Audience feedback - front cover

I put this image on my facebook and asked people to comment on it and mention any changes I could make. 

This is the response I got. 

As a result of this feedback, I changed the font of my cover line, made them larger and added a drop shadow to almost everything on my cover, which made my magazine look bolder and stand out more.

Front Cover - Step By Step

I started my front cover by editing my original photo into black and white using Photoshop and cut around my model using the magnetic lasso tool.

 

 I then found a font I liked that fit with the genre of my magazine and imported it into my photo of my model.

I found a simple picture of a piano and
made it the background of my cover.
I then put all three components
together. 
I decided to put my cover star over the top of my masthead so the audience will be able to see that they are the main focus, also I made the figure smaller so you can still understand what the title says.

After doing research on other music magazines and their cover lines, I added some onto my front cover.
The cover lines I went with were a 'Top 20..' and adverts for new musicals which will be further explained in my contents page and possibly my double page spread.

I added a drop shadow to the font to make the words stand out more against the black background, this makes it look more professional.

When thinking of a cover star to put in my magazine, I thought of an actress who is making her debut in a Broadway show in New York, and then I went for the musical 'Chicago.'
I got the logo for Chicago and cut it out to put it on my cover.
I played around with the size of the logo, and decided on making it larger as it took up more room and looked like it fit more.









I then added the cover line 'Sam Appleton In..'
this shows the reader who the cover star is and why they are on the cover of my magazine.

I then added the final touches to my magazine, such as a bar code, the issue number and the price that my magazine would be sold at.

Photo Shoot

These are my favourite photos for my photo shoot for my music magazine.
I think I am going to use this picture for my front cover as it would look good on the right of the page and it would look different from other magazines which tend to have their cover star in the middle of the page.
I am thinking of editing this picture into black and white to give it a sophisticated and old-fashioned look.

I am thinking of putting this picture in my double page spread as the main picture and focus, with an interview on the opposite page.
I like this picture as it is bright and will fit on a page well.

I took this picture as a side shot as I am thinking of making this into a promotion picture for a musical. I am going to cut out the person and make it black and white to give it a professional look.

These are extra photos I took which I may use if the others do not work as I want them to.

Front Cover Mock Up

This is a rough drawing of the front cover of my music magazine.
I have found a font to use off a website and have chosen the masthead, 'Showcase.'
I am going to position my cover star on the right and make them quite large so you can tell they are the focus.
As I have chosen the genre of my magazine as musical theatre I have made up that my cover star is going to be a star in the musical 'Chicago' and I will use the logo for Chicago on my cover.
I will have my cover lines on the left and will try to keep them to a minimum to reflect my style model of 'Playbill Magazine.'

Audience Profile

I created this audience profile to show what type of audience I am aiming for and what type of articles and pictures they would like to see.
I have used an image of Rachel Berry from the TV show Glee as my audience type, as she likes musical theatre, and that in the genre of my magazine.
I have said what type of people I want to attract and the type of artists that may be involved. 

In this audience profile I have found a font I would like to use. The font has the sense of a Broadway/theatre style with the use of the Hollywood lights. 


I have shown actors in my audience profile and I have said I hope to attract my target audience of musical theatre fans by using pictures and information about these actors/characters. 


I also found an image of an actress dressed in a sophisticated dress. After finding this image, I started to think about what I want my cover star to be dressed in, and I am thinking something like this. I could make the picture of the actress my inspiration or style model for my cover star when I get round to starting my photo shoots.

mood board

This is my mood board for my magazine.
These are the types of images that are going to inspire the images of my music magazine.
I have focused them on different musicals and musical stars who may appear in my magazine.

analysis of music magazine covers

This magazine, Kerrang! has a general genre of rock and punk rock. It has been going since 1981 and still remains as one of the top selling rock magazines today.

It always has free posters of the reader's favourite bands and often features the same bands over and over.

There is a lot going on on the cover of this magazine which reflects the genre of the music inside. What I like

about this cover is that it is colourful and eye catching, which is what I want my magazine to be. 

I like the idea of having more than one photo on my front cover, so I will take that into account when creating my own front cover.
This magazine uses a poof of sorts, and I like the look it gives the magazine, this is also something I will think about when designing my magazine.

Billboard is an international newsweekly magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world.

On this cover, it is clear who the cover star is, and it is clear that we should focus on them as their picture is over the title. Also, by using a cover star who is from a popular TV show would indicate that people will buy the magazine if they like the actor/musician or the show. 

This magazine is different from the other two I have here, as it has a much wider range of music, whereas the others are strictly rock/indie/alternative genre.  

When i make my music magazine, I think I will use the idea of having different artists, as I think it would sell more copies having a wider range.

I like the style of the cover lines on this front cover and although there is a lot going on, it still looks stylish and professional. Another aspect of this front cover I like is the colour scheme used, it is clear there is a definite synergy                                                                 within this magazine. This is something I will think about                                                                     when designing my magazine. 
 

Q magazine has a wider range of artists than Kerrang! but less than Billboard. It's simple one lettered title makes it easy to remember and it is recognisable when in a bunch of magazines.

Unlike the other two magazines, this has the title over top of the cover star, which suggests the title is more important. However, the fact the picture takes up the entire cover makes the star the main focus. I like this cover best, as it is simple yet effective and stylish. I will use this cover as the main inspiration for my music magazine.
This is my favourite style of front cover I have come across. I like the fact that the cover star takes up the entire cover and it is clear she is the focus, this is something I am considering in doing for my front cover as I think it looks stylish and unique, therefore if my magazine was to be sold in a shop, it would
                                                                 stand out. Another aspect of this magazine I really like is
                                                                 the clear colour scheme. The red and white are the
                                                                 colours associated with 'Q' magazine and that is clear on
                                                                 this front cover, but also the blue used on the poof and
                                                                 the lines on the cover lines create a colour scheme, also
                                                                 the blue used is shown in the make up the cover star is
                                                                 wearing.

Contents page

 This is my contents page.