Progression of my front cover for AS level Media Studies... A rock magazine cover, contents and double page spread

1. Progression of my front cover

2. To start my front cover, I added a title, and a selling line, to build the text around this… I also added a banner at the very top of the page, giving names of different bands to attract the attention of possible readers…

3. ORIGINAL IMAGE I had two photoshoots in total, and other images of live bands for my cover, I decided to use the image above as a test image to see what it would look like on the cover… I edited the image from the image at the side so she looked more suitable for the magazine.

4. ORIGINAL IMAGE This is the second test image I did for my front cover, I decided this one looked more professional and suitable for a front cover because of the plain background, and the models appear to be in a rock band more than the previous image. The original, un-edited image is at the side of the cover.

5. I created an image of a barcode using an existing copy of Kerrang magazine to imitate their barcode. I created it on PhotoShop to make my magazine seem more realistic as a magazine typically has a barcode on the cover. THE RED FEATHERS I wanted the text for the main image to be the largest other than the title, so I tried to make it stand out more using an outer glow, and a font called “Destroy” so it appears more suitable for a rock music.

6. After deciding on my front cover image, I decided to add a banner across the bottom of the page with images on it to break up the page, most current magazines have banners at the top and bottom, so I’ve decided to do similar. I also added a small banner at the very bottom of the page to put different band names on it so that makes the contents seem to differ.

7. I added a small little star, and erased some of it to make it look more edgy. I added text on top of this saying; “Win VIP tickets to You Me At Six” meaning new readers might be interested at the chance of winning a competition. Using the eraser tool to rub away the background makes it match the theme of rock because it is more edgy and less bold.

8. I changed the font style of the title, as after I tried this font I decided it looked better for the style of the magazine. I also changed the justification of the selling line and changed the font style of that.

9. The first font style I tried as the main headline didn’t look appropriate for the genre of magazine, so I changed it to a more appropriate one… I added a main title, and a subtitle that related to the main image of the cover. I used a simple font style with a shadow and then used a more fancy, rock style font surrounded with a blue box, to make it stand out more. The quote I added is to show that the band on the cover are genuinely interested in music, and making it seem more appropriate for my target audience.

10. This is my finished cover, I kept the top half of the page quite simple so that it didn’t look too cluttered. I kept the colours and all the fonts the same since my last update on the cover, as it didn’t need any adjustments.