Planning Task 6: Contents Page

To come up with the topics to include on my contents pages, I brainstormed ideas and words which turned into sentences that I reworded multiple times to make the best sounding version. 

By looking at already existing contents pages of magazines, I determined that my pages should have around 8 different topics on them to follow the generic conventions of a magazine contents page. Across my two magazine editions, I will need 16 topics so to create variety in my magazine that ensures that the reader isn't bored. 

Edition One's topics:

• Lana Del Rey / On her upcoming 24/25 tour
• Naseer Aziz / From back-up singer to front and centre
• Daisy Wilson / It's just the start for this Bristol-based singer
• Turning Old into New / How to recycle and upcycle your old CDs
• Summer Music Previews / A look into pop's future this summer
• Gigs Galore / Most student-friendly gigs this summer!
• Solve! / Find the starred artist in our crossword to win 2 tickets to Reading and Leeds Festival
• Change / Evolution of Pop Music

Edition Two's topics:

• Sam Fender / On his brand new collab with Noah Kahan
• Elise Benoît / How she is turning her tour net-zero
• Tom Walters / Talking about the inspiration of his new album
• Madness behind the beauty / Emily's music journey to writing her next song
• Resurgence / How oldies like Kate Bush became top of the charts through TV
• Top 5 Festival Must-Haves this year
• Solve! / Find the starred artist in our crossword to win 2 tickets to Reading and Leeds Festival
• Give it a go / How to the next big hit
• Have your say / Reader reviews of the latest music

I drew multiple content page mock ups, combining different designs of the masthead and lines of content and position of the image. I liked the designs where 'contents' was bold and visible to the reader but 'Apollo' was also incorporated into the top of the page so the readers are reminded of what magazine they were reading. The contents page is supposed to be easily navigable and simplistic but still dynamic enough to impress the reader; I felt that the last mock-up achieved this because it includes one image but it is integrated into the contents pages with the subheading linking to the image over the top of it rather than beneath. I also felt that the last contents pages mock-up had a simplistic but most effective layout because it promotes the content further in the magazine but also includes social media and website links so the reader can engage with the magazine more through digital platforms. Therefore, the chosen design and layout of my magazine's contents pages is the last one.

The numbers given to each topic on the contents page will be spaced out, numerically because not all the magazine's contents appear on the contents page so this will give the reader the impression that there is more to read than what's on the contents page. The word 'Apollo' will remain in sans-serif font, reflecting the masthead on the front cover, whereas 'Contents' will be in serif font to counteract the title of the magazine. This will look pleasing on the page and suggests that whilst the magazine wants to keep the content modern and contemporary, there will be aspects of the magazine that follow generic conventions. The  images in the contents pages will change on which edition it is and will continue the promotion of the main artist on the front cover. 

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