Construction of Front Cover

Working in photo shop, this is the image I finally chose for my magazine cover, after a lot of comparing and considering other images. I made it larger, using the transform tool, changed it to grey scale mode and increased the contrast to make it stand out more, as the screenshots I took show below: I then added a guide to measure my text against. I made the page size 20cm X 26cm, which is smaller than A4. I did this because I thought it would be interesting to have a different size page and I think smaller is better and similar to, but not the same size as "Clash" magazine which I think looks good.

I then decided on the font Poplar Std, because I thought the text looked bold as well as a bit quirky, as it has flicks round the edges and I think it will appeal to my target audience. I originally kept the masthead black and white to keep it in keeping with the palette, but later changed the "&" to a mint green colour to make it look more interesting. I gave the text an outline using the stroke tool and I made it closer together to keep it in one corner, as well as matching up to the guides I had set. I then inserted a bar-code and a date and price, all in the same font as the masthead, which will now be my magazine's font. I added a dark grey bar (to match the grey scale of the cover) across the bottom, white has "ALSO..." written in it, and I will add lists of band names here to act as sell lines.

Lastly, I added the sell lines along the bottom, with each title alternating between black and white. I also added the sell line "RUBY TUESDAY" with "exclusive interview with Indie's biggest new star". (Exclusive is a buzz word which I think will make the reader want to read my magazine) This text is in the same mint green colour as the "&" in the masthead and I made the gaps in between the letters wider, so that they spread across the width of the page. I thought it looked a bit hard to read over some of the texture of the dress in the image beneath, so I again added an outline with the stroke tool to make it readable. I kept the smaller text on the left of the page, matching up with the guides I had made.