Elisha Fall
as media: foundation portfolio
Forms and Conventions Research
For this part of my coursework I looked at a music magazine labelled the typical conventions of music magazine front covers. These can be seen below:
In order for my music magazine to be of a high standard (it must look authentic and professional) to do this i need to understand aspects of existing music magazines.
I have identified some design elements most magazines have in common, such as:
Masthead
The name of the magazine displayed in the typeface in which it is designed. This is the visual branding of the title and is usually done in a unique typeface to be very recognisable.
Dateline
Month and year of publication, often with the price. Note that a monthly magazine usually hits the news-stands the month before the cover date.
Main image
The cover will have is a single image (In these cases of singers Olly Murs, Florence, Jared Leto, Guy Johnston, Drake). It is used in a classic way, the face is big enough to make an impact on the news-stand, with the singer making full eye contact.
Coverlines
These Magazine uses a lot of cover lines, which are distributed around the main image without detracting from it too much.
Main coverline
This is very large - taking up about a quarter of the cover area - and comes in three layers, each with a different colour. Note it is usually positioned against the model's shoulder so it shows up clearly.
Left third
In western countries, the left third of the cover is vital for selling the issue in shops where the magazine is not shown full-frontage. The title must be easily recognisable in a display of dozens of competitors. The start of the masthead is important here.
Barcode
Standard barcode used by retailers.
Selling line
Short, sharp description of the title's main marketing point ('Discover Great Music') or perhaps setting out its editorial philosophy.
I did this not only from the Pop Genre but for the 4 other Genres
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Indie
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Rock
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Classical
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Hip Hop
That I have researched into:
This is relevant to my magazine production as I haven't decided which genre I would like to build my magazine around yet, So by identifying these features in all researched genres it gives me a clearer idea, Also in order to further my understanding of the layout and features of front cover production, by looking at these elements i've decided I will include them in my own magazine's front cover, I will do this so my magazine reaches the high standard, authentic, professional look previously talked about and without these features I believe my magazine will be unsuccessful.