Our first task was being allocated a specific music magazine cover and annotate and label all the relevant design convention on A3 paper. We looked into the different print and design features and technical conventions. This includes :

  • Plug – Selling points of a magazine, that are made less obvious than Main cover lines/Cover lines 
  • Masthead – refers to the flag, banner or the name of a magazine printed in large type at the top of the front page.
  • Pug – Catch the readers eye, placed in the top left and right-hand corner; the prices, logo, and issue number are placed there.
  • Inset – a small picture, map in the corner of a page or larger picture, which shows more detail or information
  • Captions – cutlines are distinguished, where the caption is a short (usually one-line) title/explanation for the photo
  • Main Cover Star – The main model in the magazine that stands out from the rest of the magazine
  • Cover lines – tell us the stories that are in the magazine. There are quite a few cover lines which are spread around the magazine cover.
  • Main cover line – There are quite a few cover lines which are spread around the magazine cover.An incentive which is placed on the cover to make something stand out. Usually by putting text into a shape. This sticker which can be seen in almost every magazine and is used for promoting something inside the magazine
  • Issue/Date – This helps tell when the magazine is published which will tell hell relevant and up to date the magazine is
  • Price – shows the price of the magazine and the amount needed to be paid but also help distinguish against competitors 
  • Barcode – a printed code used for recognition by a barcode scanner

These all add to create a narrative to the composition through the denotations and connotations of the picture. For example, my allocated magazine “UNCUT” uses technical conventions such as using their camera and creating a mid-shot to identify Jimmy Page and the acting for the cover through facial expression of him being engaged and serious. This is represented through the Mise-en-scene and the setting of the cover being black compared to its background. This makes the Masthead stand out as it contrasts to the background as it is white and uses a big font which is created clearly through a visual composition. These technical conventions provide generally accepted ways of combining codes to create form and meaning and follow the typicalities of media through Mise-en-scene and the technical conventions. For example the text and graphics, lighting, editing of the magazine cover and the atmosphere that is presented.