Final Magazine Cover

 

 Final Cover 

After designing multiple magazine covers, I was able to learn some of the critical elements of designing an eye-catching magazine cover. I gained some knowledge about designing a cover with unique color schemes and layouts that can grab a reader's attention. The final cover I chose after narrowing it down to two designs was chosen based on the colors and overall design of the cover. This cover was picked because it matched the fashion magazine genre as well as the colors and model were very unique. I used the Canva app and the Picsart app to edit the pictures as well as for designing the final cover/s. The two apps provided me with many options for the tools that can be used for designing the cover. The cover aligns and follows most of the conventions of the fashion magazine genre. However, it is extremely unique in the design choices that were made. Below, I will explain the choices I made in my final cover and why I made each of them as well as why I chose this cover as my final one.

 

Why Not Option 2?:

Firstly, I decided to not choose the design shown on the right because of the font choice. The font used here and the spacing that went along with it is not very modern of fashion-like. Fashion magazine covers tend to be more put-together and simple. In addition, the coverlines were not very visible and blended in with the main image. The color choice was good, but not good for this specific cover. In addition, it was very bland and did not have the pop of color that would be able to attract a reader. The cover overall did not stand out with its design and while it has most of the conventions of a fashion magazine cover, it needed to be more unique and modern.  Therefore, I decided on not choosing this cover and picking the other design instead. 

 Final Option: 

I chose to go with option 1 for multiple reasons including its design and the text choices. I went through the whole design and making process of the following cover in my "Cover Mockups" blog. I believe that this is the better option because of the unique conventions that it uses as well as the final look of it. 

Firstly, the main image I chose was taken in many angles and poses; However, I thoughts that the one used here would be the best option since it shows the full outfit worn by the model as well as it being taken from a special angle. The colors that she is wearing complement each other very well without being overwhelming or too overboard.  I chose to remove the background of the original image because having a solid-color digital background makes the focus only be on the model and her dressing choices. The color of the background is very similar to the jacket that she is wearing and has a very neutral tone which allows for the modern and simple look. It also complements the model's outfit very well color wise. 

Secondly, the masthead or title I chose was "Belle" because of its meaning in French (beauty) as well as the look of the letters. The placement is centered just like most other magazines so that it gives the cover a symmetrical look. The font used is Serif for the masthead as well as the subheading. This font has a high-class and formal look which aligns with the fashion genre. However, I chose to make the masthead black in order for it to pop out while still blending in because of the dark color. The model in the main image is covering the masthead because the cover is supposed to go with a very well-known magazine and so therefore, the name can be easily recognized without having to be fully shown. Right below the masthead, a rectangular black box is placed that states "Exclusive", making the particular issue seem special out of the past ones. On the other hand, the subheading is white because since it is placed on the model's image, it would need to stand out and the color white was the simplest yet poppiest color that could be chosen. "The Fashion Trending" is the main content topic in the magazine's content which would be covered more in the table of contents. 

Thirdly, the coverlines take up most of the space that is left around the model. They are mostly hinting at a specific article inside the magazine specifically the one about the model and her life story as well as one featuring one of her famous interviews. The first one is her name with a phrase below that says "in a fashion love story" which implies that later on her story with fashion will be discussed or talked about in an article. Then, the other coverline is a very well-known quote that she has said in one of her interviews which intrigues the readers to dive in and read the interview as well as the other content in there. The font used for all of the coverlines is Sans Serif because of the sleek and stable look that it gives. This allows for a balance between the sans serif and serif fonts being used in the cover. The color is white because it complements the darker background that it is placed against. The model's name is places on the top left because of the perfect space for it and it is the second things the reader will see after the masthead. The quote is placed in the other empty space in the right center because it fills in the gap with an interesting coverline. The coverline choice was based on the main image and is very simple is that the cover is not filled with distracting coverlines all over. The very brief coverline choice makes for a modern and more put-together look on the cover.

Fourthly, there is no sell line placed anywhere in the cover because more modern and traditional magazines do not place sell lines on their covers. In addition, sell lines are not very necessary to the magazine nor is it an important element to the cover. From there however, a barcode is placed where it would usually be placed in a modern magazine, the bottom left. The placement allows for it to be visible yet not taking away the attention of the readers from the main cover and image. The black color was used so that it can blend into the background and not distract the reader.  A date of publication is placed in the top right corner right above the magazine so that it can easily be accessed while also not taking major space from the cover or its content. There is no issue number included in the magazine because fashion magazines tend to not use those very often. The issue number is not necessary and most often not needed to have a complete cover. 

Fifthly, the color scheme of the cover is very neutral, and the colors are very simple. The color combination I chose ended up looking elegant and matching up with everything in the main image used. The three colors are all present in the model's outfit making them go together very well. Overall, a very simple color scheme was opted for to ensure that I kept the conventions of a usual fashion magazine cover. I also chose these colors because they are trending this season and would therefore make for a trendy look. 

Lastly, the layout of my cover is very similar to that of most fashion magazine covers. The main image is centered a little to the right because of the side profile image making it have to be pushed a little. The content of the cover and its elements are very well-put together and follow the conventions of fashion magazine covers. The overall layout is modern and organized to make for the wanted modern and elegant look to the final cover.

 Conclusion: 

Ultimately, the final cover has a very modern and sleek look white also being subtle and simple which is one of the reasons I picked it. A vast majority of it followed the conventions of a fashion magazine cover while minor details were sophisticated in their own ways. The overall organization and layout of the cover mixed with the color scheme makes it be the better option. The Canva software as well as the Picsart app allowed me to create the final cover with all its details and align it with the fashion genre that has been chosen. Overall, I chose to make the cover very subtle and simple while still opting for that unique look that would get the readers' attention when seen. To sum up all the information presented, the combination of the masthead, main image, coverlines, color scheme, miscellaneous elements, font choice, and layout all put together was able to create the cover that you can see above with its unique look.