By: Karolina Kocaj

IntroductionI have created a PowerPoint presentation analysing the front covers of three different magazines that link to the genre of the music magazine I would want to produce. The magazines that I have analysed are "Jazzwise", "Acoustic" and "Q". I have identified the different codes and conventions and explained each of them and what effect they have and what effect they have on the reader. This will help me when creating my own magazine front cover as I can include these codes and conventions to the front cover of my music magazine look as professional as I can.

Masthead:The Masthead is the title of the magazine which is “Jazzwise”. The masthead is also the biggest piece of text on the whole page. On this particular magazine front cover the colour of the masthead is white just like nearly all the other pieces of text on this front cover which is usually not the case. However the masthead does stand out from the rest of the page as it’s separated from the rest of the page. The masthead sets a certain housestyle for the front cover of the magazine, which is clearly visible on this front cover. Coverlines:There are six coverlines on the front cover of this magazine. In which three are located on the left side and the other three are located on the right side. The coverlines are there to give the reader an in sight of the feature article which are going to be included in this issue. The main coverline always goes along with the main image and is the biggest coverline on the page which is not very clear on this front cover but we can see the slight difference also all the coverlines are in white which again makes them blend together and they do not stand out as much.Housestyle:The housestyle of this front cover is well suited together. The main colours that are used on this cover of this magazine is mainly black and white, as almost everything that is on this page is in black or white. This makes the magazine look organised but at the same time everything sort of blends in together. The font that is used is different for the masthead than what it is used for the coverlines. The font of the masthead always stays the same for every issue. However the font of the coverlines can change for every issue depending on the rest of the housestyle.

Main image:The main image on this front cover is a medium long shot as we can only see the artists bodies up until their knees and not the full body. The image fills up nearly the whole cover as the coverlines go over the image. All three artists that are on the image are looking directly into the camera which is called the direct mode of address. This makes the reader feel like they are looking directly at them. The background of the image has probably been edited to just the black background so that it suits the housestyle more.

Issue Details:Usually at the top of a music magazine there is a skyline but on this particular magazine there is no skyline instead the issue details are printed above the masthead. The issue details usually include the issue number of the magazine the date and the price. The issue details are there so that the reader knows what issue of the magazine they are buying and if it is the latest the date also helps with that. The price is necessary so that the customer knows how much the article actually costs. On this magazine the issue details are also placed on the side of the masthead.Puff:There is one puff on the cover of this magazine. The puff is located at the right hand of the page above the coverlines. The puff is red which makes it stand out off the page completely as the rest of the page is a lot darker. The writing inside the puff is in white so it stands out from the rest of the background. The information inside the puff is a special and it has been put inside the puff, to make sure that the reader notices it.

Masthead:The Masthead is the biggest piece of text on the page, and it is the title of the magazine which is “Acoustic”. The Masthead stands out from the rest of the page, as the text is purposely in a different colour from all the other text on the page so that right away the customer knows what magazine they are buying. The font of the Masthead always stays the same for every issue however the colour is different for every issue. The reason is it sets a certain housestyle for the current issue so every issue has its own look.

Skyline:The skyline is always located at the top of the page. On this magazine cover it shows who was interviewed in this issue. The names of the people who have been interviewed are in white text and are in a black rectangle which goes across the top. The word “interviewed” it self is written in yellow and is in a red box which goes over the black box. This makes it stand out from the rest of the skyline and catches the readers attention easily, so that they would read what it actually says in the skyline.

Main Image:The main image which is also called the coverstar is a long shot, as even though the woman which is on the image is sat down we can still see her whole body. She is also posing with guitar which goes along with the title of the magazine. The background of the image is the actual background of the page this makes it look more appealing for the reader. The head of the woman on the image covers a little bit of the title of the magazine which has been done purposely. Even though the image is a long shot we can see that the artist is looking directly into the camera which is called the direct mode of address, and makes the reader feel like she is looking at them.

Coverlines:There are four different coverlines on this front cover. The biggest coverline always goes along with the main image. On this magazine the main coverline is not just the biggest but it is also in a different colour which is white. The reason for this is so it stands out more and attract the reader more. There is one medium sized coverline which is placed above the main coverline and there are two small ones which are placed below the main coverline. The colour of these coverlines is yellow, which make them stand out and contrast with the main coverline. All the coverlines are located on the left side of the page. This makes them look ordered. Barcode:The barcode is located at the bottom right hand side on the page. The purpose of the barcode is so it can get scanned when the customer is buying the magazine. So the barcode is essential on a magazine front cover.

Puff:On this magazine front cover the puff is located above the coverlines. The purpose of the puff is to attract the reader to a competition that they can take part in. Inside the puff the word “win” and the price that can be won is purposely in yellow and the rest of the information in white so that it attracts the reader even more.

Banner:The banner is located at the bottom of the page and serves the same purpose as the skyline. The word “reviewed” is written in yellow and on a red background just like the skyline, so that is stands out more. Then list of things that have been reviewed follow a pattern as the things a written first in white then in yellow then in white and yellow again. This has been done so that they are clearly separated and easy to see which will also make it easier to read for the customer.

Housestyle:The main colours that are used on this front cover are yellow, white, black and red. Because there isn't too many colours used the page doesn’t look overloaded but instead it looks organised and neat. There are three different fonts used through out the page as the banners are in a different font, to what the coverlines are and then the masthead is in a different font.

Masthead:The masthead on the cover of this magazine is different to the ones in all the other magazines out there. The reason for this is that the title of this magazine is just “Q”. On every singe issue of this magazine the “Q” is always located on the top left side hand corner, and its in a red square which acts as the background. This is like a signature for this magazine, which will instantly make people know that this is the “Q” magazine. Also below the Q is says “Discover Great Music” this acts like a slogan for this issue of this magazine as it does not always appear on the page, and it is sometimes different.

Main Image:The main image which is also called the coverstar for this issue is Adele. The image is a medium close-up as we can only see Adele's face and shoulders. She is looking directly at the camera which is called the direct mode of address. This makes the reader feel like the person on the image is looking directly at them. On this image Adele’s head cover a bit of the masthead, which happens in almost all music magazines. There is no actual background to the image which means that the photo was probably taken on a white screen.

Barcode:The barcode is located at the bottom left side hand corner. The barcode is there so when a customer wants to buy the magazine, the magazine can get scanned which then the price will show up. So this means that the barcode is essential.

Coverlines:There are four different coverlines on the front cover of this magazine. The main coverline goes with the main image, and it is placed over the main image so it is clearly visible that it has something to do with the main image. The colour of the main coverline is white which contrasts well with the image, and the last line of the coverline is red for a bigger impact. Also the word “Adele” is the biggest which is not only the part of the coverline but also it tells the reader the name of the coverstar. The other three coverlines are a lot smaller and are located on the left side of the cover in a uniformed line which helps it look more organised.. The colours of the coverlines follow a pattern as the firs coverline is in red then the second in black and the last one in red again. This makes it easier for the reader to distinguish the separate coverlines, make it easier to read but also look appealing and organised.

Puff:There is one puff on this page which is located in between the masthead and the coverlines. The puff is quite bug and it’s there to celebrate “the 300th issue” of the magazine. Which is clearly visible as the text is quite big. The puff is there to catch the readers attention, and to make sure that they will note that. The colour of the puff is gold which goes along well with the rest of the page as it sets a contrast.

Housestyle:The housestyle of the front cover of this magazine is well organised and everything looks well suited together. The main colours that are used on this front cover are mainly red, white and black. This gives the magazine a professional look and it makes it look appealing for the reader. The colours red and white contrast with each other well which gives the magazine a vibrant look. The colour of the puff is gold which stands out off the page well and because the colour is gold the reader can associate the colour with celebrating the 300th issue. There are two different fonts used on this page. One is used for the coverlines which ,is quite simple and straight forward but because of that it is easy to read. The second font that is used in the one in the puff, which is more curvy and goes along well with the masthead. This gives it an organised look.