Magazine conventions

The first lesson for AS Media introduced us to magazine conventions. Typical conventions a front cover for a magazine may include are a masthead, headline, mode of address, plugs, teasers,  date and issue number, a puff, magazine logo, main image (maybe involving studio shots), price and a barcode.

Magazines can be organized into different genres depending on their audience such as music, fashion, gossip, nature or gardening etc. Magazines vary and their conventions reflect the genre:

 Glamour magazine follows typical conventions for a magazine aimed at a female audience. The cover consists of a medium close-up of a female celebrity smiling and with direct eye-line, this draws in the audience and encourages them to buy the magazine. The colours used include pink which attracts females and the monochrome black and white reflect the fashion for this particular season. Also displayed on the cover is the magazines logo and headlines that are features within the magazine (again used to promote the magazine to the reader). This type of magazine will also frequently advertise make-up brands and give away samples.

Unlike Glamour, Q has more than one cover star. The Q cover shows 3 different music artists each from a different music genre, this shows diversity in the music featured within the magazine and appeals to a wider audience. Colours used are simplistic, the black and white keep it uncomplicated and the red draws attention to key features such as the artists featured, the logo and articles inside. Even the cover stars clothing co-ordinates with the look of the magazine, the uniform black maintains the bold imagery. The fact the logo is in the top left corner of the page means there is more head space for cover imagery and it does not look crammed in or too busy.