Conventions of a Magazine cover

1. Front Cover
Codes and
Conventions
Heather Johnson

2. Masthead
 Unique font that relates to the theme of the
magazine and is unique to just your magazine
 Must be short, snappy and memorable
 Must either fill the top 1/3 of the magazine, in a
corner or centered in the top 1/3 of the page.
 Contrast but compliment the background and
dominant image as well as other fonts and
colours on the page.
 Typically capitalized lettering
 Does not overcrowd the area.

3. Strapline
 A small summary of what the magazine is
about e.g. what genre/region
 One line long
 Straight to the point
 Appears near/attached to the masthead,
typically central in the cover.
 Capitalized but in a smaller size than the
masthead and in a different font.

4. Dominant Image
 Usually a medium close up or abdominal shot
 The model’s head will usually overlap in front of the
masthead to represent worth.
 Mise-en-scene such as clothing and props all must
have to do with genre and target audience
 Image is either supported with the name of the artist
or a short description and page number for their
article/double page spread
 Must have positive connotations
 Specific use of body language/pose
 Usually in the middle of the page to show that they
are the center of attention

5. Colour scheme/House style
 No more than 4 main colours
 Region/Genre related
 Fluent throughout magazine
 Things such as masthead always stay the
same colour to make it memorable
 Easily identifiable and related to the brand
 Contrasting colours such as black and white
are used
 Colours should appeal to audience

6. Main sell line
 Second largest font on the page to the
masthead
 Bold and capitalized
 Used as an anchor positioned next to the
dominant image
 Short and straight to the point
 Contrast with background with the usage of
colour
 Often with a short summary and a headline
 Not in the same font as the rest of the page
making it appear unique

7. Essential Information
 Page numbers: for main sell lines and sub-
sell lines
 Month of publishing and issue number:
usually found together either under the
masthead or at the bottom of the page
 Prices/Barcode: Positioned at the bottom of
the page
 Web address: found usually in the white
space around the barcode

8. Sub images
 Links to stories found in the contents
 Positioned in either the left or right thirds of
the page
 Very small captions
 Own boarders and unique graphics
 Support sell lines

9. Puff
 Abstract shape to make information stand
out
 Contrasts with background and cover image
 Most frequently a circular shape
 Usually offers a discount, free gift or a bonus
in general

10. Skyline
 Thin banner running above the masthead
 bright/contrasting colours
 Includes popular names
 Draws readers attention

11. Pugs
 Look like ears as they are in the top two
corners of the magazine
 Offers promotions such as a free cd or e-
book

12. Conventions I will use on my
own cover
 Masthead
 Strapline
 Dominant image
 Colour scheme
 Sell line
 Essential information such as page numbers, barcodes
etc.
After this research I have chosen these as my generic
conventions that I will include as I believe they are the most
appropriate for my front cover given my genre and style.
Following a simplistic design is key for me because my
background is not going to be black and I think that these
choices will help with that. I will be changing the typical
concepts of these though to make them more personal to
my magazine.