Codes & Conventions of Websites for Lifestyle Magazines

1. Codes and
Conventions of Travel
Magazine Websites
TRAVEL MAGAZINE WEBSITES

2. List of Codes and
Conventions
• URL – Uniform Resource
Locator, the link that will allow
users to find the website.
• Homepage – Main page that
the URL leads directly to.
• Masthead - Title/logo of the
website that is important for the
brand itself.
• House style – Set of rules that
the design of the company
follows e.g. colours,
formats, fonts etc.
• Navigation - All of the links that
take people to other parts of the
page and the rest of the website.
• Copy – All the text that appears
on the website.
• Main image - The main photo
used usually at the top of the
• Multimedia elements – Any other
pieces of media e.g. audio-visual
elements, music and animations.
• Other links - External links, links
that take the user to a different
page on a different site and social
media links, links that take you to
the company's social media
pages.
• Adverts – Both banners and pop-
ups that are controlled by the
company and externally,
respectively.
• White space - The use of white
space is very important, too much
and the website appears
incomplete and too little may
seem cramped and
unprofessional.

3. Website here
• The URL for this website is short and straight to the point without being
complicated in anyway.
• The page that the URL leads to is the home page which is quite a long
page and is filled with various articles on different stories with
some sections differing from others.
• Some of these sections include: COVID Travel Advice, Spa Guide and
Sustainable Travel.
• There is no main title for the website, but their logo is in the top right of
the screen with the navigation bar.
• The house style is very simple but is consistent throughout the entire
website. This house style lacks colour and the only colour that is on
the website is in the photos.
• The navigation between each are of the website is very clear with the
main pages at the top and the different stories on the page.
• The text is all in one font and follows the same house style and
colour all over the website.
• There is also no main image for the website only large story images.
• This website contains a large amount of white space especially on the
main page; however, the amount of white space looks professional.

4. Website here
• There is a range of audio-visual elements on the website in the form of
short clips and YouTube videos, some being directly made by CN
Traveller and others being videos promoted on the website. There are
also animated shorts of the main stories.
• The external links on the website are the YouTube videos that take the
user to the YouTube page to watch their video as well as the links to
their social media pages. Other than this there are also links to
the social media pages of the writers of each article. There are also
links to the websites of places featured on their lists e.g., the Saatchi
Yates, which is an art gallery in London
• There are also adverts that lead to other pages. These are pop-ups and
banners with the majority on the main page they are banners but as
you scroll through articles there are more pop-up ads.
• The 'above the fold' content includes the navigation bar at the top of
the page, a banner ad at the top just underneath the navigation bar, a
story with a photo and another story with a large picture so that the
picture is the only visible part encouraging the reader to scroll down.
The last main item is the subscribe button so you can subscribe to the
magazine.

5. • The URL is probably the longest one of the websites I have
visited meaning it is probably a less visited website.
• The entire home page of the website fits in with the above the
fold content.
• The masthead is at the top of the page over the main image
which also features the slogan underneath.
• The house style is consistent over the website and is a simple
style.
• The navigation is easy since all of the links are on the
homepage which entirely fits above the fold.
• There is not a lot of text/copy on the screen but what is there is
simple and easy to read.
• There are no multimedia elements on the website and is only
text and images.
• There are no external links not even to social media pages
there is only subscription buttons.
• The only adverts are their adverts and they are for the
magazine itself.
• There is a quite a lot of white space but the page is very short
so there is less room.
Website here

6. • The URL for this website is another simple one with the name and
nothing else so it is easily locatable.
• The homepage is a relatively large page, not as large as the CN
Traveller but it is still large and the main three images that appear at
the top of the page change daily.
• The masthead is relatively small and at the centre at the top of the
page.
• The house style is consistent but is a lot because there are many
different sections that have their own style, but it stays the
same throughout that section.
• The navigation is easy since most of the links are at the top of the page
but there are links to stories/articles throughout the page and even the
site.
• The copy on the main page is bland and there's not too much of it since
it is mainly images with short notes written on or links to articles. But
on each linked article there is simple to read.
• Instead of having one main image that is just there to show off the
images, this website has three that all directly link to other pages.
• From what I found searching through the website I could not find any
multimedia elements such as videos or music.
• Almost every other service mentioned on the website is linked e.g.
hotels, restaurants etc. One of the examples I found was of Hong Kong
Star Ferries, which had the link, address, opening times, prices and the
company phone number.
Website here

7. • Other external links include many social media pages including links to
Instagram photos posted by people all over the world that are shared
on this website as well as links to the lonely planet shop which is the
same company but is a different website that is linked.
• The adverts featured are almost entirely banner ads which are all
controlled by the company itself and they all advertise the same thing.
There is also technically ads in each article that talks about a place or
service since it links the website and shows off the service. The other
ads are only for the lonely planet company itself.
• In terms of white space this website is perfect since there is white
space in places to emphasise the text written but other places where
there isn't any white space it is photos that are showing off the article.
• The 'above the fold' content is great since it has taken three images
and used them top link three different stories at the top of the screen
but there is another section which has the title cut in half but the way it
is written draws the reader in since they’ll see 'Where To Next?' And
this intrigue them.
• The content 'below the fold' is extremely diverse with links to articles,
competitions and other useful images not used on the magazines or
the main page of the website.
Website here

8. • The URL is simple and straight to the point and seems to be easily
locatable.
• The homepage is quite simple in terms of layout and is a relatively short
website with more options accessible if you want to read further.
• The masthead is quite small in the top left and out the way.
• The house is simple but consistent with every page featured on the website.
This makes sense since a simpler house style would be easier to recreate
on each page.
• The navigation is also simple throughout the website with clear links to
different sections.
• This is because it is aimed at an older audience so the website needed to
be simpler for those less knowledgeable when it comes to technology
e.g., older people.
• The copy is also very simple and is like a virtual magazine.
• The main image is usually of an important figure with a heading that
wouldn’t be breaking news but is more like an interesting topic.
• In terms of multimedia elements there are almost none at all with the
only other media element being a banner ad with an animation which is an
ad by the company itself.
• Other links that the website has only led to their socials which, since it is
aimed at an older audience, is limited to Facebook and google+.
• Most of the adverts on the website are their own adverts but there are a
few at the bottom of the page, 'below the fold' as opposed to the other ads
which are 'above the fold'.
• The website is very full of whitespace, but it still looks professional, and the
quality of the website is also not as important for this due to the audience
• The rest of the 'above the fold' content is main stories and subscription
Website here

9. • The URL for this website is probably the simplest of all the other
examples.
• The website has a relatively long home page that has many
different stories and sections featured.
• The masthead is quite large and central at the top of the page which is
good to draw the reader in.
• For this magazine there isn't a clear and definable house style that
separates it from others however the site features many photos
throughout the website.
• The navigation is well done and almost everything you see leads to
another page.
• All the text is the same font and size and colour, so it fits the website
well.
• The website is different to others in the fact that it doesn’t have a main
image, but it has a video instead which takes up the above the fold
content as the main story.
• There are many multimedia elements used throughout the website
like animations and videos. There are also a few quizzes for the reader.
• The website features many links to other places such as their social
media pages. These links are only at the bottom of the page and in
the articles themselves.
• There are also many banner adverts with no pop ups at all.
• In terms of white space, it is perfectly balanced between writing and
photos, and white space.
• There isn't a lot 'above the fold', however what is there is enough t5o
draw the reader into scrolling.
Website here

10. • The URL is simple, but the travel part of the magazine is a subsection
of the National Geographic company.
• The homepage is quite long full of various stories and articles.
• The logo is up in the top left and is quite small, however there is a title
for the stories.
• The house style is unique since there is a lot of black and a lot of the
titles are a light grey which is barely visible against the white
background, but it is consistent and stays throughout the whole
website.
• The navigation is very simple with a highlight to show what's clickable
and what's not.
• The copy is very clear and formally laid out. It is easy to read and
understandable.
• The main image isn't 'above the fold' but it is a big photo with a story
attached that changes every few days.
• The multimedia elements includes videos and animations throughout
the website and since they have a deal with Disney+ it advertises their
shows and the website itself which is an external links, the other
external links are their socials.
• In terms of ads the website has a few banners but there are no pop ups
anywhere.
• There is a bit of white space, but it is balanced out by the black on the
website which makes it look very professional.
• 'Above the fold' is only a few things including the different sections and
the top of the main image as well as a search bar.
Website here