Table of Contents (TOC)
While creating a table of contents for a magazine, it is crucial to include an eye-catching picture or even pictures. In addition, interesting titles can attract the readers to reading the content of the magazine itself. In this blog, the process of choosing and editing images will be shown as well as creating title ideas. Let's dive right in!
Image 1:
While taking this image, the ultimate goal was to get a picture that can match with the table of contents design that was chosen. The image itself matched perfectly with my genre as it has a model posing for fashion. The colors of the image are bright and complementary which means they do not need any editing. However, the background needs to be subtle and would therefore need to be removed. I used Canva to remove the background with the "Background Remover" feature in image editing. From there, I changed the placement of the image to the left side of the picture so that the white banner can be added to the right side without disturbing it.
However, the white background turned out to be way too bright itself and made the outfit colors look too bright. Not only that, but the table of contents bar would blend in as well. So, I decided to try with a neutral color that can blend in and is subtle enough to still show the model.
As you can see, the new background color looks way better and can now show the model and the table of contents bar later on in the design. I decided to leave this image like that because it looks very simple and unique. In addition, its colors are already very bright and trendy, so no additional touches needed to be added.
Image 2:
For this image, the main reason I chose it is because it connects back to my cover. When taking the image, I made sure that the model was facing the right and not the left because it would later align with the TOC deign. The model and colors are the same making it go together very well. This would give the magazine an overall well put-together look. The model is wearing very subtle colors that go well together which is perfect for a fashion magazine. However, just like the last image, the background and placement of the image need some editing. I decided to use the Canva software once again because it offers the background removing feature and gives the artist freedom to edit the image however they want.
Next, after removing the background, it looked less distracting as the attention was now all on the model and her outfit. which is the main goal. The placement of the model was changed to the left again so that the TOC itself can fit on the right side. In addition, I left w little empty, white space in the top of the photo for the TOC masthead. However, once again, the white was way too bright and would not let the TOC bar appear later on. So, I changed the background color with Canva again.
I settled on this beige neutral color for this image because not only does it compliment the outfit colors very well, but it is not too bright or distracting. Overall, the final image loos very TOC-ready and it matched very well with my cover. The actual photo will connect to the article or spread that will be created later on for an interview with model. This will actually allow the whole magazine to go together without being too chaotic and mixed up.
Draft TOC:
Sticking with the design I created in blog 9, I inserted the picture that I thought would be more likely to finalize it. The picture went really well with the TOC design I chose and gave it a nice touch with the overall placement. The layout has just enough empty space and content so that it is minimal but modern looking. Ultimately, the final TOC will look very similar to the design that you see on the left.
Written Original Content:
For the TOC titles and headings, having eye-catching and interesting names is extremely necessary for getting your audience interested in reading further on. Therefore, I came up with some ideas that correlate with the actual magazine genre and specifically the topics that would be included later on.
Some of the titles can include:
- Modest Fashion
- Trending this Summer
- Interview with Amira
- Top 10 Fashion Trends
- Trends of 2022
- Teen Fashion
- Hijabi Fashion
Each of these titles do not only have to do with the fashion genre, but they are also current topics being discussed in fashion magazines and the fashion world. Therefore, they are relevant and can be chosen to create an article with later on.
In the TOC page, the article titles will have brief description below them in order to get the reader interested in viewing and looking at the content of that particular page. These brief descriptions can either be minor teasers or just stating the takeaway of each of those articles. For the language used in these articles and the TOC itself, it will be professional and fancy because that is a very major convention in fashion magazines, and it is also what the readers are used to expecting.
For the 2-page spread, I think that the article about the model interview is going to be chosen because it connects back to the main coverline on the cover and the model herself is on the TOC and cover. Again, this will give the magazine the overall put-together and connected theme so that it is not too many ideas being presented or anything similar. Overall, the spread being an interview allows for an interesting reading to the audience.
Conclusion:
In summary, the content that was created in this blog and the previous one is able to make for a great magazine. They mostly follow the codes and conventions of fashion magazines, while some parts are sophisticated, such as the TOC design. This allows for a balance between having a unique yet simple magazine. Some of the next steps I will be taking to proceed with the TOC is to put all of the content I have made so far together including the titles and start to write the brief description that go below that. Overall, the TOC is going great so far, and it looks very modern and can clearly tell the audience about its fashion theme.
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