Glamour Contents Page Analysis

In my media lessons we have been talking about the effect of magazine contents pages as this is what we will have to produce in both our preliminary task and our final production.

GLAMOUR

This contents page had 1 image- the central image/key signifier. This is done to suggest that this is the main article of the magazine is about Emma Watson- the model in the central image- and this could mean that the editor wants the reader to focus on this article the most. The headline that superimposes/anchors this image is intriguing to the reader as it is a rhetorical question the editor is trying to say: if you don’t know find out here on this page. This may excite the reader as it is letting them know some inside gossip- implied by the buzz word “secret”- and make them want to read on and therefore buy the magazine.

The colour scheme on this contents page is quite eye-catching and bright which helps attract reader’s attention. When a reader picks up a magazine, the first things they look at are the front cover and contents page to get a grasp of what is included in the magazine so that they can decide whether they want to purchase the magazine or not. The fact that the contents page is eye-catching is good for the magazine as it will drag in readers due to the bright colours and “liveliness” of the magazine, meaning more people will purchase the magazine.

The contents page has included many headlines which gives the reader a sneak peek at all of the variety of content included in the magazine. Apart from the one that is superimposed and anchored onto the central image of Emma Watson, none of the headlines stand out very much. This implies that they are all of equal importance and equal value to the reader. It also shows that there is one main article and all of the others are secondary articles.

The fact that the line “THE STYLE ISSUE” is capitalised and larger than the other text implies that it is important to the reader and could be the link between all of the articles. The fact that “style” is in another colour shows that that could be a buzz word in that phrase and the most important part. It could also imply that each issue has a different theme and this month’s issue is based on the theme of style.

They have included the masthead on the contents page. The colours used in the masthead are different from the general colour scheme of the rest of the contents page. This is done to separate it from the rest of the page and to make it stand out to the reader. The masthead is included on the contents page to remind the readers what they are reading. Editors try to put the masthead on every page so readers are well aware of the magazine they have bought and are reading so that if they want to recommend the magazine to others, they are recommending the correct magazine and not others that have similar layout.

The page is split into thirds. One third for the headlines and article titles. Two thirds for the central image. This is again another indicator that our main focus should be on the article related to the central image and that is the most important thing on the page.

There is not much self-promotion on this contents page implying the magazine is very well branded so therefore does not need self-promotion. There is also no letter from the editor. This could imply that this is a completely separate article in itself or that the editor does not need to address the readers as much as the magazine is well branded so the readers are very familiar with the editor already. Also there could be a number of editors that can’t all address the readers at once.