Second Contents Page Analysis

The colour scheme of "Kerrang's" contents page focuses on four main colours, which are; black, white, yellow and red. These four colours have all been chosen for specific reasons on the page. Black and white have been chosen because they are the two simplest and easiest to read colours you can use in a magazine. They look good together, both compliment each other and most importantly the reader is easily able to read black font on white background and vice versa, due the the contrast of light and dark. Which is why "Kerrang" are using a white background for the basis of their contents page, as every other colour used in the design stands out from it. The yellow is used as another contrast between light and dark colours. It's being used for page numbers and titles, orientating between yellow font in black boxes and black font in yellow boxes. The results of keeping this convention constant throughout the page makes the information easier to read, as the reader will know what he/she is looking for because it will be indicated by those two colours. Red has been used for a pug in the bottom right hand corner of the contents page. The colour red isn't being used in any other area of the contents page, it's use has been solely restricted to key information located inside the pug. (With exception to pigmentation in the photographs used on the page). This is so that it stands out from the rest of the aspects, which is the main convention of a pug. As I quote from my previous analysis of NME's contents page, "Too little colour contrast and the text appears boring and never ending, where as too much colour contrast can hurt the eyes and make the text too hard and confusing to read". The consistency of the colour theme on this contents page has been kept nonchalant and repetitive, making it very appealing to the audience and easy on the eye.

The design of "Kerrang's" contents page comprises of a bold headline which is located at the top of the page. This clearly states to the reader that they are on the contents page. The title "contents" is in a bold font and is easily noticeable at the top right hand side of the page, due to the big contrast between the use of light and dark colours (yellow and black). The main features and articles in the magazine are displayed in boxes, which take up half of the page. These boxes contain pictures of the band/artist of which there is an article about, instead of just plain text telling the reader what's in the magazine. This appeals more to the audience because most people enjoy looking at pictures in magazines, therefore there is a greater chance of the audience focusing in on the key articles. Secondly, the audience are able see which bands are in the magazine, making the contents much more lively and fun to look at. The names of the bands and the page number are written underneath the picture boxes. There is one big picture that that is roughly four times the size of the other pictures on the contents page. This gives a bigger emphasis on that article, suggesting that it is more important and is one of the main articles in the magazine. The increase in size catches the audience's eyes first, making sure that this is noticed before any other pictures on the page. On the right had side of the page there is a column which lists the least important articles in the magazine. These article are not supposed to be attention grabbing, which is why they are just informing the reader via text. The rest of the space on the front cover is being used by a pug, which uses the colour red to stand out from the yellow, black and white used around the whole of the page. The pug is advertising subscription details for the magazine. Finally, the last piece of space used is in the top left hand corner of the page, where there is a small blurb about "Kerrang" magazine. Overall, the features on the contents page are easily located and are in a simple layout pattern. There are no overlaps with everything being boxed off making the page very linear and easy to read.

There is more than one main image on the contents page, although they vary in size, with the more important one being a larger size. The larger photo is of the punk band "The Bronx" and is almost four times larger than anything else on the page. It's purpose is to grab the audience's attention before anything else, showing them that this band will be a main feature in the magazine. It adds more of significance to the article because conventionally, larger equals more importance. The smaller images are being used because they are showing the audience which other bands or artists are featured in the magazine. All the images used easily show the musicians' faces so that the reader can quickly identify who is who, with the help of text underneath each picture. The images appeal to the audience because of the Punk/Rock they are representing, of which the target audience of "Kerrang Magazine" will be followers of. On the contents page, the articles that have been assigned a picture are usually the biggest and most entertaining ones in the magazine. Which is why they have extra appeal placed upon them in order to sell the story to the reader.

The pose of the images on this contents page don't portray specific meanings to give extra appeal to the audience. Their uses are purely for making the contents page easier to read. In the photos, the artists are either performing at a live gig, looking into the camera or it is a screenshot from their CD cover. All the photos follow the same convention of being able to see and recognize the faces of the artists at a glance. This has been done so that the readers are able to identify the bands with as little effort as possible. This makes reading the magazine much more appealing and enjoyable. Images on a contents page don't have to be striking and overly eye-catching, because their job is to just inform the audience about what bands are featured in the magazine. The only necessary convention is that the artist in the image must be easily recognizable to fans.

The use of words on the contents page of Kerrang Magazine are simplistic and follow the typical conventions of a contents page. Which are written to explain and inform, telling the audience the content of the magazine. The importance of the text is signified by size, colour and effect. For example "CONTENTS" is much larger and bolder than the other text, as well as having an inverted colour scheme. The other font-in-boxes have black text on yellow background, where as the contents one has yellow font on a black background. Thus making it stand out from the rest of the page. Each word used on the contents page easily directs the audience around the magazine because the words are short and quick to read.

The language of the contents page directly addresses the reader, telling them what pages each article or feature is located on. The language is easy to read, because not many complicated words have been used. Making it much easier to glance read, which is makes the page much more appealing to the audience. The words and language have the power to manipulate the reader into focusing on famous artists, instead of lesser known ones.

The overall impression of this contents page is smart and modern, clearly showing the audience the key articles located in the magazine, thus serving it's purpose to a good degree of satisfaction. The page appeals to a wider range of people because it shows various pictures of different musicians instead of just one main image. It satisfies the interests of the reader by including different types of music genres and, as explained above, the use of more than one image. This expands the possible fan base out, creating a wider appeal range. For example, genres included on the contents page are; Electronic (The Prodigy), Rock (AC/DC), Indie (Fall Out Boy), Punk (Bronx) and Metal (Bullet For My Valentine). Also, the colours are kept constant throughout out the page and the layout is simple and easy to read. Which is another reason why the overall expression of "Kerrang Magazine's" contents page is positive and appealing.