Magazine Cover ANATOMY

Picture

Masthead: the name of the magazine goes directly at the top of the page
Dateline: Month and date of the publication, often with the price underneath
Main image: This is where the main image of the model is shown
Model Credit: It is rarely seen on normal magazines but it is done sometimes on fashion magazines.
Coverline: From the 1950s, greater competition on the newsstands resulted in more cover lines
Main Cover Line: This is very large – taking up almost a quarter of the magazine cover – and comes in three layers, each with a different colour.
Left Third: The left third of the magazine cover is vital for sales in shops where the magazine is not shown full-frontage.
Bar Code: Standard bar code used by retailers, displayed on UK magazines since 1988.
Cover lines: They may be tweaked to exploit new printing techniques; switch from full face to a body shot; use illustration rather than photography; move the target readership age up or down; or simply to freshen things up.

Cover Lines

Cover lines are exclusively the domain of periodicals. The content, use and placement of cover lines are up to the designer, but placement in the newsstand is a high determining factor.

Tag Line is a line under the logo or a slogan that helps the reader understand what the periodical is about and helps identify target market.

Headline is a line that tells the reader something about the main story in the publication, can also be attributed to every story in the periodical as a title for each story. This headline helps inform the reader what they are about to read should they purchase the periodical. Many periodicals misuse the headline, generating interest with a misleading phrase or quote. This practice is known as “yellow journalism”.

Kicker is the copy appearing after the headline that sets up the thesis of the article, sets the tone, etc.

Pull-Quotes are a design tool for breaking up the copy and drawing the reader’s attention to material in the article the designer feels is important, or eye catching.

Sub heads or subheadings also known as cross heads are another way to break up the copy and help a reader find a specific section in an article, or just break up dense copy so that it is more legible.

Bylines and Credits tell us who wrote the article, and possible who contributed photos or illustrations to the story.

Body Copy this is the actual substance of the articles in the publication.

Panels, box copy, sidebars, and infographics these all function as a way to add insight to the larger idea without actually interrupting the body copy.

Captions used to clarify images or provide a bridge between image and body copy.

Folios page number, publication title, sometimes a section or chapter title, this helps the reader navigate the publication if the publication is designed so that they can skip around.