Empire: Conventions

The masthead is placed at the top of the page because it is the first thing that the audience sees when looking at the front cover. The western eye always looks to the top-left of the page, so Empire magazine takes advantage of this to make sure that the first thing the reader sees is the masthead. This is done let the audience know straight away exactly what magazine they are looking at.  Another convention featuring the masthead is the fact that it is placed behind the head of the model. This is done when a particularly big feature is part of the magazine, in this case it is The Pirates of the Caribbean, and this is because the magazine wants the main image have more attention than the masthead as the main image is more likely to draw in readers.

The magazine's tagline "Movie's biggest year ever!" is placed just above the masthead to give the audience a small piece of information while enticing them to read on.  This is very conventional of magazines as it is important to entice the reader and making them read through the magazine.

A puff is used to promote a certain article in the magazine related to the film featured in the main image.  Puffs are conventionally used to promote a competition or an exclusive article and this is what Empire has done. Having the puff placed next to the main image means that the reader is more likely to see it.

Magazines typically display one major sell line that is related to the main image and the film promoted. However Empire magazine uses the major sell line to promote the overall theme of the magazine "Massive 2011 Preview". This is unconventional of magazines; however this reversal in conventions may have been used to draw more attention to the sell line.

Other sell lines are featured on the front cover promoting articles within the magazine as well as listing many A-List actors in an attempt to draw in more audiences since if someone sees the name of an actor that they like on the front cover of a magazine, they will be more likely to buy it. This is a very typical of magazines in general, not just film magazines.  Other genres of magazines that include lists of popular and well known people are music magazines and lifestyle magazines.

By making sure that the main image fills the frame and that the model is placed towards the centre of the page, the audience are instantly drawn towards the front cover. Since the main image fills the frame, it allows the magazine to achieve a specific colour scheme and layout, since the other features of the magazine complement the main image, for example, a sell line can be placed right next to the model in the main image, allowing the reader to see both the main image and the sell line clearly.

Empire: Layout

Empire magazine uses a conventional layout of a magazine to maximise the front cover’s effectiveness. The masthead is placed at the top of the page, just under the tagline, and this is because the typical western eye instantly goes to the top-left of a page. Using this knowledge, Empire magazine makes sure that the first thing that the reader sees is the masthead, instantly letting them know what magazine they are about to read. The tagline is placed just above the masthead, ensuring that it is one of the first things the reader sees. This allows the reader to be enticed by the magazine very quickly, making them want to buy and read the magazine.

The major sell line is placed just to the right of the page, next to the model in the main image. This is conventional of magazines, since the reader will see the sell line right after looking at the masthead, tagline and main image. The role of the major sell line is to entice the reader by giving them a hint of information relevant to the main image. Empire magazine challenges this convention by making the sell line reference another section of its magazine not related to the main image. This may be because Empire believes that this sell line will attract more readers than a sell line related to the main image. The sell line does link with the tagline however, meaning that the magazine hasn’t lost its effectiveness by going against typical conventions of magazines.

Having the puff placed just under the masthead and to the left of the model in the main image allows the reader to clearly see it amongst the other features. Considering the western eye looks from top-left to bottom-right, the puff will be one of the first things that the reader will see. Puffs are conventionally placed in this area of the front cover, making the front cover of Empire magazine seem more effective.

Other sell lines are placed towards the bottom-right and left of the page, one of the last places the reader will look. The sell lines are placed here because they will be one of the last things the reader will see before turning to the next page, making it last in their memory for longer. One sell line refers to the main image, creating a link between the information and the featured film, enticing the reader to buy the magazine and read about the article. There is also a list of popular films that Empire covers in their articles, enticing the reader even more because if they see a film they like being listed on the front cover, they will be more inclined to purchase the magazine. At the bottom-left of the page where there are more sell lines, popular actors are mentioned, specifically Matt Damon and Christian Bale. If a reader likes these actors, it will increase the chances of them buying the magazine, since they want to know what Empire has to say about them.

The bar code is placed at the bottom-right of the page, making it un-noticeable by the reader until they finish looking at every other feature of the front cover. Empire magazine’s price is displayed next to the barcode, so the cost of the magazine will be something that the reader remembers and will factor into their decision to buy the magazine. This is especially useful if the magazine is quite cheap since it will entice the reader even more to buy Empire magazine.

Empire: Colour

Empire uses a range of bright, vibrant colours that contrast each other to grab as much attention from the reader as possible. A varied amount of colours are featured on the front cover including Red, Light Blue, Yellow, Black and White. Red is only used for the masthead, making it one of the more eye-catching features about the page, since the colour Red is the most attention-grabbing colour as it represents danger and excitement. Light blue is used mainly for the background of the main image, allowing the other, more eye-catching colours to grab more of the reader’s attention. Yellow is used quite predominantly, being used in the tagline, the major sell line and the other sell lines. This colour is very bright and vibrant, allowing any information being coloured by it to draw in the reader’s attention, especially when surrounded by a contrasting colour (e.g. the yellow “2011” being surrounded by the black “Essential” and “Preview” in the major sell line).

Black is used in the tagline, major sell line, puff and the other sell lines. This frequent use of black allows the front cover to look professional while also allowing important information to be given attention. The colour is used next to bright, vibrant colours like Yellow and Red so that the information in those colours stand out. White is used for the same purpose, drawing attention to important information in the puff and the other sell lines. The colour is also used to differentiate between each film listed in the popular film list placed at the bottom-right of the page. By alternating the colours between Yellow and White, it allows the reader to clearly see each film.

Empire: Font/Text

Font plays a very large role in magazines. The way the text is displayed and how large it is can promote very effective connotations. “Empire” is the largest word on the front cover since it is the masthead. This is a very typical convention of magazines and displaying the masthead in the largest font means it will draw more of the attention from the reader. The font itself is very easy to read, allowing the reader to easily understand what the word is. Every other piece of text on the front cover apart from the masthead uses a slightly different font, but is very similar due to the bold, sans serif nature of the font, creating a similar feel across the page. The other pieces of text are in a bold font and clearly visible, allowing the reader to clearly see the information displayed. Size is an important factor in choosing font and text, since larger fonts grab the reader’s attention more than smaller fonts. This allows the magazine to highlight specific pieces of information they want the readers to see quickly and clearly. The major sell line is the second-largest piece of text on the front cover, making us drawn to it from an early stage. Displaying the major sell line in a large font is a convention of magazines and “Empire” follows these conventions effectively.

Other sell lines are displayed in a smaller font because they are not as important as the masthead or the major sell line. The major sell line appears to be even larger since we compare the sizes between that and the other, smaller sell lines, drawing our attention to the major sell line even more effectively.

Another font is used to contrast the blocky, san serif font of the masthead, tagline and sell lines. In the puff and in the other sell lines with words like “Starring”, “Plus” and “And 102 more!” have a different font from the rest of the page; a serif, italic script-type font that ties into the Pirates of The Caribbean theme of the front cover, linking into the main image.

Total Film: Conventions

The masthead is placed at the top of the page because it is the first thing that the audience sees when looking at the front cover. The western eye always looks to the top-left of the page, so Empire magazine takes advantage of this to make sure that the first thing the reader sees is the masthead. This is done let the audience know straight away exactly what magazine they are looking at.  Another convention featuring the masthead is the fact that it is placed behind the head of the model. This is done when a particularly big feature is part of the magazine, in this case it is The Pirates of the Caribbean, and this is because the magazine wants the main image have more attention than the masthead as the main image is more likely to draw in readers.

A banner is used in this example to promote a featured article in the magazine. Anchorage is created by the three images being placed alongside the piece of text “10 Coolest Movies Being Made Right Now!”. The three images tell the reader some of the films the piece of text and the article is referring to. Anchorage is a common technique used by magazines to give a certain meaning to a piece of text or an image. The images all have captions on to give further information to the reader telling us which films the images refer to.

Magazines typically display one major sell line that is related to the main image and the film promoted. Total Film magazine uses the major sell line to promote the featured film “Sherlock Holmes” by displaying the film’s title in a large, bold piece of text towards the bottom of the page. This is conventional of magazines and it is very effective in drawing in the reader, because if they are excited or want to know more about the film, they will be more likely to buy the magazine and read about “Sherlock Holmes”.

Having the main image fill the frame the model is placed towards the centre of the page, the audience are instantly drawn towards the front cover. Using the main character of the featured film as the model in the main image tells the reader who the main character for the film is, as well as enticing other readers, because if someone is a Robert Downey Jr. fan, they will be more likely to buy the magazine if they see him on the front cover.

Other sell lines compliment the feature and the general theme of the magazine. They will usually tie into the main sell line and the featured film. Total Film follows these conventions by using words familiar to ‘Sherlock Holmes’ fans like “Sneaky!” and “Basterds!” as the heading for the other sell lines. The magazine also lists popular films and the articles within the magazine they are related to, to entice more readers into buying the magazine.

Total Film: LayoutTotal Film uses a conventional layout of a magazine to maximise the front cover’s effectiveness. The masthead is placed at the top of the page, just under the promotional banner, and this is because the typical western eye instantly goes to the top-left of a page. Using this knowledge, Total Film magazine makes sure that the first thing that the reader sees is the masthead, instantly letting them know what magazine they are reading. The magazine does not feature a tagline, which is unconventional of magazines. Instead it features a promotional banner just above the masthead, ensuring that it is the first thing that the reader sees when picking up the magazine.

The major sell line is placed towards the bottom of the page, under the model in the main image. This is conventional of magazines, since the reader will see the sell line right after looking at the main image. The role of the major sell line is to entice the reader by giving them a hint of information relevant to the main image. Total Film follows this convention effectively, enticing the reader into reading more about the production of the “Sherlock Holmes” film. The sell line is accompanied by the phrase “World Exclusive”, a phrase commonly seen in magazines, and this is placed above the major sell line to tell the reader that the content in the promoted article is exclusive to Total Film and that you have to buy the magazine to get this information that you cannot get anywhere else.

Other sell lines are placed to the sides of the page and around the model in the main image to make them clearly visibile to the reader. They are smaller than the other features of the front cover but key headers for the sell lines are highlighted. Two of the sell lines relate directly to the featured film, creating a link between the given information and the main image, enticing the reader more to read on through the magazine. There is also a list of popular films, making sure that the reader can be enticed further. The reader will most likely see a film that they like from the list, making them more inclined to buy the magazine.

Bar codes are conventionally placed at the very bottom right of the page since that is the area where the Western eye looks last, ensuring that the reader will look at every important feature of the front cover before they turn into the magazine.

Total Film: ColourTotal Film uses a very small colour palette that links in with the mood and feel of the featured film. Only three colours are used in the front cover; blue, black and white. These colours are effective in giving the reader an idea into what the feel of the film is like. Blue is used to represent the cold, hinting that the film will be set in the winter. White also adds to this theory, as a white gradient fills in the lower part of the main image, giving a “frosted over” effect. Black is only used for the small text within the other sell lines, making the information easy to see agaist a white and blue background. The main image also gives the idea that the film is set in a cold location due to the white and blue background, and the dark blue costume of the model in the main image.

Total Film: Font/Text

Font plays a very large role in magazines. The way the text is displayed and how large it is can promote very effective connotations. The masthead is the largest piece of text on the front cover; this is a very typical convention of magazines and displaying the masthead in the largest font means it will draw more of the attention from the reader. The font itself is very easy to read, allowing the reader to easily understand the masthead. Every other piece of text on the front cover apart from the masthead uses a different font, but are very similar due to the bold, sans serif nature of the text, creating a similar feel across the page. The other pieces of text are in a highly visible font, allowing the reader to clearly see the information displayed. Size is an important factor in choosing font and text, since larger fonts grab the reader’s attention more than smaller fonts. This allows the magazine to highlight specific pieces of information they want the readers to see quickly and clearly.

The major sell line is the second-largest piece of text on the front cover, making us drawn to it from an early stage. Displaying the major sell line in a large font is a convention of magazines and “Total Film” follows these conventions effectively. A different font from the masthead is used for the major sell line, in the form of a large, serif font that looks formal, professional and fits the overall theme of the featured film.

A third font is used for both the other sell lines and the promotional banner. It is a thin, sans-serif font that looks professional and is also very easy to read. This font is used to create variety in the production and make the overall look of the front cover more interesting. The reader will respond positively to this variety, meaning they will be more likely to buy and read the magazine in the hopes that this variety continues throughout the magazine.