While creating my reader profile I tried to use similar techniques that previous reader profiles have used. I wanted to make my reader profile appealing and also to give out important information. I tried to keep to the colour schemes that would go well with the genre that I have chosen to do. Here is my reader profile:
Reader profiles are very important when creating a magazine because they allow the creator and editor to know what can be done to make their magazine look better. Below is a presentation which will answer all the questions you may have about a reader profile. I have also looked at a certain magazine company and tried to find out about their reader profile. Here is my presentation;
Here is an example of a Reader Profile that has previously been created by NME;
In this presentation below there is a definition of a genre and also some examples of different genres have been shown:
Here are some genres that I have explained in more detail;
Pop
The word pop originates from the word 'Popular', this shows that pop music is a popular genre and that it is commonly known. Pop music has used many elements from different genres including; Latin, Dance, Rock, Country and some others. Although pop music has similar elements to other genres you can easily tell the difference between them. You can see the difference because pop songs are generally short to medium length and are usually written in a basic format, this usually includes a verse chorus structure or the chorus is usually repeated quite a bit. Different people have different views on pop music, some people think that pop music is professional music which involves both folk music and fine arts music, whereas some people think that pop music is just a style of music that is trying to copy other genres like folk music and jazz music. It is said that most pop music is aimed at the youth but people disagree with this because many adults listened to Michael Jackson in the 70's and 80's which shows that the older generation still listen to pop music that they listened to as a kid but they moat likely won't listen to pop music that the younger generation now listen to. The first time the word 'Pop Song' was used was in 1926, this was used because the person who made up this phrase was trying to say that the music had a popular appeal.
Rock
Rock music isn't as old as pop music but it is still popular, in the 1950's in the United States rock music was known as 'Rock and Roll'. Since the 1960's Rock music has begun to develop different styles. This genre is similar to pop because it also has used elements from different genres, and some of them are; Blues, Rhythm and Country Music. Rock music usually involves electrical guitars, bass guitars and drums. Pop music usually relates to romance whereas Rock music relates to romance but also other themes like depression. Most people in Rock bands are usually male which is different to pop because in pop there is a wide variety of male and female artists. The 1960's were referred to as the 'Golden Ages' or the 'Classic Rock' period. There are many different types of rock, some of them are; Alternative Rock, Folk Rock, Country Rock and many others. Rock music is more energetic and more exciting than Pop music as it is usually faster and has more power. A lot of Rock music also influences people. For example, people began to call themselves 'Goth's' and 'Emo's' if they listened to Rock music. Now days Rock music isn't as popular as Pop music so it isn't listened to as much but there is a genre of music that is called 'Rock/Pop' which is when there is music that is fast and has electrical guitars and everything that you would see in a Rock band but there would also be some Pop elements in it, whether it be the lyrics or the music has just be auto-tuned to make it sound more like Pop music.
Country
Country music isn't liked as much around the world as Pop and Rock music is. This genre of music is mainly known in the United States, it originated in the Southern United States in the 1920's. This genre has mainly been created by using elements from genres like American folk and Western music. Country music often consists of ballads and dance tunes which are accompanied by harmonies and stringed instruments. Country music can also be known as 'Hillbilly' music which again shows that this genre of music is from America. Now days Country music is more like Country music with some Pop also put into it, whereas Country used to be traditional ballads and cowboy songs that just consisted of certain instruments and no technology was involved. Again, just like Rock there are different types of country songs, some of them are; Outlaw Country, Country Pop. Country Rock and some others.
Heavy Metal
This is a sub genre of rock as it again always involves people with electric guitars, bass guitars and drums. Heavy metal began to develop in the 1960's and 70's. This genre used elements from different genres like Blues Rock and Psychedelic Rock. People that are in Heavy Metal bands usually create a loud sound, which consist of extended guitar solos, fast beats and a they create a very powerful sound. The lyrics in Heavy Metal songs usually are associated with masculinity and aggression. In the 1970's many people were against Heavy Metal as they didn't like how fast it was or how it sounded, but by the end of the 70's Heavy Metal fans were known as 'Metal Heads' or 'Head Bangers'. This was because at concerts they would bang their heads up and down while listening to the live music. The younger generation now days are not the type of people to listen to Heavy Metal as most songs these days are either House or Pop, but there are still a few people that do listen to this genre.
House
This is a genre of electronic dance music, it usually doesn't contain a lot of lyrics and it's mainly just a beat, but if it does contain any lyrics than they are usually continuous and the same lyrics are repeated over and over again. This genre of music originated in Chicago in the 1980's. There are different types of House music because when this genre was first seen it was generally danced based music which consisted of different beats and rhythms. House music these days is basically Pop music and Dance music put together. House music isn't the type of music you would usually listen to, it is more like music that you would listen to at a party or at a club so that you would be able to dance to it. It is very different to the others genres because the lyrics in other genres have meaning and in house music it usually doesn't have meaning and words are just put together with a beat so that people would be able to dance to it. During the early 2000's House music became very popular and different artists like Madonna tried to make their music more like a House genre rather than Pop.
Rap
Rapping is when people speak or chant lyrics that rhyme, it can also be seen as 'people that say words really quickly in time to a beat'. When creating a song that will have rapping in you will have to look at content, flow, and delivery. When rapping you have to make sure that the audience will understand what you are saying because if they don't then they won't be able to relate to the lyrics because they won't know what they are. This genre is often related to Hip Hop because they both have similar elements in them. Rapping can be sung with or without a beat, which is very different to other genres. For example, Rock would have to have a beat and instruments because if it didn't then people wouldn't understand the music as much as they would if it did have a beat with it.
Jazz
This genre of music originated in African American communities in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th Century. Jazz also has similar elements to different genres like Folk, Blues, Classical and some others. Jazz music always includes instruments, some of the instruments they use are brass instruments but stringed instruments are also used, but they are not used like Rock bands use them, in Jazz they are played softly and not as many different chords are used so there isn't always a variety of different sounds. In the 1940's Jazz moved from dance-able music to a more challenging 'musicians music' which consisted of faster tempos and there was a larger variety of different chords used. There are again many different types of Jazz; Cool Jazz, Gypsy Jazz, Reggae and many others.
Screamo
This genre is also known as 'skramz', this is a sub-genre of hardcore punk that evolved in the 1990's. This genre is a lot more aggressive than the other genres as most of the words aren't sung they are screamed hence the word screamo. Lyrics in scremo songs aren't about love or relationships they are usually about emotional pain, struggles and human rights. Many people say that this genre shouldn't count as a style of music because half of the time you are unable to understand what the singer is saying which mean you won't know what the song is about. In this genre of music there will always be instruments, it is similar to Heavy Metal where they have long guitar solos and they use many different chord patterns and don't use the some ones all the time. This genre of music is more for the younger generation as they will understand the lyrics more and also this style of music isn't that old so the older generation won't really know about it.
Classical
Classical music is one of the oldest genres of music, it was created in the early 11th century. This genre of music is art music and it was produced in the traditions of Western music. This genre of music usually doesn't have any lyrics in it which makes it very different from all the other genres. Classical music is always calm and soothing which helps people concentrate. In the past decades people wouldn't have listened to this genre of music as they would have liked to listen to music that involved singing, some people do listen to it these days so that they can calm themselves down and concentrate on what they have to do. In the early days of classical music the main instrument that was used was a piano, this was used because there wasn't a wide variety of different instruments to choose from and also the piano was a soothing instrument. But, in the 19th century there were many different orchestras and concert bands which would play different brass instruments and would also play stringed instruments and maybe drums but they would only play them softly.
Soul
This genre of music originated in the United States in the 1950's and 60's. Soul contains elements of different genres like; Gospel Music, Jazz, Rhythm, Blues and many others. In the United States Soul music become popular for dancing and listening to. In the late 1960's Soul music stopped being soulful and became more like Funk music instead. By the early 1970's, Soul had began to become influenced by Psychedelic Rock and other similar genres. Soul also contains many different instruments including stringed instruments but again when these are used they are not used like Rock bands use them, they are only used softy so that the music that they create isn't too loud.
I then decided to explain how you would be able to notice a certain genre and what kind of people would listen to that certain genre. I have done this for 4 different genres and here they are;
Rock
Above, I have explained Rock music in a bit more detail, but I wanted to talk about what kind of people would be involved in this genre and also how people would be able to tell that a genre of music is Rock. So underneath I have made a presentation to help people understand more about Rock music.
There are many different Rock artists that have been playing for years and here are some Rock artists that you may know of;
The Beatles
The Rolling Stones
Aerosmith
All American Rejects
Nirvana
Green Day
Muse
My Chemical Romance
30 Seconds To Mars
Fall Out Boy
Here is a music video by My Chemical Romance called 'Welcome To The Black Parade' to help you get a sense of what Rock music is like;
Pop
When I had explained Pop music in more detail I then wanted to let the audience understand what type of people listen to Pop music and how you would be able to tell if something is in or from the Pop genre. So here I have created a presentation to explain all of these factors;
Now you understand Pop music a bit more here are some Pop artists that you may or may not have heard of;
Rihanna
Michael Jackson
Katy Perry
One Direction
Cher
Coldplay
Paul McCartney
Elton John
Elvis Presley
David Bowie
Here is a music video by Michael Jackson called 'Beat It'. Hopefully this will help you understand what Pop music is like;
Country
After explaining Country music in more detail I then wanted to be able to let the audience know how to tell something is from this genre and also what kind of people are involved with this genre of music. Here is a presentation explaining all of these areas;
Here are a few Country artists that you may know;
Carrie Underwood
Taylor Swift
Luke Bryan
Johnny Cash
Dolly Parton
Keith Urban
Hank Williams
Randy Travis
Kenny Rogers
Kip Moore
Here is a music video by Dolly Parton called 'Eagle When She Flies'. This should help you get a better understanding about Country music;
Jazz
When I had talked about Jazz in more detail I then wanted to let the audience understand what Jazz music is and what type of people would be associated with it. Here is a presentation to help explain all of this;
Here are a few Jazz artists for people that don't know any;
Miles Davis
Louis Armstrong
Charlie Parker
Charles Mingus
Billie Holiday
Bill Evans
Ella Fitzgerald
Lester Young
George Benson
Max Roach
Here is a music video by Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong called 'Jazz Video'. Hopefully this video will help you get an idea of what Jazz music is like;
I have looked at a range of different genres which means I understand the differences between all of them. After looking at different genres am I now confident enough to choose what genre I am going to do for my music magazine and the genre I have chosen is Punk Rock. I have chosen this genre because this is the style of music I listen to, so I will know what the target audience would want to see because if I was put in their position I would know what I would want to see on a Punk Rock magazine. Another reason I have chosen this genre is because I think not enough people listen to this type of music because I personally think it is better than what most people listen to so I want to try and advertise this genre of music so that people would look at the magazine and find it interesting so would buy it and then could begin to listen to that style of music. I feel that if I chose a genre that I didn't know very well then I wouldn't be able to make my magazine look very good as I won't know what colours and themes that certain genre would have, I could do more research on the genre but again I could misunderstand some information and then do the wrong thing when creating my magazine, so I am going to stick with what I know well.
Continuous Colour Scheme The colours used on this double page spread would have to be consistent throughout. The colours that are used would also have to be similar to the house style that is used on the front cover and the colour scheme that has been used on the contents page. If the colours were different then when the reader looks at all the pages they may think all the pages are from different magazines because they don't look the same and they don't look like they should be together. Having a colour scheme that isn't continuous makes the magazine look unprofessional and messy as there would be too many different colours on the page at once. Lastly, the colour scheme helps the reader to understand what genre the magazine is. For example, this double page spread includes lots of dark colours like red (which is a connotation for danger), so this would tell the reader that this magazine is going to include danger and they should also be able to tell that this is a Rock magazine because of all the dark colours, if the colours were brighter than it would probably look more like a Pop magazine. Stand First There is always usually a stand first whenever there is a double page spread that is being written. This is just an introduction to what the article is going to be about. It is very useful and you can see this because in the example that I am analyzing people may read the magazine and they may have wanted to look at other stories and they may have come across this page and not have known anything about 'MCR' or what they do, so this small paragraph would tell the reader what is going to happen in the interview. It is rare but sometimes in this small introduction there could be an explanation about who the band or person is so that the reader would be able to just read that small bit of information and know whether they want to read the article or not. Lastly, this is sometimes a start to the article as it may be explaining who the artist is and then when it got to the columns of the article it would then be able to go straight into the interview. Article written in Columns Most articles are written in columns because it makes it a lot easier for the reader to read. For example, if there were no columns then the text could just be placed anywhere on the page and then it would be hard for the reader to know where to look first as it would just look like there has been text thrown on the page. Some double page spreads have the actual questions from an interview on so the reader would be able to know exactly what was happening, when there are double pages spreads like this there is usually a column each for one question and one answer, this is very useful for the reader because it means they can look at one question and see the answer for that it easily and they don't have to look in different places just to find the answer. Furthermore, this is also very useful because the reader would be able to read the question and if they think that they won't find the answer interesting then they won't have to read it, this is a lot better than the reader having to read the answer and not enjoying it.
Pull Quote Pull quotes are used a lot on double page spreads. Most of the time they are used because they try to entice the reader and get them interested in what is going to happen in the article. The quote is usually something that the interviewee had said because that is what the reader would have got the magazine to see. When pull quotes are being presented they should usually be enlarged so that it would be one of the first things the reader would see, if the quote was only small then the reader may not see it and they probably wouldn't get a sense of what the article is going to be about and so they may skip the article as they don't know what it is about and they may not be bothered to read it so they would just skip it. Furthermore, the colours that are used on the quote are also very important, the quote would have to stand out and to do this it would have to be a different colour to most of the things on the page. For example, this double page spread's quote has used the colours red and white, these stand out from the main colour which is black but they are corresponding colours so they still work well together. You are also able to see that the line 'THE BEST MCR' has been enlarged and is a different colour to the other parts of the quote, this shows that the creator wanted to reader to be able to see it as important information about the band and many of the reader would also find that this is important information. Celebrities Name Standing Out Most magazines like to embolden the name of the celebrity that is going to be talking in the interview, this is usually done because it allows the reader to know who the article is going to be about. If the name of the celebrity wasn't shown on the article then the reader would have no idea who the article is about until they have read it, but they may not want to read it, so if it was something that they were really interested in then they would probably want to read it but because they can't be bothered to read it and find out who it is actually about they will miss out on important information that they may need to know, so this is why the celebrities name should always be written on the article. This information is usually given in the Stand First so when people read about what is going to happen in the article they are also able to find out who the article is going to be about. The main reason this information should stand out is because if the reader was quickly looking through all the pages they would be able to see the name because it would be eye catching and when they have noticed it they would then want to read it. Drop Cap Most double page spreads that you look at will have a drop cap in the beginning paragraph of the article. This is often used to help the reader see where the beginning of the article is and can sometimes be used instead of a subheadings because the reader would be able to know that the beginning of the article is where the drop cap is. Some articles include more than one drop cap on the page, this is very rare but it can be used for the beginning of each column. The double page spread that I am analyzing has only used one drop cap because there are only two columns so there isn't that much information on the page. The use of the drop cap also makes the article look more interesting because it makes the smaller text stand out which means people would be more interested in reading the article. Lastly, the drop cap is always larger and a different colour to all the other pieces of text, this is because it needs to stand out and the only way that is possible is by changing the font, size and colour.
Page Number Page numbers are very important in a magazine, especially on the double page spread. If there were no page numbers then the reader wouldn't know what page they are on. There could be page numbers on the contents page which are next to a name of an article but if there were no numbers on the double page spread's, then the reader wouldn't be able to find the article easily and they would have to look through the whole magazine to find the article they want. Furthermore, the page numbers don't have to be a big size because they aren't extremely important but if there weren't any numbers then the readers wouldn't know what page to turn to. Lastly, the number is usually shown in the bottom corner of the page so when people pick up the bottom of the page to turn it they would see the page number and know what page they are on, if the number was at the top of the page then the reader may not be able to see the number and they wouldn't know what page they are on. Smaller Images
Most of the time double page spreads will have small images that relate to what the article is about. These are very useful on a double page spread because they allow the reader to get some ideas about what the people in the article are like, the reader would be able to tell what sort of things or what genre of music the magazine would be by looking at the clothes the people in the images are wearing. Lastly, the place that the photo has been taken also tells the reader what the people in the photo are like and what kind of things they do. Most of the time the images are of people that are being interviewed and not random photos of an instrument, they usually take photos of the artists faces because it allows the reader to see their emotions and all the details on their face.
Information Boxes Most double page spread's will have small information boxes if there are a lot of small images. They are useful because they tell the reader what the image is about and also who is in the image. These boxes are usually small and are seen on the corner of an image so the reader would be able to read what the box says but also be able to look at the image. Furthermore, these small boxes are put on top of the image so the reader would be able to know what box of information goes with each image. If the box wasn't on top of the image then the box could be placed anywhere and the reader may not know what box goes with what image as they are all just placed anywhere. Furthermore, these boxes are usually coloured so the reader is able to see that there actually is a box with information in it. For example, on this double page spread the boxes are colured black because it goes with the colour scheme, but if there was just text with no box around it then it wouldn't be clear to see and the reader may struggle to see it. However, if the box is too bright then it could take the readers eyes off of the image and onto the box so they aren't actually concentrated on the image. Mast Head from Cover Most double page spread's will have the name of the magazine on them. This is done because it allows the reader to remember what magazine they are reading, like I said when analyzing the contents page, it is there for the people that have never read the magazine before. If there are people like this then they may not remember the magazine they picked up and decided to read so while they are reading inside the magazine they are being told the name of it so they will be able to remember what magazine it is and they will be able to pick the next issue up because they know that they enjoyed reading that certain magazine. Furthermore, different magazines will have their Mast Head in different places on the double page spread page, on the page that I have been analyzing the name of the magazine is in the bottom corner on both of the pages, this has been placed here because to some people knowing the name of the Mast Head is important but to others it isn't so it has been made small so it is there for people that need to know it but for others that already know or don't want to know, it is out of their way. Lastly, the colour of this text isn't that eye catching because again it isn't that important for all people so the creators didn't want it to stand out too much but at the same time they wanted it to be seen for the people that do want to see it. Main Image This is one of the most important conventions on a double page spread, this is because it allows the reader to get a sense of what the article is going to be about without having to read it. The Main image usually takes up a full page and can sometimes go over the other page as well, the Main image will always have to fit in with the colour scheme because if it didn't then it would look unprofessional and the different colours wouldn't go well together. Furthermore, the main image will always have to relate the what the article is about. For example, this article is about a band called 'MCR' and the Main image is of one of the band members, so the image does relate to the article. Lastly, the Main image should be related to some important information in the article. For example, if this article had a small part that talked about one of the band members eating food then there shouldn't be an image of them eating food because that is only a small part of that information in the article, so instead of that they could have an image just of the band member because that is important to the whole of the article, like they have done on the double page spread that I have analyzed.
Tag Tags aren't always used on a double page spread but sometimes they are. They are used on this page because it is eye catching and the reader can easily see it. It engages the audience and makes them want to read more of what is on the page. On this double page spread the word 'Exclusive' is used. This has been used to tell the reader this article is new and you won't be able to see it anywhere else. The use of this tag also makes the reader think that the article will be important and it would have to be read so they will read it. Furthermore, on this magazine the tag has been put in a box with a coloured background so it would stand out more and be seen more easily. Lastly, the text of the tag can sometimes be large and sometimes be small, when the text is small the tag is usually only in the corner of the page and the creators would think that the article wouldn't need much advertisement because they think the readers would read it anyway. When the text is bigger it is usually in the middle of the page because the creators are trying to make the reader see it, when the text of the tag is bigger it is usually because the article may not be as popular so the creators are trying to get the reader to notice it and want to read it. Contact Details Contact details are very useful when they are on a double page spread, this is because when people are reading the article they may want to ask the creator of the magazine something to do with the article. On this double page spread the only contact information that has been provided is an email address, this is the only information that has been given because the creators have said that you should go to this website to look at any news about this certain article or any news about the whole of the magazine. Other double page spread's may have other pieces of contact information like a phone number or even a mailing address, this would be given so the reader would be able to contact the magazine company about things other than news about the magazine. Most of the time the contact information would be in a corner of the page somewhere because some people think that it is important and others think it isn't, it is small so people that think it isn't important don't have to look at it and the people that do think it is important can look at it if they want. Here is a LIIAR analysis of the double page spread I have chose:
Main Title The main title is very important on a contents page because it allows the reader to know that the page they are on is the contents page. Putting a title on this page also allows the reader to know what is going to be said on the page and what kind of information will be on the page. The main title should always be bold and colourful so that it will be eye catching and it would be the first thing the reader would see. As soon as they see the title they will know they are on the contents page. When creating the title, the creator has to make sure that it is going to blend in well with the colour scheme and that the colour will be right for the genre of the magazine. For example, this is a Rock magazine which means a lot of dark colours would be used, but if the title was a dark colour than it wouldn't be seen as easily because it wouldn't fit in with the rest of the page, so this creator has made the title yellow so that it would stand out. The use of these contrasting colours makes the page look more interesting.
Published Date and Issue Number The published date and issue number was shown on the front cover, so why is it shown again on the contents page? It is shown again because the reader doesn't always see it on the cover page as it is usually small because it isn't the most important information that needs to be put across. However, when the date and issue number is put on the contents page it isn't always that obvious either, this is because (again) it isn't the most important piece of information that the reader needs to know, mainly people that collect magazines look at the date and issue number. Although the date and issue number isn't very eye catching on the contents page it is still seen more easily than on the front cover as the text is usually bigger . The date and issue number is shown under the title of the page in this magazine, this is because the editors have tried to keep this information away from all of the features that are going to be inside because they know it isn't that important but they have to put it on so that when people come onto this page they will look at the title and then see that there is something underneath so they will look at it. The creators didn't put it here to make the reader know what the date and issue number is, they put it here so that the reader would know this information if they wanted to, because if the reader couldn't find the issue number then they wouldn't be able to organize their magazines into a certain order. Main Image The main image is important on a contents page, this is because it gives the reader a sense of what this magazine issue will be like. The main image should also be related to the main feature which means the reader will be able to get an idea of what kind of information is going to be said in the magazine. Furthermore, if there was no image then the page would seem very boring as there would be a lot to read and the reader doesn't want to read all the time as they will want to see some images that are related to whatever the magazine is talking about. The main image on this contents page takes up about half of the page, meaning it will be one of the first things that the reader will see as it is quite large. This image also has a small subheading with a page number at the bottom of it, this means the reader will be able to find out what page this story will be on and also they are able to get a sense of what it is about by the name that it has been given. Lastly, when putting a main image on the contents page it again has to be relevant to the genre of the magazine and also the colours in the photo should be similar to the colour scheme of the page so that it won't look messy and instead would look professional.
Continuous Colour Scheme This is very similar to the house style on the front cover of the magazine. If the colour scheme wasn't continuous then it would look like there is too much on the page and it would look unprofessional so the reader may not want to look at it. Plus, sometimes when there are contrasting colours that are different to a great extent then it may make the reader not want to look at the page because there would just be too much going on and they wouldn't know where to look first. The colour scheme always has to be relevant to the genre of the magazine. For example, if you were creating a Heavy Metal magazine then you wouldn't want to add pink to it because it would straight away tell the reader that the magazine isn't going to be about Heavy Metal and it will probably be about Pop music. Moreover, the colour scheme of the contents page has to have the same colour scheme as the cover page, this is because if the colours were different to the contents page, then it would look completely different from the cover and it would look like the two pages shouldn't be together so the colour scheme has to be consistent. Page Numbers Page numbers are always needed on a contents page. These numbers allow the reader to know what page each article is going to be on, if there were no page numbers than the reader would have to look at each page individually to see what page the certain article they are looking for is on. Page numbers aren't just important on a contents page, they are important to all pages in the magazine. For example, if none of the pages were numbered but there were numbers next to different articles on the contents page than the reader wouldn't be able to find what article they are looking for and they would have to count the pages themselves to try and find the article that they want. When showing the page numbers they have to be very clear so that the reader will be able to see them clearly and also they should be able to easily tell which number is with which article. Lastly, most magazines put their page numbers in a chronological order on the contents page, this is useful for the reader because it means that when they are looking at all the articles they will know what order they are in so when they are looking for a certain page in the magazine they will see a certain article and they will know if that article is before or after the one they are looking for, so they can either turn the pages forwards or backwards to find the article they want. Subheadings Subheadings are very important because they allow the reader to know what information is going to be said. For example, this magazine has a subheadings that says 'NEWS', this tells the reader that all the information under that subheadings is going to be about any news on Rock music or maybe news on the magazine itself. Without subheadings the contents page would look very unorganized as there would just be writing anywhere on the page and the reader wouldn't know where to look when they are looking for a certain article. Furthermore, if there were subheadings then the reader would easily be able to find the information they are looking for because they would be able to look for a certain subheading and would know that the information they are looking for would be under that subheading. When creating subheadings they also should be bold and the text should be bigger than most of the other pieces of text on the page because then it would stand out more and it would be easier for the reader to see. The subheadings on this contents page are the same colour as the title which shows that the creators tried to make all the main headings stand out so that people would easily be able to see them and find any information out quickly.
Contact Information When contact information is given it is very useful for the reader, this is because if they wanted to get in contact with the magazine producers or editors then they would be able to. This is also useful because some magazines advertise prizes and try to persuade the reader to get involved with these prizes, so participate you would have to contact the magazine company and this is positive for the creators because it means they would earn more money. Contact information isn't important to everyone so when it is shown on the contents page it is usually in a corner and the text is usually small. For example, on this contents page the contact information is in the bottom right hand corner and it is quite small so it is noticeable but it isn't taking up most of the page which shows that it isn't as important as everything else on the page. Furthermore, the contact information on this contents page is a different colour from all the others texts which shows that the creator wants it to stand out because they know that some people would want to know that information but they have kept it small for the people that don't find it that important. Most front covers have a small amount of contact information on them, most of the time it is just a website address, so this is why the contact information is put on the contacts page in more detail. 'Features' Section
The features section is one of the main subheadings that are usually on a contents page. This subheading tells the reader what stories are going to be inside the magazine and may sometimes tell the reader what will be happening in each story. Most magazines have content pages that have many different subheadings and they all have stories under the subheadings, but usually the main stories and most popular ones would be under the features subheading. Furthermore, some magazines have the subheadings 'Cover Lines' on the contents page and under this subheading is all the stories that appeared on the cover of the magazine, there would also be a page number next to it telling the reader what page each article would be on. Most magazines try to make the 'Features' subheading more eye catching than the other subheadings because they want the reader to be able to see what all the main stories are before they look at all the other pieces of information on the page. Lastly, when the creators are putting different articles under the features subheading they don't put every singe article under it because then it would take up most of the page, instead they just get the articles that they think the audience would like and the ones that they think would be most popular so that when the reader opens the magazine they will be able to see that they will enjoy reading it because there is a variety of good stories.
Names Of Each Article This is very important on a contents page, because this is information that is mainly in the magazine so if there wasn't a title for each article then the reader wouldn't know what is going to be inside the magazine except from the stories that they got from the front cover. Next, if there were no names of articles under each subheading then all there would be on the contents page would be a subheading with nothing under it so the reader wouldn't know what will happen in the magazine as they have been given no information. Furthermore, each article has to be given a title because then the reader would be able to talk about a specific article by using the title that it was given, if they didn't have a title then it would probably just have a small description instead about what would be in that article. This would be a bad idea because it is hard to describe a full article in a few lines, so if the creator only wrote a few lines then the reader still may not have any idea what the article will be about, but if the creator wrote too much then there would be a lot on the page and it would look unorganized and would make it hard for the reader to read as there would be too much going on. Editors Letter Not all contents page's have an editors letter, but the ones that do usually make the page look better. Editor letters aren't really important, it is just a message from the editor saying what they have done to create the magazine, their plans and that they hope the reader will enjoy the magazine. Most people don't read this area because it may mean nothing to them because they bought the magazine to read about the genre of the magazine. For example, if I bought this magazine that I have analysed then I would have bought it to read about Rock music and not to read about someone explaining how they had created it. The editors try not to write a lot because they don't want to take up the whole page but sometimes editors do take up a lot of the page and this is usually a bad idea because the reader bought the magazine to read about whatever genre it is and not about how it was made so it should usually be kept small. The editors usually add a photo of themselves so that the reader can see what the editor of the magazine looks like. I personally think that having an editors letter makes the contents page look better because it changes it up a little bit and there is a small amount of colour change but the colours are usually contrasting so they work well together and they make the contents page look more interesting and it doesn't look as overcrowded. Original Mast Head
Most magazines will have their Mast Head on their contents page. They do this because it allows the reader to know what magazine they are reading because it may be the first time they have read that certain magazine and they may enjoy it so the editors want the readers to remember the name of the magazine. Furthermore, by putting the Mast Head on the contents page it also shows that this magazine has a continuous colour scheme which expresses to the reader that the magazine is very professional as they are trying to keep the same colours throughout. On this contents page the words 'THIS WEEK' are shown next to the Mast Head, this shows that the creators are trying to make the contents page look like it should be with the cover page because it is showing the Mast Head that is on the content page and then it is saying what is going to be in that weeks issue. Lastly, the Mast Head has been put in the middle of the page which shows that it is important and is relevant to everything that is in the magazine.
Images From Articles Images from different articles are often shown on a contents page. By having different images it allows the reader to see what each article is going to be like because they are able to get a sense of what it will be like by looking at the image. Images that are on their own usually have page number and a title next to them so that the reader would know what page to go on to find the article and also they would be able to see what the article will be about by looking at the title of the article. When putting these types of images on a contents page you have to make sure that they aren't going to take up a lot of room because if they do then they will take up most of the page which will mean there wouldn't be a lot of room for subheadings with different articles and also if the images are quite big then they could be mistaken for the main feature, so people may think that there will be a lot of information on whatever the image is but there actually isn't that much information when they actually look at the article. Again, like the main image the colours of the image should relate to the genre of the magazine and should be similar to the colour scheme so that it would look good and professional. Lastly, on the contents page I have analysed you can see that it doesn't matter what the image is as long as it is related to the story. For example, this contents page has an image of a double page spread which is in the magazine so it is showing the reader what they would actually see and there is another image which is just of someone on stage which tells the reader that the story is going to be about that person on the stage. Here is a LIIAR analysis of the contents page I have chosen:
