Thursday 18 October 2012

Analysis of 'Classic Rock'/ 'Q' Contents Pages

Classic Rock Contents Page Analysis




1. The 'Contents' cover line is serif in font style and black in colour. This reflects as stylish, elegant approach to the magazine. Along with a black strip across the top of the page to break up the imagery, this is placed to the top right corner of the page, which the target audience will notice but not immediately over the main image.

2. The main image and cover line take up the left hand side of the contents page. It is arguable that the title 'Rolling Stones' takes preference over the 'Contents' title as it reflects what is most important to the reader. The font style is the same which keeps coordination with the other cover line. The image, meanwhile, takes up the entire page and is a Long Shot of the group. This helps make the main feature of the magazine stand out to the reader. By being in black and white, this again suggests the magazine's features are classic and elegant, which again will interest the target audience.

3. The colours of black and white take up the majority of the house style, however there are small areas of red which reflect areas of the magazine that the reader should remember; for example the page numbers and 'Exclusive Interviews' plug. By standing out against the monochrome, the target audience will notice these areas of text after the main image, and subliminally the magazine is promoted as the reader will want to flick through to the page numbers.

4. The right hand side of the page features the majority of textual information. This creates a two-column layout to the contents page. By being in black, this suggests an informational tone to the text. The list of features are small in size compared to the cover lines. The names of the artists are slightly larger which suggests more importance than that of the description. In this way the reader will spot the artist names and then want to read about the features afterwards. The font style of the contents are serif, which is clear against the white background but is not too eye-catching.

5. In this way, small areas of white text are placed over the main image, providing a caption to it and background information. as this is the last thing the reader should notice, it is placed to the bottom right of the page, and is very small in size. It also juxtaposes the left hand side of the page (white text over the image) with the right hand side (black text over a white background) which is pleasing to the eye and is easy for the reader to differentiate.


Q Contents Page Analysis



1. The cover line for the magazine is placed to the top left hand corner of the page. This is so that the target audience will know what the page includes immediately. Next to the magazine logo, and keeping in with the house style, this will suggest a continuity to the front cover and promote the magazine therefore. The cover line is large in size and a sans serif font which makes it sharp and eye-catching against the black background which stretches across the top of the page.

2. The house style of the magazine is black, white and red, each of the colours having a certain impact on the way the magazine looks. There is also a two-column layout and a smaller box of information which mimics the top of the page, segregating it from the rest of the page. In this way the magazine is presented as being easy to read, and being tabloid-like but current in style. This is complemented by the images which are wrapped around the text. The contents page is imitating the rest of the magazine, and so therefore has to be easy for the target audience to visualise so as not to be put off.
 
3. The main image is a long shot of a group which the magazine will feature as one of their top stories, due to the interest the target audience will have for them. For this reason the image takes the main focus over the cover lines, and takes up a lot of the page. It is placed to the right hand side of the page to keep in with the house style and columns that the rest of the magazine will follow. A caption giving details about the group is placed over the image, but is lower down and not large enough in size to detract focus, along with being black over white like the left hand side of the page. This makes it easy to read over the image.
 
4. Keeping the colours coordinated, the left hand side of the page features a list of contents, which incorporate different sized fonts depending on the text. For example, the cover lines of individual stories are in block capitals and a sans serif font, being slightly larger than the accompanying information,. This ensures the reader notices the features first, and then reads on to find out more. This is achieved throught the page numbers being in red, and the information being in a serif font. They will therefore flick to these pages as the contents page is promoting them.
 
5. Other areas of information, such as common features and reviews which a newcoming reader will not be as aware of, are lower down the left hand side of the page, and also in the smaller box underneath the main image. This prevents the target audience finding the oage to cluttered, and losing focus on the more important features. The font size for the reviews is also smaller, and over a darker background which reflects that the section of text is about a different subject than the features. Black strips and the Q logo keep the areas of the contents page broken up and easy to read.


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