In order to create my own contents page I need analyse existing products to ensure I am following normal conventions of the genre of magazine I am doing. I need to gain a better understanding of the ordering and discourse of the contents page in order to be able to create my own following what Bentley said (1997) the creative process is “Making of the new by rearranging the old.” I have decided to analyse NME for the contents pages as well as I think they represent the genre of music I want to base my magazine on.
The lexis that is used colour wise fits in with the colour palette of NME magazine being in red,yellow, black and white which is standard and then the most important piece of information which the magazine want the reader to see the most is in a red box with yellow and white writing to make it even more obvious to them so when they first open the magazine that's the first thing the reader will be drawn too. There is a lot more text on the contents page than on the front cover which is something you would expect as there is more information to read and the whole purpose of the contents page is too inform the reader of whats in the magazine and where it is in the magazine. The numbers are in bold and are bigger than the text making it obvious where the articles are. The masthead is larger than the rest of the text and is positioned and the very top making the audience automatically drawn to it. Also it reads 'Inside This Week' which is a different form of contents page as most magazine literally write 'contents page' at the top. This gives it a original twist and makes it different and more interesting than the other music magazines. Also what NME have done is written quotes from the article which is another way of presenting teasers to the audience and once again making them want to continue reading.
The imagery that is used are smaller images that link into the stories that they are positioned with. The majority of the images are action shots of musicians at concerts and gigs. The action shots represent "Youth as fun" which was stated by Dick Hebdige (1988) The use of more images make it more aesthetically pleasing and therefore the audience are more interested in the magazine and what it has to offer. Images are very important on the contents page just as much as the front cover as it is the first thing you see when you open the magazine. I need to ensure I follow this convention and I really like the style on NME's contents page as it has a different edge to it and makes it less boring and normal compared to other magazine.
The layout of the NME contents page is different to how normal contents pages are set out which is usually in columns, however NME sets it out in a more disorderly fashion which makes it look more aesthetically pleasing and generally more interesting to read.
The lexis that is used is what you would expect with the bold writing standing out a lot more than the smaller text. I think this is a general rule and something that most magazines follow. The masthead is once again 'Inside This Week' which is a different take on the usual 'contents' which tends to get boring and what you would expect obviously however the new take makes it different from other magazine which is a good thing. The red box in the bottom right hand corner seems to be a normal convention for NME magazine, it offers information on competitions and prizes that can be won. This is something magazine usually include within the magazine rather than on the contents page but this could be a good thing by offering something different and jumping straight in to the details of information and what NME has to offer. The colour palette of NME is red,yellow,black and white which is expected and on the contents they have carried this on apart from there is no yellow on this example. the quotes of the article is important to NME as they do this on the front cover also and it gives the reader an insight to that particular article. Its almost a teaser for the contents to get the reader to read about the story.
The imagery that is used are smaller images that link into the stories that they are positioned with. There are a lot more simple still shots on this example of a contents page rather than action shots. The action shots represent "Youth as fun" which was stated by Dick Hebdige (1988) use of more images make it more aesthetically pleasing and therefore the audience are more interested in the magazine and what it has to offer. Images are very important on the contents page just as much as the front cover as it is the first thing you see when you open the magazine. I need to ensure I follow this convention and I really like the style on NME's contents page as it has a different edge to it and makes it less boring and normal compared to other magazine. this is a very important aspect of contents page making as it needs to be aesthetically pleasing but also deliver the correct information.
The layout of the NME contents page is different to how normal contents pages are set out which is usually in columns, however NME sets it out in a more disorderly fashion which makes it look more aesthetically pleasing and generally more interesting to read.
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