the contents page linked in with the front cover, as the colour scheme which is used within the contents page is continued from the font cover, as they use the colours of red and yellow on the front page and this is used within the contents page, which shows how the two are clearly linked with each other. This contents page also featured an editors word, where she introduced the issue and explained what was within this issue the reader is about to read, also, within the contents some are highlighted in red, this is because they are featured on the front cover and this clearly shows the features on the front cover within the contents page. To me this contents page looked more like it would appeal to the older audience than teenagers as it is very formal, whereas students like to see a creative and interesting contents page to look at within a magazine.

OK! Magazine Contents Page

OK! Magazine Front Cover

Through analysing these contents pages and front covers I have learnt about how they are laid out to appeal to the reader and I have taken some of these elements on board, as I have used the Headings within my contents page with the features underneath them, I have also learnt how the contents pages and front covers link together.