Indie Magazine Contents Page Analysis

Indie contents 1 - Clash magazine:

This contents page is very busy, keeping the reader interested as they've got loads to look at. The use of bright colours such as the blue, red, and pink, also do this as each one (although they do work together) seems to shout out at the reader, each one desperately trying to grab their attention. Unusually, this contents page is set out over two pages. This shows that the magazine has plenty to talk about, as they couldn't fit it all into one page. It makes the readers feel like they have gotten their value for money, and if the reader thinks it's a good price for what they're getting, they are more likely to buy it again. However, it appears that the reason behind the double page may be that each article as a fair bit of detailing with it (that, and there is a lot of pictures).
The black writing on a white background ensures that the writing is clear. Although this is fairly boring, it is broken up by strips of colour and plenty of pictures which keep it interesting.
The article titles are split off into different sections, organising the contents page so it is easier for the reader to find which page number the article they want is on. The coloured subheadings stand out too, making it look more fun and original.
The pictures are nicely set out around the page and each one is different to the others which keeps the page looking lively. The pictures are all very colourful (helped by the colourful page number bubbles which draw attention to the pictured articles) which adds to this. Also, for people who don't particularly want to read the entire contents page, they can just look at the pictures for a bit of insight into the magazine.
The 'T' has the issue number on. This is very creative and keeps the magazine clean and organised. As it doesn't matter much which issue it is, if the reader doesn't see this it won't impede on their understanding of the magazine.

Indie contents 2 - Q magazine:

The magazine's logo is small and in the corner of each title ('QContents' 'QReview') this reminds the readers that they are reading 'Q' (as if they didn't already know) and subtly hints to them to buy more of this magazine, drilling the 'Q' into their thoughts.
The date and issue number are in the top right hand corner of the page, out of the way but still visible to the readers. Again, this part of the page really isn't that important so having it small and out of the way is fine.
The picture of 'The Courteeners' is the main focus of the page due to its massive size and placing, this highlights how important the feature is to the issue.
Like the 'Clash' contents page, this one is split into sections, making it easier for the reader to find what they're looking for. Regular readers who are used to the format, will be used the 'Every Month' section, and may be drawn to favourite articles and writers.
There are coloured bars for each subheading, drawing attention to the titles to help organise the page. The white writing on the coloured bar stands out really nicely too.
The page numbers are small and to the side of each title, and coloured differently according to the section that they are in.The neat placing of these make it easy to locate the article in the magazine.
There is not much writing on the page (not that there can be much thanks to the massive picture), keeping reading to a minimum and the contents page short and simple (as, let's face it, the contents page isn't that important. Really, it's only for finding out where the juicy articles are). This ensures the readers can quickly find what they want to read without wasting much time.
There is a colour scheme of red, white and black. The use of it throughout the page gives the magazine a sense of continuity and cohesion, which makes it easier to read.

Indie contents 3 - Spin magazine

The magazine title is placed in the upper left hand corner, like with Q magazine, again, this doesn't take up much space as it isn't the main focus of the page.
Unlike the other contents pages, this one focuses more on the picture of the artist, which is clearly the featured article of the issue, thus the large medium close-up, action pose picture of Duffy is relevant, if only to this issue.
There is a distinct lack of article titles on the page, however, this may be due to the fact that they are only the featured articles of the month (i.e. the ones the magazine is focusing on) so there is less of them in the whole magazine. They are also extremely detailed for a contents page, which emphasises their importance to the issue.
The majority of the writing is placed along the left-hand side, making more room for the picture. (The quote in the corner details the picture, so it is not placed with the rest of the writing)
Page numbers for the articles are placed neatly at the side of each title, and coloured slightly differently to show it is not part of the writing (although you'd think that, being numbers, you could tell this anyway). They are clear so the reader can easily locate the article in the magazine.
The colour scheme for this page is quite dull, which draws attention to the brightly lit picture of Duffy, with her colourful pink ukulele (and puts the page behind her in her shadow. Luckily this doesn't impose on the articles or title, otherwise they'd be fairly difficult to read). The main colours appear to be; grey, blue and pink.