Conventions of a Magazine Front Cover.

In this entry, I will detail the conventions of a standard magazine in general.

Photographs/Main Image - Magazine front covers's will always feature an main image, typically a photograph taken by an photographer employed by the magazine's producers, it will always be directly connected to the main article, that is featured within the magazine. This image will always dominate the entire cover and grab the attention of the audience immediately, over every other item featured on the front cover. This image informs the audience of the subject/issue/person the main article is about. Additional a magazine cover may feature other photographs that are connected to the cover lines, informing the audience of what the other articles in the magazine are. The main photograph will always be accompanied by a main cover line.

Logo - An image or piece of text that will always be featured on the front cover of every issue of a magazine. Usually simple in design, the logo becomes an icon of the magazine immediately making the audience think of the magazine when they see the logo.

Selling Line - Usually accompanying the masthead, this will be a line of text that upsells the magazine or gives some more information about the magazine. For example "Q" magazine currently uses "THE UK'S BIGGEST MUSIC MAGAZINE."

Masthead/Nameplate - The title of the magazine, this will always be dominate on the front cover to inform the audience or potential audiences to the name of the magazine they're viewing.

Price - To inform buyers of the magazine, the cost of the magazine.

Bar code - For retail purposes

Date & Issue - Used to incidate to the audience what month and year a particle magazine issue was published and the issue number informs them how many issues of the magazine have been published.

Colour - Colour is used on magazine covers to drawn in an audience and also can communicate to the audience along with other elements of the front cover, what type magazine they're viewing. For example a magazine that features an main image of a guy with a guitar, informs the audience they're a viewing a music magazine, however if the colour scheme of the magazine is dark colours and features alot of black it informs them that they're viewing a rock magazine.