GRAPHIC DESIGN

Analyse, design and create a magazine cover…

Can you identify the design elements of a

magazine cover?

Work in pairs and list 10 design features that

every magazine cover should have.

Masthead

Price in a Circular Callout

Slogan in a Strapline

Central Image

Puff

CoverlineMise-en-

scene

Puff

Subheading

Date

Weblink

Coverline

Coverline

Coverline

Contrasting colours

Readable fonts

Pink=feminine; bold capitals = confidence

Emphasises value; black on yellow is a distinctive contrast with dominant colour scheme

of pinks

Uses pink to emphasise femininity; in capitals to show certainty and

confidence

Direct address – staring straight at the camera. Shows confidence

Puff

Anchors main image – refers to popular singer

Pink background to emphasise femininity; brighter light near price and title, fading to dark

Emphasises quantity – you’re getting a lot

for your money

Anchors quotation – intriguing and disturbing

Date

Implies there is more online

Addresses reader directly – personal

touch

Quotation – sound bizarre but also serious

Key words emphasised in pink capitals. Suggestive; direct

address to reader

MASTHEAD: The word Bliss has connotations of relaxing in comfort and being happy and content with life. It is orange which creates connotations of sunshine and warmth and is not the typical girly pink, suggesting a more mature teenage audience.

The masthead appears in front of the image. This is unusual as often the image covers some of the masthead. This shows that perhaps this magazine is rebranding its image and needs to audience to get to know its new logo. The font is quite angular and sophisticated and reminds the audience of fashion magazines aimed at older females.

ARTICLES TRAILED: The straplines use colloquial (chatty) language to appeal to the target audience of teenage girls. Words such as ‘spesh’ and ‘lovin’’ bring the audience closer to magazine so that the reader feels as if it speaking directly to them.

PUG: This looks like a sticker stuck on to the magazine. The word ‘sexy’ suggests that this magazine appeals to the more mature or daring teenage girl! It also appeals to the target audience who will communicate with their friends via texts.

FONT: The font used looks like chalk on a blackboard, or certainly handwritten. Only the celebrities first name is used which suggests she is well known and that the audience may relate to her like a friend.

IMAGE:Studio shot of the celebrity looking directly and seductively at the camera. Her body language makes her seem mysterious but also sexy.

ARTICLES TRAILED: These articles will appeal to the target audience of teenage girls as they are interested in ‘lads’ and bands such as JLS who are top of the charts.A quotation from a real-life story

and the sense that ‘you’ can do it too directly addresses the audience.

Budget fashion. Aimed at the target audience who care about their appearance but don’t have much disposable income. ‘193’ makes the audience expect to have lots of choice and want to buy the mag to read on.

Magazine Analysis

Navigate fiastech.weebly.com download the magazine cover.

Open your Weebly site and add a divider “a line” below your last task (doodle 4 google)

Add a main title ‘PHOTOSHOP SKILLS’

Add a subtitle ‘magazine covers’

Add a description (this can be added at a later stage)

Magazine Analysis

Upload the ‘Empire magazine cover to your Weebly site.

Analyse the cover using the bullet point list on fiastech – year 9 – term 3.

For teacher reference:

Analyse the Empire magazine cover and remember to explain why things have been set out the way they have.

 

The choice of title - where is it on the page? What are its connotations - what does it make you think of?

Who is the core target audience for the magazine? How do you know this?

 

Is there a person or group of people? Where are they? What does it make you think of? What are the connotations of this image?

What about the cover lines – are they at the side? What colours are they in? What size are they? What font styles are used? Why have these decisions been made? How does the magazine give clues and tease the reader by withholding information to make them buy and read on?

Fonts – What type of font styles/typography are used on the cover? Are there any special font designs/effects?

 

The use of colour - contrast to attract attention, the connotations of the individual colours chosen.

 

The images used - the significance of facial expressions, clothing, positioning. Is it representing men or women in a particular way, or making assumptions about its audience?

Additional features – Are there any other features that are essential to a magazine cover? Why are these features important?

Overall impression –How effective you think the magazine cover is. Have the right images, fonts and design been used? Does it all work? Is it successful in encouraging the target audience to buy it?