This contents page for the Indie/Rock magazine NME shares several similarities in the formatting with that of Q magazine. The house style is similar using black, red and white lettering, this shows that these colours are conventional in indie/rock magazines as they are bold but simple.
However in NME the logo is the biggest peice of text on the page, this is so that the reader has a constant reminder that they can only get these articles in NME. Therefore cementing the brand and creating a sense of exclusivity.
Another formatting technique that the two magazines have in common is that the artcles have been grouped into clear categories. This means that audience can quickly find the sections of the magazine that most interest them. Furthermore it shows the variety that the magazine offers, it doesn't just show interviews it also givs news and reviews and information on live shows. It is important for this magazine to display a variety right on the contents page, as this is the page that determines a purchase. If it doesn't appear to offer a lot of interesting information the consumer will put it back.
This magazine gives an extensive band index spanning the whole left side of the page, which Q magazine does not give. This is a great technique of showing that the magazine features a wide range of indie/rock artists, and will draw in the target audience of listeners of indie/rock music as they can instantly identify there favorite bands.
The use of a short article on the well known indie band Kasabian gives the audience an insight into what they can expect in the rest of the magazine, making them want to read on. Plus it uses a famous artist to directly appeal to and construct its target audience, as it alines itself with the fans of this band, sending a clear message about the genre it favours. To add the image used creates a feeling among the readers of being involved in the music. This is from the fact that it is taken from the midst of the audience at the gig, looking up at the band. With this image the magazine tells it's readers that they are getting the chance to experience gigs first hand without needing to buy a ticket themselves. They are being offered exclusive information, something that anyone interested in live indie music would throughly appreciate.
Furthermore a big percentage of the page is devoted to giving information on subscriptions. This is because the magazine publishers want people to become frequent readers so they can sell copies all year round. To make this seem appealing they have offered a discount of £45 which seems to the readers like a generous amount. They have also provided examples of other magazine covers to show what subscribers can expect. They have also made it very easy to opt into, simply by call or online this is so that people can start recieving their magazines as soon as possible.
Lastly the magazine makes good use of signs and signifiers to encouge people to read on. The use of a big red arrow, instantly signifies to general society 'go this way' or 'what you want is in this direction' so when its placed in a music magazine it tells readers that information they will find useful can be found with in the magazine. Therefore making them want to buy the magazine to read on and find out more.
In conclusion of the two indie magazine contents pages that I have looked at, I prefer the formatting of NME. This is due to the fact that it encapsulates several features of the entire magazine clearly and effectivly on this page. The audience can take one look at this and see that a wide range of information is available and that it focuses solely on indie/rock music. This research has given me some positive ideas on how I would like to present the contents page of my own magazine However I will continue to research so that I can have a broad understanding of what makes an effective contents page.
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