Magazine Analysis - NME Contents

This is the contents page from NME, an indie/rock magazine which is aimed at a releitivly young audience, and it is very easy to understand since the layout is very clear and easy to navigate through. This is the same style every week so the reader can quickly recognise the house style of the magazine.

The image in the centre of the page is the anchor image, drawing the reader in and leading them through the rest of the page. There is a caption to the image so as to tell the reader what the image is about, aswell as giving the narrative device of page numbers so readers can quickly skip to the page if they wish to continue reading about it.

The contents is grouped into specific sections, such as subheadings, so that each part is easy to find and understand. This is the same style every week so readers can feel comfortable and can recognise NME's house style.

There are 3 main colours throughout the magazine and this is consistant on the contents page aswell as the front cover – Red, black and yellow. These colours are also used in other rock genre music magazines such as Kerrang! and are a convention of music genre. The colours of the magazine connotes angry and excitement; a stereotype of rock music.

The mast head is the same on the contents page as it is on the front cover, providing a definate guide to the readers that it is the same magazine and builds brand identity.

Unconventially of music magazines there are no images of music artists, instead only of a gig venue which may appeal to concert goers but may mean nothing to those that don't go to concerts.

The masthead is balanced by the section at the base of the page, informing readers about subscriptions. This is a very clever marketing technique as the contents page is the first thing, aswell as the front cover, a potential buyer will look at. Subscriptions are benificial to the company since the reader will definatly be paying for the magazine, which they may not buy otherwise.

Because the target market of this magazine are slightly older and may see themselves as being quite sophisticated, the contents page appeals to this and is made to look quite similar to a newspaper or broadsheet. The layout of the contents is in three main colums which is a typical convention of newspapers, rather than magazines.

Each componant of the magazine is listed in the contents in the same bold typeface as the 'contents' masthead to make it clear to the reader that there are different elements to the magazine. By doing this, it allows the reader to skip straight to the part they are most interested in. This also gives the magazine depth and connotes that the magazine is worth the money which is very important for the contents page to do since that, and the front cover, are the parts of the magazine that sell it.

The serif typeface is consistant throughout the contents and front cover and always remains very easy to read. This is a convention of music magazines since it allows the reader closure and they feel a sense of familiarity with the magazine. It also makes the magazine seem less formal and therefore would appeal to the young target audience. This is also the case with the language used which is casual and friendly, making the reader feel as though they are talking to a friend. This mode of address is a common convention of music magazines, especially when aimed at a younger audience, which NME is for example, the subject specific lexis 'gig' is a casual term used for concerts, which readers of this magazine would understand.

The page has a very 'solid' appearance which is more similar to the magazine Rolling Stone contents page, than a younger demographic of a magazine such as Kerrang! which may appeal to both the younger audience who wish to feel sophisticated, and the older target market.

The narrative device of the page numbers on the contents are clearly visable and in the same typeface as the rest of the page so readers can quickly skip to the page they what to read.

The white background of the contents page gives a sharp contrast to the bright, bold colours of the text. The use of arrows on the page makes certain elements of the contents page look most important and therefore will attract the attention of the reader and each of the arrows are numbered so the readers know which page is important.

The layout of the magazine allows both first time readers and loyal audiences to easily navigate around the page.

The main focus of the contents page is to reinforce that the audience of the magazine are quite sophisticated and focus a lot on appearance rather than just on the music. Their main focus are attending gigs and enjoy the experience more so than the music.

Unlike most music magazines, NME doesn't focus on building a connection with the readers but only on informing the reader. It also uses the image of the building, rather than of the conventional use of artists on the contents page so as to create sophistication within the magazine. This is so as to appeal to the target audience of younger people, who wish to feel sophisticated.