Magazine Techniques

Front Cover: Functions to attract the reader. Sometimes the reader won't pick up the magazine if the cover doesn't attract them. The front cover tells us everything the magazine is about and about what's inside. 

Masthead: The font style and colour will have been chosen extremely well to sell as much magazines as possible. It has to be catchy to stand out so that its the first magazine the reader spots in the stand.

Central Image: This is one of the most important parts of the front cover. The image has to be related to the genre of the magazine and attract readers. The central image is also usually connected to the main article or spread of the magazine. For example if the main/exclusive spread was about a new Ferrari in a car magazine, the central image would be of that new Ferrari.

Cover Model: The cover model is usually connected to the magazine genre or target audience. If the magazine is for women the cover model would be someone they envy or aspire to look like and if the magazine is for men sometimes the model would be a female with stereotypical features to again attract and please the eye. 

Anchorage: Anchorage is used in media to attach meaning to something through either the matching of words to images or the juxtaposition of two images which construct a meaning. 
For example in advertising, an image is open to a range of interpretations. To clarify what the image means and to make the image relevant to the purpose of the advert, text can be added. Thus the image serves as the 'hook' while the text anchors meaning. This can be said also for photographs attached to newspaper articles. The same photograph takes on different connotations with different accompanying texts. 

Secondary Images: They may be used on the front cover to help promote other features.

Cover lines: These are located on various points on the front cover, telling readers about magazine's contents. 

Mode of Address: The way magazines communicate with the reader. Using words such as 'You', 'Your' etc makes it more intimate and personal with the reader therefore drawing them in to buy and read the magazine.

Puff: As in "puff of air", this is a short snippet of text which helps to draw attention. An eye-catching graphic to advertise what else can be found inside the newspaper

Pugs: Pugs are the 'ears' of the magazines and are usually placed on the top left.