Research - Codes and Conventions of a Front Cover

After looking at already punlished music magazines i have drawn up a list of the codes and conventions found on the front cover of a music magazine:

·         Quite busy – many sell lines.

·         Large bold, sometimes brightly coloured masthead.

·         Normally a well known artist featured on the cover.

·         The artist on the cover is normally the focus of the main story inside.

·         Set target audience. Just by looking at the house style we know who the magazine is aimed at.

·         Eye level of image is about a third of the way down the page.

·         Relevant topics for the target audience.

·         Eye-catching, makes the reader want to buy it.

·         Consistent colour scheme making it recognisable to the audience.

·         Vital information such as price and date of issue displayed.

·         The text is clear and visible, easy to read.

·         The image is of good quality, it is not pixelated or blurry.