Codes and conventions
Systems of signs, which create meaning. Codes are visual/audio, conventions group together to make a genre.
i.e. eerie music builds tension and creates suspense which link to a specific genre.
Codes and conventions of a magazine -
Masthead - At the top, largest text on the magazine, usually the title of the magazine. Colour of the masthead should match the colour scheme.
Fonts - Serif and San serif fonts. Serif is when the font has curly parts and extras attached to it. Sans serif is the text without the curly bits. Newspapers and books use serif fonts because they are more serious and are usually more old school and traditional. San serif is more modern and contemporary and more in your face and active. There is also 'type face' which is the extras on a font such as bold, rounded, condensed, aerial, underlined and italics. Colour of the font always has to be eye catching and stand out. It also has to match the colour scheme.
Colour scheme - Always think about how many colours there are on the front cover. Usually there are max 3 to 4 colours on the magazine. The fonts match the colour scheme along with the main image. The combination of colours is what gives the audience the feeling.
Slogan - The little bit that tells us a bit more about the magazine. Is usually memorable or is a pun.
Cover lines, By lines and feature article - The by line is when they talk about the person who wrote the article. A cover line is a line on the cover of the magazine that tells you what the story is about inside. It is usually a hook that is to bring the readers/audience in.
Iconography - the images on the magazine that represent and show what the genre is.
Main image - Is usually a picture of the person who is featured in the main article. The main image is always eye catching and big.
Z pattern - The way the audience and people look at the magazine. We naturally look at the magazine in the shape of a Z. From top left to top right making our way down the front of the magazine in a Z shape. Look what is inside the Z. Most important things are on the Z.
Puffs - Extra boxes, clouds, circles on the magazine cover. It is a graphic feature on the front with writing inside.
Skyline/strapline - Line at the very top of the magazine
Extras on the front cover-
Barcode
Issue date
Publisher
Date
Website