My soap listing poster follows the convention of the route of the eye as it follows through all the important features of the magazine. It starts of the masthead, which is the largest thing on the page, which the audience see first to identify the genre of the magazine. It follows through to the main image of the main storyline featured on the page. This is fitting with the convention of having one or two characters involved in the featured soap. The route of the eye then follows through to the other teaser storylines featured on the magazine, along with the barcode.

The masthead is the main piece of text on the page, other than the main coverline. It is placed in the primary optical area so it is the first thing the reader looks at. It stands out. The reader is able to see the masthead and know that this is a soap listings magazine, through the brand of ‘TV weekly’.

During my analysis I found that listings magazines used a lot of rhetorical questions to address the audience directly. These got the audience involved and would make the reader feel like they were talking straight to them. This intractability would be appeal to my type of audience. By using ‘Can YOU win’ the audience would feel challenged directly.

When displaying the price I made this in bright and bold colours as the low price is something that would be attracting the audience once they have picked up the magazine. Using ‘only’ makes it seem like a kind of incentive for the audience as they feel like they are getting a good deal.

For customer convenience all magazines conventionally feature the price, bar code and issue number. I continued the use of these on my magazine to make it look more professional and included all the smaller features such as these that magazine would have conventionally.

Many magazine layouts are designed to have an asymmetrical offset to the right. I followed this convention as they key coverlines are kept to the left so they are seen on newsstands in shops when the magazines are layered on top of each other on the right side.

The main coverline is conventionally just one or two words; this is to keep it short and snappy, something that would attract the reader’s attention if they glanced at it in a shop. By using the word ‘Betrayed!’ it helps to create a feel of the dramatic storyline that the magazine will detail.

Conventionally the barcode is placed in the ‘dead’ areas of the cover. This is something the reader doesn’t necessarily need to see, but it is essential to have on all magazine covers.

Throughout my research I found that all magazines feature many soaps on the cover, not just one. I stuck to this convention as the magazine would then appeal to a wide range of audience not just the 11-19 intended age audience of my soap Hatton Park. Using four teasers from other soaps meant the cover could be appealing to others who are not necessarily attracted to watch Hatton Park.

On many of the existing magazines I found that colour was used to connote the storylines advertised. Red and black connotes danger and mystery, a convention I stuck to for the ‘Murder?!’ teaser placed on my cover. The fresh white and blue colours went well with the idea of having a ‘New cast’. I also used yellow and black which are particularly autumn colours, to link with the ‘Sneak Peek! Autumn shows’ coverline.

In the terminal area I placed another coverline. This was something continually seen in all magazine covers I saw. It is the last place on the route of the eye, and the last thing that the reader would see. Therefore it would stay in their mind as they turn the page of the magazine.

On the magazine covers I analysed I found that conventionally the main image on a soap listings magazine was of one or two of the main characters. This would be something that is instantly recognisable with the reader. I chose to use the two main characters of my soap Hatton Park, as they are the main focus of the storylines in the soap. I found that most of the magazines have the characters looking directly at the camera from a mid shot on covers; this creates a direct relationship with the audience and builds a connection.