The document describes the stages of developing the cover design for a music magazine called "Front Cover". Over 7 stages, various design elements are added, such as the cover star image, magazine title, background colors and textures, article previews, and pricing information. The goal is to create an eye-catching design that draws attention to the cover star and articles, follows magazine design conventions, and will appeal to the target audience to increase profits. Color, fonts, images, and layout are carefully crafted at each stage to achieve these objectives.

1. Front CoverDevelopmentBy Christian Whelan

2. Stage One This was at the very beginning of the Front Page development as you can see, one of the photos taken from the photo shoot with model Rachael Jackson has been used as the cover star as planned. I believe having the original image with the actual background may of looked amateurish, so I have cut her body and face out of the photo and copied it onto this blank background. This draws more attention to the Cove Star, a convention needed when selling a magazine, I found the cover star is usually the main attraction of a magazine cover and therefore sells the most. I have also photo shopped Rachael to make her more “Hollywood” like, removing and imperfections in the original image. Whilst also adding colour to make the image much more appealing. Secondly I have started with the magazine title. I have decided to use Trajan Pro. The reason being I believe many of the other fonts have no character to them, and look very unprofessional. This font is bold, sharp and demands to be seen. The title is the third thing I want people to see, and I can do this by making the title bold. A feature I have used. Also I have used the “Drop Shadow” effect on the title, to give it more depth and ultimately to emphasise the name, making it seem like it sticks out of the page. Thirdly have background to the title, which is pink, relating to my target audience which are mainly females. I believe however this pink behind the black bold title emphasises the title much more, as the colours contrast. Last but not least I have used the “Noise” effect on the background colour. Reason being because a solid colour looks very cartoon like to me, and I want an extra subtle depth to my design. I want my magazine to create an “eye candy” to the potential consumers, therefore resulting in a larger profit, accomplishing my main objective.

3. Stage Two Here not much has changed, however I have added two things. However I will mainly discuss stereotypically convention of a music magazine. To start the three things I have added are ad addition to the title with the “The” withitn the “C” from the magazine title. The underlying motto, and the top right banner that hghlight the number of the magazine Issue. Firstly the title addition. I wanted the title to have a certain appeal to it, therfore by having the “The” in an unconventional area withint the “C” i believe i have added a certain interesting feature that will please consumers. Thsi add tion was also written in the font Trajan Pro to give the magazine soemconsistancy.T rap up the magazine title I have placed everything there as it is conventional of a every day music magazine, the title is almost always at the op on the left. Making the desing recognisable to potential consumers.Secondly the unerlying title motto. I have continued the black text theme and twisted it, to continue the colour pallete but to add an interesting look to the design. It unerlines and seperates the title for the ret of the page, therefore empahsising the magazine title. I have also created a motto for the magazine, typical of many magazine in that witha motto they can send a mesage which will draw in their target audience. The background is balck also contrasting with the white text, making it look prfoessional yet readable.Fianlly the banner on the top left, here I have added to the colour lpallete, using yellow to kkeep to a much more feminine audience, sterotypically females are associated with the brighter primary colours. This has been put on a rotation in the far corner to hide it from the reader yet keeping it visible, a detail such as magazine issue is a minor selling point ina magazine but people still would like to know. The magazine issue is suaulyl small and relativley hidden. Therefore my design sticks to the normal conventions. TO further hide the magazine issue I have used a faint grey against the yellow, although alost contrasting colours it keeps the issue number hidden whilst simultaniouslymakign it clearly and easily readble.

4. Stage Three Next I have added the main magazine article. Lady Jackson (name was eventually changed. I hvae placed it in the middle of the page, down at the bottom. The reason for this is because its central, just like the image, this draws people attention to it, and as its the main article, this si what I want. Also its within the cover star image, as that is the mian attraction, naturally they are goin to read the main headline next. This is conventional also of a magazine, the main seellgin point article in the middle of the page in front of the artist who is the cover star. Furthermore in temrs of colour I have made the writing white. Not just because it continue the colour pallette but because any othe r colour wouldnt stand out on the sequin kacte the cover star is wearing. As the jacket is black, a white text would contrast, making the main article stand out. On this tiel I have used the drop down shadow effect again, and the stroke effect to outline the lettters. This gives the writing style whislt also emphasising it. Finally I have used the same Trajan Pro font as before. Below the title I have an extension of the story, giving a taste of what is too come in the article. Wetting the appatties of the potenial readers. Note that the “Down The Rabit Hole” is just temparary, to give me aan idea of what it would lok like, thsi would be changed to a more efffeive sub title so that it would meet the ocnvetions of a magazine.

5. Stage Four A dramatic change has been made here, by adding one picture as the background I have changed the entire look, feel and theme of the magazine. I have used a high resoltuon picture of space. I wanted the jacket of seuins to create a style. Theyalmostloklieksars, this is what gave me the inpiration to have a “Glam Pop” spaceage style added to the magazine. I am really proud of what i have achieved with this one picture. It add so much colour the the magazine that no matter where you are you are drawn to it by its intense colours. The reason I have gone for such a bod design is because I felt like althouhg my prelimanery was technically at a good standard, it was terribly dull. As I was scared to use colours, believing it would become too childlike and cartoony. I now know that using colours only adds extra character and depth to the magazine design. Resulting in a highly profitabe product. Now as you can see this overall lookand fell reflect a retro “Glam Pop” style, highlightin the cover stars unique musical direction and tyle. This theme bring together all the colours I have added previously. Making this magazine less female driven, and actually although it contains steroetypicaly feminine colours, ts cool enough to be bought byu a unisex audience. Thereofeer in creasing the proft. This them i have used throughout the Cover Page will reflectonto the double page spread also. Not soo much the contents page however.

6. Stage Five Here I cannot write much, as I have onyl added one thing. The circle behind the magazine title. This orgional was supposed to be a splash for an advertisment related to free posters within the magazine. However I placed I looked at it and as the spae age theme was intriuging me at this moment i decided to place it somewhere else.. Its shaeprmeinded me of a planet. So ideided to place it behind the magazine title, as although i thought it looked good, i felt the area around the magazine title was a bit plain and boring. So by adding a shape i believe i added some more depth. I used the otergloweffec ton the circle to give it a white border, so that his addition would stand out. The problem I faced doing this was that the motto was now barely visible. To creectr this I added the “drop Shadow” effect onto the motto text aswell at the stroke effect. This highlighted and emphasised the text, Elimanating that issue.

7. Stage Six Once again not much has changed.The only addition here is the barcode and the price above it. This has to be on the magazine, nto only is it a convention fo every popular profitble magazine, but it is an actrual need once the magazine is on sale. Its barcode finds the price. Without a price ther is no proft. For t epriceabova the barcode I have used it because again, this is common in magasine. The price isnt always above the barcode, hhoweveer often it is. In small font also. The price itself is £3.99, reason being because this is the nromalpprice a magazine sells for, if i have a price that is between the cheapest and the dearest of prices I can widen my audience. Afgerall teenagers are not flushed with money. I priced it at £3.99 because pricing it at £4.00 would put the potential consumer off purchasing the magazine. Pyscholigytellesus that somethin at 99 pence is much cheaper than somethin a penny more. This convetion is used in almost every single product. Including magazines. These two convetions used not only have a practicle use but make the magazine look professional and marketable.

8. Stage Seven The main change here are the articles on the left side. Looking at them I really liek the design, however I may make the m smaller and add another artist advertisemtn for an article. Because i want to use the rule of three. Without having anythin distract form Rachael and her antire pose. In terms of colour, I have chosen pink to continue the colour pallete for the headers. For the subtext below i have chosen white, and the font size is much smaller. The reason for this is because I want the headers to be much more bold than the subtext, larger font and bolder colorus draw attenion to the artist names. The artists are what the buyers are more itnerested in. Through questionnaire i found that the artist within the magazines are abig selling point. Therefore highlightin the names increases the ahcnes of the magazine being bought. For the subtext i have made it smaller and lighter, this is conventional, below the artist names there is usually smaller text exlaining what the article is about in summary of one short sentence. Short and snappy is easier to read an much mroe interesting for teenagers, which happens to be my audience. Finally i have added to date on the Cover above the barcode, this gives the consumer an idea of hwo recent the magazine is, the more recent the issue is the more chance of being baught it has. This date palcement is conventional of any form of magazine.

9. Stage Seven The main change here are the articles on the left side. Looking at them I really like the design, however I may make the m smaller and add another artist advertisement for an article. Because i want to use the rule of three. Without having anything distract form Rachael and her entire pose. In terms of colour, I have chosen pink to continue the colour palette for the headers. For the subtext below i have chosen white, and the font size is much smaller. The reason for this is because I want the headers to be much more bold than the subtext, larger font and bolder colours draw attention to the artist names. The artists are what the buyers are more interested in. Through questionnaire I found that the artist within the magazines are a big selling point. Therefore highlighting the names increases the chances of the magazine being bought. For the subtext I have made it smaller and lighter, this is conventional, below the artist names there is usually smaller text explaining what the article is about in summary of one short sentence. Short and snappy is easier to read an much more interesting for teenagers, which happens to be my audience. Finally I have added to date on the Cover above the barcode, this gives the consumer an idea of how recent the magazine is, the more recent the issue is the more chance of being bought it has. This date placement is conventional of any form of magazine.

10. Stage Eight Here we see two changes. The bottom banner with the splash add and the alteration of the side sub-headlines. Firstly the bottom changes, I believed there wasn't enough content on the page in terms of artists and music. Conventionally the smaller articles within the magazine are advertised on the front cover in a much minimalist way. Smaller writing and much more hidden. Here I have used the convention of having these smaller articles advertised in a much more hidden area of the page. Introducing them with “ALSO” in capitals and highlighted with the used of Bold or another contrasting colour. A convention used in many magazines, which is followed directly by the artist names separated by semicolons. Another convention conveyed on many music magazines, the artist names separated by semicolons to make it easier to read in bite sixed chunks. The shorted the words and names on the front cover the more likely it that reader will have the time to read and even purchase. It needs to sum up what's in the magazine quickly before the potential consumer walks away. Then we have the splash with the offer. “Free Poster Inside! This is conventional also of almost every magazine issue. It makes the reader think he/she is getting more than he/she paid for. Give the reader the impression that the magazine conveys quality of price. Finally the Poster itself is a common giveaway within magazines, a poster of a popular artist at the moment. Finally I have added an extra sub-headline, creating the convention and technique of the rule of three. A convention many magazine implement into the front cover, its fast, simple and easy to read. A convention used within many media forms.This is My Final Draft