Perfect Contents Page

Much like front covers, the same concept applies in terms of everyone has different opinions on what makes contents pages good. There are, of course, specific features and conventions that make contents pages recognisable, but different audiences will have different preferences as to what they want them to look like.
 

Conventions of a contents page

Title: this is usually the biggest text on the page, highlighting what the page is. Sometimes the magazines name may also be included.

 

Main image: contents pages typically has a main image that relates to the main article of the magazine. It is normally bigger and bolder than the rest so it stands out.

 

Subheadings: these are usually bolder and tend to list the main articles, before they are then later explained.

 

Articles: they are usually arrange in chronological order of the magazine, and so often dictate the layout. additionally, some bigger articles have small explanations about what the main function of the article is.

 

Editors note: this is typically a few lines about the magazine from the editor. It is commonly in an handwriting font to connote a more informal and personal mode of address to the audience.

 

Features

House style: like the front cover, this is an important feature than links the magazine together. It promotes uniformity and professionalism, consequently making the magazine more recognisable and looks more put together. This can greatly impact the success of a magazine.

 

The Four Fs: when designing a magazine - these are important aspects to consider throughout. The main ones used in the contents pages are function and format, as the main aim for a contents page is to be easy to understand and inform the audience of what is included in the text.