Billboard uses a series of photographs, displaying artists who are included in the magazine, this visually allows the reader to become engaged with it and also, each photo had been styled to fit the image of the artist which adds interest for the reader.

On Billboard’s contents page, there is a chart of the most popular music which helps to establish it as a music magazine. The use of colour coding allows the reader to see easily each song/album’s position and the editorial pillars stand out as the yellow font contrasts the grey banner.

Editorial pillars are written in black and in a sans serif typeface, therefore making it stand out from the more modern serif fonts which surround it.

Article titles written in blue which matches the page boarders, creating a clear colour scheme and sense of house style. The fact that it’s written in bold also makes it clear that it is the article title.

Subscription box gives reader an idea of the services that Billboard has to offer and the use of lime green makes it stand out.

The title of the page is written in a bold yet modern/edgy font which makes it stand out from the clean-cut fonts on the rest of the page which clarifies the purpose of the page.

The masthead is quite small and therefore, allows the reader to know which magazine it is without it overpowering the rest of the page.

I feel like the eye flow for this magazine is quite unnatural (see red arrows)

Masthead stands out in it’s speech bubble and the pop of pink in the heart also contrasts the blue of the background making it stand out.

Title is large and black making it look bolder and by using an unfinished phrase, the title intrigues readers and pulls them in to read more

Main photo shows two celebrities looking very glamourous therefore, portraying a sense of celebrity culture within the magazine. This also shows the subject of one of the feature articles as do the other, smaller images.

The editor’s note runs alongside the main photograph and above the listed articles. This adds a personal touch to the magazine and allows the editor to explain a bit about the magazine’s content and purpose.

The use of yellow for the pull quotes makes them stand out from the cool colours of the rest of the page. It also makes people more interested in reading the rest of the article as its usually a controversial or attention grabbing statement.

By making the number’s larger, it is clear where to find certain features and the smaller sans serif font for the article titles make them stand out in a way that is not overwhelming for whoever is reading it.

By putting photographs of the posters in the magazine at the bottom of the page, it clearly defines the genre of music that the magazine is about. It also may make a prospective consumer want to buy it because they see all of the included content that they’re getting for their money.

Masthead subtle yet recognizable, white contrasts the dark background.

Model frames the listed articles. Her placement also suggests that she is part of one of the featured articles and her invitational gaze makes the reader intrigued and want to read the actual article.

Title engages readers with its dynamic and interesting eye flow. Because the writing is in this off-white, it makes it stand out from the rest of the page whilst tying together with the light colours at the bottom of the image to create an overall colour scheme and house style. The use of a sans serif font also makes the magazine have an overall modern aesthetic which could appeal more to younger people.

The use of a decorative font for the editorial pillars makes them stand out whilst also hinting to the style of the magazine. The use of thin lines to separate each article makes it easier to see the different features.

By having key elements of each article and the page numbers in bold, it is easy for readers to identify what they want to read and where to find it. This also means that if people are just flicking through the magazine, they may see the name of their favourite artist and therefore make them purchase it.

The eye flow of this contents page seems to be much more natural than that of Billboard magazine as it tends to be a ‘C’ shape

I chose to look at ‘Billboard’ magazine’s contents page because, as a leading music magazine, it has a lot to offer in terms of layout and content. For example, it has a chart of the most popular music on the contents page which is something for me to consider. I also feel that after looking at the page, I would like to use a similar layout with multiple relevant images to help me showcase different angles, shot types and subjects.

I chose to look at ‘We Love Pop’ because it may be made for a younger readership however, it is quintessentially ‘Pop’ in it’s overall image. By looking at the contents page, I have noticed how images are used to draw attention to certain feature articles and also how the heading for a contents page doesn’t have to be ‘Contents Page’. It also helped me to realise how listing interactive features such as competitions and posters on the contents page can be a selling point and how the use of a different colour font for the page numbers can make it easier to navigate.

I looked at ‘V’ magazine because when I saw the contents page, I was drawn to the layout as it’s quite unique. It highlighted to me how the use of just one image can be just as powerful as using many and so it is something to consider. I also really like the dynamic way that the heading has been written and the way that the colour of font has been matched to the photo which I could also do to give my colour scheme some continuity.