Evaluation for magazine front cover

What works?

I think that my masthead on the front cover really works. I think this because of the was the left third is very easy to recognise.

This is important because the left third is generally the part of a magazine masthead you see when they are displayed in a shop. The idea is that you see the left third and can distinguish the magazine without having to see the whole thing.

Another thing is the character used for the C, I feel is rather clever because it is the musical symbol for Common time which is the name of the magazine.

What went well, carried on…I also think that the image on the cover of my magazine works well because it is a medium portrait which means you can see her body and face. I feel this is a good technique when deciding the photo because itmakes the model look important.

I feel this image, the lead image works well with the idea fact that themagazine is for the slightly higher people in society because she looksstereotypically posh by the pose she is doing.

What doesn’t work?

I don’t feel that the flash box works too well on the front cover because I think it looks slightly out of place. I feel this because of the colour of the box and where it is. I think the colour makes it stand out too much as does where it is. I feel it should not have been at the top of my magazine as it makes it look too important.

What was easy?

Taking the image for the front cover was rather easy because I knew what I wanted and I had a model willing to pose like it for me.

Another thing I found easy was coming up with the masthead. I found this easy because I let my imagination flow when drawing up my flat plans. I also took the idea for the “C” from the magazine Total film. I liked the way that one of the words was in one of the letters of the other film, The word TOTAL in the F of FILM.

What was difficult?

I found it difficult coming up with the cover lines for my magazine. Cover lines are words which indicate what the articles inside are about. The reason I found it hard was that I struggled with thinking of short, snappy cover lines which would draw people into my magazine. I also thought it was difficult choosing where I wanted them to be because they are important but not as important as the leadline.

What have I learnt?

I have learnt a lot about how and why magazine front covers are laid out the way they are.

A key thing I found out was about the left third. I was never aware of why magazines had this key section on the magazine I just assumed it was to make it look good but actually it has a very important part to play in making the magazine sell.

I also learnt a lot about the key terms used in magazines such as; Masthead which is the Title piece or logo for a magazine, the lead line which is the main heading and the difference between serif and sans serif.

If I had all the money in the world and all the time what would I change?

If I had all the money and time in the world I would make the text for the cover lines and lead line more interesting and eye catching instead of using something regularly used. I would also change the colour of the flash box and where it is placed so it does not stand out as much.

I would also get my model to wear some typically posh clothes so that she really did appear to be higher class which would make my magazine more realistic.

Magazines I can compare it to…

If I was to compare my magazine the any it would be Total film because of the way the left third on the masthead uses a similar technique.

I would also say that it is rather simple and plain but works well for a front cover. I think that because of this it resembles Hoot and Woof.