Colour: There is no clear colour scheme because the majority of the page is taken up by the image of Blur. However the text is in black and red which relates to the colour scheme used on the front cover. Black and white are stereotypically associated with indie/rock but they can be quite boring used on their own. With use of red it adds vibrancy and it stands out on the other block colours. The cololur scheme creates a modern and classy look.
Design: Firstly, it is apparent that only one page is needed for the contents, unlike other magazines that sometimes use two. The contents is clearly seperated from the image by a dotted line to make the page look more neat and professional. It is almost like the list of pages is the only contents part and then the rest of the page is like starting a new page as there is a random story placed there. The list of pages is in a neat column beside the image but there is also some text ontop of the image. It is on a white background because it would be unclear to read otherwise. This makes the text stand out aswell. The majority of text has a similar font of a modern and informal bold style. It is young and quirky much like the target audience and magazine itself. The only exception is 'Blur, London 14/01/10' which is seen to be in a more formal style, similar to times new roman. Another reason why it is different from the rest of the text is because it is on a red background. They have done this to make it look different from the rest of the text and therefore stand out.
Images: There is only one image on this page and it dominates the majority of the page. Interestingly, it is not of My Chemical Romance, who was shown to be the main feature from the front cover of the cover of the magazine. This is unconvential for a music magazine which again relates to the uniqueness and rebellious style portrayed from the genre rock. The target audience, young followers of rock tend to want to express their originality and not follow rules. Instead, there is an image of an old rock band Blur, not on a photoshoot but them pictured on red carpet. Blur still fit into the category of rock so the target audience can still relate to them and since this is their first public appareance together in a while, readers will find this interesting. The members of Blur are wearing very laid back and informal outfits for the red carpet which expresses their coolness and attitude of not caring what they look like or what people think of them. This will be seen as aspirational to the target audience.
How are words used on the cover? Instead of listing the contents in page order, they are listed alphabetically with their corresponding page number. Again this is unconvential and unique. Also the contents is only a list of bands/singers included inside and there is no stories mentioned. This mysterious list doesn't give a good indication of what is going to be inside but the target audience will only care about what acts are featured and will be impressed with the amount in the list. The long list shows that the magazine is going to be filled with lots of things so readers are getting a lot for their money. The contents list is the only text in red which makes it stand out and makes it clear that it is important. The page numbers are in a black font to clearly seperate the band and page so readers will find it easy to understand. 'What's inside' and 'Snapshot' along with the bottom strapline, are the only text in capitals which makes it clear they are either titles or very important. They are purely in capitals to stand out. There is not that much text used on this page but as I've mentioned numerous times, the target audience is more concerned about the music.
Language: The traditional word contents is not actually used on this page. Instead there is 'What's inside' which is a much more younger and unique way of saying contents. This again reflects the modern nature of the magazine and readers. It also relates to the style of writing it is in as that is also young and funky. 'Snapshot' is again another funky word that is more traditional than other words like photograph or image. This page gives an impression that the magazine is using young vocabulary to relate to the young audience and come across cool and modern. The bottom piece of text is subtlely persuading readers to subscribe to their upcoming issues by making them think they are saving money in the long run. They do this by using the words 'sale' 'save' and 'now'. This is persuasive language that immediately makes you think of saving money. This is very important to the young target audience as young people are known for not having a lot of money so saving is vital, every little helps. They even give you their website and a hotline to make it easy to subscribe. Also they give you a small image of the next edition which gives you a taster of what is to come. The text explaining the image is very similar to a story in a tabloid newspaper. The writing is simple, everyday language that is easy to understand and even includes some funny elements. This is very important to the target audience because they will not want to read something that is untimidating and hard to understand.
Overall impression: The contents page is very basic and gives off an impression of a laid back attitude, similar to the stereotypical view of teenagers into rock, the target audience. It doesn't really give the magazine justice as not a lot of what is inside is explained on this page. However, it does show the very long list of acts featured inside, which is most important for the target audience to know about. This means they are not concerned with anything else, therefore it is a bit pointless putting additional things on the contents other than bands and singers. This shows that NME clearly know who their target audience is and what is most important to them. This idea emphasises the passion and love that the target audience feels for rock. The main impression you get from this page is the sense of youth and a current style. This is mainly due to the style and language of words that a older audience might not get or can relate to.
Design: Firstly, it is apparent that only one page is needed for the contents, unlike other magazines that sometimes use two. The contents is clearly seperated from the image by a dotted line to make the page look more neat and professional. It is almost like the list of pages is the only contents part and then the rest of the page is like starting a new page as there is a random story placed there. The list of pages is in a neat column beside the image but there is also some text ontop of the image. It is on a white background because it would be unclear to read otherwise. This makes the text stand out aswell. The majority of text has a similar font of a modern and informal bold style. It is young and quirky much like the target audience and magazine itself. The only exception is 'Blur, London 14/01/10' which is seen to be in a more formal style, similar to times new roman. Another reason why it is different from the rest of the text is because it is on a red background. They have done this to make it look different from the rest of the text and therefore stand out.
Images: There is only one image on this page and it dominates the majority of the page. Interestingly, it is not of My Chemical Romance, who was shown to be the main feature from the front cover of the cover of the magazine. This is unconvential for a music magazine which again relates to the uniqueness and rebellious style portrayed from the genre rock. The target audience, young followers of rock tend to want to express their originality and not follow rules. Instead, there is an image of an old rock band Blur, not on a photoshoot but them pictured on red carpet. Blur still fit into the category of rock so the target audience can still relate to them and since this is their first public appareance together in a while, readers will find this interesting. The members of Blur are wearing very laid back and informal outfits for the red carpet which expresses their coolness and attitude of not caring what they look like or what people think of them. This will be seen as aspirational to the target audience.
How are words used on the cover? Instead of listing the contents in page order, they are listed alphabetically with their corresponding page number. Again this is unconvential and unique. Also the contents is only a list of bands/singers included inside and there is no stories mentioned. This mysterious list doesn't give a good indication of what is going to be inside but the target audience will only care about what acts are featured and will be impressed with the amount in the list. The long list shows that the magazine is going to be filled with lots of things so readers are getting a lot for their money. The contents list is the only text in red which makes it stand out and makes it clear that it is important. The page numbers are in a black font to clearly seperate the band and page so readers will find it easy to understand. 'What's inside' and 'Snapshot' along with the bottom strapline, are the only text in capitals which makes it clear they are either titles or very important. They are purely in capitals to stand out. There is not that much text used on this page but as I've mentioned numerous times, the target audience is more concerned about the music.
Language: The traditional word contents is not actually used on this page. Instead there is 'What's inside' which is a much more younger and unique way of saying contents. This again reflects the modern nature of the magazine and readers. It also relates to the style of writing it is in as that is also young and funky. 'Snapshot' is again another funky word that is more traditional than other words like photograph or image. This page gives an impression that the magazine is using young vocabulary to relate to the young audience and come across cool and modern. The bottom piece of text is subtlely persuading readers to subscribe to their upcoming issues by making them think they are saving money in the long run. They do this by using the words 'sale' 'save' and 'now'. This is persuasive language that immediately makes you think of saving money. This is very important to the young target audience as young people are known for not having a lot of money so saving is vital, every little helps. They even give you their website and a hotline to make it easy to subscribe. Also they give you a small image of the next edition which gives you a taster of what is to come. The text explaining the image is very similar to a story in a tabloid newspaper. The writing is simple, everyday language that is easy to understand and even includes some funny elements. This is very important to the target audience because they will not want to read something that is untimidating and hard to understand.
Overall impression: The contents page is very basic and gives off an impression of a laid back attitude, similar to the stereotypical view of teenagers into rock, the target audience. It doesn't really give the magazine justice as not a lot of what is inside is explained on this page. However, it does show the very long list of acts featured inside, which is most important for the target audience to know about. This means they are not concerned with anything else, therefore it is a bit pointless putting additional things on the contents other than bands and singers. This shows that NME clearly know who their target audience is and what is most important to them. This idea emphasises the passion and love that the target audience feels for rock. The main impression you get from this page is the sense of youth and a current style. This is mainly due to the style and language of words that a older audience might not get or can relate to.
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