Cover Up

I am designing my first magazine cover. Well, sort of. It's for a big shoot I have coming up with a dance studio, I'm offering a package that includes an 8x10 faux dance magazine cover shot with the name and picture of the dancer on it.

So, as is typical for me, I dove into this with extensive research, sketches, and studies so I can make a really good template to which the photos will be added later.

In my studies, I came across a well-written article about magazine cover design, and this Rolling Stone cover was deconstructed completely to show why it's a near-perfect example of how to make a great cover.

The specific shot of Nicole they used, for example, was chosen from a shoot of literally thousands of images to get just the right look: sexy, alluring, whimsical, and of perfect framing and proportion for the intended cover concept.

The typeface, type sizes (notice how a larger font means a more important story and Nicole's is largest of all), and spacing were all carefully and masterfully chosen to fit perfectly. There is a large value difference between the text and background to make it "pop" with contrast - you could read it on a magazine stand from across the room. And notice how the text conforms to the contours of her body? That's harder to pull off than it looks.

And of course, the Rolling Stone logo is so well known they hardly have to show it anymore, see how the "R" just peeks out to announce it's pedigree?

Much planning and work goes into a good magazine cover. I've seen enough examples of "what not to do" to really appreciate when something works like this one does.

So that's what I'm going for in my dance magazine design - something striking and well proportioned. I will post it here when it's done - and you can tell me if I have succeeded or not...