This is the contents page of an edition of Q magazine. I have deconstructed the front cover of an issue of Q and am now looking at how one of its contents pages is designed.
Masthead- The Q logo on the front cover is placed in a red square, however here it is in a red rectangular box. It is in the left hand corner of the page. To its right is the word 'Contents' which is obviously the most vital word. It is in a sophisticated font, but is not white like the Q logo. Instead it is black to make the colours different. It is placed at the top where you expect it be as the majority of magazine contents pages do this. Not all magazines put their logo on the contents page and when they do, it is not massive. I will place the logo of my magazine on my contents page. It will be at the top, but positioned in the corner. After all, it is not necessarily important.
How easy is it to navigate around the page?- The layout of the page allows the reader to navigate easily. Although the listings are the purpose of this page, they are kept to the sides so that the overall look of the page grabs your attention. This helps you find what you need. The page numbers are bold and the images they accompany are generally together to avoid confusion or untidiness. There are two columns of listings, however in my case I am considering using three, shorter columns.
Necessary Information- The issue number is in the box at the top of the right side page. This is issue 284 of Q, so we know it is a long running magazine. It is important we know this hence the fact it is fairly big. I will include the issue number on my contents page, except it will be much smaller than here. The use of white text for the issue number makes it stand out against the red background. The page number is at the bottom in the corner.
Text- The list of articles and features are laid out on the left of the first page and the right of the second page. The order is that the left page lists the 'features' and the right page lists the 'regulars'. There are subheadings above each listing, some are only one word such as the name of a singer. I like this idea. It is something I want to use. There is not an overwhelming amount of text either. The only part that contains a bulk of text is 'The Q Review', which is clearly a regular piece in each issue. The purpose of the text is to inform the reader where they can find what interests them. Some of the features are not only listed, but have a picture. These pictures give the page that the feature is on. The numbers grow in size based on how big the image is. They help to split up the page. The use of alliteration in 'Access All Areas' involves the reader by letting them know that they can read about the type of music that interests them by choosing from all of these 'areas'. It would be an interesting idea to use alliteration or another linguistic feature in my magazine.
Font- The text stands out, but the same font is used regularly. This causes the contents page to appear sophisticated. Italics is used for the first feature on the list. This is curious as it is at the top of the list and is the largest in size, however it is on page 58. Evidently it is a 'must-read' feature. Although I do not currently plan on using italic, I will make the main feature stand out more than the others.
Images- There are a total of 9 images. They vary in size, but only the image of the anime character is large. There is no caption next to the image, but I can see it is on the Gorillaz. Fans of the group will instantly know that they will be heavily featured in the magazine. The other images are of singers and bands. Some of them are tilted to make the page more diverse- something I will consider for my contents page. Two of them are actual pictures of what the article page looks like. One of these shows a feature page called 'Planet Mika'. The word 'Planet' is the most significant as it implies he is at his peak in terms of popularity. There is also a cartoon version of the contents positioned in the top right- a unique edition to the contents. Every image has either a page number or caption on it. Two of the images, though have the page number beside them or underneath.
Colour- Red, white, black and purple are the colours that stand out the most. Red and white are most frequent due to them being Q's trademark colours- making the contents page more warm than cold. The character in the main image has purple hair which is instantly eye catching. Though I want to use green a lot on my cover, there will be some blue. Blue will be used more on my contents page. The use of purple, pink and green on this image make it the most interesting, appealing item on the two pages.
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