Travel Magazine Cover Drafts

1. Elements of a Magazine Magazines have some elements that they must include on the cover, no matter the genre While some are necessary, some are not. For example, some travel magazines do not include selling lines. Elements that must be included in every magazine are:

1. Masthead. This is the name of the magazine. It usually stands out, and is very recognizable. This should relate to your magazine genre.
2. Dateline. This is the month and year of the publication, and is often with the price,
3. Main Image. This is the background image for the cover. It should relate to main stories talked about in the article, or travel location when talking about travel magazines. There are many things to consider such as lighting, angle, distance, and more.
4. Coverlines. Coverlines are spread around the magazine, and are used as teasers to tease stories in the magazine. There is usually one that stands out over the rest, and is usually a main story or travel location.
5. Barcode/misc. This is included to sort and sell the magazine, and nothing more. It is usually miscellaneous, and has no purpose.
6. Selling line. This is used to classify the magazine, such as "Computer and Video Game Magazine" for a gaming magazine. Sell lines are not common on travel magazines because there are many other ways to identify a travel magazine. The masthead indicates that you are looking at a travel magazine. For example, "Luxury Travel," and "Conde Nast Traveler" tells us that they are travel magazines.

2. Published Covers.

The magazine above has a masthead on top, miscellaneous information such as date, issue number, and price under it, and the barcode all the way on the bottom. The barcode will always be on the bottom for tracking magazines, but it can have different rotations. The main coverline is to the right side so that the main image is more visible, and there are smaller subheadings spread around the magazine, but not in places that block the image.

The main image on this magazine is a little bit different. The boat is on the left side, while the main coverline and the smaller subheadings are all on the right. This is to show the boat, and the water is not very important, so the text is on top of it. There is only on small subheading on the left but this is because it conveys a different type of information, and still does not block the image. The barcode is under it, and the issue number, date, and price under the masthead.

The magazine above uses has a masthead on top like usual, and the date under it. The main coverline is under the masthead, and the smaller subheadings are above it. There is another smaller subheading on the bottom right that stands out from the rest and makes the reader want to read the magazine because the words "The End Of The Rhino?" evokes a sense of curiosity.

3. My Drafts:

This cover has the masthead on top as usual. It is bold and very noticeable and is clearly the masthead. The issue number, price, and date is under the masthead. This is done so the audience can easily find it. The color of the masthead matches the background, and the miscellaneous information along with the smaller subheadings are white because it is visually pleasing with the background. The main coverline is a mix of white and pink because it attracts attention, and is also visually pleasing. The colors of the text are chosen for this specific cover because they pop out in contrast to the main image in the background. I chose this image because it shows  how beautiful this travel location is. A convention of travel magazines is that the colors should match the travel location, so that is reason for the text. I used a serif font for the masthead, and the coverlines. This is because travel magazines usually use serif fonts as mastheads and coverlines because they give a sense of a fancy invitation, and trustworthiness. The serif font makes the cover look professional because serif fonts typically represent formality. The miscellaneous information under the masthead is a different font so that the audience knows that it is not part of the magazine, but is just there for information about the magazine. What did not work was a white masthead since it was closer to the sky than the miscellaneous information under it, so it was harder to see. There is a barcode on the bottom left just to keep track of the magazine.

The masthead is on top as it should be, and the issue number, price, and date is under it to mae it easy to find. The subheadings are spread around so that it does not cover the main image too much. The main coverline on the bottom is in front of a white box as this creates a sense of familiarity and is visually pleasing. The main image is black and white, and this why the text is black white. I chose this image because of the colors in relation to the text, and because it shows that this place is a fun location to travel to because all the buildings show that this location is developed. The two colors compliment each other. Not only do the colors look good together, but it is a convention of travel magazines to match the colors of fonts with the travel location colors. The font for the masthead is a serif font as it gives a sense of trust, and is inviting. it is also formal, and looks professional. The coverlines are also a serif font (bree serif) for this same reason.  The issue number price and date are a separate font to signify that they are not part of the actual magazine. The outline is red as it adds contrast, and it is not too fat so that it is not too distracting. The red also creates a sense of familiarity, which is a convention of travel magazines. What did not work out was adding a white border because there was too much white, and adding a second white rectangle as it made the cover look too crowded. This is a good design for images of populated areas such as cities, or buildings.

The magazine above has the miscellaneous information such as price, issue number, and date under the masthead. This is done so that it is easy to find by the reader. The fonts are different so that the masthead is more visible. The coverline is the same color as the masthead so that there is a sense of familiarity, every magazine from this company uses the same color for the main coverline and masthead. This cover follows conventions of a travel magazine because of the sense of familiarity it makes, and the colors. The smaller subheadings are on the right side to show the vast ocean, and they do not cover the part of image on the left way too much. The barcode is on the bottom right. The masthead is a serif font for the same reasons that it is trustworthy, formal, and inviting. The miscellaneous information underneath it is different because it is not part of the magazine. What I did differently here was I used a bree serif font for the smaller subheadings/coverlines from the main coverline. I did this so that the main coverline stands out more since it is on the same side as the smaller coverlines, and so that it does not look like the entire magazine is the same font. That is also another reason for the difference in color. The main coverline stands out from the rest of the coverlines while also matching the main image. I did not use a color different from the masthead so that there is not too many different colors on the cover. What did not work out was putting the main coverline on the left because it blended in with the land. The only purpose of this is to not cover the image, as the location of the barcode does not matter.

The masthead is on the top left this time. This is not necessarily a convention of travel magazines, but is done so that it does not cover the main image. Although the masthead is moved, the issue number, date, and price stays under it so it is still easy to find. The main coverline is on the bottom so that it does not cover the image, but is still clearly visible. The black font challenges a convention of making the font colors match the main image. I did this so that it is clearly visible, and adds contrast to the rest of the magazine. I chose this image because of all the snowy mountains, which shows that this location is a good location to travel to in the winter for people who live in hot places like Florida. The masthead font matches the main coverline's font because I already had to change the color of the font, and I do not want to introduce too many new ideas on this cover so that it looks unprofessional. What did not work out was lowering the masthead as it covered the mountains, and making the main coverline blue which made it hard to see. The barcode is rotated and placed differently, but this is okay as it is just for sorting and organizing magazines. This may not be a design I will want to go with because the black main coverline looks out of place and the subheading on the right covers the mountain a little bit.

The magazine cover above has a masthead slightly lower than where it usually is. I did this to show the moon without making it too low. The issue number, price, and date is under the masthead on the right to not cover the waves. This is also why the main coverline and smaller subheadings are under the ocean water. The font colors I used are blue and white so that it matches the image. The font colors matching the color of the travel location is a convention of travel magazines. I chose this image because it is dark so it does not hurt the eyes, and ocean along with the waves look good. The font for the main coverline is similar to that of the masthead. This is to not introduce too many new ideas. The main coverline also matches the rest of the smaller subheadings/coverlines because they are all in the same area, so they would look together. This is a different design choice from the third cover, just to try new things. What did not work out for me was placing the masthead higher as it covered the moon, and putting the main coverline and text higher as it covered the ocean. This may not be a suitable cover because of the font colors blending in, and the weird positioning of the image.     

 4. Process of making covers. I used Canva to make these covers. When creating a cover, you have to click "Create Design" and enter "Magazine Cover." This will automatically give you the dimensions for a magazine cover. 

After that, you will have to find an image to put in. After you find, crop, and insert an image, you have to start working on the elements. Click "Add Heading" for the masthead, click "Add Subheading" to insert a main coverline and subheadings, then click "Add a Little Bit of Body Text" to insert the miscellaneous items such as the issue, date, and price. 

After that, add a barcode to the bottom.

Lastly, start working on style. Change fonts, colors, positioning (if needed) and maybe adjust the image.

5. Conclusion. My main main image will be of a main travel location talked about in the article, or of a good view or a good scenery. I will probably use the first or second magazine cover. This is because the first cover is composed really well especially with the main image, and the second magazine looks professional and looks good with design elements such as the red border and the white rectangle.

Works Cited:

“10 Key Elements of a Magazine Layout Design - Outsource2india.” Outsource2India, www.outsource2india.com/creative-services/articles/10-key-elements-magazine-layout-design.asp.

Magazine cover elements - weebly. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2022, from http://acpathway.weebly.com/uploads/3/0/2/6/30261041/magazine_cover_elements.pdf

Fussell, Grace. “The Psychology of Fonts (Fonts That Evoke Emotion).” Design & Illustration Envato Tuts+, Envato Tuts, 16 May 2020, https://design.tutsplus.com/articles/the-psychology-of-fonts--cms-34943.Dunham, E. (n.d.). Font squirrel: ChunkFive font free by the League of Moveable Type. Latest Font. Retrieved January 31, 2022, from https://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/chunkfive#:~:text=Chunk%20is%20an%20ultra%2Dbold,yet%20refined%20for%20contemporary%20use.