Contents Research

BOLD: 10 what and why questions on the contents page

10 what and why questions on this contents page

1)      Why have you chosen these font colours?

- By choosing black as the overall font colour it makes it more understated and not the main attraction. This has a positive and negative effect; it isn’t cluttered by lots of different colours clashing together and making it seem like a lot of effort to read. However, it also makes it quite boring and not interesting which means that the buyer might not be drawn into reading it and seeing what it says. The publisher will rely on the fact that the front cover has enticed the reader enough to by pass the understated look of this page.

2)      Why have you chosen to duplicate the bright design on either side?

- By duplicating the design on either side of the page its eye catching and not over the top so it makes it look more mature, it connotes the idea that this is for the older audience because of its formal articles and artistic imagery.

3)      Why have you chosen to divide the page up?

-  They have divided the page up like this to make it separated and easier to read. It doesn’t look cluttered and it gives the impression that the whole magazine is accessible and a good read for a short journey.

4)      Why have you chosen to place the web address there?

- They have chosen to put the web address at the bottom because it’s isolated from all the other text and imagery. By placing it by itself it draws you in too see what is by itself. Because it isn’t surrounded by other text it makes it more memorable so you’re more likely to search it when you get home.

5)      Why have you chosen to have a white background?

- They have chosen a white background so there décor, text and imagery stands out and isn’t hidden by a bold background.

6)      Why are the images scattered around the page?

- The images are scattered around the page so that not one corner of the contents page looks cluttered, by spreading out the pictures it also makes the pictures stand out as individuals and you can look at each picture separately and in your mind make your own interpretations of what it denotes.  

7)      Why haven’t they put the name of the magazine on the contents page?

- The reader knows what magazine they have picked up and so doesn’t need to be reminded of what the magazine is called. Also because of the genre of this magazine it’s more formal and not informal like a gossip magazine which is the genre of magazine which is more likely to broadcast its title in every available space (e.g. Closer)

8)      Why haven’t they put the page number for every article (1-80) on the page?

- If they showed the article headline for every feature in this magazine the contents page would be filled to the sides, they have chosen to show only their important headlines or the ones they feel will appeal most to their target audience.

9)      Why have they chosen the feature labels they have?

- They have labelled the features the names they have, because of the stories underneath them. They have looked at the overall theme of each article and placed them into categories and then summarising the group has labelled them. One story however is isolated ‘Cover Story’. This will be the story which is the masthead on the front cover, so people know which story that relates too, it has its own category.

10)  What makes the stories relate the genre?

- The stories are all real life, reality story and as the genre of the magazine is reality, it all ties in well. It makes the magazine seem complete.

Contents Page Research

BOLD: Questions and answers on contents page

     
1)      How is the page organised?

-     The page is split in too and is neatly presented. It had headlined the different sections in the magazine and where to find those pages. They have connected the pictures to the text by assigning each picture to an article and labelling them with the right page number. They have done this so it is easier to read and more attractive to look at, by making it look this way with little to look at in terms or colour in the centre, you’re drawn to the bright decorations at the sides of the page and the pictures scattered around it.

2)      If it is divided into categories, how many are there? What are they? How many features are in each category?

-     This particular contents page is divided in two, and then divided into features there is 1 – 5 in each section. My magazine genre is reality, because of this I chose a contents page with similar stories. So, they features shown are: cover story, features, people, lifestyle and et cetera. By splitting the features into these groups and makes the magazine easier to read, more accessible and a better read because you’re not spending all your time searching for the right article.

3)      How many pages are in the magazine in total?

-     From the pages shown on the contents, I would say there are roughly 80 pages in this particular magazine. You can tell this because of the way the page is laid out. Next to each story’s headline or brief summary there is a page number to the left of it in a bigger font. It’s also bold like the name of the article it’s beside, however, the summary underneath it is in a smaller font and not bold. This is because it’s not a necessary piece of information.

4)      What colours are used?

-    The main consecutive colour on the page is black; the text, web address, boxes, picture backgrounds and lines are this entire colour. Although the idea of black all over connotes the idea of dark, mystery and even the unknown it’s contrasted with the bright décor around the page and the smaller images scattered around the articles, make it looks brighter and happier so you immediately realise that they have put those things in black so it’s not overpowering and it’s understated instead.

5)      How have images been used?

-    The images have been used to make the page more attractive and more exciting. If it had no images, the page would look dull and dingy especially with the black font. There are 3 main images at the top of the page which are the biggest size, although these are the biggest picture they don’t have the brightest colours: the main colour running throughout all three of these images is black (one wearing black & two with black backgrounds). They don’t have much in them either, one is a close up of a quizzical looking man and the other two are of people in medium shots looking away from the camera. Some of the main mode-of-address is at the bottom of the page in the smaller images where two images are close-ups of people looking directly at the camera. There is one image too the far right of the right page and it’s a bright reddish colour, although it’s not easy to work out exactly what the image is, it’s eye catching because of the colour.

6)      How is the text shown?

-    There is three different fonts on the page; the page title ‘CONTENTS’, the feature titles and the articles underneath the features. By making each different headline a different font it makes you more aware of where the separation is and makes the general layout of the page look neater, it also makes it more understandable.