This document provides guidance on designing magazine front covers, including positioning of text and images, use of lighting and framing to represent the cover star, and conveying the magazine's brand identity. Key recommendations include placing the masthead in the top 1/6 of the page, using the cover star's facial expression and posture to appeal to the target audience, and ensuring the cover star is recognizable from a distance on newsstands. Effective representation and branding are essential to attracting readers and distinguishing the magazine from competitors.

1. Front cover analysis
Conventions
Photography
Representation
(Relates to Q4- codes and conventions)

2. When shooting for a front cover you
must consider:
1. Position of text and features on the page
2. Position and size of the masthead (must take
up the top 1/6 of the page)
3. Whether the audience will be able to see and
recognise the star from far away/ on a
crowded news stand
4. Use of light, colour, negative space, framing,
eye level of the star, plain backgrounds.

3. Representation
• Representation is how you choose to FILTER
your image to appeal to your target
audience, and exclude those you don’t want
using your product.
• Key to creating a positive representation for
your audience are:
– Facial expression and eye contact
– Costume
– Posture
– Shot type
– Height of the camera (e.g. If the camera is lower than eye level
the star will look more dominant)

4. Magazine profile
Name of magazine: NME
Target audience: alternative
Brand identity: The name of the
magazine gives the magazine its
own brand identity.
NME – standing for new musical
express, suggests new music and
individual style. Having a short,
catchy name like NME is a unique
selling point – being easy and
recognisable.

5. 2- MASTHEAD
looking up from the
cover stars eyes you
see the NAME of
the magazine. Being
in the top left
corner. 1 -EYES
Eyes on the top line,
being the first thing you
3- FACE look at when you look at
Face being the main object the magazine.
of the page, is placed in the
middle box.
4-FEATURES
The reader reads from
top to bottom, as a
5-COVER STARS NAME list. This also stops the
Bold and in black the cover text anchoring the
Stars name stands out, being cover stars face.
anchored on the white of her
T-shirt. Her name being in the
left bottom corner, shows the
audience that the magazine is
being aimed at may know who
she is already.

6. Tag line
Small & short but distinctive.
Importance
Important text goes at
Masthead the top to show
The masthead needs to
importance.
be the largest piece of
text on the page. It
needs to be striking
Eye contact
Eye contact with he
and bold.
consumer, is important
to engage their
Colour Scheme attention, to buy this
The colour of her hair, magazine over others.
face, t-shirt and text,
all collaborates to
create a distinctive Fonts
house style. Giving it No more than 3
that professional fonts should be used
look. on the front cover.
On this front cover 3
fonts have been
Quote used, it gives it a
Giving the reader a professional look –
snippet of information neat & bold.
of what the interview
will be about. Features
Who or what is in the
Anchor magazine. Creates a
‘Florence’ is the
genre.
next biggest piece
of text on the Barcode Essential
cover. Showing the for the magazine to
consumer who the be on sale, showing
cover star is. the price.

7. Eye contact
The reader is also drawn in by
the fact that the cover stars
giving the reader eye contact.
Cover stars clothing
Minimal use of colour in her
clothing, doesn't take away
the attention from
Florence’s vibrant hair.
Mouth
The use of a pout but not a
smile shows a hard look –
the star looks strong and
defiant.
Hair
The use of a close up on the cover stars face, doesn’t show much
colour, but here Florence's vibrant red hair, (which she is known for)
can show emotion - red meaning danger or in the quote in one in one
of the features where she refers to the ‘X – Factor’. This is also it is a
unique selling point, for it would stand out amongst other magazines
on a stand.

8. You should have AT LEAST two front covers
annotated at the start of your planning to
show that common features are UNIVERSAL
across all magazines.
In your planning for your final product you
should have analysis of AT LEAST two
magazines that are similar to what you are
trying to make