Colour and FontHow does font and colour symbolise my

magazine genre/target audience/representation/meaning

Font and colour are important in giving the intended message about the

audience and the genre of the magazine.

Serif and Sans Serif

Serif fonts are easier to read at smaller sizes, meaning that they are conventionally used in body text.

Sans serif fonts look more modern and emphasise a piece of text, due to their bold and straight edged shape. This means that they are better suited to mastheads and cover lines.

Script Fonts

Script fonts are sophisticated and elegant and are conventionally used on wedding invitations and certificates. They aren’t used in body text, however, as they would be too difficult to read.

They could be used for a jazz or classical music magazine, as they would connote these genres.

Display Fonts

Display fonts are big and bold and they grab the attention of the audience and put emphasis on the text. This means that they are conventionally used on movie posters and for the masthead of a magazine. However, these fonts should be used sparingly, so that where it is used stands out.

Hand Lettered Fonts

Hand lettered fonts add a human element to the design, meaning that an audience will connect with it more and feel addressed personally. This means that they are conventionally used in editorial letters, where the editor is addressing the reader.

Size

The size of a font represents the importance of the text. The audience will read the larger text first and then read the next largest etc., meaning that the most important information that needs to be read first should be in a larger text. The main body of text is usually the smallest as this should be read last.

Large SmallMedium

Colour

The colour scheme helps to show who the magazine is targeted at (gender/age). By combining primary and complementary colours it makes the colours seem brighter, which can sometimes be intense and difficult to read. If the brightest colour of the pair is darkened and set to a lower saturation then it will be easier to read the text.

Meaning of Colours

Red is dangerous and energeticPurple is royal and creative

Blue is calming and trustworthyGreen is natural and fresh

Yellow is optimistic and youthful

Wrong Choices

These mastheads would be the wrong choice because the text is too small for the box and they are not centred within the box, meaning that they look out of place and unappealing. The colours also don’t connote the genres. The pink and purple are quite soft and relaxing colours, which wouldn’t represent the rock genre and the black and grey are dull and unfriendly, which wouldn’t represent the pop genre. The fonts used are also inappropriate for the genre. The rock masthead should have a bold sans serif font that has a worn effect on it, not a script font, which is also very difficult to read so shouldn’t be used for any masthead. The pop masthead font is also quite difficult to read and appears too edgy to connote the pop genre.

Correct Choices

These mastheads are the correct choice because the text fits the box and is in the centre of it, meaning that they appealing and the text stands out more. The colours connote the rock and pop genres. The red, black and white are conventionally used in rock magazines and would represent the harsh sound of the music. The pink and the purple are quite friendly and unthreatening colours, which would represent pop music. The fonts used are appropriate for the genre. The rock masthead is a bold sans serif font that has a worn effect on it. The worn effect would connote the rebellious edge of the rock genre of music, and the bold font would mean that the masthead is easy to read and stands out. The pop masthead font is also sans serif font, but appears less harsh and threatening, as it has more rounded edges.

Masthead IdeasThese are five fonts that I could use for the masthead of my Indie Pop magazine.The fonts rainbow and rainfall are bold sans serif fonts that would stand out to an audience. Rainfall has a unique styling of the letter ‘A’, which would make my masthead easily recognisable. Rainbow is a tall condensed font, meaning that it appears elegant, which would reflect the calm nature of the Indie Pop genre. The fonts hazelnut water, okuba cloud, and summer sunshine are unique and stand out, but they maybe wouldn’t be suitable for a masthead, as they appear more freehand. They might be more suitable for names of artists and other cover lines.

Hazelnut Water

Okuba Cloud

Summer Sunshine

Rainbow

Rainfall

Fonts from DaFont

Masthead Ideas

These are some different colours that I could use for my masthead. I chose quite relaxing colours that weren’t bright, as I don’t think that the indie pop genre is overly optimistic and upbeat, but most of it more relaxing and tranquil. I also think that the blues and purples will evoke trust within the audience, as they are trustworthy colours, which will make my magazine seem unthreatening and approachable. I didn’t feel that black would work within the masthead, as it is too harsh, which wouldn’t represent the indie pop genre. Purple also connotes creativity which would showcase the creative minds of the artists within my magazine.