I created a magazine front cover by selecting a font for the masthead and placing it near the bottom of the page. I customized a bar code with issue details to place at the bottom. I inserted a cropped music-style image stretching across the middle. I highlighted important words and adjusted text around the central image. I added promotional elements like a "Win a Mac" banner and changed text colors to fit the style. I received feedback on Facebook to further improve the magazine cover design.

1. Creating my
magazine
front cover

2. Using the front that I had selected from my experimentation with fonts (stroke_dimension) I made my masthead. I
placed this close to the bottom of the page because I felt this would made the magazine a little different to most
others which fitted well with the genre and name of the magazine. I altered the font size and space between the
letters to get it how I wanted it and to fit nicely. I also slightly changed the colour of the font to dark get to give
the impression in had been written in pencil.

3. I then made and downloaded my own bar code which I customized to fit to my magazine. I also added in the issues
number, date and price of my magazine and placed these at the very bottom of my magazine cover, that way they
can be seen but are not in the way of the central image or any text.

4. I then inserted a music style image that I had taken in my photo shoot for my music magazine. I stretched and
cropped it to fit the size of my magazine and then sent it too the back.

5. I then started adding features to the music magazine cover. I highlighted the move important words to make
them stand out and fit with the house style. I changed the fittings of the text so that it fitted around the figure
in my central image.

6. Once I had finished adding features down the left hand side I added a “Win a Mac” puff to my music magazine
cover. I made the background red to attract a potential readers eye. I also added a shadow under the magazine as
this would give it a more edited look, like real magazines on the market. I also changed the colour of some of my
text to make it fit in better with the house style of the magazine. It also helped it stand out better from the central
image.

7. I then added a strapline underneath the masthead. This acts as kind of a slogan would to a product. It’s a catchy
line which would stick in a readers head and help them buy the magazine again or to reader the masthead of the
magazine.

8. I then added a banner to the top of my magazine, this listed a few of the artists that would be features at some
point in the magazine. These artists will fit with the genre as well as be popular in the media at the moment in
time to attract potential readers.

9. I then changed the positioning of my masthead as it did not fit with the conventions
of todays magazines of sell. One reason for this is how the magazines are stacked
when they are on display, this normally only means the top of the magazines are
showing and so it wouldn’t be appropriated to place the masthead at the bottom of
the magazine where it would not be seen by the target readership.

10. I then put my music magazine onto Facebook where I could get some audience feed back and make improvements
to my music magazine front cover.