Conventions

A Convention is a set of agreed, stipulated, or generally accepted standards, norms, often taking the form of a custom. Here are a few conventions that are to do with a magazine's front cover and contents page;

Front Cover:

• Cover model should look straight into the camera. Eye contact is important.

•  When designing a cover you can play around, you can exaggerate, but you should remain within your concept and style and you should know what to exaggerate.

• Each cover needs one headline that will pop out. In size, in color, in attitude.

• The cover page should have a focus point. It can be a model in the image it can be a headline or a number, but something has to draw the eye.

• Divide your cover in three sections. Big one with main cover line, smaller one with few cover lines and the smallest one with few more cover lines.

• If you plan to use orange color for the cover lines print them with additional spot color. Orange never looks good if printed in traditional CMYK process. It will look brownish.

• Green is the least used color on cover pages and red is the most used one. Whichever you use, make sure you have a contrast between colors.

• They say black covers do not sell. They are wrong.

• For smaller cover lines, preferably go with black text or white if the background is dark. For bigger ones use colors.

• Masthead’s position is not a sacred one. If you think you can achieve something, for example boost sales with a cover line above the masthead than go for it. Move the masthead little bit below and add some cover line above it even if you have never done it. This can be great if your magazine is tucked away on the shelves. This extra space can be useful.

• In USA magazines are racked in waterfall presentation so the top third of the magazine is the most visible part and there you will see the biggest cover lines. In Europe it is the different story. Over here magazines are stacked so that the left third of the magazine is the most visible one. This is why there are so many magazines in Europe with masthead in top left position.

• Photography looks better and sells more than illustrations on the cover page.

• It does not matter if you shoot the cover model in your studio or if you buy stock photo of a model background has to be in solid color. Any patterns or mixing colors in the background will make your life hell when designing a cover page.

Contents Page:

•  One main image relating to the feature article

•  Other small images, usually up to 4

•  Colours – contents page use the same, simple colour scheme as the front cover

•  Images should take up 50% of the page

•  Images should contain Page Number and Anchorage Text (Description, occasionally a Pull Quote)

•  Structured layout should include 1-3 columns

•  Usually divided into categories and headings e.g Main categories – features and regulars
features in different font/border as its special

•  Contents items - Bold/Italic titles in size 12/13pt - Description in size 11/12pt

Top of the page

•  name of magazine, issue date and word contents

Various places

•  Subscription and contact information

•  Issue date/ month

•  Social Media Info

•  Photographer Credits

•  Sometimes there is a letter from the editor

•  Sometimes there is an image of the front cover

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