The document describes Daniel Thompson's process for creating a magazine cover design. It details how he used layering, selection tools, and effects like bevel and emboss to design elements like the title, preview boxes, and logos. For a double-page spread, Daniel created a complex background and plain box for content. He added a glow effect and populated it with a title, shaped boxes for images, and dummy text. The other page of the spread used the same design with different layouts and a framed image. Daniel reflected that he aims to apply the techniques from his experiments, like layering and logos, to his final design.

1. Experiments
Daniel Thompson

2. Process
In the process of making my cover design, I have tried
to implement many different tools and effects to make
it as professional looking as possible. The biggest and
most used effect in this design is layering. It gives the
cover a perception of depth and emphasizes the game
main feature of the magazine.
To do this, I used the quick selection tool to highlight
the parts of the image that would need to be behind
the important areas. Once the area I wanted was
selected, I right clicked and selected copy via cut. This
cuts the highlighted area out and places it onto a new
layer. From this, I would be able to place anything on
top of or underneath the cut out section. As seen on
the second image, I have cut out the shoulder piece of
the character of the cover, layered the shape
underneath it and the image.

3. Process
The title of the cover is made using a couple of different tools. The first thing I did in
creating it was change the colour of the writing. I simply did this by clicking the colour
pallet and finding a suitable colour for my design. I only coloured the first letter to bring
emphasis and a different look to the writing in comparison to the plain text on the rest of
the cover. Obviously, this is because it is the main pull of the cover aside from the cover
image. To achieve the thicker look in the title, I simply double clicked on the layer with the
text on it which opened the layering menu. In this menu, I am able to manipulate my text
by adding shadows, overlays and strokes. For this text, I clicked on ‘bevel & emboss’. This
setting allows me to add a 3d look to the text. I am able to change the direction and the
intensity of the effect to give the writing a look as if it has a light shining on it from a
specific direction. I also added a stroke effect around the outside to further emphasize the
3d effect and also to make the header look more bold and stand out easier. It contrasts
with the lighter text colour and shows off the 'bevel & emboss' effect that I also added.
The last effect I used on the header was the outer
glow effect. This allowed me to change the colour
surrounding the text including the intensity and
spread of the glow to help emphasize the words
within.

4. Process
To create these mini preview boxes and the logos in the bottom of the magazine cover, I used
the shape tool. This allowed me to shape out the boxes and give the images a border which
in turn created a more realistic effect for my cover. The images were simply gained from
searching for them on Google images and them copy & pasting them and shrinking/cutting
them down into their correct sizes. I had to make sure the images were not too large as they
would look unusual and a lot harder to see because they have more pixels in a smaller space.
To get the logos for each game, I simply found the logo online, pasted the image into the
document and then used the quick selection tool to carefully highlight the logo and then,
using the same process as the layering slide, right clicked on the area and selected the copy
via cut option. Then it was just a case of shrinking the logos down and moving them to the
correct places in which I had planned out beforehand.

5. Process

6. Process
The design for the base of my double page spread was
done using a few different techniques. To create the
background, I looked through Google images to find a
pattern which could suit the rest of my page. I felt that a
complex background would be best because it would be a
good contrast with the plainly coloured box in the center.
This was simply just copy and pasted in. I had to make sure
that I could stretch the image into position by checking the
size of the images I was considering. The next part to this
design was to add the box for the content to go into. I felt
this would be at its best if it looked plain because of the
contrast with the background. I added a glow effect to the
box which let me further contrast the box with the
background, especially after I changed the glow colour to
coincide with the background.

7. Process
Once the basic design of the page was complete,
I could move onto the contents of it. For the title,
I simply changed the font to a more suitable one
with character and style and changed the colour
of the font from the original black to a bright
white to contrast with the black background. I
also added an underline by simply holding the
'ctrl' button and pressing the 'U' button. I added
a crown to the header to emphasize the
importance of the 'albums of the year section'.
This was done by using the custom shapes tool.
The boxes below were created using the shape
tool too but instead of creating the shapes and
leaving them be like on the cover, I had to take
the fill out of the shape and put it on the outline
instead. I did this by changing the shapes
properties in the menu that appears when a
shape has just been created. This same menu
also allowed me to change the thickness of the
outline and the style (dotted, dotted lines or one
line). The images, again, were gained from

8. Process
The other side of the double page spread uses the same
background and basic design of the left. The only
difference being the different layout of the content in
the page. First off, I used the shape tool to create the
information pop out at the bottom right and the text
box. This allowed me to plan out the layout of the page
before the content itself would be added. Again, I stuck
to the contrasting colours of yellow and black. The
frame at the top was added in using the custom shape
tool. It has a large amount of frames free to use for any
images or content that the creator would like to use. To
give it its pattern and 3d effect, I double clicked on the
shapes layer tab and opened the options menu for the
layer. From here I was able to add any pattern I wanted
to it. I chose the pattern that looked closest to what I
was hoping to find. I would have liked a better looking
pattern to use but due to this design being a production
experiment, it wouldn't matter as of such. I also used
the 'bevel & emboss' effect again to create the slightly
3d effect. For the articles I was about to add in and the
pop out box on the bottom right, I used the lorem
ipsum generator which allows the user to generate as
much writing they want in Latin to simulate real words
being written. This helps to see what the original design
will look like.

9. Process
Finally, the image in the page was found on Google
images and copy pasted into the design. I had to cut
some of the photo off and also resize it to get it to
fit inside the frame as I did not want to resize the
frame and potentially mess up the rest of the
design.

10. Reflection
• What elements of your experiments will you
include in your final product?
In my final design, I would like to use all of the techniques used in my production experiments. I
made my experiments with my final product in mind and therefore tried to create similar
looking features and effects to what I would like to make in my final design.
On the cover, I will definitely use the layering technique to give my design a 3d effect and keep it
from looking boring and flat. It will also provide a sense of importance for particular characters
featured. I also would like to use a colour scheme such as the one on the double page spread as
it is aesthetically pleasing and entices the reader to carry on reading the magazine. I will also
use the quick selection tool to cut out logos to feature in my cover contents instead of a
different font. The familiarity of the logo will help the readers understand and recognize what
the contents are talking about and informing them of. For the cover, I will try to use a more
structured approach to the text except for some text wrapping here and there if the image I use
is in the way of anything. The double page spread will follow suite but will also feature the same
pop outs that the right side of the experiment double page spread features. This is to keep the
product interesting to the reader and not too formal and structured.