Front page
The title page ( English front page (for newspapers) or cover (for magazines)) refers to the first page of multi-page printed works such as newspapers and magazines . With the newspaper head, it is the business card and at the same time the shop window of the publication and is therefore comparable in its function to the start page of various forms of online publications .
In the case of book publications , the title page is printed on the title page , which is located at the beginning of the book block and contains, among other things, the book title of a book.
Structure and design of the title page
The title page usually includes the title of the print, as well as the edition number or date of publication and the price in the respective sales area, as well as an element that describes the type of print. This information is contained in the so-called title or newspaper header.
The front page of magazines usually consists of a cover picture and announcements of the articles. The title texts should be as meaningful as possible and arouse the curiosity of the potential buyer. A title page should always be clearly structured. The font size is hierarchically divided, with the headline , also known as the headline, displayed with the largest font on the page. The headline should stand out and be understood at the same time. In addition, the reader / buyer should be able to recognize immediately which title it is, which means that recognition is extremely important. Therefore the logo and / or the title header should not be modified if possible. One on the front page prominently appearing contribution is as a cover story (English cover story called). In news magazines such as Der Spiegel or the English Time magazine, the cover story plays a particularly prominent role.
The logo is usually the lettering of the newspaper or magazine name and is the most important factor in recognition . Logo and title texts are usually placed at the top left so that it is still visible when sorted on shelves. Occasionally, in magazines, they are partially covered or changed in color by the cover photo .
The main topic of the issue is usually presented on the front page with a concise photo / image, often a photo of a celebrity is chosen in order to attract the readers' interest in an article about the person.
It must be clearly recognizable by the design, which type of magazine it is. At the same time, the front pages of the various issues of magazines should not be too similar, so that the individual issues remain distinguishable. There are different standards for the front page design for every type of newspaper and magazine. Their design must correspond to the taste of the target group of the publication. This particularly applies to the choice of color, image, text and design .
Most newspapers have the leading article on the front page. In the case of daily newspapers , local topics, the special topics of the edition and the weather should also be mentioned or presented.
In the case of news magazines, it has become generally accepted not to show a thematic image of the television news on their front pages; here they are mostly advertised with comprehensive background reports or with exclusive reports.
Front page aim
In the case of general- interest magazines and magazines that are mainly sold through retailers, the front page has a very strong influence on the reader's decision to buy, depending on whether the front page appeals to him or not.
Title page design ( layout ) and content (text / image) still have a major impact on new customers' purchasing decisions, much like the facade design of a department store or the packaging ("cover") of a product in a supermarket. Accordingly, all printing units try to distinguish themselves from one another on the shelf at the point of sale.
In the past, when these media had to sell themselves anew every day (for daily newspapers), so to speak, because advertising and other media did not support sales and subscriptions or alternative media were uncommon, the front page had the same weighting that is now only used in expressions such as ".. . made it onto the title page ”is understandable.
However, tabloids in particular still work today with front pages with bold and occasionally colored headings (such as "We are Pope", the BILD on the occasion of Cardinal Ratzinger's election as Pope), shocking, provocative or prominent images (e.g. images of war victims, scantily clad women or men, scandal photos ) and scandal headlines .
Front page remission
In addition to the full piece remission and the title head remission, there is also the title page remission . Here, instead of the entire publication, only the front page is returned. By removing the title page, the publication becomes unsaleable and the publisher has to bear fewer transport costs since the volume of paper in the remission is kept lower.
literature
- Edigna Menhard, Tilo Treede: The magazine. From the idea to marketing (= practical journalism series. Vol. 57). UVK-Verlags-Gesellschaft, Konstanz 2004, ISBN 3-896-69413-8 .
