03- Initial Research- Codes and Conventions: Front Cover

Codes and Conventions of Front Cover:

The masthead of NME and Q have consistency in the logo, by always using the same colour and font.
 
The name of the artist usually is in a colour that matches the title, to keep the amount of colour to a minimum. the rest of the magazine tends to be in mostly black and white, with maybe one other colour, such as red in these covers.
 
NME and Q almost always have a skyline, it varies in size and whether it has a background, but it mostly follows the same sort of format of being the opposite colour of the background to avoid clash.

The font of these magazines don't vary much, with the title of the magazine and the title of the artist being san-serif and usually matching. The rest of the subheadings tend to be in the same font but smaller. There's a second font usually for any other writing.

 
The person on the front cover usually looks directly at the camera, and they look powerful, for a direct address. This follows the idea of diversion theory (uses and gratification thoery) as the eye contact creates a distraction because its so noticeable. The colour scheme is again kept to a minimum.
NME very loosely follow the left third rule, while they do have a left third they also tend to place writing on either side and sometimes in the middle.

The cover lines tend to not cover the main image at all, so they don't distract the viewer. This is probably due to the target audience being primarily boys, as they would rather a magazine that is simplistic and not too busy.


Codes and Conventions for Front Cover:
- Direct address
- Masthead consistancy
- Black, white, and one other main colour
- Two fonts at most
- Poster 'taster'
- Skyline in capitals
- Rule of left thirds