POSSIBLE MAGAZINE HEADERS

When designing my magazine cover I had to make the decision of what I should name my magazine and what the audience shall see as my magazines header. I came up with a number of possibilities: 

• New Film
• Film Unlimited
• Preview Film
• The Ultimate Exclusive 

I carried out a survey questioning 20 family members and friends, it consisted of a simple tally chart voting for which Magazine name they preferred. The results are shown below.

New Film -                                  III    3

Film Unlimited -                          III    3

Preview Film -                           IIIIIIIII 9

The Ultimate Exclusive -             IIIII   5 

From collating these results I decided to go with "Preview Film". However, as "The Ultimate Exclusive" was second for choice I want to include this somewhere on my magazine cover, maybe as a tag line or unique selling point.. 

EDITED PHOTOS

To begin designing my magazine cover I had to make the decision of what photograph to use for my main image. Below are three images I think have the potential to be my final image. 

The reason I chose these images is because  I wanted to use the convention of direct mode of address within my design and I felt these three represented that convention the best. (Direct mode of address - the image of communicating with the audience visually). For all three images I edited them increasing both the brightness and contrast. I then ended up beautifying and air brushing my photos to enhance their overall quality, making them presentable for a magazine cover. Afterwards I researched into film magazine covers further more and discovered I was more attracted to covers using a black and white simplicity with just a small splash of colour (as seen in the images at the bottom of the post). This attraction had an impact on my final image as I then decided to edit my photos to fit the black and white colour scheme therefore I added a black and white filter. The black and white filter portrays a very classic film magazine and the possibility that this issue is a special edition. I also like the black and white effect as it allows me to add a simple amount but effective amount of colour to make the magazine look ascetically pleasing to its audience. 

Below are the magazine cover images I found during my research. They are the black and white editions which I found more appealing and that inspired my black and white edits.

                 

COLOUR SCHEMES

Colour schemes is a very important convention to consider when designing a magazine colour, due to the fact it must look ascetically pleasing and attract its audience. This post will show a few colour schemes that I considered during the process of designing my own magazine cover. 

This magazine cover for TOTAL FILM uses the colour scheme of black, white, yellow and red. The black and white image portrays a classic look and with the red and yellow layers the magazine has been added with colour. The red adds a danger flare, representing the action the film holds and the fiery atmosphere the cover portrays. The yellow however allows the audience to see that the magazine is also fun filled and appealing to both male and female, being a unisex magazine. What I will use from this magazine is the black and white main image for my magazine design.


For the TOTAL FILM Sherlock Holmes featured magazine, the cover uses blues, whites and black. In the world of media you would associate blues with Sci-Fi's and adventure, and Sherlock Holmes will be found in the Action| ADVENTURE | Crime section. I don't really enjoy looking at this magazine due to its colour scheme, however there are some elements I wish to take onto my own magazine design. The unique selling point of other images placed on the cover shown in the top right hand corner. 

This TOTAL FILM cover featuring "Man of Steel" has a very interesting colour scheme, red, white and silver. The colours work extremely well for this cover as the red co-ordinates with Superman's cape. The white used represents the innocence of Superman's character and the heroic characteristics he holds. I really enjoy how TOTAL FILM has used silver within their colour scheme to relate to "Man of STEEL", I also like how deep red looks on top of a grey background which I might consider for my own cover. 


The Harry Potter edition of EMPIRE uses white, red and gold shades for its colour scheme. What stands out to me on this cover is the use of gold. I really like this feature as it portrays that the edition is in some way special and possibly limited edition, therefore it automatically grabs the attention of its audience and I wish to use this feature within my design!

To come to conclusion, looking at all the colour schemes I have looked into I have found a number of colours I wish to use to create my own. I want to take the black and white classic look from TOTAL FILM'S James Bond edition, the red font used on top of a grey background from TOTAL FILM'S Man of Steel edition and the hints of gold as shown from EMPIRES Harry Potter edition.

PHOTO MONTAGE- POSSIBLE MAIN IMAGES FOR MAGAZINE COVER

Above is a photo montage I created of all the possible images I could use for the main image on my magazine cover. All images have potential to make it onto my final cover, especially the photos which consist of direct mode of address as that is one of the main conventions to found on a magazine cover. 

LAYOUT DESIGN

Above is a straight forward layout design that I created from all the conventions you would find on a magazine cover. This is the only design I have done because I feel this layout has potential, however if my final design doesn't work as well as I hope then I shall create a number of new layout designs and create some more magazine covers to help me choose my final product.
When designing my magazine cover I will be using Photoshop, the same program I used to design my film poster. I chose to use the same program due to the fact I am now experienced with the editing software and am able to design a piece skillfully but quickly.

FILM MAGAZINE RESEARCH - ANNOTATION

What are the most common elements of the magazine covers? Why are these important?

Every magazine cover consists of a masthead, date of publish, issue number, main image, main cover line and a unique selling point.These elements are important as they are all used for the purpose of attracting and enticing the target market. The masthead is used so that the market automatically recognise the magazine brand, attracting them to buy the issue is they are previous buyers of the magazine. The main image and main cover-line work with each other to attract the market by giving them an incite to what is inside. Many main images use the element of direct mode of address (visual contact with the audience) providing a relationship between the magazine and the buyers. And lastly, the unique selling point allows the audience to be attracted to that magazine only, as it has something different to all of the others, making the audience feel special, that they have gained something extra from buying that particular magazine. 


Which magazine is best at catching attention of potential readers? Why? 
I feel that "Total Film" has the most attractive magazine cover, featuring Inception. The main feature that I feel works to attract potential readers is the use of colour. The red on top of the blacks and blues automatically grabs the audiences attention, which then leads to focusing on the metallic like font, which is used for the main story line. The use of those four colours portrays a futuristic vibe, giving the impression that this magazine is the most up to date, fashionable and best in the market. 









Is there anything missing from any magazine covers? Do you think there is a reason for any missing features? 
I feel that the "Empire and Entertainment Weekly" are missing originality and creativity as the others consisted of individuality when it came to the main images and fonts etc. I think the reasons for "Empire and Entertainment Weekly" using this method is because of its reputation. Being a well-known brand and popular magazine, simplicity works for these brands, as they don't need extravagant elements to attract their audience. 

Do the magazine covers offer ay information that is not related to the film it is promoting? What is the other information and why is it necessary? 
Yes they do, they are known as other cover lines. They are story lines, which are also featured in the magazine, but aren't necessarily used to attract the audience. The other information consists of other film releases and stories which aren't necessarily in the for-front of the media. The other story lines are necessary as they can be used to attract another audience. 

Will any of the magazine covers help you design your own magazine cover? Which ones and why? 
Total Film is going to help me design my magazine cover as the colour palette has inspired me to do the same for mine. A simple image but to attract the audience i will use a strong colour palette. 

MAGAZINE COVER CONVENTIONS

Masthead -  A masthead is the magazines title or brand name which is usually found within the top third  of the magazine cover, for example: Cosmopolitan. A masthead does not need to be 100% clear to its audience as mastheads have their own individual design for their brand name, therefore they will be recognised even if layers are used over the masthead, making it less visible. 

Main Image - The main image is usually a posed photograph of a model/character which relates to the main storyline of the magazine. In many cases the models will use direct mode of address. 

Direct Mode of Address - Direct mode of Address is the action of the person within the main image making eye contact with their audience, as shown in the example above. The purpose of this convention allows the audience to feel that they have a connection with the magazine and entices them into knowing more and wanting to buy it through the use of interaction. 

Cover-lines - Cover-lines can be found anywhere on a magazine front cover. They are sometimes written in numerous amounts of fonts and in a smaller size compared to the Masthead. The purpose of placing cover-lines on the front cover is to give the audience an idea of what they will find inside, if a brief description is shown telling the audience of the stories inside then they are more likely to want to read it and buy it. 

Website - Placing a website link is a great use of media convergence, allowing the audience to carry on their interest using other media forms. Extras can also be found on magazine websites which may not be included in the standard printed form. 

Puff Words - Words that entice the audience into buying the magazine, almost persuasive  Words such as "Plus!" and "Exclusive!"

Unique Selling Point - The unique selling point is used to draw the audience in to the magazine over others as it has a unique feature to separate it from similar magazines. Unique selling points could be things like slogans, to attract the audience, competitions  a free gift etc. Anything that attracts the audience to the magazine. 

Barcode - A standard barcode will also be placed on a magazine cover, from 1988. 

Date - A release date is also shown on a magazine cover to keep up to date with issues or if you are a collector. Dates can include, day, month and year. 

Issue Number - For collectors, they are able to know whether they are up to date.

Price - The price is always shown 

Colour Palette - The colour theme of the magazine, a range of colours put together which go together to make the overall colour palette. For example on the Cosmopolitan magazine colour the colour palette is; white, black, yellow and orange. 

San Serif Font - Fonts such as Arial which do not have serifs on them (small bars). San serif fonts are a lot easier to read which is why magazine covers use them.