Codes and Conventions of content page

Sam Johnson

The main bulk of text which is the contents is located to the right of the page, the text contains page numbers so the reader knows which pages each articles are located on and it contains some information regarding each article. In the case of this specific magazine the contents page is refer to as ‘features’

The article related to the image is highlighted, with the article name at the top right of the page and the page number and information on the article at the bottom left of the page

The date is located at the top of the page so people know when this issue was released

A upper body shot takes the focus from the text and onto the artist related to the article. This is related to the article highlighted by the text at the bottom left, but this wont be the main article due to it not being on the front cover

This contents page comes from the magazine, Hip Hop Connection. Due to the fact the main image in the background is composed of dark colours, the designer has used white as a contrasting colour, this is an essential convention which enables the text to easily stand out and be readable.

This contents page makes use of a red white black colour scheme; the red helps to add a pop of colour to the overall appearance of the contents page and brings all the elements together nicely. I feel this colour scheme gives the contents page a masculine look, and therefore reaches out to the male society. The designer has positioned the title in a red box as at allows it to be more prominent as well as looking slightly different in comparison to the rest of the text on the page.

The main story on the page is situated at the bottom right of the contents page, it is instantly noticeable that it is a lot bigger in comparison to the other contents, in addition it is also right aligned which further separates it from the other text. As well as this, the large side profile mid-close up image is also part of this content, this feature clearly divides it from the other text and emphasises the importance and dominance that the article has within the magazine; yet the red on the page number keeps the page together, prohibiting the contents from looking too disconnected

In this contents page of XXL magazine, we know that the most important story is based on the rapper B.o.B since he is the main image with the caption reading “B.o.B fills in all the blanks”. This is similar to the contents page which includes Kanye West and it seems to me that the person who designed the contents page is focusing more on the main image rather than the find the minor cover stories and headlines.

My point could be justified due to the small size of the body copy which shows the unimportance of the head lines. The contents page must be clear to read, simple to follow and easy to find. The page numbers are written in bold which makes it easy for the reader to navigate to, however the typefaces which is used on the cover stories are quite unique and italic which makes it hard for some readers to read.

Similar to the Vibe’s contents page, the page is laid out with only one grid with main image of B.o.B standing out to show how important the article about him is. Also, what is quite unconventional about this contents page is that main headline which states “doin’ lines” which is colloquial language shortening the word “doing”, there it states “doin’ lines” is where most magazines would include the word “contents” telling the reader that this is a contents page which isn’t even seen on the page. The headline could relate to the article based on B.o.B