Generic Conventions of Pop Magazines.

Colour.Pop magazines normally use bright colours like pink, yellow and orange. This reflects pop music’s bright and bubbly personality.

The celebrity on the front of the magazine normally wears similar bright colours to reflect the magazine’s style but also to show that they are a pop star and that they fit that genre. The style of the costume they wear compliments the colour. It is usually in quite a fun style, e.g. short, flirty, modern dresses for the female artists.

The colours are bright so they would attract their target audience. They would also appeal to their target audience as it is very likely that the colours used in the magazine would be the target audience’s favourite colours.

The colours also normally match what the model is wearing. This gives the magazine a professional feel, while making sure it does not look too overpowering.

Orange- a colour commonly used in magazines.

The main sell line matches the colour scheme.

The fun design used on Katy Perry’s

dress matches the vibrant colours used, and also confirms her

bright star image.

Style.The style of pop magazines are usually informal.

The magazine often uses bright shapes and borders around sections of text to make it look more interesting, instead of just having one big block of copy, which would bore the audience.

There is a mixture between text and images, so the magazine would interest their audience, who would not be interested by whole pages of text. The pictures also make the magazine look more interesting.

The fonts used are feminine, and fun, reflecting the target audience.

The captions under the image give a brief explanation of the picture, and are usually funny or have a joke.

ContentThe magazine often has fashion sections, in order to attract a teenage girl who is most likely interested in fashion.

Pop magazines often feature famous pop artists on the cover. This will draw in their audience, and make them want to read the magazine.

They often give out little freebies like make-up sets, nail polishes and jewellery. This will also draw in their audience.

Mode of Address.The style of these magazines are quite informal and casual. This is because the target audience of these magazines are generally young girls, so this mode of address would appeal to them.

The ‘Top of the Pops’ magazine uses slang like “wanna”, “gotcha” and “OMG”. This shows how pop magazines have an informal tone to relate to their readers.

Pop magazines also use direct address to appeal to their readers. By doing this, they are making the magazine more personal.

The mode of address echoes the language the TA uses herself; she feels the mag is on her level.

Using all of these modes of address makes the magazine feel like a friend to the audience, and would make them feel close to the magazine, making them want to carry on buying the different issues.

Use of direct address to draw in the reader.

Slang words like “spesh” are similar to the TA’s way of speaking, so

they can relate to the magazine.

Use of alliteration gives a professional tone, while

keeping it fun.

Masthead.The masthead of the magazine is often placed along the top of the magazine, so the audience will instantly see it.

It is in display font, so it stands out against the rest of the magazine. For example, we Love Pop uses big, black bold capital letters which stand out.

It often uses typical colours like pink, yellow and orange to attract the teenage audience.

The masthead is usually beneath the model’s head, so the audience can clearly see the model.

Puff and Pug.The puff is often a bright, colourful circle, or a shape that will stand out against the rest of the magazine.

It often contains information about articles inside the magazine, or prizes that can be won.

It often uses buzz words like “exclusive” and “brand new”. Words like these will grab the audience’s attention and make them eager to read the magazine, as they want to find out the important news.

For example, in the 28th October 2011 issue, there is a bright pink puff that says “Brand New Mag”. This puff uses buzz words, and attracts the audience through the bright colour used.

The pug contains information about the magazine, such as its price, date of issue and the barcode.

It is often placed at the bottom right hand corner of the magazine. This is because it is an inconspicuous place, and it will divert attention away from the rest of the magazine. Also, if the magazine is expensive, the audience will not be put off buying it as, they have already been intrigued by the content.

Examples of puffs/pugs:

Magazine namesMost pop magazine names have the word ‘pop’ in them, or something to do with pop, or pop music.

Examples: Top of the Pops, We Love Pop.

This is so the audience can easily tell that it is a pop magazine, and so their audience will be attracted quickly.