Format Research Contents Page 1 - Billboard

For mt first format research on contents pages I will be analysing the contents page of Billboard Magazine.

Audience & Layout: The target audience of this magazines contents page is presented in multiple ways. Firstly, the way in which this contents page is laid out gives us an idea of whom the producer of the magazine is targeting. The layout is a very simple layout and looks like a typical magazine contents page. This is by having a column down the side which are informing the reader what is inside by giving a detailed insight to each section. There are then three images opposite which gives the reader a better insight to what this magazine features. The images help the reader relate to the context on the left hand side. So taking this into account, the target audience looks like it is for young people, about an age band between 14 - 21. It looks like it can be for any gender; this is because of the images that are used. The three images down the side look like they will attract men as they are images of rockstars that have a sort of aggressive look to them, so this would be more suited towards men rather than women. The reason why it would attract females though is because of the main image in the middle. The image shows a happy teenage girl so this would attract the teenage girl as they would be able to relate to the image.

Images: There are four images that are shown on the contents page of this magazine. To make a successful contents page the images must complement the context and I believe this magazine has done it well. When first looking at this page you immediately see the main imaged centred in the middle. This is because the image of the girl is very large so our attention is quickly drawn in by this. Furthermore, the fact that she is dressed in red enhances our attention to her. She is on a white background too so this gives more affect to the page as a whole. The three pictures down the right hand however contrasts against the middle image. The image of the girl is a peaceful image that enlightens the mood of the reader, as she is looking happy and has a sort cheering motion. It also looks like she is dressed in Christmas colours and outfit so this will also enlighten the mood of the reader. The reason why the other three images contrast this is because they are dark images. The facial expressions on the top two images especially show a dark and mysterious look. This may be because of the mixed audience Billboard have, as mentioned above, the middle image relates to and attracts females and the side images relate to and attracts males. The side images also give a further insight to what to expect in the magazine. These images are probably actual images from inside the magazine from that article so this gives the reader more information about what’s inside.

Language: The language use on this contents page relates a lot to the purpose and the audience of the magazine. The language is very informal and there are a lot of technical music terms that are used. This is because the producer is assuming knowledge and relies on the reader to know these technical terms as it is a specialist terminology. In terms of sentence structure, there aren't really much use of different terms of sentence structure or grammatical features as most of the language and writing used on this page is listed in a bullet point form. The information given is listed and normally consists of one or two words. However, there are a few uses of simple sentences under each point which describes what the article is about. They use simple sentences because this is the best way to give basic information and not bore the reader with long winded sentences.

Branding: Just as Billboard try to create a brand with the front cover, they keep this consistency throughout their magazine and this shows in the contents page. The main part of their branding is in the colour. Each magazine they publish they keep the same colour throughout. In the top right corner of the page there is the Billboard logo with their colours so even without looking at the front cover, readers can instantly tell what magazine this is. Also, by creating a brand it gains trust with the reader, they can feel trusted that when they go out the buy the magazine every week they know it will be quality and consistent as they see the Billboard brand. In addition, Billboard also creates their brand by using the same font on the text. The words "CONTENTS" at the top of the page have a distinctive font and style to it, (the letters with the line down the middle) so when readers look at this they know they are reading Billboard. Having a well known brand creates awareness and a recognisable magazine that customers can trust.