Development DiaryFront Cover

To begin making the front cover of my magazine I chose an image that I would like to be on the front of my magazine. I chose this photo because it allowed me to put the title down the left hand side without disrupting the main focus point of the image which is obviously the model. When taking the photo I chose to position her this way because of this reason as I thought that it would look good when is came to designing. I used the crop tool to

ensure that the image fit perfectly onto the A4 page that I created. Using some more adjustments by dragging the image around, I found the perfect position shown in the image.

I used the airbrush tool on photoshop to make sure that the image was perfect and that it would appeal to a wider audience. I think that this makes the image appear much more professional.

I used the spot healing brush to remove any imperfections and to make sure that the photo was front cover ready and so that it looks more appealing to my target audience.

I also changed the levels and the curves so that the brightness was just right and so that everything blended nicely together. If I didn’t do this, then I don’t think the photo would have looked as professional or suitable for the front cover.

I think that this photo works really well as the front cover because it shows the main story very clearly and the photo is highly suitable to be used as the front cover image. It is positioned nicely and the photo itself is cropped at appropriate places. I used the rule of thirds in this image by placing the model along the second vertical line.

I then proceeded to add the header to my magazine. I called it ‘Indie Fest’ because the magazine is going to be focusing mainly on indie artists and music. I think that this was a good idea as it is a good play on words as it is like ‘In The Fest’. I chose to use the font ‘Scorched Earth’ for this title because it fits in well with the idea behind the magazine and what I want it to represent. The colour also fits in well as it appeals to my target audience of 16 - 21 year old females whilst also keeping the earthy tones with the hint of brown in the colour.

I used the bevel and emboss effect on the text after first rasterizing the layer to make it an image so that I can edit it more. I thought that it would be a good idea to add some sort of bevel to the writing to make it look more 3 dimensional. Without this bevelling I don’t think that the title would’ve stood out as much as it does because the image would have taken to much attention away from the actual title.

This is a more close up view of what the text ‘Scorched Earth’ looks like. The faded bottoms come with the font itself, I did not create this effect.

Next I added the top and bottom straplines. I wanted to make a slight faded effect to this part of the magazine so that it all blends together better. I kept it the same colour as the masthead as well so that it works a lot better. I think that if I were to change the colour of the straplines to something else it would not have looked as effective.

I used the gradient tool in order to make the bottom of the top strapline and the top of the bottom strapline, blend into the main image so it doesn’t look false and as though it’s just been placed there. I think that using this feature is much more effective than just placing a box.

After I added the top and bottom strapline boxes, I added in the main coverline. I simply put the name of the model on the front as though she is an artist that everyone knows about and made sure that it was in a big, bold, font that everyone will be able to read from fairly far away. I like this font because it is very simple and straight to the point which I like. The name of this font is called ‘Headliner No. 45’ which is one of the reasons I chose it. I changed this opacity

of the coverline layer to 90% so that it was slightly see through as I thought that this looked unique and interesting.

I added the descriptors for the main coverline after this so explain a little what the coverline involves. I used the font Litos Script because I thought that this worked well with the overall look of the magazine. I used the colour white over anything else because I didn’t want to draw the main focus away from the image and the coverline itself.

In regards to the coverline itself I chose a colour slightly darker to that of the masthead because I thought that there needed to be some variety on the page rather than keeping all of the colours the same. This to the reader can get repetitive especially if the same shades of colours are used throughout the magazine.

I then added a barcode to the bottom right corner of the page because I felt like this was the most appropriate place to put it. If I had put it anywhere else then it may not have been as discrete and the bottom right corner is usually the last area of the page that the reader tends to look at.

I got a simple barcode from the internet on google images as all magazines need some sort of barcode in order for it to be distinguished from all other magazines out there when it comes to buying it.

I then added the date that the issue is going to be released, the issue number and the price of the magazine just above the barcode so that the audience knows how much it will cost and also whether or not there is a previous issue. The date is also published so that the reader knows when the next issue is coming out.

I then added writing to the top strapline to start building up the writing on the page. I chose to add a competition to this strapline as I think that it is something that the reader would be highly interested in knowing about. readers tend to be more drawn into something if there is a chance that they can either win or apply for something free. I chose to make the word ‘WIN’ in red, because it will then stand out amongst the rest of the writing. This is so that the reader will automatically see that there is something to be won, making them want to buy the magazine. I made sure that the prize that was up for grabs would be appealing to the target audience. I went with some festival camping essentials to draw the reader in. As the majority of my readers will be females in their late teens, they are now going to have that much money, therefore the free chance to win something will prove enticing to them.

I then made an insert that looked like a stick so that it would be a more fun aspect to the page. I found it hard to create this area of the front cover however I think that it worked well and once the writing is on it, it will bring the whole page together.

I then added the writing to the insert, making sure it was something that would appeal to the target audience. I chose a more relaxed font for this area and made the word ‘iTunes’ red so that it would again stand out to the reader. I chose to go with this sort of insert over anything else because my target audience again, enjoys being able to receive free things.

I then added the second coverline. I chose to go with something such as a survival guide because most readers enjoy reading articles such as this so they can see what they need to take with them and also what not to take with them when they are attending festivals. I think that it was a good idea to stick with the same font as the main coverline, otherwise there would be too much going on across the page. I stuck to the same colour as well so that it would all work well together.

I then added the descriptor to the coverline using the same font as the main coverline descriptors and the same, simple white colour. Again, I didn’t want to change this around to much so all I did was make the font smaller so that it was clear which coverline was the main one. If it was the same size, the the attention would’ve come off of the main story, with the reader focusing on more than one article.

I then added the top coverline to the front cover, titling it ‘Headliners’. I chose to go with this coverline because I believe that my target audience would like to read about the types of people they are most likely to see at this years festivals. I kept the font and the colour the same as the other coverlines so that it does to deter from the overall look of the front cover. Much like the previous coverline, I made sure that the font was smaller than the main coverline so that all the attention is mainly on the main coverline.

I then added the descriptor to this coverline to make sure it was similar to the other coverline. The font and the white colour stayed the same as the other two with the font being as small as the other coverline.

To finish off the front cover, I added text to the bottom strapline. I chose to go with something that would be appealing to the target audience, but not like the top strapline, going with something different to a competition. I chose to go with one of the articles on the essentials that are included throughout the magazine. I thought that I would do this over anything else as it is something that the audience would want to read about so that they don’t get lost.