Conventions of a front page.

Masthead- The masthead is the title of a magazine, this is usually displayed in the top left hand corner. The masthead is positioned here because when the magazine is placed on magazine rack it's easy to see the title, as the left third is always showing.

Left Third- The left third is the third section positioned on the magazine, the left third shows informtaion about the magazine issue, such as; interviews and other sections included in the magazine. The left third is always shown on magazine stand, this is so that the reader or potential buyer can see what is included in the magazine.

Price- The cost of the magazine.

Date- The date is usually positioned at the top of the magazine, this is too show which issue the magazine is and what date the product was bought, it's also shows when the magazine was on sale.

Issue Number- The issue number counts the amount of magazines which that company or brand have issued. i.e. Issue 1 would be the first magazine produced.

Barcode- The barcode is used to identify information about the product to which it's attached.

Reader: A reader acts as an attention grabber, it's usually one word/ phrase that catches a readers or potential readers attention. Usually a selling point for most magazines.

Main Feature: Headline:- A headline or main feature is usually printed in bold writing, it can often sumarise the main point or main feature. It is often bold and in bright colours to grab the attention of the reader.

Subtitle- This is a smaller headline which summarises the main feature or headline, often in a smaller text under the headline.

Smaller features- Features included in the magazine, often stories or interviews.

Images- The front page of a magazine often features one large image surrounded by smaller images, the larger image is often relating to the most intresting or the main story in the magazine. This image often sells the magazine as it stands out most on the front cover, it helps read the story for you. The front cover is usually full of Close Ups or Medium Close Ups because it connatates the feeling of a feature.

Font- This is the style and size of the writing. This is important as the size and style of a font usually attracts the attention of the reader.

Colour- Some magazines have a specific colour scheme, a colour scheme can help identify the magazine. The colour or style of a magazine helps to make a magazine unique and often helps with the selling of a magazine by attracting the publics attention.

Graphics- Graphics can often higlight feature (s) by drawing the attention of the reader to that specific feature or image, whatever the graphic is highlighting.

Offers/adverts Blurb- Banner style shape which usually shows offers or promotions and sometime free products.

Credit- Usually found on the content page, highlighting a person, maybe a model or the editor of the magazine.

Skyline- Often above the masthead showing what the magazine features. Sometime wrote on a banner style layout.

Splash- The splash is just the magazine's front page.

Anchorage- The use of a font or image to interpurate the meaning of it. i.e. a single rose could connatate love etc.

Teller- It tells you what the feature is about such as a subtitle.

Kicker- Like a navigator to navigate you to a certain page, such as 'Turn to page 32'

Screamers- A quotation which stands out on the page, usually in big writing to attract you to the quote.

Flash- A graphic which attracts you to something.

The Breif

Perliminary exercise: Using DTP and an image manipulation program, produce the front page of a new school/college magazine, featuring a photograph of a student in medium close-up plus some appropriatley laid-out text and a masthead. Additionally you must produce a mock-up of the layout of the contents page to demonstarte their grasp of DTP.