Conventions Of Magazine Front Covers

Promotional Banner

Masthead

Caption

Headline

Caption

Secondary Image

Sub-Headline

Main Image

Barcode

Issue Number

Date

Colloquial Language

Exclamation Mark

Mise-en-scene:The image has been taken with a medium long shot and has been manipulated to due to colouration of certain features and removal from the original background. The casual clothing addresses younger audience members, however the clothes are not baggy or unfashionable, meaning that the image is represented positively.

Mode of Address:The mode of address can deliver both positive and negative connotations. For instance, the girl is portrayed as very feminine, which would attract the audience in a friendly, positive way. Whereas the boy is standing very aggressively and delivers negative connotations as it is seen as a way of intimidating the audience.

Conforming To Conventions

Promotional banner and Masthead are positioned in the top horizontal third where it is expected to be.

Text such as headlines and sub-headlines are positioned to the left hand side of he page.

The headline is positioned mainly in the central horizontal third.

Barcode, issue number and date are found in the bottom third.

The bottom sub-headline and image are kept to the bottom third of the page, where it will not obscure important features of the main image.

Subverting Conventions

The image is based in the central and right hand vertical third. Advantages of this is that the audience are forced to use the whole of the page, instead of using the central or left hand third where we would normally expect the image to be.

Sub-headlines overlap different thirds of the page, making it difficult for the magazine to properly conform to the Rule of Thirds.

Headlines and sub headlines are not positioned within adjacent thirds.

The headline in particular overlaps the bottom horizontal third, meaning that the headline is large bold and eye catching, which works to an advantage as it attracts the audience and doesn’t obscure important images.

In general the magazine front cover does not conform well to the conventions of the Rule of Thirds. Although it has some elements of this rule, the different layers of text overlap. This means that the audience are forced to take in more of the page, instead of expecting to find information where they would expect it.

Conforming To The Conventions Of The Gutenberg Diagram

The promotional banner and the masthead are both located in the primary optical area, where the eye is most likely to start reading the page.

The barcode, issue number and date –important pieces of information- are located in the terminal area, where the eye leaves the page.

Text is located on the left hand side of the page where it is most likely to be read first.

On the other hand the image is located on the right hand side of the page, consuming most of the unnecessary white space, however indicating that it is less significant than the text.

Having the text on the left hand side of the page makes it become more significant than the image and helps to draw in the audience more than the image does, which is helpful if people are only interested in the content of the magazine.

With the image located on the right hand side of the page means that the audience are forced to take in the entire page than certain elements.

Unimportant information is located in the dead space areas, such as the secondary image in the left hand corner.

In general I based the layout of the magazine front cover entirely on the Gutenberg Diagram, rather than the Rule of Thirds. This is because I think it helps draw in the attention of the audience far better. The Rule of Thirds generally focuses on the organization of the cover, causing it to appear professional when content is placed in the relevant thirds, however I think that the Gutenberg Diagram would help the magazine to draw more attention.