CODES AND CONVENTIONS

COLOUR

Getting the colour right is essential when ensuring the magazine is both eye-catching a presentable.

My research has suggested that being consistent with your colour scheme is key to establishing your brand and keeping things attractive. The implementation of colour on the front cover helps attract the potential market and makes sure your product stands out amongst its competitors.

The red used for The Big Issue In The North is extremely eye catching and helps grab the potential buyers attention. The bold and plain background brings forward the text and imagery used by reducing the distracting features often found on alternative brands of magazine.

The font used is simplistic and easily readable. The clean white used contrasts strongly with the red background in turn helping it jump out into the foreground and draw in readers.

The stylish white and red scheme is continued on to the sell lines in the bottom right corner of the page. The boxes isolate the text from the image of Mark Ronson and clarify the red text.

The effectiveness of the page is in my opinion down to the minimal use of diverse colours. It manages to make a statement without being garish and cheap looking.

STRUCTURE & LAYOUT

My research into the layout and structure of regional magazines has lead me to the conclusion that it is a vital element in the general success of a magazine. Cluttered and tacky magazines tend to have less of an impact on the market.

The barcode, a common convention of both regional and global magazines, is situated in the bottom right of the page. This feature is neither attractive of relevant to the design and is therefore kept out of sight.

The primary image used is surrounded by multiple sell lines. These include the opportunity for ‘Free Tickets’ and also mention ‘Free Events’. Nothing is more attractive to the potential market than free items and opportunities. Words such as Free, Plus and exclusive are all buzzwords which initiate the audiences excitement and create a positive attraction to the product on offer, in this case the magazine itself.

A typical convention employed by most magazines regards the location of the masthead or logo. TimeOut defies this convention and places this feature to the side in order to make the head and torso styled picture far more prominent.

A web address is situated at the top of the magazine in the corner. This enables readers to access further information and downloadable content on the official website of the magazine.

The most prominent features, face, chest and hands, aren’t covered by text or imagery. This enhances the viewers focus on the star featured which is in this case David Tennant.

IMAGERY & PHOTOGRAPHY

The pictures a magazine chooses to use on its front cover entirely dictates how successful that edition will be. The image is what attracts the potential reader more than any other feature on the page.

Lippmann's theory of association by location and regional stereotypes can be employed when describing the setting used for Kent Life’s primary image. Kent is commonly referred to as the garden of England and is quite often portrayed as an area of wealth, culture and historic architecture. The image features a stately home/ castle, surrounded by acres of well kept gardens and woodland.

The image lacks any bright definitive colours and therefore compliments to regal red used for the masthead and sell lines. Nothing within the photograph takes away from the eye catching values of the text.

The beautiful setting used helps the magazine relate to its target audience (the people of Kent) as it sparks a sense of pride for the place they call home. It may also prove informative of a tourist location that they were unaware of.

The use of a celebrity, in this case Jo Brand, acts as a selling point and may draw in a broader demographic such as individual fans. The direct mode of address used also helps the viewer develop a connection with the person who is featured.

Regional magazines very rarely feature an individual person. More often than not a specific landmark or landscape shot is used to help the audience identify the region clearly. This is the case for Kent Life magazine as shown to the left.

LOGO, MASTHEAD & CONTENT

From research, the masthead is usually located at the top of the page either a little to the or a little to the right. Surrey Life has opted to place it centrally. This maintains the magazines general formality.

The font used is not directly age specific yet does boast some tradition aspects and styling which is often associated with the older reader.

The logo is large, bold and consistent from issue to issue. The same font is also used for the sell line ‘30 of the best summer days out’ and ‘Sir Michael Caine, My life in Leatherhead’. Font dominance isn’t uncommon in regional magazines as it helps them to maintain a certain class and sophistication in the form of consistency.

‘Exclusive Interview’ – sell line suggests to the reader that they are getting some unique information that wouldn’t be available anywhere else. This is a pull factor.

The secondary information such ‘ of the best’, ‘My life in Leatherhead’ and ‘why now is the time to visit’, is smaller than its title line and often taken out of bold to help the attract the reader to the primary point as opposed to extra information.

Sell lines are consistently located at the edges of the page in most magazines that I have researched. This prevents the text from obscuring the image and taking away its attractive properties.