Conventions of a magazine cover

Masthead

The masthead is the title block for the magazine. It is usually the most eye-catching convention on the page. In most of the real magazines, the masthead is big and stands out , normally placed on top of the cover.Eg: TOTAL FILM, EMPIRE, etc.

Selling lineMost of the magazine has the selling line, which shows which topic the magazine is about. It’s often placed near the masthead. For example, the selling line of Empire is ‘’ The world biggest movie magazine”.

Headline It’s the main statement in every magazine cover. It’s usually in the largest and boldest font, describing the main story. It’s normally placed in the center of the cover.

Central image

All of the magazine cover has a central image. It’s the most important part of a magazine cover. It’s usually a big, good quality and stand out picture of a famous person, who Is normally main actor in a new film. The central image need to attract the viewer and always placed in the central of the cover.

Cover linesIn every magazine cover, there are either few or a lot of cover lines. These lines are to show the audience what are other stories in the magazine.

BarcodeAll magazine cover include the barcode. It shows the price of the magazine when the audience buy it. It is normally placed downward the bottom of the cover. However, it still depends on the position of other titles.

LureMost of the magazine cover has a lure. It usually is a phrase or word which can make the viewer want to read the magazine. Eg: can be something included when buy the magazine.

Date and priceIn every magazine cover, they always have the date and the price of the magazine. It is placed in where can easily be seen by the audience. It is often small.

Magazine website In all magazine cover, the website is always included. It helps the audience to update every information about the magazine.