1) The document describes the process of creating a magazine front cover for a coursework assignment. 2) Key steps included creating a blank A4 page, adding a masthead with the magazine name and details in blue, importing a photo of a model and flipping it to face the inside of the magazine. 3) Additional elements were added like pulls highlighting content, a blue circle plug and red exclusive box, the main article title and teaser in black, and a bar code to complete the realistic magazine cover design.

1. Producing the Front Cover

3. The Blank Document
• I have started making my front cover with a
blank A4 page. I have done this because the
size of the magazine I want to make for this
coursework unit is A4. The tools I used here
was the new image file, then selected the size
of a portrait piece of A4 for my page size.

5. Creating the Masthead
• I have based my masthead on the mastheads of magazines
like NME. For this I have used the polygonal lasso tool and
drew a box in the left hand side of the screen. Using the
paint bucket tool I filled it in blue. This is so that it stood out
clearly against the background without being too harsh a
colour. Blue is also the main colour of the photo I will be
using so this links.
• Then using the text tool I typed in the text the masthead
should contain. This includes slogan, magazine name as
well as price and date information. I did this because all
magazine mastheads contain this information and if I didn’t
use them on mine my magazine wouldn’t be following
conventions and would therefore not be conventional.

7. Importing the Photo
• The reason I have selected to use this photo is because it is bright, bold,
professional and vibrant. Using the lasso tool (with a feather radius of ten pixels) I
selected her from the background. Then using the copy and paste tool I pasted her
onto the front cover. This is because I didn’t have any access to a photography
studio and I wanted to use a studio style shot on my front cover, so for this I had to
artificially create one with the resources I had available to me. I did this because
most of the covers I researched into used a studio shot on the cover. Using one
made mine appear more like a realistic cover. I also flipped the photo to make it so
that she was looking into the magazine and facing the inside instead of the
outside. This draws the audience into the magazine.
• Below is the original photo.

9. Adding Pulls
• Using the text tool I have added three pulls on
the front cover. These tell the audience what
sort of content there is available in the
magazine. Then, using the polygonal lasso tool
I have underlined each pull to make it look
more professional, mature and realistic. I have
made them blue again because that way it
isn’t drawing attention away from the main
image which is attracting the audience.

12. Adding the box and the circle
• The circle is there to act as a plug, whilst the red is
there to act as an exclusive box.
• The plug is there again for content reasons to attract
audience. It’s blue so that it isn’t taking away too much
attention.
• The exclusive box is red because when professional
music magazines use an exclusive box they always have
it in red, so having mine in red makes it appear more
conventional and realistic.
• They both have drop shadows to make them stand out
more and to make the cover appear more 3-
Dimensional. It also makes them more eye-grabbing.

15. Adding main article
• Using the text tool I have added the words ‘Jacquii’.
This is eye-grabbing, it’s drawing attention and it
creates a link between the main photo and the
magazine. This is professional of music magazines to do
that. I have made it black so it’s bold and stand out,
again with a drop shadow because it makes it more
three dimensional, more eye-grabbing which is another
function of a main article.
• Using the text tool I have added further text which
gives an introduction to the article, some insight which
makes the audience want to know more and buy the
magazine so that they could read the article.

17. Adding bar code.
• All magazines have a bar code, so I have
placed one on mine to make it appear more
conventional and realistic.

18. Finished Cover (pre-audience
feedback)