Magazine Cover Sketches and Drafts

PLANNING AND DRAFTING MY COVER                                                     01/30/2022

During this blog I will be focusing solely on the cover, more specifically on how I plan to design my cover for my own magazine. I will be using the past information that I have researched and mentioned in my previous blogs to base my cover off and support certain decisions that I took when developing the covers. Throughout the blog I shall explore multiple drafts for my cover that I made myself and in the end I will attempt to reach a decision on what 2 covers I am most leaning towards. Before I begin I also wanted to mention that some of my covers will be handwritten while others will be created using the digital design tool Canva which I have also used in prior blogs in order to format my images correctly. In the following drafts I will simply be labeling aspects of my magazine using the correct terminology that I mentioned in post #4, instead of actually putting original content. Also, if you want to better understand the terms that I will be using in this blog, please check out my post #4 as I studied and talked about them there.

For my drafts I will say what I plan to do for fonts and colors as I could not find certain fonts and colors on Canva and for my sketches I had no colors and you can't really write in different fonts.

Cover Drafts:

Sketches:

Draft #1

For this draft I decided to keep it simple and basic and tried to follow the ABC Rule that I mentioned in post #4 to the best of my ability. This then created a pure and sophisticated feel to this magazine which in some cases is ideal as some sports magazines try to be analytical and objective when approaching sports. This cover also follows most of the conventions of a sports magazine as the masthead is located in the top third of the page and is slightly covered by the main image which in turn is an athlete. The masthead is in the biggest font size with a bold weight and it appears as the color red. More specifically, it is in the font that I chose as a good font for sports magazines in post #2 called Impact. I used this font because it has a particular modern-like feel to it which is something that I would want to convey in my magazine. On the other hand, the coverlines are all in black, italicized text that are in the same font as the masthead but smaller in order to keep a sense of uniformity and consistency which makes people believe that the magazine is credible. Consequently, the descriptions and magazine information, including the date, issue number, website URL, and email are all of course in the same font but are not bolded or italicized and are in the smallest size. This all maintains a formal tone in the magazine though not too formal thanks to the use of warm colors in the masthead and also in the costume of the main image, in this case orange. Therefore, by utilizing an analogous color scheme between red and orange sparingly, the formal tone is sustained while hinting at the energetic and joyful feeling associated with sports and making the appearance of color more powerful with a neutral white background that provides a lot of negative space. Another key aspect is that the main image is framed in a symmetrical mid shot so that we are at a respectful and professional distance and viewpoint from them, not too close/far and not too right/left which at times happens with a close up or a full shot. Also before I forget, the barcode is in the bottom right corner which is the most common location for them, at least in sports magazines. Lastly, the coverlines are placed around the edges of the magazine as those are the most visible places of any magazine.

Draft #2:

In contrast to the previous sketch, this one is a lot more vibrant and energetic with a monochromatic color scheme including different shades and tones of red to give it a commanding yet passionate and happy mood. To further increase the level of comfort for the viewer, I selected the font Forever Freedom as it is kind of futuristic and captivating while still giving off a sort of relaxing vibe. Once again this font will be used for all of the text, though the text's color variation will differ depending on why the text is being used. For instance, the masthead will be in the original red color so that the magazine appears more conventional. At the same time, the coverlines will all be in a darker red so that they seem powerful and important and are then helped by the light red colored descriptions and magazine information as they once again set the happy mood. However, this time all of the text will remain the same without being bolded or italicized. In this magazine I have also included some other aspects that are not always present but add more personality and distinctness to any sports magazines, a pull quote and a selling line. These two will both be in black to make them stand out compared to the light gray background and red text. Additionally, by bringing the audience's attention towards them I will be making them see how my magazine is more special and unique. Unlike the first draft, I have chosen to put the page numbers where the coverlines can be found instead of descriptions. This will not only help readers browse the magazine, it will also place an importance on the table of contents and help connect the cover to the table of contents and to the rest of the magazine which I found out is essential for the success of a magazine in blog post #4. Overall, it is a very conventional cover that contains certain parts that are not always present. The main image exemplifies this as it is framed at the rule of thirds which makes it visually appealing and the full shot gives us a life-like perspective of the image. Although this is conventional, the magazine information is usually found near the masthead while this time it is placed in the bottom left corner along with the barcode which is also not commonly placed there.

Draft #3:

In my opinion, this is the most untraditional and unique cover that I did for a number of different reasons. First of all, even though the masthead, selling line, and magazine information are all together and on the edge of the paper, they are on the left edge of the cover instead of being in their usual position, in the center of the top third of the page. This combined with a puff/teaser in a bubble and a large number of coverlines create a slightly chaotic atmosphere similar to that of a sports game. Yet, there is a sort of organization to the chaos that is quite satisfying. For example, the orange dividers help direct the audience's attention and keep everything easy to understand and follow. In addition, the contrast between bolded, red, Forever Freedom Font for the masthead and coverlines and the italicized, yellow, Impact font for the selling line, descriptions, and magazine information that helps the audience differentiate between different pieces of content. This analogous color scheme of warm colors that I studied in depth during post #3 then leads to a sense of warmth and fun which in reality is what sports are all about in the end, playing in the sun and having a lot of fun. The next big thing I wanted to mention was the fact that the main image is framed in a symmetrical close up that gets us up close and personal with the main image and helps the audience feel more relaxed and comfortable. Lastly, the puff is a welcome new addition to the cover that helps make the magazine more distinct and helps the reader better understand what content is the most important. Also, the coverlines with descriptions are the more important ones as they require more detail than the rest. And of course who can forget about the barcode that on this poster is located in the bottom left corner just like my second draft. It is actually quite important as it is key for the audience to purchase the magazine and it includes the price. Last but not least, this cover has a pitch black background that helps the text become more visible, helps the audience focus on the main image more, and adds to the overall theme of the beauty of controlled chaos.

Digital:

Draft #4:

This is the first one that I made using the design tool Canva. All in all it is a very easy website to use and trust to do a good job with your designs, the link to it is posted at the bottom of the post in the Tools and Resources Utilized section. This one varies a lot from the other drafts because of two main reasons, both regarding images. Firstly, this cover has its background and main image connected into one as an actual, real-life image of a soccer field. Furthermore, this soccer field was captured in an aerial shot that I learned during post #4 allows the audience to experience a different perspective to sports that they did not know before now as they usually see it from a horizontal angle and not a vertical one. The other main difference is one concerning the use of images instead of descriptions for some of the coverlines. Although this is untraditional for the most part, when you think about it, these images add to the visual experience that the reader enjoys and helps the reader better understand the content as a whole because after all, one picture is worth a thousand words as I found out during the aforementioned post #4. Not only do these differences make the magazine special, they broaden the target audience as now the focus is no longer a player or a team but instead the sport itself or in this case, a major tournament. In this draft, the color scheme actually kind of matches the main image as the sunlight in the image is mimicked by yellow masthead and orange main coverline both of which are in another good sports magazine font, Rockster Casual, which based on my research in post #2 helps the audience appeal more to kids as it looks like handwriting. Lastly, the fact that the rest of the text other than the main coverline and the masthead are in smaller, neutral colored, Impact font assists the audience in comprehending the principle of hierarchy, or what information is the most important. Also, the barcode is in a different position with its location being in the top right corner while the magazine information is right above the masthead where it is typically placed.

Draft #5:

The last draft that I made is surprisingly a contender along with the first draft for the most simple and professional looking cover. As usual the cover has a neutral (grey) background and an analogous color scheme with red and orange, but unlike most sports magazines, this one has replaced a famous soccer player with the jersey of a famous soccer player as the main image. Even though most of the focus is still on the player, some of it has drifted to the team that the player plays on so that the target audience gets bigger. The limited use of color helps the rare appearances of the said color to pop more and helps the magazine remain more respectful and calm with small, smooth flashes of cheerfulness and light here and there. This technique I learned during my research for my last blog, post #4, and it proved very helpful when designing this draft in specific as I was running out of ideas and by keeping it simple I was able to create a basic yet effective cover. Now, other than the absence of a human as the main image the magazine remains very conventional except for the masthead being underlined which is a rare occurrence. The cover remains conventional as the barcode, magazine information, main coverline, and masthead are all in their typical positions. Not to mention that the supporting coverlines and their descriptions are also along the edge which in many people's eyes are where they belong. In spite of the fact that they are positioned accurately, the pattern usually goes coverline, description, coverline, description, etc. but here the coverlines are almost touching while the coverlines are placed on the outsides. In reality this is quite aesthetically pleasing, at least for me, and helps add uniqueness to the magazine. To sum it all up, the neutral colored text and background provides a sense of purity, boldness, and a high level of sophistication to the magazine that is in no way decreased by short appearances of color which then gives off a powerful positive feeling.

My Magazine:

In total, all of my sketches brought certain benefits to the table but in the end I have decided upon two drafts that I honestly believe are the best and that I am currently leaning towards. Those two drafts are drafts number 2 and 4. The main reasons behind this is because they mostly remain faithful to the conventions of the sports magazine genre while still showing some personality and being different than others. They both also utilize warm analogous color schemes to great effect in order to create vibrant and joyful atmospheres. Still they are able to do this simultaneously while keeping a medium level of sophistication in a way that is appealing to all generations thanks to their balance between warm and neutral colors for everything one their cover. To further improve their status with their audience they utilize fonts that are modern and futuristic and are trying to be trailblazers by adding in some terms that are not commonly found on sports magazine covers like a mini table of contents and a real-life, aerial image as a background and as a main image. The last thing that I really like about the drafts are that they are not too simple and not crowded so that they are easy to understand and not overwhelming.

Tools and Resources Utilized:

• https://www.canva.com/.
• Rodriguez, Daniel. Daniel Rodriguez - AICE Media Studies, Blogger, 27 Jan. 2022, https://danielrodriguez111106.blogspot.com/.