Research on Contents Layout

Haven't blogged for a while so thought I had better upload all my research on the Contents Layout.

Here are a few layouts I like:

This is from the magazine "Drummer"
I like the layout... it is clear and shows the pages. Like most magazine contents, this one has used the 'rule of 3'. This means that the magazine page is divided into three columns. The top column usually holds the title. This is typical for any contents. It would look rather strange having the title at the bottom of the page. This particular contents also has some pictures along side the title. This attracts some attention to the top 'section' of the page as readers may be likely to skip past the title as they see it every week. The colours also work well together as there aren't too many of them. Anymore colous and the page would look too busy and would look rather stupid. The centre column holds a larger picture with the main 'contents' this is usual in most magazines as it is the most important part of the page and should be broadcasted clearly! This 'section' is generally larger than the others as it needs to attract the readers attention. The image has a saturation of zero to make it black and white which allows the redness to stand out more. The final section is not too dissimilar from the top column. It holds pictures and in this particular image the 'Regulars' box.

The contents to the left is from the popular magazine NME. I like the layout of this page, as it follows the 'rule of 3' in a slightly different way. Instead of the sections going across the page, they go down the page. I am not sure whether this is for effect, but it makes the page look more organised and tidy. The first row (on the left) shows a band index. This is unique to the magazine and is slightly smaller than the other two sections as it is there every week, a regular reader will know it is there. The slightly larger row to the right of the page shows all the page numbers as most contents pages show. However, this is not the main section which may lead attention astray. It is more common for the actual contents to be shown in the centre, or on a large scale. The middle section is the biggest and is a photo. This is not uncommon, however it is usually as big, or smaller than the list of pages and numbers. The colours on the page look good, as the red is a main colour for the magazine and can be seen throughout the whole magazine. The yellow works well with the black background at the bottom of the page, and makes it stand out from the dark colours and red.