2. To create a professional looking magazine cover, I decided to research real
media texts first, as this would give me a better understanding of how features
and images are placed in magazines. We initially decided to look at Empire
Magazine front covers as it is well-known, however, we soon realised that other
groups were also creating Empire Magazine covers for their films, therefore, we
opted for another film magazine. We decided to look at Total Film magazine as it
is also very popular and because no one else had chosen that magazine, we
decided that we should as we wanted to be unique and make our product stand
out more, as compared to others. Therefore, I started researching Total Film
magazine’s house style and to get an idea of typical conventions they use on all
their magazines and the factors that made their magazine look different.
3. This is the first magazine which really caught my eye, as I was
looking through Total Film magazines. The factor which
instantly grabbed my attention was the main image and the
title of the film below it. The main image is very intriguing due
to the angle of gaze of the character, as it is directly looking at
the viewer. I think this is effective as it fascinates the audience
to buy the magazine and read it, as that is the main aim of the
magazine. The main image is a mid-close up of the character
and the focus of the camera has been set more on the face of
the character, rather than his body, which makes the image
look very bold, overall. Also, due to the facial expressions of
the character and the weapon he is wearing, we can figure out
that the film contains action. The second feature which
attracted me was the title of the film, mainly due to the size of
it. This feature is the second largest, after the magazine logo,
which is why it caught my eye. The font of the film name is
written in a serif font, which results in making the title look
very prominent, as a whole. Another factor which intrigues me
is the colour of the font i.e. white, as it works well with the blue
in the background and helps bring out the title. Therefore,
taking these factors into consideration, I knew I had to include
a very engrossing main image on my front cover, as that is
one of the main features which attract the audience. Also, I
needed to use an interesting font, which would compliment
the main image.
4. The second magazine cover I looked at was this Star
Trek one. The main intriguing aspect of this, in my
opinion, is the colour scheme as it results in making
the overall magazine look engaging. The colour red
really makes the magazine look striking as it
highlights the important features on the magazine, for
example, the names of the films above the
masthead. Furthermore, as the main image is quite
dull, the white text used makes the features readable
due to the grey and black background. On this
magazine cover, I noticed that there was minimal
text, similar to the first magazine. I think this is very
effective, as even though is doesn’t give too much
away to the reader, it intrigues them to find out more,
especially the main feature which is about Star Trek.
Another aspect of the magazine which is quite unique
is the white strip on the left, containing other features
which will be included in the magazine. The main part
of this feature which makes it stand out are the red
circles used between each feature, as that is what
catches the reader’s eye the most. There also a red,
circle graphic used near the main feature, suggesting
that they both link. If you look closely at the graphic, it
states ‘collect all 4’, which acts as an incentive for
viewers to buy the magazine.
5. This magazine really intrigued me due to the bright orange
colour text and graphics, included in the colour scheme. As the
background and the main image are in black and white, the
orange colour looks very vibrant and stands out the most.
Also, the graphic at the bottom of the magazine cover works
well with the rest of the graphics and features, as it gives it a
very professional look. There is a lot of variety of fonts used on
the magazine, which include serif and sans serif. This, overall,
makes the magazine look bold and eye-catching, encouraging
viewers to read the magazine. Like the previous magazine
covers, this cover also has a small amount of coverlines,
which makes it look neat and it doesn't look as though too
much is going on. Titles such as ‘world exclusive!’ and ‘unseen
pics!’, in my opinion, act as an incentive as they engage the
audiences' attention. Also, because red isn’t one of the major
colours in the colour scheme, it looks more bold than the other
features. I really think that the sizes of the text make a huge
impact on the overall look of the magazine, as they flow
together effortlessly. The feature which brings everything
together is the main image as that is the first thing the viewer
looks at. This image used on this magazine consists of the
hero in the film. Also, the angle of gaze, as previously seen, is
looking straight at the audience, which is quite effective as it
encourages people to know more about the film.
6. Overall, after researching Total Film Magazine’s house style, I understood that
the main image should be the most intriguing feature on the magazine as that is
what the viewer looks at first. Also, the angle of gaze on all 3 magazines showed
all actors looking straight towards the camera. Therefore, I took this into
consideration and decided to choose an image which would be similar.
Furthermore, I realised I needed to pay attention to the fonts and sizes I would
use for the coverlines, as they result in making the magazine look professional.
The colour scheme for my front cover would have to be based on the other
products I created, as we mainly used the colours black , red and white.
Therefore, I would have to play around with the fonts to make them look bold like
the second front cover I researched. The coverlines I would include would have
to be quite minimal as real media texts showed that not many words were used,
which I thought which was effective. Hence, I would have to use a few words to
give a hint of what the coverline would be about, as this would encourage the
viewer to buy the magazine.
7. Overall, after researching Total Film Magazine’s house style, I understood that
the main image should be the most intriguing feature on the magazine as that is
what the viewer looks at first. Also, the angle of gaze on all 3 magazines showed
all actors looking straight towards the camera. Therefore, I took this into
consideration and decided to choose an image which would be similar.
Furthermore, I realised I needed to pay attention to the fonts and sizes I would
use for the coverlines, as they result in making the magazine look professional.
The colour scheme for my front cover would have to be based on the other
products I created, as we mainly used the colours black , red and white.
Therefore, I would have to play around with the fonts to make them look bold like
the second front cover I researched. The coverlines I would include would have
to be quite minimal as real media texts showed that not many words were used,
which I thought which was effective. Hence, I would have to use a few words to
give a hint of what the coverline would be about, as this would encourage the
viewer to buy the magazine.
