NME Contents Analysis

Hey everyone,

For my forth contents page analysis I chose to do another NME contents page. It is very similar to the last NME contents page that I analysed which shows that NME use the name kind of format and layout for every one of their contents pages. In the contents page I really like how they have put the main story in the centre on the page and made it larger than the other photos because this means you are automatically drawn to this picture over the rest. Underneath the image they have put a quote from the person in the picture is a larger font to the rest of the writing underneath it and the writing for all the other articles, the font is also different to the other fonts on the page which makes it stand out more, the font style looks quite like someone’s handwriting which reflects the idea that it’s a quote from this person. For my contents page I think I might make the main story bigger than the rest of the stories on the page so people know that it is the main story. I also like the idea of how they have put in the quote especially since its quiet and interesting quote as it will interest the read so I think this might be another thing I will think about doing on my contents page as well as making that bit of writing stand out more with different size, font or colour for the text. I also like how they have a small “plus” column in between two of the stories which tells us what other stories they have in the magazine and the page number they are on. It shows that there are more stories in the magazine than just the main ones that have been highlighted with pictures and a small description. It also fits the space really well and doesn't take up too much space as well as it fitting in with the blocky look of the page. Since they have made the title of the column “plus” and made it larger than most of the other text as well as making it a fancy font it automatically draws people in to read it. I think this is a really good idea as it means you can highlight the main stories in your magazine with the large images and text but you aren't forgetting about the smaller articles which are still just as important to include on the contents page. I like how they have made the heading of the box larger and with a different font to attract people’s attention, I think it also adds a professional touch and if I was to include this idea on my contents page I would defiantly make sure to make the heading of it stand out in a similar way to what they have here. I like how in this issue they have not only made the page numbers next to the picture large making them stand out but they have also made them red, this is one of NME’s house-style colours which means by seeing the red on the page you can automatically tell that it is part of an NME magazine. They haven’t used red anywhere else on the page other tan for the background of the subscription box, because of this it means you are drawn into these things since red is a bright colour and stand out to the rest of the page. I think the reason they have done this is because they want to readers to be able to find the page numbers easily and so that you are attracted to the subscription box and won’t miss it meaning they are more likely to have more people subscribe to them. By making these things red it also keeps the house-style which is important as well as drawing in the reader’s attention. For my contents page I think I will use my house colour in a similar way to attract people although it might not necessarily mean that I will use the colour for the numbers of the pages just for minor details on the page to make sure I keep my house style but don’t make the page too confusing and bright to read. I think by adding small amounts of colour to certain places and then having the text a plain colour like black it also makes the page look more professional.