The codes and conventions of magazines for the Preliminary Task

Magazine covers have general codes and conventions in the way that they are designed.

• Most magazines have a masthead that includes the name of the magazine in the particular typeface associated with it


• A dateline in which the date of publish and the price are shown


• A main image, usually a model or a picture of the subject of the magazine


• A tagline for the main image, regarding that particular story or what the picture is


• Coverlines that are spread around the page, giving the title of particular features in the magazine and a brief summary of it


• A main cover line that highlights the main story or stories in the magazine


• A barcode used by retailers


• A selling line that is a short, sharp description of the marketing point of the magazine

Sidewalk Magazine

Clearly shows the subject of the magazine in the main image. Coverlines are out of the way of the main image to prioritise the main image. The cover is simple and purveys the subject of skateboarding well.

Rhythm Magazine

The main image shows the subject of the magazine is drums. The main image has been overlayed on the masthead of the magazine to highlight the image furthermore. On either side of the image there are coverlines featuring other articles in the magazine

Custom Car Magazine

The main image of this magazine cover is also the background for the cover. Other images are used to highlight the subject of stories in the coverlines. The titles for both the magazine and coverlines are very bold.