The document describes the process taken to design the front cover of an indie rock magazine. Key steps included: 1) Retaking the main cover photo to better capture the genre and cutting it out in Photoshop. 2) Adding a grey background color informed by a peer survey on colors associated with indie rock. 3) Positioning the masthead, coverlines, sublines and other elements following conventions of professional magazines and using colors from the survey. 4) Iteratively refining placements and designs of elements like the coverlines and sublines to make important information stand out.

1. I started by taking my main image
for my front cover. I had already
taken pictures of Katie for the front
cover, however I felt as though these
images were not strong enough and
decided to retake them. This image
was the one I decided to use as I
believed Katie’s facial expressions
showed the genre of indie rock. I cut
around the image by using
photoshop tool. I knew that I
wanted a background underneath
the image and so made sure that
the image was cut around properly.
This was harder as I didn’t use a
green screen like I had done before
with the first images I took of Katie.

2. • Adding the background
was very easy through
using photoshop I was
able to decide on a colour
by using the results I
obtained from the
questionnaire that I
handed out to peers and
this allowed me to get an
idea of a colour scheme
suitable for the indie rock
genre and I would also be
able to use this colour
scheme throughout my
magazine. Grey, along
with dark red, white and
black showed up multiple
times as being colours
associated with the indie
rock genre.

3. • My masthead was then added
to the top of the front cover
and I wanted the masthead to
run completely from left to
right. To create a real contrast
and make the masthead stand
out I used white against the
dark grey background. I also
added a drop shadow to
emphasise the contrast and
almost make the masthead
become more unique. The idea
of my masthead becoming a
logo was helped by the font as
I made sure the font was not
used anywhere else on the
front cover. Another idea I had
to be aware of is making sure
that Katie’s head did not cover
the masthead in anyway as my
magazine is clearly not a very
well known or established
brand as of yet.

4. • I then added the main
coverline which was the
artists name. I wanted to
coordinate the colour scheme
to what the artist was
wearing so I added a navy
blue colour to the colour
scheme. This was also
accompanied with the white
and I hoped that this would
make the coverline stand out
and almost become a focus
on the front cover, along with
my masthead. The positioning
of the main coverline was
something that I struggled
with, however I also wanted
the positioning to help the
coverline stand out so I made
sure that the coverline was
close to the main image to
anchor it as well as
positioning the two names in
a unique way.

5. • Next I added the main
subline which would
give the reader a little
insight to what the main
article would be about. I
used a puff to make the
main subline stand out
and this also was
located close to the
main image so that it
could be anchored. The
subline refers to what
the article will be about
and what people will
find out about this
article which is the main
article featured on the
cover.

6. • I then added the barcode
which I was able to get
from the internet.
However I then added the
date, price and issue
number which are all
codes and conventions of a
professional music
magazine. This involved
making a white box around
the barcode and then
simply adding the text of
the price, then the date
which involves the month
and year. Then I added the
issue number and as this is
the first issue of my
magazine the issue
number is 1.

7. • I then added a navy blue
banner across the bottom of
my front cover. This fitted in
with my colour scheme and
also enabled me to add the
names of some popular indie
bands. I was able to collect
these names from the
questionnaire that people
filled out. This involved the
question of what peoples
favourite indie bands were.
People gave a wide range of
answers and I was able to see
which of the following were
the most popular and feature
them on the front of my
magazine and this would not
only enable me to see what
bands my target audience like
but also which bands were the
most popular.

8. • I then added a
positioning statement.
This is a common
feature of a music
magazine and is always
placed above the
masthead and is a
sentence that sums up
the genre of the
magazine and almost
sells it to the reader. My
positioning statement
mentions the word
‘best’ which I believe to
sell the magazine to the
target audience.

9. • Next I added the rest of
my coverlines. Here I
introduced more of the
burnt orange colour
which I believe is
associated with the
indie genre. This colour
was not featured in the
questionnaire that I
gave out but I still think
that it coordinates well
with the navy blue, grey
and white. Through
analysing many
professional music
magazines I have seen
that the introduction of
a pop colour makes the
magazine seem more
professional.

10. • Finally I added the sublines
which also fitted in with
the colour scheme as I
used white. Thos also
created a contrast with the
background as the white
stood out from the dark
grey. The sublines are only
a line or two however I
believe they give the
reader a better insight to
the reader about what
each article will be about .
Some of the sublines do go
over the main image,
however I don’t think that
this affects the image or
the sublines in anyway.