Analysis Of Similar Products- Front Covers

In the next three posts I will be analysing existing products within the genre I intent to target. Throughout, I will be looking at the different aspects of three front covers, double page spreads and contents pages of regional magazines. The purpose of this task is to get an in depth understanding of the codes and conventions used in this genre, in order to apply it to my design. By doing this it will allow me to incorporate some popular aspects of already existing mediums; making my work more successful. By doing this I feel that my knowledge of this genre will grow and enable me to understand the needs of my target audience better than I would with only my prior understanding. I think this will really boost my product into the higher market if I can execute my ideas, yet still fitting with the codes and convention expected of this market.

Cornwall Today

Cornwall Living

Cornwall Life

Within these front covers, I found that regional magazines convey their own style very prominently. Each area within this genre includes features, which others don't tend to. For example; Cornwall Living and Cornwall Life both have younger target audiences and both evidently display a barcode and price on their front covers, where as Cornwall Life doesn't. This could be to do with the concept of not needing to know the price if you live in a more nourished lifestyle, it is not a necessity when you have the levels of economic welfare that the target audience of Cornwall Life have. An area that really stood out to me is that all the mastheads include the location, Cornwall. I think this has to be a key convention that I consider when planning my design. Following on from it is apparent that the image created by the masthead is conveyed in a creative way. I will do further research into the use of font types and sizes commonly used in this genre. Based on the analysis I have already carried out I can conclude that mastheads are constructed in a serif font, even if the target audience is classed as ‘sophisticated’.

I think it is a favorable approach to this part of the design, as it sets the scene for the rest of the magazines and will typically be the first part that attracts an audience.

The colours used throughout all these pages are crisp and bright, each carrying their own connotations. The separate colour schemes fit well with in the regional genre. I intent to design a appropriate magazine with a unique colour palette. Since analysing these differing brands as well as other front covers, I have noted that cover lines are limited and that simplicity is way to go. Interestingly, only one of the covers I analysed featured a website link, this was Cornwall Life. This is based on the age and demographic of their target audience.

The typography of these magazine brands show no firmly recognizable pattern of text type or particular design use. However, it is certain that there is a mix of serif and sans serif fonts in all these regional magazines. This easily conveys variety and flexibility of the brand, a useful convention that I will follow during the stages of my construction.

The layout of each front cover is seemingly different, there did not appear to be any fluency of similarity. One convention that I will definitely follow is the common positioning of the masthead. Another concept that I identified was the popularity of tag lines in this genre. The two magazines aimed at older audiences, benefited form catchy phrases that held strong connotations, for example ‘The Ultimate Lifestyle By The Sea’. During the observation of the imagery and photography used, it is clear that the pictures have been taken in a professional manor. The photographs are all well defined, of excellent quality and instantly create an affect on the audience.