Magazine Genre Codes and Conventions: Presentation

For this research assignment, I was asked to analyze the covers, tables of contents, and selected spreads of 3 issues of Popular Science magazine. In doing this, I learned a lot about the house style of Popular Science: more specifically, why it is as such and how it is used to create a certain futuristic and modern feeling. The magazine's mission statement is to - with "clarity", "insight", and "relevance" - present "the future now" to an audience of science enthusiasts. Therefore, it is key that puff, and fluff is minimized, unnecessary anchorage and clutter is reduced, and readability and conciseness is emphasized. Although I found this in the way the tables of contents and spreads were laid out, this was made most evident in the covers of each of my issues. They all had very little anchorage, instead focusing on interesting design elements and pictures to convey meaning. The magazine also has a cartoonish element to it, not to the same degree as a magazine like The Economist has, but nonetheless there. I made the observation that these cartoons were reminiscent of retro video games and Saturday morning cartoons, which led me to believe the audience of the magazine was much younger than it actually was. Looking back at the notes I took on what I felt would work for my technology magazine, I feel I have learned a lot of useful information that will ultimately contribute to my success in completing the end of year assignment.

My presentation can be found here.