Magazine covers

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Cover line

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Main cover line

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Cover lines

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Date line

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Cover lineImage

Mainly, the front cover functions to entice readers to buy a magazine. Although the reader will focus more on the front instead of reading the inside first, they may not pick up the magazine unless the front cover is well designed. The cover is one of the most important things because it promotes and is made up of important features. It is also a key feature because it shows off the content and appeals to the target audience.

Why is the front cover important?

The cover model

For most magazines, a cover model will be used. This could be a celebrity or someone well-known that is connected to the magazine’s genre. The cover model usually expresses the genre of the magazine.

Font/typography

Front covers will display a variety of font choices, usually adapting to show the meaning to the text that they are showing.

Anchorage

This is a term that will refer to the images and explains them. In magazines, images will be anchored by captions, cover lines, articles or headlines. Anchoring an image helps give it meaning, as it will help the reader to understand what its about and why it’s there.

Secondary images

These may be used on a front cover to help to promote other features used within a magazine, usually anchored by a cover line. They are often used in magazines where the reader needs to be drawn in by the picture rather than the cover line text.

Cover lines

These are found on various points of the front cover and tell the reader about the magazines contents and what the articles are about. The front cover will usually feature six to twelve cover lines to try and lure different readers to different things. Cover lines will often use language and presentational devices to be the most effective.

Mode of address

This refers to the way that magazines communicate with the readers. Some magazines will use a direct mode of address to communicate with just an individual reader. This might be through the use of a cover model or through the use of 2nd person pronouns.

Puff

This is like a ‘’puff of air’’, and is used to help to draw attention and promote certain elements in the magazine. They are usually set against colourful backgrounds and are shaped. Most of the time they advertise a special feature or ‘’freebie’’ in a magazine.