The document analyzes common conventions of magazine covers. It discusses elements like the masthead, main cover line, cover lines, main image, and pugs. The masthead is usually at the top and identifies the publisher. The main cover line in the center represents the topic and draws attention. Cover lines on the sides provide extra information to entice readers. The main image in the center visually relates to the topic. Pugs are colored circles that provide additional promotional details. These elements are typically arranged consistently across magazine covers.

1. MAGAZINE ANALYSIS

2. CONVENTIONS OF AN EMPIRE
MAGAZINE COVER
Release Date
& Price
Masthead
Website
Pug
Main Image
Main Cover
Line
Cover Lines
Cover Lines
Banner
Barcode

3. CONVENTIONS OF A SIGHT &
SOUND MAGAZINE COVER
Masthead
Main Cover
Line
Date & Price
Main Cover Line
Main Image
Cover Lines
Barcode

4. CONVENTIONS OF A TOTAL FILM
MAGAZINE COVER
Date, Price
& Website
Banner
Pug
Cover Lines
Masthead
Main Image
Free Gifts
Main Cover Line

5. Masthead shows the audience the header that’s connected with the company’s
product. They are known as the title/logo of the magazine cover as they
should be easily recognisable. The three masthead that I chose are from Total
Film, Sight & Sound and Empire.
Most Mastheads are very similar, maybe not in terms of design but they do
share some features such as mastheads are usually positioned at the top of the
magazine cover, because due to stacking and it tells the audience which
company this cover comes from. Companies also follow this trend where if
the main image is taken with a close up, the masthead is in front of the main
image, whereas if the image is taken from a distance so a mid- or long-shot
the masthead is behind the main image, depending how much the main image
covers the masthead and whether it’s readable or not.
MASTHEAD

6. The audience recognise the main cover line as the topic of the magazine, the
company carefully chooses the main cover line depending on what’s new to
the trend and what people search for the most, so they chose a topic that will
draw the customers attention the most.
Main Cover Lines are usually below the main image or at the center, whatever
makes it easier to be eye-catching to the audience and they are mostly
presented in white/ bright colours.
MAIN COVER LINES

7. Cover Lines are usually relevant topics within the magazine, it tells the
audience extra information what the magazine contains. This allows the
company to get more attention to the magazine cover, because the consumer
might not be interested with the main cover line, but may find something that
interests them in the cover line – so there’s a better chance for the magazine
to be sold if it has more cover lines.
The cover lines are usually placed on the side of magazine cover, rather than
in the middle, because the middle contains the main cover line.
COVER LINES

8. All magazines contain a main image, that represents the main cover line and
the design/ theme of the magazine. Most companies present the main image
the same where they put it at the center (representing the center of attention),
and depending what shot was used to take the image they’d locate it in the
same way with the masthead, so if the image was taken with a close up shot,
the main image is always behind the masthead, so the consumers are able to
read which company is distributing the magazine. And if the image was taken
from a long- or mid shot, the main image is in front of the masthead.
MAIN IMAGE

9. They are circles located in random places in the magazine cover, usually
majority of the time they are in bright colours to make the cover more stand
out in public. They also contain text within the circles to present some extra
detail/ information of the magazine that the consumer might find useful, they
are usually used for promotion that’s related to the cover and sometimes they
even give out a gift within the magazine. So generally Pugs are a way of
further notifying the consumers, that they might have an interest in.
PUGS