MAGAZINE COVERS digital design

Examples

What makes a good cover? The basics—title, headline, teasers Strong artwork/photography Unified design Color scheme

The basics—title Title of the magazine Text should stand out from the rest of the cover Should be legible

Title The image can cover up part of the title if it remains legible. Also include the month and year.

Title

The basics—headline One headline that goes with the main image Tells what the featured story is about Should be the next biggest text after the title

Headline Sometimes the main headline will have a short summary to go along with it

Headline

The basics—teasers Smaller headlines that give a taste of what will be in the magazine “Teases” readers with just enough information to pique their interest

Example teasers… 6 tips to a nutritious and delicious breakfast HELP! Facebook is taking over my life Stressed? Check out 5 relaxation tips, page 7 Meet the woman behind the chart-topping hits, page 22 FAST FOOD GUIDE: From the best deals to the healthiest meals

Teasers Include 2-4 teasers. In this example they also include the page number.

Headline These teasers are accompanied by a small photo about the story

Artwork Artwork should be compelling People  Faces Famous people – prominence As a rule of thumb, stick with ONE DOMINANT IMAGE

Artwork

Famous faces

Artwork Famous faces

Unified design Good design makes the final product look simple  When all design elements work together, it ends up looking simple, natural All elements should look like they belong TIP #1: Don’t overcomplicate the design. Start with one dominant image, add your text, then add more “flair”. TIP #2: A border along the outside can help unify the design

Unity Simple, yet powerful This cover won an award for design

Unity Border around outside, that same color is used in the title

Unity Border along the outside

Color scheme Don’t go “color crazy” Use colors from your dominant image for fonts Red is the most dramatic color—it jumps off the page the most.

Color Repeat colors, don’t use 8 different colors Use colors from your title in your teasers

Color Notice that all headlines have the same color

YOUR TURN You will be creating a magazine cover S drive  Art  J. Barnes  Magazine Covers Today Go over rubric as a class Grade a sample project individually using rubric Brainstorm a magazine topic Pick a title for your magazine Work time Friday Tips on finding artwork, creating original graphics Work time Magazine cover due at the end of the block

REMINDER PASS OUT RUBRICS

SAMPLE Title: ___/5 Headline: ___/5 Teasers: ___/5 Art: ___/5 Unity: ___/5 Photoshop: ___/5 Color: ___/5 TOTAL: ___/35

SAMPLE Title: 5/5 Headline: 4/5 Teasers: 3/5 Art: 5/5 Unity: 3/5 Photoshop: 5/5 Color: 4/5 TOTAL: 29/35 83% B

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