Codes and Conventions of Magazine Covers

Magazine Covers are the selling device for any magazine. Unsurprisingly, film magazines are no exception to this rule. A cover, in much the same way as a film poster is for a film, is the selling point for a magazine as books tend to be judged by their covers, such is human nature. Therefore, it is crucial that the magazine cover is striking, dynamic and dramatic in order to reel in the consumer with bright, sharp appealing colours that attract the eye. However, like film posters, film magazines must also stick to codes and conventions to appease the consumer and appear aesthetically pleasing to the consumer. The typical Codes and Conventions of a film magazine cover are listed below and are features that I will be seeking to replicate within my own work for my Ancillary Task.

Main Image- This is the dominating image on the cover that proliferates the view of the consumer as they approach the magazine in a shop for example. This is an aspect of the magazine that grabs the consumers attention directly and stands out most upon the consumer noticing the magazine. Indeed, it is an attractive cover that draws most consumers to look at a magazine in the first place. Anything else on the cover is secondary. The image is, without question, the primary focus for the consumer.

Title (Masthead)- This reveals to the consumer, the title of the magazine and like the main image needs to be eye catching and appealing. The title nearly fills up the entire width of the page and is usually comprised of a singular word, or at the very most two words. The title, in order to dominate the cover of the magazine, is normally presented in a large, imposing font so as to stand out and not come into conflict with other text featured on the front cover of the magazine.

Buzz Words-  These are words used on the front cover that attract particular attention from the consumer such as "Free" and "Exclusive" , used to reel in the consumer further after initially grabbing their attention with the front cover and title.

Barcode- A barcode is used to transmit information about a product to a retail store. Typically, this will be presented in the bottom right hand corner of a magazine cover and consumers will sometimes find with it pricing information for the publication and the issue number.

Coverlines/ Main Coverline-  These refer to the sections of text that appear on the front cover of the magazine aside from the title of the publication and offer up further information as to what will be contained within a certain issue of a publication. They conventionally appear down the side of the magazine cover and are edited over the cover image.

Strip- Across the top and sometimes the bottom of the magazine cover, sometimes both, in a horizontal form are the strips which offer up slightly less important notices, articles and stories which can be found within the magazine and offer further reassurances to the consumer that the magazine purchase is money well spent.

Colour- As the name suggests really this attribute simply and broadly, refers to the use of the colour scheme that has been implemented into the magazine cover.

Having identified the relevant Codes and Conventions of Magazine covers, I now know what is required of me when creating my own magazine cover for my Ancillary Task and aim to conform to and closely replicate the Codes and Conventions of the genre in my own work so my work conforms stylistically to what the consumer would be expecting to see.