Perfect Cover

What makes a good magazine cover?

Everyone's idea of a good music magazine cover is different, some like bold and bright, but others may prefer dull and dark tones, whist others like cluttered some people could prefer minimal - there is no way to really define a 'perfect' magazine cover. 

All magazine covers however follow a certain make up - they all have coverlines, a masthead and a main image, even if it doesn't follow the usual conventions. The key idea is to not make every magazine too unconventional - an example being the magazine RayGun.

Conventions of a cover

Main image: the main image is the most important feature of a cover - this is because it is the first thing the audience sees, therefore this is why the model usually looks at the camera to almost make eyes contact with them, drawing them in. 

Mast head: this is what the magazine is identified by, so it needs to be clear and immediately known to the audience as to what it is. 

Coverlines: the coverlines need to be placed as to not detract from the main image, however some magazines have more than others, dependent of the style of it.

Features 

House - style: this is important for the cover and the rest of the magazine because it makes the magazine look more professional and smart - this is important because it make it nicer to look at and gives the magazine a bigger chance of succeeding if it is all uniform and looks like it belongs together. 

The Four F's: these are particularly important to the design of magazines because they focus on the areas of format - what the layout is for the magazine, formula - what is in the magazine, frame - the margins for the magazine and function - what message the magazine is trying to convey.