FRONT COVER PLAN

Now that I have chosen all my photos, I can move on to the production of the magazine. I have decided to begin with sketching some plans and analysing my choices. Here is my front cover plan:

I firstly decided to place my masthead at the very top of the page as when I researched the front cover conventions for the preliminary task, I discovered that the majority of magazines have the mast head at the top of the magazine. I decided to place a box with text promoting the content of the magazine in the top right. I will also place this in front of the mast head. This position will increase the chance that the reader will notice it and therefore read the text inside. Due to its prominent position, I will make sure that the text will be relevant and engaging. I decided to add the date and issue number under the mast head as it will have less of an impact in this location yet it will still be easy to locate if people need to find the information. I also planned to place the lead singer in front of the mast head and the other members of the band behind the text. The majority of the people that know the band will be familiar with the lead singer more than the others so by placing him in front of the text will further make him more emphasised. The cover lines will be down the sides as this is where they are normally found in music magazines. I will merge the cover lines with bits of text describing them and I will also add secondary photos down the side. I have decided to use this format as by placing text down the side, it frames the main image. I will make sure to use bold fonts with colours that contrast the background so that the coverlines have the ability to stand out. I have also decided to include the competition in this section. I have decided to place the competition in a large bubble as I feel that this will be able to produce more attention. The bubble format is commonly used in mostly all magazines and due to this, the reader will be familiar with the layout and be attracted to the bubble. I have decided to place the feature article cover line just under the middle of the page as I discovered in mostly all punk magazines, this is where it is located. I also decided to add a subheading under the text to add extra information about the article. I placed it here as I feel that it is easy to locate but does not take the effect away from the feature article cover line. Under this, I will add any extra information and bubbles, I have decided to add a barcode in the far right as this mirrors the common forms and conventions of any magazine. I have also decided to include a strip at the bottom where I can advertise more of whats in the magazine. This is common in most magazines and here is an example-

I could have placed this at the top or at the bottom but I chose the bottom as I do not want it to get in the way of the masthead. I am happy with my final plan after altering it. I will probably change up the layout a slight bit when it comes to producing the final front cover but I will stick to this base plan.