Magazine+Cover+Assignment

=__ Magazine Cover Comparison __=





2. What do both magazine covers have in common?

Both the covers for these issues of Life and Vogue magazines have the titles of the magazine at the top of the page, with something to draw the reader's attention. Life is in its signature red-and-white block, while in every Vogue issue, the name of the magazine is in its same font, albeit in different colours. Both magazines also have a close-up picture of a model that has something to do with a main story in the issue. In addition to that, both magazines have a colour scheme. Life magazine has a simple red and white theme (the title, model's clothing and story headlines all follow this theme) while Vogue has a more spring-like theme, with pastel greens, yellows and pinks. Even the model's makeup is done to match this theme. Both magazines also have the issue on the front cover. This is good for keeping track of the magazine's issues.

3. What is the main story and how does it relate to the image on the cover?

For Life magazine, this issue was released during the time of the Avatar movie that came out in 2009. Thus, the only headline on the cover of the magazine talks about an exclusive interview with the cast of Avatar-- a title that would be sure to draw attention from those who liked the movie. The cover model is Zoe Saldana, a co-star for the movie. That was designed for readers who recognized her to notice the magazine from far away. In Vogue magazine, the issue was released in late spring/early summer, so the theme of the cover was made up of bright, flowery colours. Along with the season change, there's a title about trends, and the bold words "THE NEW FEMININE" in the lower right corner match with the model- Natalia Vodianova (thus the headline "To Russia with love: Natalia Vodianova goes home") and the silky, ruffled material around her face. There isn't one main headline or story, but five different titles that all share the cover and are designed to make a reader interested at a first glance.

4. What design principles are evident in the cover image? Explain.

The design principle in the Life magazine could be "simple and single point" for the focus, because the background is completely white, with only the model wearing the bright red dress for contrast. The reader or someone looking at the magazine is immediately drawn to the model's eyes. In this issue of Vogue, there is definitely a depth of field element. The model's face (especially her eyes) are in focus, while the foreground and background of the pretty flowery fabric gradually fades out of focus. This technique, like the cover of the issue of Life, also draws the reader to the model's eyes.

5. What were some of the characteristics of early magazine covers?

During the time of the earliest magazine covers in the 1700s, photography had not existed, so magazine covers then looked nothing like how they do now. They usually followed other layouts, such as a title and table of contents or a book-like layout. No cover lines or much other information was provided, other than a title and publication information. Sometimes, a small decorative picture would be on the front, but didn't have any significance to the actual content of that issue. In the late 1800s, magazines such as Cosmopolitan began to use "cover lines" that gave information on the issue's topics at the top of the cover. It also started establishing its signature logo- the large C at the beginning of the name. During the first half of the 20th century, the "poster cover" style of magazine covers were prevailingly used--magazines had beautiful full-page illustrations on the cover, leaving little room for titles, information or many other words other than the title, issue and price, usually. Apart from that, however, cover lines were also being explored, and many magazines relied on catchy titles on the cover to attract readers and general interest. It wasn't until the second half of the twentieth century that the poster style of magazine covers would be experimented with in many different ways. The concept of merging cover lines with full-page pictures and photos were specifically played with through the years; it started with simple "topic" cover lines that listed the general topics that the magazine covered such as humour, religion, etc., and by the early 1900s had gradually expanding to cover lines that gave information about the details inside the magazine. Those cover lines were very plain and modest-looking, however. During the late 1900s, cover lines became more daring, and started to grab at the reader's attention from far away with big, bold and colourful styles and fonts.

6. What are characteristics of the poster cover?

The poster cover, very famous during the first half of the twentieth century, features a large, illustrated or photographed image that takes up the vast majority of the cover, and are simply meant to be the cover's focus. Many times, poster covers aren't covered with cover lines or the title--any cover lines must be small and unobtrusive towards the image, and titles have to be small and outside of the main image. Another characteristic of the cover line is that the image is created by a famous, recognizable artist.

7. What is the purpose of cover lines?

Ever since they were made popular, cover lines have served to tell readers about the contents of the magazine. Some cover lines describe articles in the magazine that seem interesting, while others pose questions that will get the mind thinking and and intrigued. Other times, cover lines are bold and bright, and can attract someone's attention to the magazine from far away.

8. What is an integrated cover?

An integrated cover design is one with both the poster and cover line elements. It consists of a large poster-like image on the cover, surrounded by cover lines placed strategically around it. Neither one is more dominant than the other; both work together and relate to each other. The image on the cover often relates to one of the specific stories in the magazine, while there is an accompanying cover line that gives a bit more information on what the story is about. The integrated cover is a very popular style in magazines today.

9. How can the placement of cover lines affect the overall design of a cover?

The placement of cover lines on a magazine cover can enhance the artistic design of the cover. Often a colour scheme is present--the colours in the title of the magazine, main image and cover lines are all coordinated, creating a pleasant overall structure to the eye. The usage of a main cover line is also a popular choice--it instantly draws the reader's eye to a catchy title in bold, bright font that will spark their interest before they look at the smaller cover lines.

http://www.magforum.com/cover_secrets.htm http://longleaf.net/coverlines/

= __Cover Line Styles__ =

1. Outside the Box

This style of cover lines features the title as well as any cover lines outside of a 'box' on the cover containing the main image. The cover lines and title are distinctly separated from the image.

2. Inside the Box

Another style of placing cover lines in a way that separated them from the image was to place a box over part of the cover image--all of the cover lines would be written in that box.

3. Columns

This style involves a vertical column that goes across the cover of the magazine, existing side by side with the image. The cover lines are written on this column. Sometimes, columns can be used to create a colour scheme or an eye catching decoration to the cover.

4. Zones

Three specific 'zones' for the title, image and cover lines are created on the cover of a magazine, often three horizontal areas of space stacked atop each other, with the title on top, then the cover image and the cover lines at the bottom.

5. Banners and Corners

Banners are used to make cover lines bold and eye catching; a piece of text is written on a band of colour that crosses the cover horizontally or diagonally. Banners aren't used very often, and when they are used they are very restrained.

6. Planned and Unplanned Spaces

Placing cover lines in unplanned spaces is a style of having cover lines inside the image where text is placed in leftover blank spaces in the image, around the focus (e.g the cover model). These spaces usually aren't pre-planned, and may not fit with the actual titles in the end. Planning spaces for cover lines works in a similar way where cover lines are placed around the focus of the image, but in this case the images would be taken with places for cover lines in mind. This results in more strategic and interesting arrangements between cover lines and the image.

http://longleaf.net/coverlines/wherelines.html



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