Magazine front covers, conventions

masthead title piece

The masthead title piece is usually in the top left corner of the magazine. It is the magazines title and should be the biggest piece of text on the cover to show what the magazine is called. It should also fit with the theme of the magazine and be one of the main sources of attraction to the magazine. It would normally take up the top part of the page up to the point where the main image starts. in some cases the main image overlaps the title however this should only be done if the title is still easily readable.

magazine price
The magazine price is how much the magazine costs and is usually found by the bar code or the date of the magazine being released. This should be small so it doesn't take up too much of the cover leaving room for other, more important things such as advertisements and the features of the magazine.

date
The date of a magazine is usually from Saturday to Friday, monthly: a month ahead and is usually found at the top of the magazine underneath the masthead title piece. It shouldn't be too big or it would take attention away from the features of the magazine.

issue number
This is the tally of the number of issues of the magazine that have been released. The number on the front of the magazine should show what issue the magazine is and is usually found underneath the masthead title piece or by the bar code. It shouldn't be too big or it would take attention away from the features of the magazine.

bar code
The bar code of the magazine is read electronically and decoded into a usable format. the bar code is usually found on the bottom right of the magazine and shouldn't be too big as it would take up room needed for more important features in the magazine.

teaser
The teaser of a magazine is a one word/phrase that acts as an attention grabber to the consumer. It should be relevant to the magazine and big enough for it to be easily noticed by the consumer.

main feature:headline
The headline is a phrase that may summarize the main point of the main feature. It is usually in large print, a different style to the rest of the text, and bold colours in order to attract the attention of the reader. The colours however should also try to remain the same as the house style

subtitle
The subtitle is a smaller headline that may summarize the feature it is relevant to. It shouldn't give too much information as that would mean the consumer wouldn't need to buy the magazine and the magazine would lose money.

smaller feature
The smaller features are features that are not the main headline that are covered in the magazine. There are usually at least 3 of these on the cover of the magazine and should only give an idea as to what happens in the magazine so that the consumer still has reason to buy the magazine.

font
The font of a text is the style and size of the type face. The house style of a magazine contains only a few different fonts (although this can differ depending of the subject).The style of the font should remain consistent across the cover of the magazine.

images
The images on a magazine front cover usually consist of a main image and sometimes some smaller images. The main image is usually a close up or a medium close up. The images make the magazine look more interesting and gives the first impression as to the subject of the magazine.

colour
Colour on a magazine cover should be consistent with a house style which fits with the subject of the magazine, for example. if it were a magazine for young girls, the colours on the cover (and most likely the contents page and main article) would probably be pinks and other colours considered to be quite girly.

Graphics
Graphics on a magazine cover are usually graphical shapes and are used a lot to highlight the main features of a magazine. They should be relevant to the subject of the feature they are highlighting for example if it involved a celebrity the shape may be a star.

offers/adverts blurb
The magazine offers/adverts blurb is a banner style shape featuring free products or promotions which there is more detail about in the magazine. They should not give away too much information as the consumer would the not need to buy the magazine and the magazine would therefore lose money.