Magazine Cover Conventions

Masthead: Name of the magazine. On NME magazine, the name is clearly at the top in bold writing. It is very recognisable as NME is always written in red, in the top left hand corner using the same point size and font. 


Puff: The line describing the magazine, usually underneath the Masthead. The Puff under NME is 'New Music Express' which is what NME stands for. This is again always under the title in the same place and again, very recognisable.


Coverlines: These are the best stories from inside the magazine. They are featured on the front cover to try and draw the reader in. NME uses a lot of Coverlines on there magazine. All of these coverlines feature the bands name, and they are from a diverse range of bands to get everyone interested. These may also be exaggerated slightly to get the reader interested. 


Headline: This is the main story featured on the front cover. On NME the main headline is just the bands name 'The Wombats'. This will stand out and be noticed by anyone who knows or likes the band therefore getting these fans interested in what the article is about.


Strapline: More information on the Headline. Usually a sentence underneath. NME has it's strapline underneath in slightly smaller writing, however in the same colour and font so you know the headline is related to it. It also gives a bit more information which draws the readers in even more. 


Main Image: Usually background of magazine, featuring picture of a celebrity related to the headline. NME's picture is of the band 'The Wombats' of which the headline is of. This will again catch the readers attention and draw you in. The band is also in a position which makes the main band member at the front.


Eyeline: NME's eyeline for two of the band members is focused forward as if the band is looking straight onto you. The third member is looking slightly away from the camera in a more laid back attitude which goes with the laid back stance of the magazine itself.


Date, Issue number and Barcode: These are generally information the buyer and seller need to know. The barcode is individual to every issue where as the date and issue number tell you how old the magazine is.

Magazine:

In our first Media lesson, we looked at the conventions of a magazine. We looked at many magazine covers and saw that most have the same components with very small differences.
For example, most magazines have the Masthead at the top of the magazine and a date, price and issue number underneath this. They all also have barcodes, unless they were a newspaper magazine. Underneath the masthead there is usually a large key image of something appropriate to the main magazine story and grabs the readers eye. Most also only have one main picture and very few had more than one picture crowding the front page. Somewhere around this image will be the strapline that relates to it and cover lines to get the reader interested generally spread around the front cover. Most also have a bright colour design to catch the readers attention.