Music Magazine: Contents Page Layout Designs

After researching into various different music magazine contents pages and creating my contents page title, I decided to experiment with different layouts that I could potentially use for a template for the contents page. I used the research I had previously done, focusing primarily on the 'BILLBOARD' layout, I began designing a few layouts.

This design idea is the only design not to have the contents page bar on the left hand side. This design goes against my specific research but I decided to experiment in case I preferred this type of design as all the key features are still present. This design includes the magazine title, which is positioned next to the contents page title and the slogan, which is placed above the title. This design only has two images, a main, larger image and a smaller one. I believe that more images are needed for the contents page, especially considering all my research has three or more images. This is my least favourite design as I feel it is rather clumsy and not particularly efficient  I would prefer the design to obey the rule of thirds, which this design obviously does not.

 This second design has the contents title once again at the top of the page, along with the magazine title, slogan and the issue number. The contents bar is positioned on the right hand side, as my research had shown and runs the whole way down the page. I like this feature as I feel that it creates a full looking page and is easy to read as situated away from the images. This design has three images, two smaller ones positioned under the title, similar to the layout of 'BILLBOARD', with two columns of text underneath. This creates a feeling of symmetry which is a good design feature. This page, unlike the first design, obeys the rule of thirds. I think the page may be too heavy with the main image positioned at the bottom of the page, causing it to hang, especially as it is spread across the majority of the page. The title also needs to be bigger to balance out the features. I do however like the idea of having two images under the title and would consider using this in other designs as this is supported by my research.

This design is by far my favourite as I feel that this clearly shows the key features which a contents page needs and conforms to my research well. This design still has the contents page title positioned at the top of the page, slightly to the right, yet it is slightly larger than that of the previous design which balances out the page. The slogan and the issue number is in the same position as the previous layouts. I particularly like the use of the two smaller images under the title, with the two columns underneath, showing symmetry. The columns are, however, placed over the top of the image, similar to that of my research. I would use a bright colour, such as a white, to insure the text can easily be seen. I have also used the rule of thirds in this design, segregating each section. I would continue to use the theme of red, white and black in this page to ensure there is a clear consistency throughout each page.



This design is possibly the most simplistic out of the designs and does not really follow the set template of the 'BILLBOARD' magazine. I have still used the three images in this design and the contents bar yet the design itself is rather simple. The title is rather large compared to the other designs, partly due to the smaller amount of text in this design. I still find the large image placed at the bottom of the page to be too heavy, and hang, especially when placed next to the smaller image. I will however, keep in mind the use of the extra smaller image under the contents bar as this breaks up the otherwise very wordy left hand side. 





OVERALL, I HAVE DECIDED TO USE THE THIRD DESIGN AS I FEEL THIS CONFORMS TO MY SPECIFIC RESEARCH BY INCORPORATING THE FEATURES OF A GENERIC MAGAZINE. I ALSO FEEL THIS DESIGN ACHIEVES THE LOOK WHICH I AM AIMING FOR.