Analysis of Regional Magazine Contents Pages

Analysis of Cornwall Life

To start, I am going to analyse Cornwall Life's contents page. I think that this design sticks to conventions of the genre and tried to portray the audience through use of plain colours, cultural images etc. In terms of a main overview of the page, it is 'classy' - as shown through typography - and it also incorporates a 'tidy' layout. From first glance, I can assume the target audience is of an older age and perhaps of a higher social class - this is through the content of the images appealing to a refined, cultured audience and also because of the archaic typography choices. 

In terms of a masthead on this contents page, there isn't on present - which doesn't seem unusual for a regional magazine contents page when looking at others of the game genre. What regional magazines do seem to incorporate however are subheadings - these are used instead of a masthead to indicate what section is referring to what content - ensuring that the audience don't get confused and can navigate the page quickly. 

A serif style type face is used on the page which follows an archaic style. The type faces are thin and connote feminism due to this quality and the stereotypes surrounding it. In terms of the colour of the type face, it follows that of the page's theme and connotes elegance. The fonts used are traditional to the genre and in terms of spacing and alignment follow conventions. Two different type faces are used which are easily differentiated due to their case and also their size. Main headings are in upper case as well as being of a larger size - in opposition to this, main article text is smaller and in lower case. This follows conventions and stereotypes. Furthermore, some type is in a bold - this shows important typography in relation to the rest of the text. 

Concerning the lexis of the page, it seems relatively formal and presents the correct information and word choices wanted to be seen by the older, higher classed audience. Lines are coherent in terms of representation towards their audience. It is also topical in terms of their audience's interests. Short lines such as 'Out & About' present the themes associated with their audience and conventions and associations attached with their lexical interests.

There are four main images on the page which connote the content of the magazine as well as portraying themes of culture for the regular audience. All four images follow similar themes, whilst covering different topics and ideas. They all present cultural ideas which highlights the demographic of the magazine. the image to the left is a drawn image which connotes culture through arts and crafts - this tells they audience what to expect from the content of the magazine. The image of the candles connotes religion, so perhaps they magazine assume that their older, higher classed audience would follow more religious themes than other might do. The images are all different sizes, which are positioned together in a grid style layout. This is stylistic in its style and design and works well in a professional style. 

The layout is one that's slightly more complex than some other contents page designs seen in regional magazines. The magazine's layout is thought out and professional looking. The three columns of text allow for easy reading as the eye can follow down separate parts of the page at a time. We can look at the first two and understand the context of that, and then look at the final column as this contains extra type which can be viewed separately. The page is split into two main parts - the top part contains the four images and the bottom sections contains the text. This style of layout is seen more in magazines such as Kerrang, rather than a regional magazine, however, due to content and images it works well as you are allowed to concentrate on one part of the page at a time. In terms of alignment throughout the page, we don't see a lot in terms of columns and images lining up. This breaks conventions slightly as this is something I might have expected to have seen from a magazine of this genre. 

Three main colours are used on the page which is stereotypical for this genre. The 'rule of three' contains black, white (both of these a highly conventional colours of the genre) and also gold. The gold connotes elegance and an expensive product, whereas black and white presents simplicity and neutrality. The white is a conventional background colour - it allows the text on top of it to stand out and become more prominent. Moreover, due to this, it also allows the gold to stand out in front of the black to a higher level. The colour black is a conventional colour for article typography of this genre as it can oppose the other colours which are presented on the page. Finally, a few other colours are used in the right hand column, however they are part of the advertisements and not part of the page layout. These adverts help to add a slight bit of differentiation to the colour scheme without detracting from the page's simplistic nature and professionalism.

Analysis of Cornwall Today

Next I have decided to analyse the contents page design for an issue of Cornwall Today. This page tries to show off the culture and geographical landscape of county in an attempt to lure the audience to read more. The main design is relatively simple, with two main columns which splits the text into sections. Regarding the target audience, from looking at this design I can assume that it is aimed at a slightly lower age of audience than the previous magazine. This is down to the type choice as well as the quite modern layout design. 

Again, in terms of a masthead or main title for the page, this contents page is missing that feature. It instead houses many smaller subheadings which include 'features', 'news, views & events' and 'regular sections'. This feature is in place so that the audience can find the section that they're looking for quickly and efficiently. It saves the audience time and makes navigation easy. 

In terms of typography, 'light' weighted typefaces are used which connotes feminism. Furthermore, we can see two or three different type faces throughout the page - this is to allow differentiation between different sections and differences in importance of text. The headings have all been made using a thin, quirky style typeface which is rounded and connotes an inviting atmosphere due to this. Moreover, some parts of these headings have been made bold to make them stand out, for example, 'competitions'. The main sections of text have been created using a traditional typeface - something you would expect to see on a contents page of this genre. Parts of this text have also been made bold so that their importance can be made subliminally higher. Furthermore, key words have also been highlighted in terms of being made bold to ensure that they grab the readers eye. I also feel like this feature allows the page to have slightly more depth and character. 

Lexical choices on the page connote a regular audience who are of an older age bracket. For example, sections such as 'regular sections' and 'news, views & events' tell us that the magazine expects a reoccurring audience who has interests in local events and views - perhaps 'local views' is something which doesn't attract a younger audience. Following on from this, the other lexical choices are relatively similar in terms of audience portrayal and the way that they present the audience. An older audience would want to see things explained in slightly more depth than a younger person might do, hence the lack of abbreviated words and phrases throughout the page.

The main image on the page breaks conventions slightly because of the way it incorporates a graphic of the region alongside a photographic image. This montage style design looks good in terms of its professionalism and style, however is unconventional of the genre. The colours used in the main section (the part of the image incorporating the water) works well as this contrasts the type above it. Moreover, this image portrays themes attached with the coasts of Cornwall and the stereotyped water based lifestyle of Cornish people. The graphic of Cornwall - in the bottom right - shows some places in Cornwall - perhaps relating to a forthcoming article in the magazine. This image connotes laid back, relaxed themes - it allows the audience to enjoy the magazine without being distracted by the background image. 

The layout of the page is relatively basic - it incorporates a two column set up which channels your eye down the page. The text is split into sections, determined by the spacing left in between each subheading and bullet point. The text doesn't use text boxes to allow text to stand out because the text opposes the background colours well. In terms of overall alignment, the text is lined up in columns in such a way so that it looks professional and fits convention.

With regards to the colour palate, it is relatively basic and laid back; it incorporates three main colours - dark blue, light blue and brown. Each colour on the page has its separate connotations. The two blues connote the stereotypically thought of Cornish landscape, see and sky. Whereas the brown in the landscape graphic connotes the land itself. The colour of the text works well as this opposes the lighter colours shown in the waves in the background image. 

Analysis of 247 (South West Edition)

In terms of an overview of this page, taken from a copy of 247's South West Edition of the magazine, it is the most modern and simplistic of all three I have chosen to analyse. It is aimed at the youngest audience of the three and uses popular cultural context which relates to the audience's interests. The colours connote youth and also the images are exciting and grab the audience's attention.

The contents page provides little in terms of masthead/subheading - it has a very simplistic design which appeals to the target audience. The page is split into simple sections and you young audience don't need a generic layout to feel comfortable with their product. This allows the page to be 'quick and to the point' because of the lack of masthead. Despite this, on first glance the page may be slightly hard to determine what it is, due to the lack of direction and labeling. 

This page uses three different type choices, that I can see. This variety allows for the page to be interesting and to connote different sections with different type. Moreover, this helps to present the idea of not knowing what to expect - excitement - something their younger target audience would want to expect. The main type style is bold (which perhaps connotes the masculinity and excitement going on in the main image), this is accompanied with a slightly thinner type style that helps to balance the gender equality as it connotes more of a feminine theme. The main bulk of the information is in the left hand column and is in the type style you would expect from a magazine of any genre. In terms of this section of text, it is all in alignment, split up into small paragraphs and is concise and to the point. With reference to the style of the type, the colours oppose that of the background text boxes to ensure that it stands out and doesn't get lost. This is important for their target audience as it allows to reader to quickly find the sections they're looking for. 

Concerning the use of 'lines' and lexis, this page utilises text in such a way so that it represents a young audience. Text is kept short and concise so that the audience don't get bored and brief words and points are mentioned, which could actually be confusing - e.g. 'regulars'. Despite this, the text as a whole does a good job to represent the audience and genre.

The main image on the page is exciting and grabs the attention of the audience when they turn the page. It quickly connotes the main ideas and themes of possible text on the page/an up and coming feature page they can look forward to. The image is bright, which works well as it opposes the darker text boxes and it connotes rebellion due to connotations attacked with BMX. This is something which the young target audience is drawn to. Moreover, one stereotype attached with a younger audience is that they're 'lazy' - therefore this is why I believe the image is so large. It gives the audience more time to look at the images than to read the content; in some cases the image can talk for the content of the text. A bright sky is used in the image which sticks to themes associated with regional magazines, however breaks conventions associated with magazines aimed at a younger audience. Here the producers may be trying to appeal to a wider audience, explaining the crossover of themes.

As secondary image is used to connote the magazine's issue number - a feature which I think is quite pointless as the image just shows the cover of the magazine which the audience is reading. This image does however fill excess space and look relatively stylistic among the text in the left hand column.

In terms of layout and design, the unconventional use of two text boxes around the edges of the page and a large image in the middle, works well. It draws the eye into the image and allows the audience to interpret information through that. Regarding alignment, all text and the image at the top right are aligned, keeping the page neat and tidy. Two text boxes lift text off of the page, allowing it to be easily read and understood. Overall, the page is simplistic and stylish. It appeals to the niche, young audience because of this and it presents young themes, through use of colour, positioning and image size, which would make the audience feel 'cool'.

Finally, in regarding use of colour, the page as a whole represents Stanley Hall's theory of youth as rebellious and depressed. This is presented through use of connotations attached with the colours black and grey, both used on the page. This use of colour looks good because it stands out from the text above it, as well as the image to the top and to the right. It creates dynamic contrast which presents modern stylistic layouts to the audience.