Codes and conventions of a regional magazine

Codes and Conventions of a Regional magazine

Front Cover

I’ve looked at a few different regional magazine front covers and the main codes and conventions are;• Mastheads that are usually in a font that represents the style/image of

the magazine• Main image which is usually a landscape or landmark in the regional

area• There tends to be a contrasting colour scheme• Sell lines which will attract the target audience into buying the

magazine• Barcode and price• Date of release

Mastheads are clear and recognisable to establish a brand image. The masthead is white on a blue contrasting background meaning for easy identification for the audience

Simplistic layout, easy navigation and to read for the older audience which is targeted

Differing fonts, usually white coloured. Different sizes to grab attention

Use of landmarks/landscapes as the main image to represent the region of the magazine and for the target audience to recognise these landmarks so they become intrigued and feel more obliged to buy.

Date of issue e.g. ‘November 2014’ to show the reader the time of year the magazine is about.

Barcode/price; very common convention of magazines in general, shows the target audience that it is an establish magazine so they feel more inclined to buy it because there is a sense of trust

Sell lines to entice readers about other features within the magazine

Colour contrasts to grab the eye of the target audience. The colour of the font corresponds with bright colours in the main image, creating a more colourful and bold looks to gain readership.

Strapline in a stand out colour to grab the eye of the reader and to increase surveillance.

Masthead is clear and recognisable to establish a brand image. The masthead is white on a pink contrasting background meaning for easy identification for the audience

Colour contrasts to grab the eye of the target audience. Continuous use of the same colour font to gain attention and follow the house style

Recurring font to stick to house style and image of the magazine. Different sizes to grab attention

Sell lines to entice readers about other features within the magazine

Date of issue’ to show the reader the time of year the magazine is about.


Main image of a landscape to represent the region of magazine is set and for the target audience to recognise these landmarks so they become intrigued and feel more obliged to buy.


Masthead is clear and recognisable to establish a brand image. The masthead is black & red on a white contrasting background meaning for easy identification for the audience Date of issue’

to show the reader the time of year the magazine is about.



Colour contrasts to grab the eye of the target audience. Continuous use of the reds and whites across the front cover to gain attention and follow the house style

Recurring font to stick to house style and image of the magazine. Different sizes to grab attentionSell lines to

entice readers about other features within the magazine

Barcode is a very common convention of magazines in general, shows the target audience that it is an establish magazine so they feel more inclined to buy it because there is a sense of trust

Use of landmarks/landscapes as the main image to represent the region of the magazine and for the target audience to recognise these landmarks so they become intrigued and feel more obliged to buy.

MastheadsRegional magazines usually have the word ‘life’ in their masthead. This shows the target audience that the magazine will benefit or enhance their life; also the word ‘life’ will imply that the magazine will have a good knowledge about the life in this region.

Mastheads for magazines usually stand out against the rest of the magazines front cover. They are colourful or have a bold font to attract the reader’s eye and increase surveillance. The use of the pink in ‘Glossop Life’ and the red in ‘Cumbria Life’ both show a contrast and make the masthead stand out against the rest of the front cover so the target audience can pick out the colours and easily identify the name of the magazine.

Magazine mastheads are designed to fit its target audience. Magazines like ‘Kent Life’ and ‘The Bristol Magazine’ are more simplistic and formal to appeal to their older demographic.

For the masthead the magazines can use either upper case or lower case lettering to appeal to their audience; the upper case masthead, ‘The Bristol Magazine’ and ‘Kent Life’, would appeal more to the older age brackets, 50+, and the lower case lettering, ‘Cumbria Life’ and ‘Glossop Life’ to entice the younger ages to show it’s a more modern magazine.

AdvertisementsI have researched quite a few different regional magazine advertisements and the main codes and conventions are as follows:•Logos – in a style/theme which conveys the image or the ideology of the company

•Main images – the companies use these to show off the product(s) being advertised

•Sell lines – which promote the product and/or company

•Contact details – which give the target audience a point of contact to show interest

•Font – usually a sans serif font which is easy to read

The corks used as the background for instant recognition that it is an advertisement for wine

Bright coloured background to catch the target audiences eye

Main images to represent the product(s) in an aesthetically pleasing way

Brand logo in the top half for easy recognition by the target audience

Title in a large font so is easily spotted

The fact that kitchens are being advertised, this will appeal to the target audience of 50+ because they may want/need a new kitchen layout

Contact info so the target audience can easily get hold of the company if they are interested in the product

Website so online research about the company/other products can be undertaken by the target audience

Text is set out in columns and includes brief overview about the company

Main images to represent the product(s) in an aesthetically pleasing way

Large brand logo in the middle for easy recognition by the target audience

Title in a large font so is easily spotted. ‘beautiful’ in a contrasting colour for emphasis

Website so online research about the company/other products can be undertaken by the target audience

Contact info so the target audience can easily get hold of the company if they are interested in the product

Furniture being advertised which would appeal to the target audience especially if they are in need of new furniture

Red and blue colour scheme is consistent throughout

Contents Page

I have researched a few different regional magazine contents pages, the main codes and conventions are as follows:

• Magazine logo to reflect the style and the magazines image.

• Image (s) to make the contents more interesting and eye catching.

• Page numbers and subtitles for easier navigation through the magazine for the audience.

• Colour scheme which tends to be bold and colourful to help break up the text.

• The font tends to be ‘sans serif’ which is easy to read.

Logo to establish brand image

Artistic Images to interest the target audience

Page numbers for easy navigation through the magazine

Subtitles for a brief understanding of the article

Date and website

Consistent colour scheme – black and white, sticking to house style

Contact info so readers can get in contact

Easy to read font for an older target audience

About the magazine/publishers

Colourful images to entice readers

Brief summaries for more of an understanding of the article

Logo to establish a brand image

Artistic Images to interest the target audience

Pages numbers for easy navigation through the magazine


Date and website

Consistent colour scheme – black and white to stick with house style

Easy to read fonts for an older target audience



Page numbers for easy navigation through the magazine

Easy to read fonts for an older target audience

Artistic images to interest the target audience



date

Consistent colour scheme – black and white to stick to house style

website


Lifestyle

Codes and conventions of a regional magazine