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This is my magazine conventions and house style of Q magazine.
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MAGAZINE CONSTRUCTION
Charlotte Hall
CONVENTIONS
What you get on front covers
MastheadKicker
Cover Line
Secondary Lead
Graphic Feature or Puff
Selling Line / plug
Tagline
Feature Article Photo
Anchorage
FlashMenu Strip
Bar Code
Headline
Caption / pull
MY ANALYSIS OF CONVENTIONS
T
he masthead of Magazine Q is the letter ‘q’ in uppercase, it is situated in the top left and it is white on a vibrant and
dominating red box. This makes it viewable and creating a contrast between both white and red so that it stands out.
The letter is bold and the design simple but effective and with it shows class and maturity which suggests to me that its
for a more mature audience. It is important for a masthead to stand out as it is what the audience recognises from a
magazine and red is subconsciously seen as exciting and dominant as well as linked to both danger and love. This one
image always dominates the page and stands out more than any main image on the cover also. Which makes the
magazine and the masthead well established among audiences. The ‘Q’ on the front also displays a flick of the end, this
shows how class and elegancy has been considered in the creation of the magazine suggesting its for the classier people.
This could contrast in with the red due to red been the colour for power.
COVENTIONSA
nchorage – The anchorage on this magazine front cover is ‘ THEY’RE BACK WITH A BANG’. This links in with
the photo because the texts is relating to Arctic Monkeys and the fact they are back with a new album and tour. This
text that accompanies the main image attracts potential readers. In the Image Alex turner is facing forward and
looking directly at the reader out of the page. This shows him as dominant and powerful and the text compliments
this with it being in red and suggesting they are back with a huge impact. This attracts attention.
T
aglines and Kickers - use of language - The tagline that is on this front cover is under the masthead. It says ‘
Discover great music’ this type of language is very mature and older based. This particular issue does not have any
Kickers on the front cover. Yet the other conventions on it make it still interesting. Taglines are powerful
communicators. The right tagline can attract attention to your concept and help people remember things you want them
to. They’re particularly important today. People’s attention spans are at an all-time low, while the need for pithy lines is at
an all-time high. It shows a high lifestyle and mature audience. What the reader will be expecting will be a lot higher and
the target audience is over 25.
CONVENTIONSW
hat's most important on the cover?- I believe that the most important convention of a magazine is the picture and
who is on the front, as it is the biggest and the main thing that the readers would see first. Depending on who is on the
front depends on what readers the magazine will attract. If it is someone famous and popular at the time then that’s
good, yet if its someone no one really knows then it may not get as much publication at all. Also if it is someone that
people like they then are likely to know what the article is about and then buy it so they can read it. However, what also
is important is what the article is about and why the band or artist is on the front cover.
CONVENTIONS
W
hat type of language is used throughout? - because it is a mature magazine aimed at older
audiences, you would expect that the language would be plain and simple and it is. The magazine
sticks to who they aim at and the language is very simple and plain and not really bold, I think they
have done that because they believe the audience to be mature so they would think that they do not
need boldness and bright colours to keep them attracted. They keep it simple and mature. They also
don’t need fancy fonts to keep them interested either. It is formal and elegant and flows throughout.
The magazine also uses expensive glossy paper that is why the price is 3.99. Suggests readers are of a
higher class also. Due to the target audience being the older generation such as 25 and above who are
looking for a different mode of address, more sophisticated and just want to know about music
instead of the colour parts.
DESIGN
How front covers are conceived and laid out
HOUSE STYLE & DESIGN NOTES
C
olour – The general colour is red, this generally flows onto the next page and it is the colour of the
masthead. This suggests it’s a important colour to the company and red connotes , dominance and
power. Suggesting the audience maybe of a higher class and with more influence. This also is the
colour for the anchorage. Red is also on of the main colours used in most magazines for example
NME. The colours are consistent throughout the page and link well with each other. Some of the
colours change depending on who is on the front or what its about but the general colour is still read
due to the bold masthead.
F
onts – On this issue The font on the cover is quite simple, with serif, which makes it appear more
formal. The colours are not too vibrant or bright but still eye catching and make it look more classy.
However, some of the font used to write about other bands is a more bold font, sans serif and all in
capital letters.
HOUSE STYLES
tyle created – The house style is very dominant and vibrant, yet simple and classy. Everything on the front cover looks
intense and very dominant and sinister which makes the feel mysterious, leaving the audience want to know what's being
said. They style is not formal to an extent but uses standard English. It feels like it wants you to read and you feel almost
like you should as it looks so luring. Everything about it looks serious but the writing seems very lax and normal.
However, I feel like this issue in particular makes the magazine very intense and sophisticated.
C
over image – the cover image contributes to the magazine because it is the largest and most important article.
M
ode of address - the mode of address here is factual and quite serious. It appeals to an older audience that may have a
different mode of address to the younger generation. This is aimed at the older generation because it is pure fact and
keeps everything on the magazine fairly simple and yet classy. It shows serious words on the left side of the cover
saying ‘ death and sting’ which proves what type of audience its aimed at .
HOUSE STYLE -SPACET
his issue does use the rule of thirds with the main picture in the middles of the entire frame and the writing on the left.
It is typical magazine with the left side dominating the picture with the selling line , plug and also the menu strip that
tells the reader what the magazine consists of . There is no dead or white space , the page is full and yet not packed. Q
uses the space well in this particular cover. It doesn’t challenge conventions as such apart from the idea that it wants to
be more sophisticated and mature that other magazines , other than that it is just a typical magazine.
I
think this magazine is designed as it is to lure in audiences that feel that they are mature and would like to read a
magazine such as this. It appeals to more factual based music and is simple. It suggest that readers do not need all
the flashy parts of other magazines and this is the alternative. It basically designed to appeal to older audiences
and that’s exactly what it does.
