This document discusses conventions and codes used in magazine covers. It analyzes three magazine covers. Some key points: - Magazine mastheads are prominently displayed to highlight their importance. - Film titles are placed in the top left corner or highlighted to inform audiences. - Color schemes are used to convey meanings like war, depression, or to blend like a sunset. - Main protagonists are centered to draw the eye, with male protagonists targeting male audiences who can identify with them. - Lack of additional text is purposeful to focus attention on key elements like the protagonist and title.

1. Research task 2: Generic
codes and conventions
Fipa Nindi

2. Magazine #1
Convention:
The magazine masthead is
the biggest piece of text
on the magazine, this is to
highlight the texts
position in the magazines
hierarchy of importance.
Convention:
The title of the film has been
positioned in the top left corner
of the magazine to inform
unaware audiences as to what
the front cover is about. The
title was positioned in the top
left corner because that is the
second place an audience
member is going to look, the
space on the magazine holds a
fair amount of importance.
Code:
The magazine uses darker
shades of colour such as
black to convey ideas of
death, mourning and
sadness which are all
characteristics of war.
Code:
The protagonist of the featured
film is in the centre of the
magazine, the reason why it
was put there is because that is
the first place the audience is
going to look, so that space
holds the most importance. The
protagonist is male, male
audience members are more
likely to be the majority and the
target audience as they will
identify with the protagonist.
Convention:
The lack of cover lines featured
on the magazine was done
purposely to draw the
audiences attention toward the
protagonist and the other
sections of the front cover.

3. Magazine #2
Convention:
The magazine masthead is
the biggest piece of text
on the magazine, this is to
highlight the texts
position in the magazines
hierarchy of importance.
Convention:
The title of the film has been
highlighted to inform unaware
audiences as to what the front
cover is about. The title is
highlighted corner because the
lack of coverlines on the front
cover will cause that piece of
text to stand out
Code:
The magazine uses darker
shades of colour such as grey
to convey ideas of depression.
The colour is the shade
between white and black so its
connotations wont be as
negative as black nor as
positive as white.
Code:
The protagonist of the featured
film is in the centre of the
magazine, the reason why it
was put there is because that is
the first place the audience is
going to look, so that space
holds the most importance. The
protagonist is male, male
audience members are more
likely to be the majority and the
target audience as they will
identify with the protagonist.
Convention:
The lack of cover lines featured on the
magazine was done purposely to draw
the audiences attention toward the
protagonist and the other sections of
the front cover such as the title.

4. Magazine #3
Convention:
The magazine masthead is
the biggest piece of text
on the magazine, this is to
highlight the texts
position in the magazines
hierarchy of importance.
Code:
The colour scheme on the
front cover is a blend of
pink, purple, orange and
yellow. These colours are
blended together to look
like a sunset in the
background.​
Convention:
The name of the Film is the
one of the only other
pieces of writing other than
the masthead and clearly
stands out here. It is
designed to look like an old
sign for a cinema in
America which goes with
the theme of the film.​
Code:
The main image on the front
cover is a design of a very
well-known actors face who
is the main character in the
film. Due to the protagonist
being male, male audience
members are more likely to
be the majority and the
target audience as they will
identify with the protagonist.