Fonts and Colours

Using the correct fonts and colours can affect the way in
which the audience perceives your magazine. A specific
font and colour scheme can reveal and infer a message to
the audience; if not used correctly in relation to the genre it
can turn the audience away.

By Evie Holmes

Fonts can infer the age of the target audience

Old looking font

Suitable for formal magazines Thick and thin strokes

Baskerville Old Face

Text is spaced out
Bolder, easier to read

More modernised

KaiTi

Equal stroke width

Different fonts are relative to different

genres
Rock
Showcard gothic
Eras Bold ITC
AR DARLING

Hip-Hop
Forte
Playbill
Bauhaus 93

Pop
Bradley Hand ITC
Ravie
Kristen ITC

Jazz/classical
Script MT Bold
Kunstler Script
Rage Italic

An inappropriate font...

Script MT Bold
The sub-genre of my music magazine is rock, this font does
not fit the conventions of rock and its typical bold,
capitalised masthead appearance.
This handwritten font may be acceptable for the masthead
of a jazz/classical magazine and also an editorial for pop
magazines. The target audience of a rock magazine may be
puzzled as to why this font has been used, as it symbolises
a posh, female nature; unalike the stereotypes of rock.

An appropriate font...

Showcard Gothic
The large, bold, capitalised font fits in with the
conventions of a stereotypical rock magazine,
therefore this font would be a good option to use for
the masthead of my own music magazine. The text is
readable as the font does not merge the letters
together or leave little space.

Choosing the right colours for the scheme of a magazine is essential.

The colour scheme must relate to the (sub)-genre of the magazine in
order to follow conventions, the colours must also work together. The
colour wheel displayed above indicates which colours work well
together (e.g. Violet works well with Yellow). If the colour scheme does
not work, the appearance of the magazine will be weaker, and thus its
appeal to the audience.

The tones and colours used in images can also connote a

certain meaning/emotion.
The use of the red tones
infers a sense of anger and
fieriness, as supported by
the glaring look revealed by
Taylor Swift.

Supported by the girl sitting on her

lonesome, the cold blue tones used in the
image infer a sense of sadness; everything
surrounding the girl is blue and she is looking
out the window for an escape.

The colour green symbolises nature and

tranquillity, which would be suitable for a
relaxing activity based magazine such as
gardening. Green however would not be
a good relative choice for a rock
magazine.

An inappropriate colour...

Franklin Gothic Heavy

Using the colour pink for the masthead and colour scheme
of my music magazine would not be appropriate, as it does
not fit the stereotypically dark conventions of indie rock
music. Pink is also stereotyped with the female gender, and
though my magazine will not have a gender specific target
audience, indie rock is a male dominated genre and thus
may have a greater appeal to men.

An appropriate colour...

Franklin Gothic Heavy

This dark shade of blue would be a strongly appropriate

choice to use for the colour scheme and masthead of my
music magazine, as it relates to the stereotypes of the
possibly more predominant target audience of males and
also follows the dark conventions of indie rock music. The
text is also outlined in black for effect.

Fonts and colour schemes that I may use...

Showcard gothic
Franklin Gothic Heavy
AR DARLING

The fonts exampled are

mostly capitalised and
bold, relating to the
conventions of a rock
music magazine. These
fonts will catch the eye
of and stand out to the
audience. They are also
easily readable and will
therefore maintain the
interest of the audience
throughout.

The colours sampled have each appeared on popular indie rock

focused music magazines such as Q and NME, evidently proving
successful. A black outline around the text (masthead) adds to the
rock conventions and also makes the text stand out more
significantly. Though rock is stereotypically dark with relation to
clothing and makeup, the sub-genre of indie rock reflects more
vibrant, calmer vibes, therefore brighter colours can be used in a
general aspect.