Typical Features and Conventions of a Magazine cover

By looking at a number of different magazine covers, I can clearly see that they all have a number of things in common. As an example, I am going to do an analysis of 'OK' magazine.

Firstly, you can see that it has a logo which stands out from the page. The logo is located in the top left hand corner. One reason why most magazines do this is because when they are put on a rack in a shop, sometimes only this part of the page is showing. They want their magazine logo to be clearly visible and to stand out from the rest.

Secondly, there is a main picture, in this case Britney Spears. this is what usually takes up the majority of the page. Also, on a lot of front covers, the picture is usually cut out and put over something, such as the logo. As you can see in the example, it's as though the logo has been positioned behind Britney. This effect can easily be achieved in photoshop.

Thirdly, there is a main headline which is made to stand out. The main headline is always associated with the main picture.

In addition, they are a number of smaller pictures (in this case three) and a number of smaller headlines (three again).

Finally, there is a barcode at the bottom right of the magazine. Next to the barcode is the price and the website. Sometimes, the price may be at the top instead, along with an issue number and date. However, this magazine doesn't.