The document summarizes research on existing magazine cover designs. It examines covers for films, TV shows, and magazines focused on Doctor Who. Common features identified include prominent central images featuring main characters, variations in text size to draw attention, and artwork that hints at the story. The research will inform the designer's own magazine cover by incorporating blockbuster poster-art styles, running themes from Doctor Who covers, and texture backgrounds instead of plain white. An audience profile targets male fans aged 16-18 from middle-class backgrounds interested in complex nerdy content.

1. Research
Matthew Burniston

2. Existing Product
Like my product this cover features artwork centering
around a poster design – much like mine when it comes
to my final product. Though I won't be coping ad
pasting exactly poster, I'll be making artwork in which
could stand as a films/tv poster in itself...
In the center of the design stands the main-
character/star (Tom Cruise;) as a background of the
featuring city is exploding behind him –hinting that the
foe of the story is on a big path of destruction; With
this, behind all of this in the top (behind our star,) is a
menacing character – this character will likely be the
one who's causing all the destruction. As an audience
we can take a story away from the design of this...
However, unlike my poster – this is magazine creature
to showcase films rather than to showcase a small part
of a TV series –TV being on a cheaper and smaller
format to Hollywood Films...

3. Existing Product
Strapline: Uses a blend of a bolder and bigger - yellow
font, over a much smaller and less bold - white text.
This makes the line on top catch the audiences
attention and makes them interested on what it's got
to say.
The Masthead: The logo is in a bold, white font -
standing out from the rest of the text.
Star and main image: The star/main-character (Tom
Cruise,) is at the center of the page, even covering the
masthead/logo a little bit – still leaving it so it's read-
able.
Cover-line (main and normal:) Much like the strap-
line, the cover-line and main cover-line re-uses the
variation, making some words and lines bigger to
make different words stand out more than others.

4. Existing Product
Because I'm choosing to Doctor Who it make sense to base
my front cover design and format of there's.
At the top there's the "Doctor Who" logo with a much
smaller "BBC" logo above, on the left hand side. In the direct
center above the logo is the text "Special edition" - telling
the reader that this is a much more special copy of the
normal read...
At the center of the cover lies a copy of this edition's
artwork. Again at the center of this design is our main
character (The Doctor/Peter Capaldi;) behind him we can
see what appears to be the moon ,earth and the void of
space all done up to look nice. The viewer can identify that
this is Sci-Fi as our character is in a space suit with the
general background – all (in which are featured) is given the
very classical Sci-Fi look/appearance...
However unlike mine I've applied text all aroud the screen
letting the audience know more about the magazine.

5. Existing Product
Strapline: Differing from the masthead, the strapline is in a
dark orange colour and smaller font size – this is highlighting
the issue's standard ("special edition.")
The Masthead: Much like the previous example, this
magazine uses the bold white text to grab the audiences
attention.
Star and main image: Again like the previous example, the
star/main-character (Peter Capaldi) is covering the
masthead, leaving enough readability.
Cover-line (main:) For the main cover-line they use a bold
font with a slight red glow around the text ("special effects,")
thus making it less bland with a little more variation.
Cover-line: Differing from the last example, there is less
cover lines – allowing us to look more at the main image.
Despite this, the text is place underneath the main cover-
line, again using the plain white text format.

6. Existing Product
Again I've chosen to look at a "Doctor Who" -
Magazine, only his time inside - to get an idea of the
contents. Inside there's a blend of flashy subtitles with
collums of text (in a much smaller font) and pictures.
However, I've chosen to take my contents format in a
more different direction. Personally I find the plain
white backgrounds slightly off putting as there to bland
– I feel that a magazine should be a kind of art form,
straying away from the black on white format... In
order to achieve this I've chosen to use a textured
background that will look more appealing when looked
at, but it will still keep the contrast – maintaining the
read-ability.
At the begging of each new segment there will be a will
a cover dedicated to a piece of artwork that sums the
whole segment up, with text announcing that segment
– e.g. a title page...

7. Research Analysis
• What common features do the researched products have?
– For first two covers I found "existing products" that uses more
complex designs – putting allot more effort into the art making
them more visually appealing.
• What aspects of the research will you include within your
on work?
– I will keep the text sprawl and the more heavy block buster
poster-art from the first example.
– The running theme of Doctor Who and allot of the
text/logo/font from the second example.
– With the third example (-as it didn't reach to allot of what I
hope to achieve,) I won't really be taking anything away from it.
I can however use it to help me getting the contents of
magazine to look nice via working out what I don't like about it
and changing it when it comes to mine

8. Audience

9. Audience Profile
Category Demographic Content to appeal to this audience
Age Range 16 to 18
An age of people who can understand more
complex sentences and have access to shops
which will likely sell magazines/
Gender Male
The majority of nerds that will be found in this
fandom.
Psychographic Fans
This a magazine targeted towards the fandom.
Social Status
Middle class
(although legally
required to stay in
college until 18.)
Most likely has access to shops (which again
sell magazines – in range with the product I'm
trying produce.