The conventions used on a magazine front page

The codes and conventions of a magazine are quite similar to a newspaper.

A magazine always includes a main focus point of an image. Whats interesting to note is when the main headline is displaying bad feelings for a celebrity, they show a photograph of the celebrity with indirect mode of address.which makes the celebrity look very unconfident and unhappy. However, if a celebrity is using direct mode of address, they look a lot more confident and happy this also benefits for the readers as it comes across as inviting and warm... they use this when the celebrity is making positive headlines.

If the magazine is lucky and rich enough to have booked to celebrity for an interview and a photo shoot with the celebrity, the celebrity in the photo shoot will rarely display indirect mode of address, but focus more on the emotion she is experiencing whilst making these headlines/quotations from the interview. If you look at the heat magazine to the right: 'Charley' has had a photo shoot for the magazine, and the quotations do match the emotion she seems to be showing. E.G shes quoted 'Chanel- I WILL go out for a drink with him' with the emphasis on the 'WE' suggest determined, and with her being photographed with her arms on her waist, she does look determined, very dominant and confident.

The headline is always used, this is to advertise the main articles they have in the magazine to make it sell. Usually, the main headline will accompany the main image, and be assisted with sub headline, these can be quotations from the celebrity during the interview. Most magazines have a kind of order in which they intend you to read the front page, first is the image, second, is the main headline and the third will be the sub headline. Which in the NME magazine's case in a quotation from the band 'the automatic'

Another convention of a magazine front page are plugs, plugs are used to lure the audience into purchasing the magazine, because they give an insight into what stories and images inside the magazine. In the secondary teachers magazine, they had plugs which were about learning because the magazines ideology was for supporting learning. Were the NME's ideology is music, therefore their plugs which they include: the stories, competitions and images will be involved somehow with music.

When a magazine/newspaper advertise a competition on the front page it's called a Puff. Competition Puffs are a lot beneficial for the magazine to use, if the magazine is tar getting a mass audience as their are more people to support that competition and take part.

The masthead is another big convention of a magazine front page as it's the magazines 'name', usually after years of the same magazine being in the production the magazine will hopefully become more well known such as 'the sun'.

This masthead is very popularly known, and people also start to get their expectations of the magazine with the colours supporting the idea of 'the sun' being a 'red top' which is automatically suggesting it's very celebrity driven. Also 'the mirror' is a red top newspaper; which suggests the newspaper is celebrity driven. The masthead, i believe has to be a quick, snappy name to make it more memorable, magazines also tend to use the same masthead for years whilst the magazine is in production, because people will remember it, and as soon as you change it... it's a lot harder to remember the new name. The mastheads font and name give a first impression of the magazine, so calling a magazine 'Secondary Teachers' is almost obvious to what the magazine is about and who the target audience will be, just by calling a magazine 'Wyke College Weekly' you can get an idea of what the magazine's ideology will be about.

Magazines will usually include a date, issue, email/website, price line just above or below the Masthead. These are used for obvious reasons, they are informative to the reader and by displaying the email or website the audience may the magazine cares about their feedback, and any questions or comments.

There are lots of Conventions i could use on my college magazine, there where some conventions used more on a magazine targeted for a mass audience however, they could still possibly work on my niche audience targeted magazine, and possibly make it a bit different. These are all conventions of which i gathered from analysing magazines front covers from both a mass audience and a niche audience:

- A Masthead

- A Head Line

- A Sub Head line

- A main image being supported by the headline

- A line displaying the date, price and website/email

- Plugs

-Puffs

- Some include a tagline.