Definition of

Front page

Magazines

The first page of a magazine is known as the cover.

The cover is, in the field of architecture, the attire, decoration or ornament that is made on the main facades of a building . It can be composed of columns, engravings or other decorative elements attached to the door or located next to it, especially in buildings of a religious nature.

Some of the covers that stand out for their beauty belong to the cathedrals of Notre Dame, in Paris, the monasteries of Ripoll and Oseria, in Spain, and St. Peter's Basilica, in the Vatican.

Cover in newspapers and magazines

Front page is also the first page of newspapers and magazines , and this includes the most important news or articles ; therefore, it represents a goal for anyone seeking a high level of exposure for their work.

On the other hand, the cover is also the meeting point for tabloid news. Let's look at some example sentences: "The scandalous photos of the singer appeared on the covers of the main magazines in the world" , "The elimination of the team made the covers of sports newspapers" .

Novels

The cover of a book is its front cover.

Front cover of a book

In the case of books , the cover is the front page or front cover , where the title of the work and the name of the author appear, and in many cases it is accompanied by an illustration related to the content: «The famous Chilean author "He was displeased with the color they chose for the font on the cover of his latest novel," "The book is almost new, although the cover has a coffee stain."

The cover of a book is essential for its massification, given that it is the only visual element that represents it. Reading lovers do not need a beautiful illustration or striking typography to approach a book, but the large volume of literary works that circulate in bookstores and libraries around the world means that great titles get lost in a sea of filling material . So that these jewels do not sink into oblivion, it is essential to make the right decisions when building the cover.

Although sensationalism usually works in the short term, it is important to remember that this practice is based on passing and circumstantial issues, which is why it is always preferable to try to make the cover of a book faithful to the essence of the work , seeking to reflect it with respect and authenticity, so that it becomes an integral part of it.

Cover of a website and other elements

On the Internet , the home page of a website is known as the cover or homepage. This is the first thing users see when navigating to a specific URL . Unlike what happens in books and magazines, these types of covers usually contain a lot of information, including complete articles, section and genre indexes, search engines and advertising; This makes their distinction more difficult and turns them into functional rather than promotional parts .

By extension of these uses of the concept, the main face or frontispiece of anything is known as a cover. We can talk about the cover of a CD, a video game or a brochure, as well as the superficial appearance of a person; In the latter case, the term is usually used with a negative connotation, referring to the lack of depth or personality.

A popular expression advises "not judging a book by its cover", referring to the importance of immersing yourself in the story and exploring all its corners before issuing an opinion, before believing you know it.

The same usually applies to human beings, especially when they have an appearance that corresponds to some stereotype; For example, the mistake is often made of labeling young people as lazy simply for dressing in a certain way, or of saying that very physically attractive people cannot be mentally brilliant.