Magazine Front Cover Analysis

For my main task in my AS media work, I had to create a music magazine, including a front cover, contents page and feature article. Although, without any practise I wouldn't be able to create the front cover that I really wanted. Therefore, looking at other magazines as inspiration had to be my first logical step for my preliminary task of producing a front cover and contents page for a 'school magazine'. And with this idea I began analysing.

The first thing I did was to actually understand what the conventions were. Therefore, I researched many conventions, especially on websites such as Slide Share.

This website really helped me, especially since I did not know of conventions before I began researching them. Although they did not provide me with all the information I needed, it was definitely a starting point before I asked my teacher to give me good definitions of different conventions.

After doing a lot of research on the different conventions I needed to put them into practise. I began looking for front covers which would be my starting point for analysis. With these pictures I could see the layout of the magazine and the conventions that follow it. This would be great for my main task in the future and therefore I kept this in my folder for reference.

This was my first attempt at analysing a magazine. I chose a fashion magazine due to it being one of my favourite types of magazines, therefore I chose one of the most popular magazines ever made, Vogue and analysed it. Most conventions were followed and I spoke about this as seen in the picture above.

I then chose to analyse another magazine to make sure I knew of different conventions. Therefore I picked a music magazine (since my main task was to do a music magazine) and learned of some conventions. So, after analysing both magazines I was aware of what I needed to be included in my magazine.


With the front covers that I did, I also made GRANITE tables (genre, representation, audience, narrative, institutions, technology, evidence). This began giving me the connotations that I needed to make my own magazine successful. It discussed the various ways that my magazine should be suitable for my audience and how they have used particular conventions to show this. This is an extremely useful way to keep me informed of what to include and what not to do for my preliminary task.

Magazine Publishing Industry ((welcome!))

Welcome to my Blog all about Magazines for my AS Media Course!


The magazine printing industry is huge and accounts for more than 230,000 jobs just throughout the UK. Mostly men work in this industry with women nearly catching up by a few percent. This industry is so important due to two thirds of the population reading some sort of publication every single day. It is such a competitive business due to so many different magazines being produced every single day.

Why might magazine sales be falling in the UK?
There are many reasons as to why magazine sales might have dropped. But the biggest reason of them all has to come from competition around the world. Everyday new technology is made, such as digital magazines which may succeed in impressing the public rather than just a normal magazine.

-But also the simple fact that the public does not want to spend money. Social Media has been introduced and most of the population use it as a quick way to get up to date with what is happening in the world, without cost.

Also, not everything in a magazine is correct or available. For example, one magazine does not include everything a person may want, such as fashion and sport in the same magazine. Which may end in them spending more money than they have to when they have alternative ways to achieve this.

Types of Magazines  
There are over hundreds of magazine categories, but here are some examples of the most popular ones read around the world:

• Fashion Magazines
• Gardening and Wildlife Magazines
• Cooking Magazines
• Car Magazines
• Pregnancy and Baby Magazines
• Sci-Fi and Mystery

After researching many of them, it is clear to see the many conventions a magazine holds to be successful. As an example I decided to pick a pregnancy magazine to explain some of it's conventions and why they may be used:

Direct Address - This is so the reader is engaged by the main picture used, so the audience understands what type of magazine this may be.

Body Language - The way the main picture is seen also describes the magazine itself. For example in a pregnancy magazine it is most likely to be a pregnant woman smiling. She would be smiling to express to the audience what a happy time it is going to be for them.

Colour Schemes - The colour schemes that may be used would be bright and vivid colours to again express to the reader what a good time it will be for them. It attracts them to the magazine.

Masthead - The masthead should be big and bold so that the audience knows if it is the right magazine for them to read. It should be something that relates to pregnancy.

Cover lines - The cover lines should be surrounding the magazine with relevant news and information about pregnancy and babies.

Celebrities - They are usually used to attract more customers, if celebrities do it, they will do it.

Feature Article - The feature article should be something that will really engage the reader and make them want to buy it, just for the simple fact that its exclusive in only that magazine.

Help - Advice or help should always be included in these types of magazines so that the audience and reader is able to help themselves from it for a healthy pregnancy.

Competitions - Competitions are used for a reader to have the chance of winning something, which is a form of entertainment.

Entertainment - All magazines should have cross words, or something to engage the audience whilst they are reading the magazine.