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”.
Layout Empire magazine uses a conventional layout of a magazine to maximise the front covers 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.
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.
Skylar Brady 