Mock Up Work

I have done two mock up covers as I am uncertain which style I will go with.

The second design (above) is inspired by 'Loud and Quiet' magazine covers.

'The Mix' Magazine Cover

Magazine Cover Analysis- Loud and Quiet

The masthead of the magazine is a bold, capitalised font, so descenders and ascenders are eliminated, which conserves space and makes the masthead look neater. The black colour makes it appear more serious than another colour because it creates a professional and formal feel to the magazine.

Nothing on the page comes into contact with the masthead and it is given its own space, which gives the impression that Loud and Quiet is the most important element on the page and nothing is ‘worthy’ of touching it. This contrasts with the image as there is text over it, indicating it does not deserve its own space.

The image on the cover is presented in a box, so does not cover the edges of the page, creating a border.

The image shows this issue’s featured band ‘Warpaint’. The blue background gives it a cool and calm atmosphere, and the other colours on the page are of a similar colour; greys, navies, blacks- all dark colours. Colour is added by the bright pink jeans of one member of the band, the matching bright pink lipstick of another member, and another wears a red dress. This livens up the page and stops the colour scheme from being boring.

The members of the group with dark brown hair are positioned behind their co-member with bleach blonde hair, which makes the blonde haired girl stand out more.

The tagline reads 'The alternative music tabloid', informing the reader of what genre and style to expect in the magazine.

The plugs say what will be included in this issue. In this issue it is albums of the year.#

The main cover line provides some information on the main article, which is "All you need is love, death and dance", relative to the feature band.

All of the text is easy and clear to read, which will make it appeal to a wide audience. 

The cover is not busy. Instead it is simple and effective, with the white background and the image and masthead placed on top in their respective areas, keeping the layout 'tidy'.

Magazine Cover Analysis- The Fly

The masthead 'The Fly' is positioned at the top of the page. The font is bold but not capitalised or black, like the other mastheads I have looked at. This gives the magazine a more casual feeling compared to other magazines I have looked at that seem more formal with black text on white backgrounds. 

The space caused by the presence of the ascenders and descenders is filled using the date, issue number, and price, which is an interesting use of space.

The cover is kept very simple, with the only other features of the page being a single image that fills the page, and the name of the artist 'Sky Ferreira' acting as the main cover line. This suggests that the artist is enough to sell the whole magazine. The magazine is letting the image do all of the talking, instead of cluttering a page with words, that would make it seem more like an advertisement than a music magazine.

The principle image shows Sky Ferreira sitting in what appears to be a bed, breaking the forth wall by looking at the reader through round white sunglasses, making herself the centre of visual interest. It is a curious image, thus inviting the viewer to investigate the magazine further.

The colour scheme is also simple; black, white, blue and the hot pink of Sky's lipstick and bracelet to brighten up the cover.

The black writing on Sky's top parallels her name, also written in black at the bottom of the page.

The page is laid out so that the masthead and Sky's head are in the top third of the page, her body and the writing on her top are in the middle third, and Sky's name is positioned at the bottom of the page. This ensures each third has been filled with something eye-catching so that the whole cover looks more interesting. 

Magazine Contents Analysis- The Fly

This uncomplicated layout includes the masthead from the cover that is continued onto this page to re-enforce brand.

The headings of each section are in crotchets to indicate that they are different to the rest of the text on the page.

All of the text is in a clear, white font, and the features are on the right side third, capitalised and emboldened, which makes them seem like they are demanding to be looked at. 

This contrasts with the issue introduction that provides some information about the magazine and its contents because this is presented in a smaller font and has not been emboldened or capitalised, suggesting you read it, rather than demanding. 

In the bottom-centre is the page number, and the magazine website is displayed in the bottom right corner on the white area around the edge of the page, forming a border.

The image is dream-like, which will provoke the audience to read on because they are curious. The high-contrast and calming colours add to the effect, making it more fascinating.

Magazine Cover Analysis- Wire

The masthead

The masthead is very large and has been capitalized in a clean font which eliminates ascenders and descedners; no space is wasted and the impact is greater.

It has been placed in the top third which allows it to be visible if it is on a top shelf or has another magazine in front of it.

It is white on black which is quite legible.

The way the masthead is on its own and is not being touched by anything else or overlapped gives the impression that it is superior and above everything else. This can be interpreted as 'Wire is the best magazine, all other magazines are inferior'.

The word 'wire'- monosyllabic making it memorable, yet short and sweet. It connotes electric, which could be interpreted as being along the lines of being 'plugged in', or in the know of, in this instance, music.

Other text

All of the text on the page is white, with the exception of the subhead which is yellow, standing out from the rest of the text and creating a legal register so that the reader is aware of what they can expect to find inside the magazine. Yellow on black is the second most legible colour combination. 
The text is in chronological order, with priorities the text on the page using its height to show its importance. "The year in underground music" is in capitals, making it clearer what "2013 rewind", the 'splash', is about. Other features are shown in lower case at the bottom of the page because they are less important. The language register is formal. 

Important information

The important information such as the issue number, price, bar-code, and masthead have been placed in the top two thirds so that they are always visible.

Image

The image is unusual, which conforms to the idea of being different, being indie. The design is very minimalist and although few covers are used, this cover is bold and eye-catching. The picture does not work as a boost, but it intrigues people.

Colours

The colour scheme of the magazine is not colourful or exciting, but the black of the background connotes mystery, which will make the audience curious of what is inside. The lack of bright colours suggests that the readers of this magazine would be a more mature audience, not elderly people and not children, possibly 16-35. They give the magazine a serious feel.

The colours are not gender-specific. 

The colour palette: 

The monotone scheme is made more interesting by the yellow, injecting colour to an otherwise dull cover.

Covers I like

I love the designs of all of these magazines. They are all very attractive in their own ways. 
The bright colours some of them feature draw your attention to them straight away, which makes you want to read the magazine, despite not knowing what it is about. 
The Little White Lies cover appeals to me due to its unusual design; it is not a typical cover, making it more noticeable, and the way the masthead, date, issue number and barcode have been displayed is very creative and amusing. I also admire the text-image cohesion used here- The text says "Inside Llewyn Davis" and an image of Llewyn is displayed under a layer of paper that is being ripped off, revealing him and making it seem as though the layer with the text is the outside, so Llewyn is on the inside.
Arty covers are also eye-catching as they offer viewers something original, which is fascinating.
I like the fonts used on each of these covers. Each font is appropriate to the genre and style of the magazine and they are all distinctive. 
I like the text on the cover of Huck magazine, it looks handwritten, which gives it a personal touch and feels like it is creating a relationship between the artists featured on the cover, and the reader. This synthetic personalisation would invite the reader to continue reading the magazine.
I like how one of the covers does not look much like a magazine cover at all, it instead appears to be an envelope. This gives it an edge. It holds no resemblance to what people expect a magazine cover to look like, making its impact magnetic as people want to buy the conspicuous magazine.
The final cover showing a close-up, black and white photograph of Nelson Mandela is very striking. It is only an the image with the text "Nelson Mandela 1918-2013", yet it is obvious what the issue will be about. The image is bold and provocative, while the text is simple and minimalist, without being meaningless. 

School Magazine