This example of a contents page from NME magazine we can see many different conventions. For example the layout is very clear and easy to read. We can see that there is a vast list if artists to the left hand side in its own separate text box which is titled “Band Index”. The name makes sure that the reader is very clear on what the section is about. This text box is not very big and only covers a small area of the magazine. The box includes Cutting Class who aren’t well known in the music industry. We know this as that there names are out of the way and don’t cover to much space in the page. The colours of this section also represent NME magazine as the numbering is in black and the font is in red which are the two main colours we see in the NME logo. This reminds the reader that the magazine they are reading is NME and that they have own all the information on the page. NME do this so that they seem to be the key providers of music and that they get the latest news / gossip. The follow on effect from this will be that more people will trust and read the magazine as they appear to have a good research department.

At the top we can clearly see the logo of NME and the text “This Week”. This tells the reader that NME is updated weekly and has new news to be told each week. As a result, more people will read the magazine as it shows that NME gets new news updates and releases each week. The colours of this section again match with the logo and colour scheme of NME. The back background in the text box allows the white text and the red and white logo to stand out to the reader.

In the centre of the page we can see that there is one advert that advertises the “New Noise 2009”. With this being in the magazine it shows that it is at the height of the music industry and its is heavy involved with it. The colours do not represent NME as it does not belong to the monopoly but it does stand out with the rest of the magazine. The fact it does stand out will have been because of the background. The light blue brings out the rest of the colours clearly so that the article stands out from the rest. It advertises “10 acts for the New Year”, this shows that NME again is strong with its information as it is a reliable source. Also in this article we can see a small sub text saying “Get turning to find out who we’re backing”. When the reader reads this they will want to look into the magazine and get a better insight to who NME will be backing. Next to this sub text we can see to double page spreads that feature in this section. This gives the reader a sneak preview and makes them feel that they have all the main information at their finger tips.

Below the “New noise 2009” section we can see there is text that is titled “Plus”. By giving it this name it tells the reader that the magazine has yet more information available to give to the readers. Again, this means that the reader is at one of the first people to hear all the available updates. It is a similar layout to the text box on the left apart from the colour scheme has swapped around as the numbering is red and the font is black. This gives more depth into the magazine and prevents the reader from becoming bored of the style of the magazine. As the artists and sections in this box will be shown more interest to the reader, the text is a lot bigger. This is so that the reader can find the big stories and the big news straight away and so that there is not to much time being used up on reading the contents page.

To the right of the magazine we can see that there is a section involving who the stars are voting for. Again this tells the read that NMW magazine has all the up to date information and that they can get most information from artists. This keeps the trust from the reader in the magazine. This is advertising the “shock waves NME awards 2009”. To keep with the theme of the event we see a boarder around the side of the sub text which clearly represents this category. The result of this is that the reader will be able to read and understand the magazine easier and better. The colour scheme of the text also matches the boarder of the sub text showing that the text belongs to the article. We can also see a picture at the top of the image who is Tom Clarke from The Enemy. This again tells the reader that NME are able to get the top information with top artists. The picture also means that he can be clearly recognised by the reader so that less time has to be spent understanding the magazine.


Now that i have looked at an example of a contents page I will be able to make my own. I will use the conventions i have seen in the example and use some of these to create my own. To do this i will have to complete a hand draft, DTP draft and a DTP final piece. This will mean that all my ideas can be used and put into the page.