What is a magazine?

A magazine is a publication posted periodically; usually weekly or monthly. They contain articles, stories and images relating to a certain niche, for example, music magazines such as 'Kerrang' will relate to people who like rock music whereas a gossip magazine like 'Heat' relate to people who are interested in celebrities and lifestyle.
 Magazines can be either digital to read online or physically printed. 
Usually magazine covers will have a bold, eye-catching masthead in a recognisable typeface to draw in readers, they will also have coverlines to give the reader an idea of what the magazine is about.
Their covers will typically feature a medium close up of an artist/celebrity/model that relates to the main article or story featured, as well as coverlines to explain whats inside. The main story will be featured on the cover.
Usually the colours will be recognisable to the magazine, for example the masthead will usually be the same colour for each issue, and the coverlines may not be the same colour as the masthead but they will usually be the same colours with exception of the main story which may be a brighter colour or a different font to attract the readers attention.
All magazines feature a barcode, date and issue number, usually in a smaller font as to not distract the attention from the main articles featured on the cover.
The cover may also include buzzwords; eye-grabbing bubbles of text advertising stories/competitions inside the magazine.
The inside cover/first page will usually feature a contents page to help the reader navigate and find any articles they are particularly interested in.