Typography Research

Researching typography as part of my research is important because it demonstrates awareness on how to appeal to a target audience through fonts and styles, as well as considering colour and positioning of the typography.



Front Cover:


Masthead - The masthead is arguably the most important part of typography on the front cover of a magazine regardless of its genre, because it informs the audience on the name of the magazine, therefore telling them what the magazine is about.

It is particularly important to have a large, clear masthead for a regional magazine because it conveys to the audience the region of the magazine, therefore appealing to the audience belonging to the featured region.



I studied these mastheads in detail to understand the typical conventions of mastheads for regional  magazines. These two featured mastheads are quite similar to each other, as they both use a large, black font and feature 'Cornwall' in capital letters. The only differences in the mastheads is that 'Cornwall Today' has included a caption above the title of their magazine, of 'your county. . . the magazine' therefore making it more personal for both their primary and secondary target audiences. The 'today' is included in lower case letters, therefore making the 'Cornwall' stand out more, thus presenting itself as more important and effective.





Cover Lines - 

• Usually around 4 or 5 cover lines positioned around the outside of the image, typically with one larger main cover line at the bottom, depending on the layout of the image
• The cover lines are usually all the same size, possibly to inform the audience that they are all as equally important as each other

• The cover lines are typically white to stand out against the image
•  The content of the cover lines typically features events in locations inside the region, to appeal to the audience by informing them on what they can experience in places around them
• They follow conventions by including what the audience will expect from a regional magazine, such as 'autumn walks' and 'a fine harvest'

Small print, such as the date and issue number, is always located above or below the barcode, depending on the positioning of the image and the cover lines. The month is sometimes bold and capitalised to stand out against the year, which gains more attention from the audience.

Contents Page:

Heading - The heading is typically always the word 'Contents' in capital letters to stand out as well as connote significance, occasionally alongside the name of the magazine to remind the audience of the magazines title and purpose. The heading used is usually featured in a large, black font against a white background to contrast effectively and grab the audiences attention.

Subheadings - Subheadings are usually slightly bigger than the section of text written for the articles featured throughout the magazine, but are underlined and positioned in bold to differentiate the difference between the subheading and the article description.



Small Print - The small print featured on regional contents pages is usually black to effectively stand out against the white background commonly featured.

Double Page Spread:


Heading - Usually a short, large heading to initially grab the audiences attention so they are drawn to the title, and then informing them on what the double page spread will be about. If the background for the double page spread is white then the heading is usually white, or vice versa.



Subheading - From what I have researched, the subheading for a double page spread can range from being one to three lines long, and is usually positioned directly under the heading. It is often either in capital letters to stand out against the background and grab attention from the audience, or in a smaller, italic font to create high production values by giving the magazine a professional, sophisticated appearance. The subheading is usually all black or white, depending on the colour of the background.



Byline - The byline is usually either positioned directly under the subheading or is included as a part of the subheading. If the byline is featured as a part of the subheading it will follow the same manner of typography i.e. it will be the same size and font as the subheading. If this is the case, the byline will be added to the end of the subheading to establish to the audience the differentiation between the byline and the subheading, and to inform them where the subheading finishes and where the byline begins. If the byline is positioned separately to the subheading it is typically created in a smaller size but usually matches the font used for the double page spread article. However, the name of the writer and photographer are featured in a bold font to stand out and inform the audience that it is important information.



Pull Quotes - The regional magazines I researched didn't feature pull quotes for their double page spreads, which has possibly been done to connote high production values, as pull quotes are often associated with being commonly frequent in gossip magazines to gain the shock factor from their audience. However, if the double page spread is focusing on one person in particular, quotes are usually used frequently to inform the audience on that persons thoughts and feelings on the subject in discussion. The quotes are featured in the same font and size as the rest of the article text.



Article Copy - The length of the article depends on how much room the image takes up across the double page spread. The article usually occupies two equally sized columns on each page of the spread, and the text features a font that is easily readable to the magazines audience. The font is typically small enough to ensure that all the article information can be featured easily and effectively on both pages. The beginning of the article usually features a drop cap, which connotes high production values because it shows the audience that the magazine has carefully considered the style and layout of the article for the double page spread.



Small print -  Any information included on the double page spread, such as the date of the magazine or the name of the magazines website is typically always positioned at the bottom of the double page spread. The small print usually matches the font type and size of the typography used for the article.



I will use my typography research as a part of my planning by applying the information I have learnt to my own work. By following typography conventions in my work, I am ensuring that I am appealing to the correct audience.