Below I have displayed the gradual production of my magazine front cover.
Step 1:
I took the image that I selected for my front cover and eliminated the background using the quick selection tool in adobe photoshop. I brightened the image to make it look professional and contemporary, and decreased the contrast of the image. I decided to keep the image on a plain white background so that the band stands out, and the minimalism of the magazine attracts buyers. I ensured that the image covered the majority of the cover, so that it is the main focus and the thing that stands out the most.
Step 2:
I added the title, the tagline, the date and the barcode. The title "VOLUME" is in capital letters in a bold font called 'Denial'. The font I chose has connotations of 'edgy' and 'cool', which ties in with the genre of my music magazine. I put a green stroke on the title to make it stand out even more, and contrast with the plain black of the title. The tagline "Turn it Up" relates to the title. The barcode gives my magazine an authentic and professional look.
Step 3:
To fill in the white space at the bottom below the primary image, I inserted a black strip with examples of bands that feature in this issue of the magazine. The band names are written in a casual font in the colour white - the key contrasting colour against a black background. To seperate the band names I have used green and purple stars, to tie in with the green and purple colour scheme that I aimed to achieve during the production of my magazine. The choice of band names relates to the intended genre of the magazine - All of these bands/artists are successful indie/rock/pop artists, therefore give the audience an idea of the content, and the bands that are likely to feature.
Step 4:
I then added the name of the band in large letters in a font named '28 Days Later'. Again, I used the colours purple and green, emphasising the clear colour scheme. I used a thick black stroke to enhance the lettering and make it stand out against the image of the band. The tagline "an exclusive interview with the UK's hottest new band!" informs the reader of the main story that the magazine is advertising, and indicates that this 'hottest new band' is in fact the band pictured on the cover.
Step 5:
I then added various headlines & titles which inform the reader of what the magazine features. I used the theme colours green purple and white alternatively so that each title looks different, for example, for the title "Festival Madness!" I have used white whereas for "Exclusive!" I have used purple. However, I have put a fine black stroke on all of the titles again to make the lettering stand out. The exclamation marks that've been used on the titles give the impression of energy and excitement, causing potential buyers to want to read what's inside. The purpose of putting one of the titles (Plus! Win a guitar signed by the band) is to make this headline stand out above the rest, to attract readers to the idea of potentially winning a prize. The contrast of the theme colours (purple and green) against the black filled background of the circle makes the title stand out even more.
I took the image of a standard guitar, and changed the tint to green in photoshop - to match the theme of the magazine. I put a shadow on the guitar to make it look as if almost 3D from the magazine, and used it next to the circle which offers readers the opportunity to win a guitar. This makes the magazine look a lot fuller at the bottom half of the page already - making it look more fun-filled and appealing. I decided to use a colour that contrasted completely with the colour theme of the magazine by creating a yellow box which contains the text "FREE! HMV VOUCHER". I made the box yellow and enhanced it with the shadow tool in photoshop so that it's appears prominent on the page - and could be another potential selling point for possible buyers. One of the first thing that readers tend to look at when browsing for a magazine is the name - therefore I have purposely positioned the HMV offer near the main title. The final touch I made to the front cover is the "Top 10 tracks you must download" feature. I have accompanied this text with the image of an i-pod, which again could highlight the contemporary feel of the magazine. However, I have deleted the screen of the i-pod and replaced it with the text "Top 10", to relate it to the heading. The items in the white space at the top of the page are quite uneven as opposed to being straight across the page - I have done this so that it looks purposefully careless and possibly quite playful.