Genre Conventions

To understand more about the genre conventions of regional magazines, I studied a variety of different front covers, contents pages and double page spreads from different regional publications.

Front Page:

• The masthead is usually positioned at the top of the page and is in a white font
• The masthead is usually always in capital letters to gain attention
• One main image of a location that is popular to the featured region
• The cover lines are usually either positioned down both sides of the front page, or down the left hand side of the page
• If subheadings are featured, they are usually included in a different colour
• The representation of the region is positive and enticing, therefore making the audience want to read the magazine
• The barcode is positioned at the bottom of the page either on the left or the right, depending on different aspects of the main image
• The main image is always a landscape, and typically one that the majority of the audience will be able to recognise
• The cover lines usually feature content that involves the audience, such as competitions or events in local areas
• A website is sometimes featured to appeal to those in the audience who are interested in digital versions of the magazine. The web address is usually located under the masthead, along with the date
• The colours on the magazine are stereotypically green and blue for the main image, and the masthead and cover lines are usually white
• In terms of camera movement for the image, a long shot at a low angle is used to maximise the shot of the surroundings, in that the audience can see every aspect and detail of the image
• In many regional magazines there is a recurring font used, which helps to establish a house style

Contents Page:

• The background colour is usually always white, which can make the magazine look professional and connote high production values
• The word 'contents' is typically in a black, bold font and presented in the top left half of the page. This informs the audience on the purpose of the page as well as gains attention by standing out against the white background
• The common image conventions are as follows: either one main image taking up one whole page, or a collection of images collaged together to take up the majority, if not all, of one page
• At least a quarter of the contents page is taken up with text for the article, and the text is usually a black, small font to stand out against the white background
• If there is more than one image used for the contents page, there will usually be numbers next to the images to inform the audience on which article is associated with the different images
• If subheadings are included, they are usually in the same font as the font used for the article, but the subheadings will be bigger than the contents to distinguish the difference between the types of text
• The layout is always organised to present high production values to the audience

Double Page Spread:

• The text is usually set out in columns to give the magazine a organised, professional appearance
• The image/images used are always regional specific to appeal to the audience and fit the purpose of the magazine
• If the background of the text is white, this can make the general appearance of the double page spread look rather plain. With the regional double page spreads I researched, many of them had a white background with black text and one main image. This proved effective for some double page spreads, but it depended on the structure of the layout and the size of the text and image/images. To overcome this issue, more images or text can be used to fill the blank spaces and make the double page spread look more colourful. If I were to follow the genre convention of using a white or black background, I would carefully consider my layout structure as well as the content of my article
• If a house style is established, this will appeal to the audience as well as connote high production values. A house style can be established in the form of colour, typography or imagery
• The representation of the region is positive to appeal to the audience