In this blog post, I will be analyzing the Table of Contents section of 3 different Travel magazines. I will look at the different components that build up the section, as well as compare and contrast the 3 different magazines. This will help me create my own Table of Contents.
Example No. 1
COASTAL LIVING The Winter Issue 2022
Number of images: 8
Description of each image:
On the left side there is a collage of different images associated with the articles listed.
50: a beach with clear ocean waters where different size boats are stationed. There is a person in the water that seems to be snorkeling. Another person in a dingy boat. A clear sky with very few clouds for what it feels like a good day to enjoy at the beach.
40: a cozy sitting area with colorful cushions, and earthy elements feels like a fun space to enjoy a beautiful view and inspire time to relax. The white curtains give a sensation of calm and lightness.
68: A tropical dining room setting with a pink wallpaper with different foliage, a white and light brown cupboard and chairs, and pastel table settings and white candle holder on the table
88: Colorful ceramic parrots over a coral background that enhance the object features and highlight its colors.
28: A woman with white blouse and a hat walking on the beach towards the clear blue waters, leaving footprints on the sand in what looks like a time to relax and find inner peace on a vacation day.
8: Decorating swatches and tassels in different tones of yellow and pink
80: A colorful pool setting with white and yellow lounge chairs in a garden full of different plants and red flowers.
On the right side there is an image of a beach coast, which goes well with the title of the magazine “Coastal Living”.
List of Sections: 6
Currents
Travel
Entertainment
Homes
On the Cover
In Every Issue
Number of Articles: 15
Highest Page Number: 96
Articles Font Format: Serif fonts for the section names, but everything else is in sans serif fonts, switching between bold and not bold. Page numbers on the collage of images side (left) are in serif font.
Color Palette of Fonts: Black text mainly, tones of pink and white.
Stylistic Features: It is organized and easy to read since the text for the contents is black over the a light pink plain background
Title of Page: Contents
Number of Columns Per Page: 4
Example No. 2
National Geographic Magazine
Number of images: 1
Description of each image: It is a background picture of a beautiful beach. A sole person is walking in the white sand where there are rocks and lots of palm trees. The sky is clear and blue and the water is calm with all the different tones of blues from the clearest at the shore to the dark blue of the deep ocean.
List of Sections: 4
Peaks & Valleys
Rivers & Shores
Cities & Beyond
Stark & Wild
Number of Articles: N/A
Highest Page Number: 110
Articles Font Format: Sans Serif fonts and lowercase.
Color Palette of Fonts: White and orange for the title (contents)
Stylistic Features: The white text over the blue sky and ocean looks great and makes it easy to read. Simple and clean photography.
Title of Page: contents
Number of Columns Per Page: 1
Example No. 3
World’s Most Amazing Places
Number of images: 8 (1 main, 7 supplemental)
Description of each image: It is a background picture of a clear and thriving underwater coral reef and a little island with a house and huts in the distance, mixing light blues and greens for a tranquil setting.
Additional images that complement the table of content sections include:
8. Close up of an Egyptian sphinx
20. Red rock formations with a path in the middle that invite you to discover the magic behind those rare color rocks
34. A person taking a bath in what looks like the edge of a bay
46. The interior of a church or temple showing the ceiling and its decoration
60. A woman with a turquoise bathing suit getting out of the blue waters
70. A portrait of a lion (close up)
84. The Washington memorial monument with 2 waving American flags
List of Sections: 7
Ancient Marvels
Stunning Landscapes
Watery Wonders
Sacred Sites
Dream Resorts
Extreme Adventures
Iconic Cities
Number of Articles: N/A
Highest Page Number: 84
Articles Font Format: Titles in sans serif uppercase font. Description in serif lowercase.
Color Palette of Fonts: Black. Grey for the page numbers. White for the main image description.
Stylistic Features: The black text over the cream background looks great and it's legible. Clean and well composed photography. Simple photo icons
Title of Page: N/A
Number of Columns Per Page: 1
Sections: Coastal Living and World’s Most Amazing Places have a larger number of sections than National Geographic which only has 4 and can be considered a little. The articles in National Geographic and The World’s Most Amazing Places are not specified, contrary to Coastal Living which list them clearly. There are fewer sections in National Geographic but they seem to contain more pages on each individual section as the highest page is listed 110, while in World’s Most Amazing Places is 84.
Photography: In both National Geographic and World’s Most Amazing Places there is a unique eye catching image of the beach and the ocean, however World’s Most Amazing Places includes a series of small additional images (7) to serve like icons to represent the sections listed in the table of contents.
Coastal Living has 8 different pictures throughout the contents pages. That makes it more interesting compared to the ones that have no additional pictures because there is more to look at (variety).
Fonts: All 3 magazines used san serif fonts. Only Coastal Living used a serif font. Both, Coastal Living and World’s Most Amazing Places use black font color over a light tone background while National Geographic use all white over blue background to list the table of content information.
In conclusion, all 3 magazine content pages look modern with Coastal Living and National Geographic using more of a beach destination as main image for the pages. The Coastal Living contents page is more “happy” for the variety of colors included in the photography, at the same time is the only one where the table of content is not listed over a photo background. Coastal Living in my opinion is the most visually appealing because of the color scheme as well as the organization of the table of contents. It clearly lists the sections and the articles to be found in the magazine issue. They are all similar in respect to fonts with the exception of Coastal Living where the title takes up half of the page so it makes it predominantly serif. This research definitely helped me form an idea of what I want to do for my own table of contents, stylistically speaking.
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