Codes and Conventions

codes and conventions ♡

- systems of signs, which create meaning. Codes are visual/audio, conventions group together to make a genre

eg: eerie music builds tension for genre (horror)

Magazine Front cover
Masthead: where is it situated, font?, colour?

Fonts: how many fonts, relate to genre
Colour Scheme: how many colours, relate to genre?
Slogan:  memorable?, pun?, where is it?
Cover lines, Bylines & Featured article: do they relate to genre?, do they use language techniques?, size of text?, effects on text
Main Image: what type of shot is it - does this relate to the genre?, who is being represented, always links to featured article
Z pattern: does the magazine do this?
Puffs
Barcode
Issue date
Publisher
Date
Website
Skyline/Strap line: whats their purpose?

Magazine Double page spread
Title: how big is it?, what does it look like?, colour/font style?
Layout/positioning
Size: what is more important?
Lead: Beginning of a story, generally contains who, what, when, where, why
Use of columns/Alignment
Images used: what/who, what are they wearing?, facial expression?, what are they doing? how does the image relate to the article?:
Pull quotes: who and why?
Colour scheme: does it follow on from the cover?, what does the colour scheme represent?
Text: size, font style, placement
Contact information:  website, why?
Magazine logo
Date/page number: where?, why, font style?, how big
Body copy: main text on the page