Codes and Conventions

All magazines have certain codes and conventions that they are likely to follow.

To start with the magazine usually has one main feature article and the person, mostly celebrities, it is about is usually displayed on the front cover.

For example, in this issue of ELLE their feature article was about Victoria Beckham. They have used a Mid Shot, as there is no real need to see her legs. The colour palette they have used is very clean and pure meaning that Victoria's tanned skin stands out against the background making her the most eye catching feature. They also have her looking straight down the lens of the camera meaning she appears to be making eye contact with the reader. This is very effective because it draws the eye to her, therefore the magazine cover as a whole.

They also have a masthead that tends to have a trademark or unique font that is made up of one or two words. It should fill the width of the cover or be on the top either left or right hand side. It may also have a positioning statement e.g. 'named no 1 by...'.

The 'teenVOGUE' masthead has the famous 'VOGUE' print to show it is a different generation of the world famous magazine. This is very effective because it means that people recognise the font and know that they can expect the magazine to be of a very high standard meaning people will be more likely to buy it.

A magazine will also often have a 'puff'. This offers something else to the magazine, for example a free giveaway. Along with this there could be 'buzz words'. They are usually alongside the main feature article and they are used to draw attention.

^For example this cover of ELLE, has the buzz word 'WIN!' in black with a surrounding background of red which immediately stands out against the more neutral colours of the cover. 'WIN' draws attention even without such bold colours, as humans we are naturally attracted to such words. As it is in front of the masthead it also means that we are drawn to the whole magazine title, which is an effective way to make the magazine a strong competitor when on the stands. And as you can see on this cover, the bar code is always on the bottom right or going up the right hand side.

Another code and convention is a 'strip'. This goes along the top or bottom of the cover and it contains a list of items/people that will feature in that issue.

 

 

^As you can see on this front cover of 'VIBE' the strip has been placed along the top. The main effect of the strip is showing that the magazine is full of content and the buyer is therefore getting their money's worth and they can know what to expect.

 

There are many codes and conventions that each of the 100s of magazines out there stick to, which is why many of them are as successful as they are.