Colour

The colour on the front cover, contents page and double-page spread is very important to highlight the overall mise en scene of the magazine.

The colours on the page shouldn't clash with eachother. Colours on a page would mean different things to different people and may make the reader have different reactions depending on the colour scheme. Something as simple as changing the hue or saturation of a colour can cause a completely different feeling for someone.
Cultural differences mean that something that is happy and inspirational in one country can be depressing in another.
Commonly no more than 5 colours are used on a page as otherwise the page will look too busy and start to contrast too much. This may result in the page not looking related at all and not appear to flow.

Warm colours:
Red - Passion, Love, Anger
Red can have a special effect on people as it has been known to raise blood pressure and respiration rates. Red is most commonly associated with anger or love, however sometimes it can be associated with importance, for example, the red carpet at famous events. Red can portray different emotions in different parts of the world. In China red is the colour of happiness and to attract good luck. In eastern cultures red is worn by brides. However in South Africa red is the colour of mourning. Red can be an effective colour if you want to portray power or passion in a design. Different shades of red can also mean different things, for example, brighter shades show a more energetic feel and darker shades could show a more powerful and elegant design.

Orange - Energy, Happiness, Vitality
Orange is a very vibrant and energetic colour, which can be associated with the earth and autumn. Because of its association with the changing seasons, orange can represent change and movement in general. As orange is associated with the fruit, 'orange' it can be associated with health and vitality. In designs, orange grabs attention without being as overpowering as red. It’s often considered more friendly and inviting, and less in-your-face.

Yellow - Happiness, Hope, Deceit
Yellow is often thought of as the brightest of the warm colours. Most of the time it is associated with happinees and sunshine. However, some people also associate yellow with hope, as in some countries people display yellow bows if a family member has gone to war or has gone missing. Yellow can mean different things in different countries, for example, in Egypt yellow is the colour of mourning. In Japan, it represents courage. Softer yellows are commonly used as a colour for babies as it is gender neutral. Dark yellows and gold yellows can sometimes look antique and be used in designs where a sense of durability is wanted.

Cool colours:
Green - New Beginnings, Abundance, Nature
Green can represent envy and jealousy, but can also be a very down-to-earth colour. As green is a mixture of blue and yellow it carries some of the meaning from both, for example, green ca be calming like blue, and energetic like yellow. Green is often used in designs which are related to renewal, nature and stability. Different shades of green mean differen things also, as brighter greens are more energetic and vibrant and olive greens are more representing the natural world. However, darker greens are mostly representative of a wealth.

Blue - Calm, Responsible, Sadness
Different shades of blue can give different meanings behind the colour. Light blues ca be seen as represhing and friendly, while darker blues portray a stronger, more reliable side. Blue is associated with peace a lot of the time, but sometimes blue is used with religious and spiritual traditions. The meaning of blue is widely affected depending on the exact shade and hue.

Purple - Creativity, Royalty, Wealth
As purple is a combination of blue and red it shares some of the attributes from both of them. Purple is most commonly known to be associated with wealth and creativity, however in Thailand purple is the colour of mourning for widows. The different shades also can mean different things, for example, darker purples are traditionally associated with wealth and royalty, and lighter purples are considered more romantic.

Neutrals:
Black - Mystery, Elegance, Evil
Black is the traditional colour of mourning in many Western countries. It is also associated with rebellion in some cultures, and is associated with Halloween. Black is commonly used in edgier designs, as well as in very elegant designs. It can be either conservative or modern, traditional or unconventional, depending on the colours it is placed with. In design, black is commonly used for typography because it is neutral. Black can make it easier to convey a sense of sophistication and mystery in a design.

White - Purity, Cleanliness, Virtue
In Western countries, white is traditionally worn by brides on their wedding day. It’s also associated with the health care industry, especially with doctors, nurses and dentists. White can also be associated with goodness, and angels are often shown in white. By using white in designs it can portray different seasons. White isnt usually the main colour on the page and the other colours on the page help to create a mood or feeling for the audience.

Grey - Moody, Conservative, Formality
Different shades of grey can be used to represent different things. Light greys can be used to replace white in some designs, and dark greys can be used instead of black. Grey is generally traditional and formal, but can also be shown as modern. It is sometimes considered a colour of mourning in some cultures. It’s often used in company designs, where they need to appear professional and formal. It can be a very sophisticated colour. When using grey in designs, it is usually for the backgrounds or typography.

Brown - Nature, Wholesomeness, Dependability
Brown is often associated with the earth and wood. It is a natural colour and a warm neutral as some browns have red tints to them. Brown can be associated with dependability, reliability and the earth. However, it can also be considered dull. In designs, brown is commonly used as a background colour. It is also seen in wood textures and sometimes in stone textures. It helps bring a feeling of warmth to designs. Dark browns are sometimes used as a replacement for black, either in backgrounds or typography.

Beige and Tan - Conservative, Piety, Dull
Beige can show a cool or warm tone depending on the colours put with it. It has the warmth of brown and the coolness of white. However sometimes it is seen as dull. Beige in design is usually used in backgrounds, and is commonly seen in backgrounds as a paper texture. It will take on the characteristics of the colours around it, which means it has little effect on the audience on its own, it is only when it is put with another colour that it really makes an impact.

Cream and Ivory - Calm, Elegant, Purity
Ivory and cream are sophisticated colours, with some of the warmth of brown and most of the coolness of white. These colours are generally seen as quiet, and can often portray a sense of history. Using ivory in design can show a sense of elegance and calmness in the design. When combined with earthy colours like peach or brown, it can take on earthy characterisitcs. It can also be used to lighten darker colours, without using the big contrast of white.

Typography

Typography is the art of arranging letters and numbers on a page depending of the type of text you are writing. Typography can be the reason why a piece of text is successful or not because people are drawn to the text to tell them the themes of the text.
The text would have to coordinate with the layout, colour scheme and design theme of the magazine to make it more relavant and flow more with the rest of the magazine.

The basic concepts of typography are:

Size - The size of the text is important as it needs to be readable and the most important information on the page is usually bigger than the rest of the text. On a magazine front cover there are a variety of text sizes to make certain text on the page stand out. Contents pages usually don't have as many different size texts on the page because they want the initial attention to be drawn to the masthead and then the rest of the information is normally of the same importance as it is what is in the magazine. In a double page spread the font size would differ, however the masthead will always be bigger than the rest of the text on the page.

Leading - Leading is the line spacing between the text, this varies because you need to be able to see the text clearly on the page. On the front cover of a magazine the line spacing will differ as there may be some parts on the page that need greater emphasis so have bigger line spacingto make them appear bigger. Cover lines usually don't have as big of a line spacing as they usually follow on from eachother. Contents pages usually have all the same line spacing between the information. There isn't a very big gap between the lines on the page as a lot needs to fit on it. A double page spread would usually have similar, if not the same line spacing between the lines as it is an article. However any additonal informationor the masthead would have different line spacing.

Tracking / Kerning - Tracking is the gap between the letters, this is used to space out words and make them spread wider on the page than normal if needed. On the front cover, the masthead may have tracking on it to make it span over the whole of the magazine to make it appear bigger and draw attention to it. The front cover may have different size gaps between the letters depending on the theme of the magazine. Contents pages don't usually have very big gaps between the letters, apart from if the masthead is copied from the front cover on to the contents pages as well, to make it flow better. A double page spread doesn't normally have very big spacing between the letters, however if the editor wanted to make the masthead appear bigger and different they may choose to make the spacing between the letters bigger.

Hierarchy and scale - The hierarchy and scale is the design of the page and how it is set out to make the most important pieces on the page stand out more. On the front cover of magazines the hierarchy and scale play a massive part in the selling of any magazine. There is usually bigger and bolder text for the more important information on the magazine cover e.g. the masthead, and smaller, less eye-catching text for the less important information e.g. the price of the magazine. Contents pages usually carry through the same colour scheme and writing as the front cover to make the magazine flow more. Every magazine has a specific style to make them unique to the reader. A double page spread usually sticks to one colour scheme to make it eye-catching. Everything has its own position on the pages to make it appear as one page.

The 'Sans-serif' is used on the front cover of magazines as it is clearer and simpler to read at a distance and close up. 'Serif' uses a flick affect for the letters which makes it seem more formal and professional when writting in this font.

Some text is written in the style of the magazine, for example, if it is a gory or horror based magazine the masthead may have blood dripping from it or have a spooky element to the text being written in the magazine.

Contents page conventions

A contents page needs to have many conventions to make the magazine a success and eye-catching to the reader of the magazine.

The main conventions include:

• There is usually a issue number at the top right or left hand corner of the contents page near to the title of the magazine.
• Placed with the issue number is the issue date
• The masthead, Contents, is usually prominent and bold to make it stand out to the reader that it is the contents page and that is where they will find out more information.
• There is normally a main image on the contents page which indicates that the picture will be something to do with the main article int he magazine to draw people into reading it.
• The image is usually in the middle or towards the side of the page where it is framed by the text.
• The magazine logo is usually positioned on the left hand corner of the contents page to make the magazine flow more.
• There are normally category headings such as 'features' to make it easier for the reader to find what they are looking for.
• There are sometimes 'specials' which show the interviews and features of the magazine that they dont usually have - the 'specials' heading is separate from the other headings so it stands out more to the reader.
• There are page numbers next to the sub-lines in the each heading to indicate where the article is.
• The page numbers are a different colour and font to the sub-lines and headings to make them stand out.
• There is usually a website address at the top or bottom of the contents page to give the reader the option of getting more information from a website if they wanted to.
• Sometimes contents pages have quotes from interviews they have done in the magazine -  the quote normally goes with the main image.
• In some contents pages they have a small picture of the front cover of the magazine.

Below is a previously annotated contents page:

Music Magazine analysis

The main image is big so it stands out on the page, Madonna (the image) is looking directly at the camera to give the reader eye-contact which makes it more personal and makes people want to buy it more. It stands out on the front cover because the image has been placed on a dark background to highlight the contrast. As the main image is of Madonna it implies that the music magazine would have an article about or related to her. Showing that the magazine has very famous people on the front shows the readers that there will be much more inside, which would lead to more people buying the magazine because they like the person or people on the front.

The masthead is clear and recognisable to their regular readers as the masthead and logo are consistant. As the 'Q' is white against a red background it stands out on the page and is bold. The main image partially coers the masthead because it relies on the fact that the audience will automatically know what magazine it is because it is popular.

The sell line is directly underneath the masthead to make it the next thing the reader looks at. The contrast in the white text colour and the black background make the text stand out as it isn't a very big font size.

The cover lines are all in the same type of font and size in a particular area on the page to make them flow together and to show the reader that they are linked in one way. Some of the cover lines are in red to draw attention to them and also to go with the colour scheme of the double-page spread. Most of the cover lines dont over lap the main image however the red cover lines partially cover Madonna's hood. The hood is black so it doesnt show so much as being over-lapped.

The barcode is placed on the right hand side of the magazine front cover between the middle and top of the page. The barcode isn't in the typical place on a magazine front cover (the bottom right hand corner)

The puff's background is the union jack flag which relates to the information in the puff. Because it has been placed on the black background it is eye-catching to the reader as they are straight away drawn to the information in the puff. As the information in the puff is about the best british albums it relates the two together

The strap line shows a totally different colour scheme to the double-page spread as it is a light blue, black and white theme.This makes the strap line stand out even more than the rest of the page which is what the magazine aims to do. The strap line is focused towards women and shows a picture of a woman in the strap line to make it clear who the extra pages are about. There are a list of famous women singers to highlight who would be spoken about on the pages.

 

Double-page spread conventions

A double page spread needs to have many conventions to make the magazine a success and eye-catching to the reader of the magazine.

The main conventions include:

• The two pages usually work together to appear as one unit so the magazine flows more.
• Theupper parts of the magazine should be more eye-catching as that is where the reader would look first to decide whether to read the article or not.
• The outer part of the pages need to be bright and contain th best content as that is the part that they will see when they flick throught the magazine to decide what to read.
• The bottom part of the spread and the inner corners are less important so there isnt as interesting content in those parts of the magazine.
• Text should read from one page to the other to make it flow more.
• There should be a running head which indicates to the reader what section of the magazine they are reading e.g. features.
• There should be an image caption to describe what is in the image that relates to the story/article.
• There is usually a pull quote which is said in the article if it is an interview, this is usually something interesting or contraversial to draw the reader in to read it.
• There needs to be a bold masthead/headline which is to be placed at the top of the page to draw people in to reading the article.
• There is a 'kicker' at the beginning of the article which summarises what it is about so the reader can decide whether they want to read it or not. This should be near or underneath the headline as they work together to draw readers in.
• There are also sometimes subheads which give the reader insight into what they will be reading about next.
• Bylines and credits
• Page numbers

Below is an annotated double page spread:

Front cover conventions

A front cover needs to have many conventions to make the magazine a success and eye-catching to the reader of the magazine.

The main conventions include:

• Each cover page needs to have a unique design or something about it to make it stand out from other magazines on a newsstand.
• Each new cover must be different from the previous issue but still have a sense of recognition and familiarity to regular readers.
• The most common type of front cover is an image based cover page, where they have an image or several images of people who are related to that issue of the magazine.
• The image is usually of a person/people looking directly at the camera and more often than not smiling, so that it draws the reader in to the magazine as it seems more personal.
• There is normally a link between the text and the image on the cover to make the magazine flow more.
• The colours shouldn't clash as they need to be vibrant
• The masthead needs to stand out on the cover to make sure the readers know what magazine it is and the main story/article in that magazine so that the customers know what is inside.
• The cover lines should be 'sans' typography as it is easier to read from far away which would make it easier and more attractive to the readers.
• Puffs are usually included to make it more eye-catching and they contain important information about the issue of the magazine the customer will be reading.
• A barcode needs to be included on the magazine so the reader is able to buy it.
• A price needs to be included so the customer knows how much they have to pay for the magazine.

Below is a previously annotated front cover of a magazine:

The masthead is red and bold which makes it eye-catching to the reader. It also implies that the magazine is informal because it is written in all lower case letters with no capitals which gives the impression that the main target audience is teenagers.

There are a range of different font styles and colours used on the front cover to show the variety of news and gossip inside the magazine. The brightness of the colours also make the magazine stand out as they are vibrant.

There are pictures to match the text written as the story;‘Jessie J lashes out at the voice’ shows her with an angry face which reinforces the idea of anger in the article. The use of the red text colour shows that the nature of the article is angry because red is a colour associated with anger and frustration.

By using quotations it makes the celebrity more relatable as the audience would feel they are more genuine. It also makes it seem more personal as it expresses the celebrity's actual opinion.

The magazine suggests it is an informal magazine as it uses colloquial language to express the headlines that are featured in the magazine as it says 'Tatts!'.

The pink box implies that it is directed towards more of a female audience because of the girly tones to the magazine. It also highlights this particular story in pink because more girls would want to know facts about men.

Sam Faiers and Joey Essex are in the public eye regularly so having the main picture of them on the front would draw people into reading the magazine to see what is happening in their lives.

The contrast between the pictures in the top right hand corner shows how the relationship has changed as in the smaller image it portrays a loving relationship and in the bigger picture it shows her alone. This carries forward the idea of trouble in their relationship.

By having different pictures of celebrities all over the cover it draws the audience in as there must be at least one celebrity they are interested in, included in the magazine.

The use of the yellow font as, Scott and Kourtney are rumoured to get married, portrays a sense of happiness and relief that they might actually be getting married after all these year.