Magazine Contents Analysis 1

This is the contents page of NME; it features the same basic colours of the Masthead: Red, White and Black. This magazine, like most, uses the same layout for its contents page in all of its issues.

The Masthead is in the same place as it is on the cover which gives the magazine a sense of unity that the whole thing fits together.

This contents page only features one image in the centre of the page. This is something that NME do in every issue; they take a picture that a fan has sent them, then out it in the middle of the contents page with a short description of the story behind the image. There is a lack of an image relevant to any of the featured articles, which is unusual in a magazine as normally there would be to attract readers to that page. But this adds an element of secrecy, you won’t know what to expect from the article until you read it.

There is a list to the left of all of the bands mentioned in the magazine in alphabetical order with page numbers next to them. If you were reading the magazine because you knew there was a mention of your favourite band, this is a useful inclusion on the contents page. This sidebar is the same colour as the masthead, suggesting it has some significance to the magazine. It also stands out quite well on the page so you know to look at it and skim through to see any bands that you’ve heard of.

At the bottom is an advertisement for a subscription to the magazine which is featured in every issue of NME. The text of this ad is a different colour to everything else on the page to attract you to it.

To the right is the main part of the contents page: the part with all of the articles and their page numbers. Like a lot of magazines, these articles are split into different sections. Something that cannot be seen in this image is small arrows to the right highlighting certain articles that were featured on the cover.