3. MASTHEAD
The masthead is large and bold and stands out. It is placed at the top of the
page (common convention) . It is placed behind the image- brand awareness. It
is a bold and bright colour that catches the readers attention. It is located in a
typical place and is easy to detect. Other magazines use this convention as
shown:
4. SELL LINE
I used the common convention of using a sell line on my front
cover. A sell line is an introductory headline to a magazine that
is normally placed below the masthead. I have used this
common convention as to placing my sell line underneath the
masthead rather than trying something new, for example
placing it above the masthead.
(Q)
5. FEATURES
The features give the
reader an insight into
what is featured in the
magazine. – there for
entertainment/
informative needs (uses
and grat). The features
are positioned on the
right of the page, and
different colours are
used to separate them.
The colours also link to
the house style. –
contrast against the
cover background also.
(Billboard)
6. MAIN IMAGE
Common convention of medium close
up image and a singular person who
features on the front- person covering
the main article of the magazine.
There is a direct mode of address
which connects the artist and the
reader, creating a personal
relationship (uses and grat). Desirable
look , pose and style- seen as an object
of Mulvey’s male gaze. The image is in
black and white, visually interesting
and attractive- use of lighting to
enhance facial features- stands out
and catches the readers eye – lighting
highlights the importance.
7. COVER LINES
The cover lines make the audience want to know the answers
inside the magazine. - informing. The reader is powerless to
resist finding out what’s inside. – common convention in
most magazines- draws the reader in- attention.
(Rolling
Stones &
Billboard)
8. TAG LINE
‘THE BIGGEST’ creates engagement with the reader- BIGGEST provided- the
text has an influence on the reader- draws them in (selling) – The Effects
Model- use of buzz word ‘Biggest’ – this is informing the unknown to the
reader(uses and grat)
(NME & Q)
9. ANCHOR TEXT
The anchor text- name- links with the main image. It gives the
reader an insight into the main story.- the colour is bold and
bright- stands out and links with the house style of the magazine.
The anchor text stands out against the image and use of black
and white, also the use of the bold name will encourage fans of
the artist to buy the magazine because she is featured.
(Spin &
Billboard)
10. MAIN COVER LINE
The main cover line is a common convention used in magazines. It is
used to make contrast between the image and the anchor text. The
colour follows the house style and stands out and is noticeable against
the background (black and white image) – informing (uses and grat). The
main cover line creates a hermeneutic question and entices the reader as
to why she is ‘The Golden Girl’. The main cover line is also positioned
above the anchor text and close to the image to connect the components
together .e.g. Cover line, anchor text, image, main story- connection.
(Vibe & Clash)
11. HOUSE STYLE
Gold/Black/White- I chose these colours because
they contrast well against the black and white
images, meaning that text and images would be
able to be distinguished from one another. I didn’t
use the same colour scheme as Q magazine as I
wanted to do something different. With mise en
scene I dressed her in a black dress with gold
sparkles to match with the house style. The red
lipstick stands out and is effective for the audience
against the black and white image. The two most
important parts- the masthead and the anchor
text are gold as the colour is effective and really
stands out to catch the readers eye. My colour
scheme is not a common convention in many
music magazines. I found this convention most
used in fashion magazines- women.
13. MASTHEAD
This is a common convention in a magazine. Although I found that some music
magazine include the name of their magazine on their contents page,
sometimes instead of writing contents. I did not include the name of my
magazine, instead I made the masthead gold to symbolise that is it is a
contents page for my magazine (sound)- following house style- consistency –
brand awareness
(Vibe)
14. IMAGES
I have used 4 different photos on my contents page, all representing
different music. The black and whit image consists with the house style
and so does the photo of the main star(Cara Aurellie) – gold necklace,
blonde/golden hair and black dress with gold sparkles. The images are
also organised (boxes) with borders to make them look professional and
neat. The images are not crowded or overwhelming for the reader.
15. FEATURESThe titles are bold and eye
catching for the reader. They
are short and simple- easy/
simple. They help to break
down the magazine, and help
the reader find certain
articles/pages in the
magazine- easy navigation.
There is a wide range of
features and artists- shows
variety and also reflects some
of the image show on the
contents page. The
descriptions are short and this
entices the reader as they
want to know what’s inside
(uses and grat). Colour of
numbers different from colour
of text/info – separating. The
colours are also eye catching
(gold)- looks expensive.
16. NUMBERINGBold and bright page numbers-
easy navigation for the reader-
stand out. The numbers are
linked with the feature
image/article inside informing
the reader what’s inside (uses
and grat) The number is in a co
ordinate colour that links with
the house style of the magazine.
17. COLUMNS
Most magazines columns are split into 3 columns, but I
have not copied this common convention. Mine is
structured and not overpowering with information. It
looks smart and expensive (layout, house style,
images). My inspiration came from Q magazine, being
the reason I decided to have my layout like this.
18. DATE
Shows when magazine was published and lets
readers know so they can keep up to date with the
releases. – informative (uses and grat) – positioned
at the bottom of the page- bold, but smaller than
other text on the page – fits with house style.
20. IMAGE
There is a direct mode of
address, connecting the artist
and the reader (audience) –
personal relationships (uses
and grat). The image is a close
up (personal view), making
the facial expressions and
make up more visual. –
Attractive model (artist) –
attractive for the target
audience- the brightness on
her face shows her
importance- main article/
front cover/ double page
spread.
21. ANCHOR TEXT
The artists name is used to match with the image. – intro title- entices the fans to
read the article- informative (uses and grat). Gives an insight into the main story –
bold and fits with house style. – Not as bold as some other magazines anchor
text. Other magazines also use this convention.
22. PULL QUOTE
The pull quote gives an insight into the rest of the article- creates engagement
with the audience and leaves them with questions and making them want to
read more- can’t resist. Creates personal relationships between artist and
fans(uses and grat) – entices fans. This convention is used in other magazines
also.
23. DROP CAP
The drop cap is the introduction the article. It is
bold and bright (Gold) and stands out on the
double page spread- follows house style –
matches mise en scene. –grabs readers attention
and entices them to read the article (uses and
grat). This convention is also used in other music
magazines.
24. COLUMNS
The article is neatly arranged and looks
sophisticated and expensive ( gold, not
overcrowded). The text is small- lots of
information. I thought that because my
target audience is 18-24 they wouldn’t
mind reading and would probably read
the article compared to a younger
target audience. Other music
magazines use this convention as well.
25. LAYOUT
I have conformed to the
convention of the artist being on
the left and the text being on the
right side. This is because I feel
you should see the image and
then read after, so having the
image on the left and the text on
the right makes it easier for the
reader. The double page spread is
effective and stands out to the
reader, it is not overcrowded or
messy which makes it look
expensive and sophisticated. The
image looks classy and expensive
which will keep the reader
engaged. My text has also been
positioned carefully and the text
written over the drop cap looks
clean and professional.
26. PAGE NUMBERING
The page number is usually positioned at the top of
the page as it is more visible for the audience as it is
visible at eye level, creating easier navigation. But I
have not followed this convention as I feel the page
number looks neater underneath the article at the
bottom of the page. – creates more space for article
and image, and allows the numbers to be separate
from the text in the article. The positioning of the page
number at the bottom of the page is common in some
music magazines though.
27. WEBSITE
This convention is used in some music magazines. It is usually placed under
the article. If the target audience are interested in the magazine they will
subscribe to the website. This will help with sales of magazines a lot.
