This post shows some examples of how I have followed conventions from a real magazine (DJ Mag) while making my own. In each of the below examples, my magazine is shown on the left, while the real magazine is shown on the right.
Front Cover
Masthead - the masthead for both of the above front covers is large and prominent, and placed at the top.
Banner / cover line - on each magazine there is a piece of information under the masthead which states, in 5-6 words, what the magazine is about.
Main cover line - Both of the main cover lines here are large and prominent. Also, the name of the artist on the cover is in the centre of the main cover line and has the biggest text size.
Cover lines - On both covers, there are cover lines down the left- and right-hand sides, with white text and a black background. They give the reader a taste of what is in the magazine and encourage them to buy it.
Main cover image - The main cover images for both covers are medium close-up shots of the artists. The top of their head finishes just under the masthead.
Barcode - I have placed a barcode in the bottom right of my cover, just like the DJ Mag cover. This contains the issue number, the month and year of the issue and the price.
Contents
Heading - a main "contents" heading at the top of the contents page is a magazine convention, and in both of the contents pages above it is in the top right in large text.
Sub-headings - sub-headings such as "features" and "comin' up" are seen on the contents pages, making it easy for the reader to find what they want to read about.
Page numbers - these are seen anchored to article titles underneath sub-headings and to photos on the magazine page on both of the above pages. They make it easy for the reader to go quickly to what they want to read, and are always in ascending order.
Images - both contents pages contain images which give a more visual guide to what is in the magazine instead of plain text. I have laid my photos out in a similar way to DJ Mag.
Columns - it is a convention of magazines that contents pages are split into columns to separate text and headings. DJ Mag does this, and I have followed this convention also.
Double Page Spread
Article title - the title of the article is seen in large text at the top of the right-hand page, usually in a font seen on the front cover. This is so that the magazine has a consistent house style.
Drop cap - both of the articles begin with a drop cap, which means that the very first letter is drops down over a few lines. This is a magazine convention to make a page look more stylish.
Page numbers - every magazine has page numbers at the bottom of each page, usually with the name of the magazine next to them. Both of the double page spreads above do this.
Images - both of the double page spreads above contain medium close-up shots of the same artist who is seen on the cover. This is because the main cover image on a front cover usually relates to the main article in the magazine, which would have its own double page spread.
Background - both of these double page spreads have a solid black background, untextured. This is done so that the photos of the artists stand out and the text is easier to read.
Pull quote - although the DJ Mag example here doesn't use a pull quote, it is a common convention of double page spreads. I have used one on mine because the reader's attention is drawn to it and it gives them a taste of the article without having to begin reading the smaller text.
House Style
In addition to all of these conventions, I have also followed a magazine convention of house style - on each page I have produced, I have made sure that I have used no more than three main colours and that they all complement each other.
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