Updated/Improved Cover Draft

I have made some changes and updated my cover draft further. I followed what improvements needed to be made and even did some little extra tweaks so I could make my cover look as effective as possible. I changed the text in the black boxes on the left side of the cover from dark red to white. This makes the text much more visible and easier to read. I moved the price of the magazine from the corner to alongside the barcode, and then moved the date of the magazine to underneath the masthead. I feel as though this is a better positioning of these features because it follows conventions. I also added more font styles to the cover so it looks more realistic and shows a wider range of text types. This means I now have a total of 4 different font styles, with the masthead, date & price, tag line, and the rest of the text featured on the cover having slightly different looks. Additionally, to ensure certain bits of text on the cover stood out more than others, I made the main bits of information have a bigger font size than others. This can be found on the feature stories along the sides of the cover, with the most appealing bits of text being larger than the others, as well as in the plug in which I made 'Free' bigger than the text that follows. By making these bits of text larger they are bolder and more eye-catching for the audience, making the magazine more appealing to them.

First Front Cover Draft

This is my first front cover draft. It was initially my first attempt at getting the layout, font, positioning and just the overall look of the cover right. From this, I now know what looks good and effective, and what I need to change and develop. I like the overall layout/positioning of my text and how it all falls around my model. I also think I made the right decision on my colour scheme as I believe it works well together and looks effective. I also like the skyline and footer, and how they have turned out. I think the main font I have used looks effective as it looks bold yet quite edgy, which was the appearance I wanted it to have. However, I have made an obvious spelling mistake in my tag line/pull quote which has taught me to check every little detail of my product before finally saving it and declaring it finished, but I will now edit it to be correct. The dark red text in the black box on the left side of the cover is quite difficult to read/see so on my next draft I will solve this by either lightening it or changing the text to white. On my next draft, I will also make the mast head spread across the page a bit further and place it behind my main image so my model's head overlaps it slightly, allowing her to be the main focus of the cover. I will also be changing the positioning of the price to be near the barcode.

Front Cover Draft- First Photo Shoot

These photos are from the first photo shoot I have done with my model Lucy using a Nikon camera. This shoot helped me get to grips with what lighting and positioning compliments Lucy the best and what would look the most effective for my cover. I also got her to wear one of my planned costumes (a black top with a white Peter Pan collar and a black leather skirt) which I feel reflects the Indie Rock genre as well as giving her quite simple makeup with just a bit of dark red lipstick and natural, wavy hair. This look is a possible final look for the cover but I will do pictures with other costumes, etc. as well so I have a wider range of options to choose from, allowing my cover to look as effective as possible.

Final Front Cover Ideas/Decisions

These are my final ideas/decisions for the features on my front cover. I have decided upon my feature stories, the included artists, the plug, and the headline/main story. I am now ready to start the production process of my magazine, and I will be starting that this week with a photo shoot for my main image.