Conventions of Magazine front covers.

For my final task, of my A2 project, one of the things I have to produce is a magazine front cover. 

As I had very little knowledge in the basic conventions of magazine front cover, I carried out detailed analysis on magazine publications, in terms of their conventions. As well as wanting to know the conventions of magazine covers, I also wanted to know if magazines targeted at divorce audiences shared the same conventions. As revealed in my research, magazine covers tend to share basic conventions, regardless of the type of publication and the audience. However, certain elements of the front cover change as a result of the audience the magazine is aimed at. 

Below, I have attached a the following conventions that appear in all film publications; 

Masthead

The Masthead is usually the biggest font on the page and in a colour that stands out from the background. 

                                                            Cover Lines

In mainstream magazine (Left), the cover lines usually refer to big budget Hollywood films or recognisable Actors. Whereas independent magazines refer to lower budget films and more obscure actors and directors. 

                                         

Banner

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Dominant central image

In a mainstream magazine there is usually an image of an A-list star or recognisable character. Whereas, an independent film magazine (Left) often includes an image of a director or a less reconisbale actor. 

                                                                                                                                                             

Barcode

Price, date and issue number

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