Conventions of the Magazine Genre

All magazines follow the same rules, whether they are:
-Lifestyle magazines
-Fashion magazines
-Computer magazines
-Music magazines.


They must all contain a main cover. the front cover of a magazine is its main advertisiement. It should be bright, interesting and eye catching. This cover must contain an Image. The image must fit to the size of the full page, and appeal to its audience. Magazines usually include images of stars or celebrities. This increases the sales, as they are seen as an inspiration to their audiences and are also admired by certain people. Famous people are conventionally included on front covers, to increase the amount of sales. Its all to do with attracting people to purchase their item. The cover must follow a certain colour scheme, which should appeal to its audience. It should be visually interesting, reflecting the target audience.


Magazines must also include a Logo/Header, and it must be positioned at the top of the page. This will create the 'brand image' making the magazine instantly recognisable to its target audience. Sometimes a slogan is used underneath the header, explaining the magazine content, or to make it stand out from its rivals. This leading caption usually dominates the page which is focused on your main cover story. Subheadings must also be used. These are the titles of the stories you wish to advertise in your magzine. finally, straplines are usually used. These are positioned at the top or bottom of the page, higlighting the stars in the magazine or the stories within the magazine.

Finally, magazines covers must show the date in which it is published. This is to let the audience know they are buying the most recent magazine and a barcode must be pictured to, enabeling the magzine to be scanned and purchased.