Analysis of Contents Page 3

Guitar & Bass

The colours of the contents page in Guitar & bass music magazine have a similar theme to the colours on the cover. The theme has been carried through but other colours have been added. Red, black, white, beige and blue have been added to the contents. This contents page theme is similar to Clash magazine contents page however blue has been used for the page numbers. These colours clearly represent the colours of an average contents page.

The page numbers and the article names are listed along the right side of the page. On the left side third of the page there is an image of three guitars that link to the article on page 50 which printed underneath the image. The other images have been put there to represent and promote select pages that have big stories that the readers would be most interested in. This design layout fits together well, creating a clear layout, which is easy to read and associate with.

The biggest image on the contents page is an image of the musician Joe Bonamassa who was also advertised on cover. There are also other smaller images that link with the cover lines on the front of the magazine such as an interview with the musician Gwyn Ashton. The images represent the target reader by what music they listen to and what they wish to aspire to.

The musician Joe Bonamassa is dressed in a quilted coat with a white t-shirt underneath and he is holding a guitar. He has been styled with his own look, like he has just arrived at the theatre where he is and is about to play. Joe has also been styled with a Danny Zuko Grease look for his hair that contrasts well with his clothes.

The sub-headings that are printed on the right side of the page are bold and in black with a modern font. The main features of the magazine are in a bigger size in a different list down the bottom left side of the page with the page number next to it a small summary underneath in black about the page. By making the font bigger and bolder the reader is more likely to be drawn in to those specific pages. The layout has been carefully put together and fits well. Because of the bold headings down the sides of the pages, the contents page is easy to identify with at a glance and interests the reader straight away. For select pages a small image is placed on the left hand side of the page in order to promote the page and to interest the reader.

The language in the contents page is short and to the point. The language is persuasive as it uses phrases such as ‘Pick of the month!’ The language also gets the reader involved with the featured stories as the language is in a conversational tone.

Overall I think the contents page has been put together well however I think that the contents page doesn’t have the same ‘wow!’ factor that the contents page of Q magazine has. The colours are more effective on the cover of the magazine and the theme has been carried through to the contents page however other colours have been added. The sub–headings give a good indication of what is featured in the magazine and you can read the summaries underneath to clearly understand. It’s designed to appeal to a young audience aged 20+ who buy the magazine as it represents their interests. The magazine has stories that appeal to the average reader. The readers are address by featuring musicians that they know of and can relate to such as Joe Bonamassa and Gwyn Ashton.