The document describes the process of designing a magazine cover in Photoshop and InDesign. Key steps include: 1) Editing the central photograph by increasing brightness to make it look cleaner. 2) Adding the artist's name and using font colors consistent with the photo. 3) Further editing the photo in Photoshop by making it black and white and increasing contrast and brightness. 4) Importing the image into InDesign and adding additional design elements like the masthead and cover lines. 5) Repeatedly testing and adjusting various design elements like font sizes, colors, and placements to create an eye-catching and polished cover design.

1. To start with, I have the original
photograph that I took of the model,
and I have opened it in Photoshop
to edit it.
Deciding that I wasn’t entirely happy
with the central image, I copied in
back into Photoshop and raised the
brightness higher. I feel this
improved the image as it looks
cleaner and more professional.
I also entered the artists name as
the main cover line of the cover, and
I used this font and colour scheme
to match with the colours already
used and because I felt that it suited
the genre.
I then edit the photo using 3 tools
on Photoshop. Firstly I make the
photo black and white to fit in with
my plan, and then I raised the
contrast and brightness of the photo
to make the image clearer and more
dynamic.
I then copied the image into Adobe
InDesign, and then typed in my
masthead. I chose a neon purple
colour because this is what my
audience feedback suggested and it
contrasts well off of the central
image.

2. In order to try and create the best
cover I messed around with the
cover line size. I tried making it this
much bigger because I felt that this
made more of a statement and
made the cover more eye-grabbing.
I then added a pull quote to this
cover line in order to fit my mockup
design, and chose a quote which I
felt would draw in the reader’s
attention.
I then added the tagline for the
main cover line, using the century
gothic font in a think white design. I
did this because century gothic is
the main font throughout my entire
design, and the thick white writing
stands out against the black shirt
the model is wearing.
I changed the tagline for the cover
line, making it shorter and easier to
read. I then also added a blue line to
separate the main cover line and the
tagline, in order to separate the 2
sentences and make the cover
design look more polished.

3. I slightly increased the size of the
cover line in order to make it easier
to read, and then I changed the
colour of the font in the flash to
white with a thick black outline. This
helps the writing to stand out
against the central image and means
there is no need for a colour behind
the flash, keeping the cover simple
but eye-catching.
I decided to put the cover line back
to its original size because I thought
it suited my brand identity better,
instead of being over-the-top. I then
added a flash to show the reader
that this was the breakthrough
edition of the magazine, meaning
they know there’s a special feature
inside that would bring them new
information.
I then thickened the outside edge of
the cover line, making it stand out
more and seem of more importance
to the reader, while also filling up
some blank space on the cover.

4. I changed the album being reviewed
within the second cover line to
make the info more current, and
then added a black outline around
the flash to make it more eye-
catching, meaning that the reader
will think it is more important. I also
added a barcode because it is
necessary for a retail item, and
placed it in the bottom right corner
to follow the examples of other
magazines.
I then added another cover line,
informing the reader there is an
exclusive review within the
magazine, and used the same font
as in the flash and the tagline and
pull quote. This is because this
choice of font stands out well
against the central image, and the
placement of this cover line
separates it from everything else on
the page.
I then added info about the
magazine just underneath the
masthead on the right hand side.
This includes the magazine’s
website, the month of release and
the price. This is all standard for a
magazine and helps to make the
magazine as appealing as possible to
the reader, as they know the
company behind it has put lots of
thought behind the magazine.

5. The final change I made was to
increase the size of the artists
names of the other cover lines, in
order to use those stars’ pulling
powers to bring in the target
audience. The cover relies on this as
the cover star is a newbie to the
industry, so recognisable names are
needed to make the magazine seem
of a higher quality to the reader. The
repeated use of exclusive helps to
bring in more readers, as fans of
these big stars can only find the info
out about them within this issue.
I then decided to increase the size of the main cover
line once again, in order to make it easier to read
and to allow it to make more of an impact on the
reader. It also helps to show the connection that she
is the model on the cover, and shows the reader
that it’s the main article within the issue.
I also decided to angle the flash slightly and change
its colour scheme to black and purple, in order to
make it fit with the youth-orientated features inside
and to make it follow the colour scheme used
throughout the design. This makes the whole design
seem more professional.
I then decided to add 2 more cover
lines to make the cover seem more
professional by showing the reader
the amount of interesting articles
within the magazine. I also grouped
them together on the right side of
the page to fill up more space on the
cover, and to group them together
to allow the reader to quickly take in
the info.