Cover Mockups

Introduction. In blog five, I created five mockups of potential magazine covers. They were not very in-depth, and used names like "masthead" and "coverline." In this blog, I took two of the best covers, and created magazine mockups. I go over font, placement, colors, themes, and more. There were some changes to be made to the first covers, especially since in this blog I used original images and original names. I made these covers using Canva.

 1. Original Cover:

Mockup:

Main Image. I started this mockup with the first original cover. I did this because it was one of the best pictures that I took. I had to make some major adjustments so that the magazine cover will work with this new main image. I had to move the smaller coverlines/subheadings so that the hot air balloons are more visible. I chose this main image because of the perfect lighting where it is not too light, and not too dark. The positioning of the hot air balloons on the right utilizes the rule of thirds, and is another reason I chose this image. There is also a background that is very vast and open, and this emphasizes the idea that other than hot air balloons, there are a lot of things to do in Turkey. I did zoom in this image, because the original image was not the right dimensions, but it is not too much of a noticeable difference.

Colors. When I was choosing the font colors, I wanted a color that stood out for the masthead. When referencing the color wheel, the companion color of blue is red. I chose red because red and blue are colors that really makes the image pop. The miscellaneous information under the masthead is the only black text to show that it is not part of the magazine, but is just there for information on the magazine. For the main coverline, I used a big gold 50 so that it stands out. When looking at published travel magazine covers, I saw that this is a common design technique. I used a red font so that it matches the masthead which completes the circle between the name "World Travel" and "International Travel Locations." It also stands out from the other coverlines/subheadings. For the smaller coverlines/subheadings, I used a white font because it was originally on the ground, and the white color is more visible on the ground color. I eventually had to move the bottom subheading so that it does not touch with the main coverline, and the higher subheading because there was simply no space on the ground, and the white could not be seen in the sky. I also moved the barcode to the bottom right to create space for the lower subheading. I went with the same white font so that I do not put too many new colors, and so that I have consistency. 

                                                        

Fonts. I chose the Chunk Five font instead of the original Bevan font because although they convey the same emotions of trustworthiness and are both inviting and friendly, Chunk Five has less space between the characters, so the masthead could be bigger, and looked better. I also changed the font for the main coverline. Even though the Bree Serif font looked good on the original magazine cover, it was taking up too much space here. A common design in travel magazines is to keep the main coverline in all caps, so that is what i did. Since all the letters are caps, a thin font looked better than the Bree Serif font, so I used the Open Sans font. This font is neutral, yet friendly. The masthead and main coverline fonts are different because I want them both to stand out, but not as one piece. I wanted the masthead and the main coverline to be clearly distinct. This is also the reason for the subheadings to be a different font from the main coverline. The smaller coverlines/subheadings are done in Roxborough Cf Thin. This is because this font looks nice, it pairs with many typefaces, and is an overall gentle and friendly font. The miscellaneous information was done in DM Serif Display. This is because it is a popular font used for displaying information, and is distinct from all other fonts so that the audience knows that it is not part of the actual magazine. 

Theme & Miscellaneous. Factoring in all of this, the theme I tried to follow was similar subheadings, a distinct coverline and masthead, and keeping the miscellaneous information separate, all while trying to keep the colors red, white, and black. When talking about miscellaneous information, I put the issue number and date to keep track of the magazine. I put the price so that people know the price of the magazine when picking it up. The barcode at the bottom is just there to make organizing and sorting the magazine easier by a computer. All professional magazines have this, but it is not for design, just organizing and sorting the magazine.

2. Original Cover:

Mockup:

Main Image: I did make some changes from the original cover. These minor changes will be explained throughout the different sections. I chose this main image because looking at the original cover, it had a black and white picture of a city. This image has a black background, with a bunch of colors that just catch the reader's attention. The angle of the camera when the image was taken is another reason for this decision. The angle shows that at the bottom of the image, the lanterns keep going, which emphasizes vastness and the idea that there are many things to do in Turkey. Normally I would have to zoom the image, but I did not need to do this for this cover because of the red border.

Colors. The colors for this cover are very similar to the original cover. The masthead is white so that it stands out. I did not want to use a black color because it would blend in. I did not choose a red font because there would be too much red on the cover. Blue was also not an option because it would blend in with some of the blue lanterns, and it would just be a totally new color, which would overwhelm the reader. The miscellaneous information is white for the same reason, to not introduce too many colors. They are the same color, but this is okay as they are different fonts. The coverlines are also white. I did this because the main coverline has a white background, and the main coverline reads "Navigating Turkey." The smaller coverlines/subheadings read "Nights you won't forget" and "10 best activities" and they relate to the main coverline because they are all things to do in Turkey. The main coverline is black so that it is visible with the white rectangle behind it. This rectangle is purely for familiarity and design. The red border on the sides are also just for design. 

Fonts. I chose the Chunk Five font for the masthead because it is big, and has feet on it. This makes it a perfect display font, and since it is a serif font, it gives the audience a sense of trustworthiness and friendliness, and is inviting. For the miscellaneous information under the masthead, I went with the "DM Serif Display" font. This is because it looks good, and is commonly used for displaying information. The miscellaneous information has information about the magazine, so it lets readers know that it is not part of the magazine, but just shows the information on the magazine. The coverline and main coverline is in the font "Bree Serif." This is because the serif font is inviting and friendly, and is easy to read. The coverlines match the main coverline so that it is obvious that they are all coverlines, but the color is different for the main coverline for it to stand out. This is also the reason for the font to be bigger, and the white box behind it.

Theme and Miscellaneous. The theme I tried to go with was to follow the original main cover, and choose colors that go well together, but not too many colors. I went with a red border, white text, with a colorful background. I went with similar coverlines but a distinct main coverline, masthead, and miscellaneous information section. The issue number is included so people can keep track of the magazine, a date to help with this, and a price so people know how much to pay for it. The barcode is there for computers to organize the magazine. All professional magazines include this miscellaneous information including the barcode, but is just used for classification and information on the magazine.

Conclusion. For both mockups, I followed a color theme while not trying to introduce too many new colors. For the theme, I went with similar text styles, only using a maximum of three fonts, and tried to connect colors to the main image. The fonts were chosen on purpose, to give out a certain feeling, for example, the fonts for the masthead and coverlines are trustworthy and inviting. The miscellaneous information was in a distinct font so it stays separate, and is in more of a display style font. The images were placed in a certain way to show off a certain part of the image. For example, the first image was positioned to show the vast background. Colors were chosen so that they pop out, and look good with the background. For example, red and blue for the first cover, and white and black for the second one. The mockups were based off of the original covers from blog five.