Magazines

Writing Magazines

Writers Digest

‘Writer’s Digest’ is a magazine with a very conventional front page, containing an image of someone who’s interview within the magazine and a few quotes or brief head line and introduction to some of the content. The reason why magazines focused on writing usually don’t have actual images of writing on their front cover is because this would seem boring and monotonous as that’s what is on the inside as well, and therefore not attract as many costumers buying the magazine. The use of plain, coloured, background makes it look classy and professional. And a lot of pastel colours used together with blank white space within the magazine continues to please the eyes after you’ve turned the first page. Just like in any other writing magazine, this one contains interviews, advice on how to succeed, what others have done to succeed, and what to avoid, as well as competitions, reviews on novels, and examples on other’s stories (ex: poems, short stories or an extract from a book).

Creative Nonfiction

  
   The magazine ‘Creative Nonfiction’ have as front cover which could be seen as unconventional, in the sense that neither of their covers contains an image of someone who’s interview is in the magazine. Instead they have chosen to describe the theme of each issue with an image of something either material or abstract for the cover. However, even if this is unusual amongst many magazines of different genres, it is actually white normal for a writing magazine to use images of typing magazines, since most believe they have a target audience of sophisticated middle-aged/ elderly writers, thus they want to keep the cover and the pages within very neat and simple, yet classy and artistic. This is the reason why most writing magazines, this one included, use very light pastel colours, together with a lot of blank space and black writing to contrast the bright pages and make it easier to read.

Cooking magazines

Fine Cooking

   Fine Cooking, a magazine about cooking and baking, tries to use bright colours on their title most of the time to draw attention to the magazine, amongst all of the other magazines there’ll probably be in the shop they’re sold. They use images of both food and cakes to tease the audience a bit, making their mouths water as they look at the delicious food, convincing them that they could learn how to cook that particular food if they bought the magazine. The use of plain background results that the food is in the centre as the complex deserts and main courses contrasts the plainness of the background. On the side of the stunning images there’s subheadings and quotations from the articles, interviews and recipes within the magazine, also this contributes to the appeal for the audience, making it seem interesting and therefor hopefully getting more magazines sold.
   The content within the magazine consists of recipes, how-to guides, tips and tricks to succeed in the kitchen as well as interviews with professional chefs and bakers.

What’s cooking

The magazine What’s Cooking focuses on the art of baking, as they try to use bright colours on their title they draw attention to the magazine, thus making it stand out amongst all of the other magazines in the different shops they’ll be sold in. They use images of different types of cakes, using a lot of bright colours making the cakes look delicious, teasing the audience with mouths watering as they look at the beautiful creations, convincing them that if they bought the magazine they could cook that particular cake and enjoy the sensational taste whish is promised by the beautiful images. By using plain background they make the deserts the centre and most important part of the cover as the complex cakes contrasts the plainness of the background with very light pastel colours, in opposite to bright ones. Under and on the side of the stunning images of the delicious cakes there’s subheadings and quotations from the articles, interviews and recipes within the magazine, this contributes as well to the appeal for the audience, making the magazine and its content seem interesting and therefor they will hopefully get more magazines sold.
   Inside the magazine, the content consists of recipes, how-to guides, tips and tricks to succeed in the kitchen as well as interviews with professional chefs and bakers, just like most other magazines that focus on baking.