Big Issue Lesson 1- 20th Jan

 Big Issue Lesson 1- 20th Jan 2021

Magazine Conventions 

Masthead: Usually found at the top of the page. Name of publication. Links to brand 

Tagline: Used to market the magazine. The concept is to encourage you to buy the magazine.

Slogan: A vital part of marketing that shows the audience what the brand of the magazine is about. It is a simple sentence or group of words. Usually very catchy and may use language techniques such as alliteration or rhyme.

Date line: A piece of text which informs the reader of when the magazine or article was written. 

Feature article: A main story in a magazine that focuses on a special event, place or person in great detail.

Central image: The main image on the page. It possesses the most space on the page. 

Cover lines: Text on the magazine front cover which tells the reader what stories are included within the publication. 

Colour palette: The selection of colours which have been chosen within the publication. Most magazines stick to a certain colour palette in order to help create a brand image.

Barcode: Scanned when the reader purchases the magazine. It often contains the date and issue number. 

Price line: A piece of text which contains the price of the publication. 

Composition and layout: Where elements are positioned on the page. 

Typography: The style of font chosen for the text on the page. 

Mode of address and language: Who the magazine is directed towards and the tone it has. The language may be complex and sophisticated or simple and easy, depending on the style of magazine and its intended audience. 

Shot type and angles: The shot type is how close the camera is to the subject that's being filmed. The camera angle is about where the camera is placed in order to take the shot.

The central image is of an attractive lady who is in little clothing with highlights her toned figure. This will allow for her to appear desirable to women as they may desire a body like hers therefore persuading them to purchase the magazine. 

The colour pallet of the page is: red, white, black and yellow. These colours allow for the page to appear professional and ensures that the page isn't overwhelming, enabling the page to be appealing to audiences.

The typography on the page is easy to read and stands out due to each letter being a capital. This suggests that each coverline on the page is important and the audience should purchase the magazine as it features many important articles. 

Each coverline features text involving health and fitness which establishes the genre of the magazine to be of health. 

The central image features a man appears very strong and toned. His simple clothing allows for the reader to focus on his more significant features such as his tattoos and long hair and facial hair which both make him appear more rugged and rebellious. This along with his direct gaze, will allow for him to appear challenging to men which will persuade men to purchase the magazine to learn how to be like him. 

The coverlines on the page are fitness orientated with stereotypical masculine associations such as the desire for 'broad shoulders' and the appeal of achieving this through the use of weights such as 'dumbbells'. The use of this language will again appeal to the masculine, health conscious audience.

The colour palette of black, yellow and pink allows for the page to appear professional and easy to read.

The central image is unconventional due to the model not pulling a traditional pose with a direct gaze to the audience. Instead the use of the model posing as if he is carrying out an exercise movement, allows the reader to make associations to him and fitness therefore showing who he is. 

There is little copy on the page and the coverlines are very small, which allows for all the attention to be on the model. There is use of a pun as the phrase 'punching through' is used to describe the model who is literally carrying out a punching action. 

The colour scheme on the page is bright and vibrant which allows for a positive atmosphere to be created from the cover. 

The use of the brand's slogan 'a hand up not a hand out' highlights the social context of the magazine with its importance to help society. 

The Big Issue doesn't follow typical conventions of magazines as it often features 'hard news' stories which effect society. The magazine offers an outside opinion on relevant topical news and issues in the world. This is very different to other magazines who usually feature celebrity gossip or softer topics such as health and fitness. The magazine focuses on quality writing and truth instead of persuading consumers to purchase the products through endorsements or persuasive language.