Final Cover Edits

 Introduction. For the final cover, I decided to go with the hot air balloon cover from blog six. This is because I found it to be the most persuasive because of what it shows, and because there was the most empty space, so I can comfortably fit in elements such as the masthead. I used the Canva software to make the actual cover and to insert elements such as the masthead, and used Adobe Lightroom to edit the image. I changed the color of the miscellaneous information from black to a bright orange-yellow. This is because the black was hard to see with the dark red hot air balloon in the background. The yellow is also dark, so this is why the bright orange-yellow color is more visible. I also changed the image. The actual image is the same, but I put in the edited image from blog seven, instead of the original image, like I used before. I am trying to make my magazine cover look good, while also being the most persuasive that it can, so I decided to go with my genre's conventions. This is due to the fact that the conventions I follow work the best. I also moved the coverline "Hot Air Balloons in Turkey" to the left and bottom area. The only reason for this is to follow conventions of a travel magazine, and to keep the image clear. I also moved the main coverline down to fit the smaller "Hot Air Balloons in Turkey" in.

Edited Cover:

Masthead. For the masthead, the name "World Travel" was chosen because when looking at professional and published travel magazine is to clearly get the point across to the reader. The name "World Travel" indicates that this magazine is about international travel, and cannot be mistaken for another magazine. This is also the reason for the color of the masthead. The masthead is red because it can easily be seen with the blue background, and stands out. The masthead also connects to the main coverline, and this completes a circle with the name "World Travel" and "50 International Travel Locations." The color of the masthead does not have to stay consistent, but the name, font, and style should. The font I used is a bold, slab serif font. This is because a convention of travel magazines is for the masthead to stand out, and the masthead being this bold and big paired with the red really does make it stand out. The font is also professional, and is generally friendly and inviting. The reason I used a slab serif font and not a traditional serif font is to attract even more attention, and to make it look aesthetically pleasing. The reason for placing it at the top and in the middle is because a convention of travel magazines is to keep the main image open. Putting the masthead on the bottom would not only look weird, but would require for the coverlines to be pushed up, which would cover the image. It is placed in the middle so that the entire name "World Travel" could fit on one line.

Main Image. This is an image of hot air balloons, with an open background. I chose this image because of the perfect lighting, where it is not too light, and not too dark. The hot air balloons in the image also gives the idea that this is a good place to travel to because many people have not had the chance to ride a hot air balloon. This is further emphasized with the vast and open background, which shows that it is not too crowded, but there are still activities to do in this location, making my cover even more persuasive. When I placed the image in, I kept the hot air balloons to the right. This is to keep more space for text, and utilizes the rule of thirds, which makes the image look better. It was also positioned in a way that there is more ground, so that there is space for the coverlines.

Coverlines. When creating the coverlines, I decided to make a red main coverline because the next "50 International Travel Locations" connects to "World Travel." It also stands out from the test of the coverlines. The other coverlines are white so that they stay consistent with each other, and so that they are visible with the ground. All the fonts are serif fonts so that they seem more trustworthy to the reader, and the main coverline's font is different from the other coverlines so that it stand out to the reader. The main coverline is put where it is because of how big it is, and so that it does not cover the image. The other coverline's fonts are the same to stay consistent. The "50" for the main coverline is a stock photo pulled from the internet, and is just a stylistic choice. The 50 is gold so that it stands out more, and pairs well with the red text underneath it. The main coverline's text reads "50 International Travel Locations" because it connects back to "World Travel," and to the main image. The image is of hot air balloons, and these are not available everywhere, so the main coverline suggests that the magazine is about different travel locations around the world. The top coverline reads "Hot Air Balloons in Turkey" because it connects to the main image as they are hot air balloons, and tells the reader that Turkey is a main point talked about in this magazine since the coverline, and the main image matches it. The other coverline says "Scuba Diving in Italy" to tell the readers that Italy and water sports are talked about in this magazine. The lower coverline is placed where it is so that it is visible, and does not get in the way of anything. The upper coverline was originally higher with the hot air balloons, but I moved it lower so that the hot air balloons are more visible, and not covered. I did not include any coverline descriptions because they are not a convention of travel magazines. This is because the purpose of the coverlines in travel magazines are to tease what is inside so that the reader will buy the magazine, instead of just having it all on the cover. With this, my smaller coverlines are short and descriptive, while my main coverline is bigger, but less descriptive in a way that it does not talk about any of the travel locations, it just says that there are 50 of them.

Sell line. My magazine cover does not include a sell line. This is a convention of travel magazines, and is done because other elements generally indicate that this is a travel magazine. For example, the masthead that reads "World Travel" is already a big indicator, paired with the main coverline "50 International Travel Locations," and the other coverlines that talk about two completely different locations and activities, it is easy to tell that this magazine is a travel magazine.

Miscellaneous. I included the barcode at the bottom right so that it does not attract any attention. Previous design choices were made so that the readers notice it, but the barcode is not part of the actual magazine, and is just there for a computer to be able to keep track of it. This is why it is at the bottom and not the top; so that no one looks at it. The issue number is there along with the date and price so that a human can read it. Just as the barcode, it is not supposed to attract attention, but unlike the barcode, the reader should be able to find it easily to get information on the magazine. This is the reason that it is under the masthead. The font for the information under the masthead is called "DM Serif Display" because it looks good as a display font, and is not too aggressive so that it does not go with the rest of the cover.      

Color Scheme. A tip to have in all magazines, not just travel magazines, is to limit the color. Introducing too many new colors does not look good, and will overwhelm the reader. Because of this, I decided to limit my colors to red, orange-yellow, and white. I chose the red for the masthead because it stands out against the blue, and red for the main coverline so that it is distinct, and connects to the masthead. I chose orange-yellow for the miscellaneous information so that it stays apart form the rest of the magazine, and to show that it is not part of it. It was originally black, but it was a little bit harder to see, and the orange-yellow just seems to look better. The masthead and the main coverline is red because it is also included int he main image, and so is orange-yellow for the miscellaneous information. I chose white for the other coverlines to stay apart from the main coverline, and to stay consistent with each other. At first I was going to go with black, but it was not as visible with their backgrounds.

Conclusion. My cover was made following my genre's conventions as these conventions are what work best with travel magazines. The masthead name was chosen to attract attention, and so that it goes with the main coverline, and is apparent that it is a travel magazine. The colors were also chosen as they connect the masthead and main coverline, and stands out compared to the main image in the background. The fonts are trustworthy and inviting, and do not look aggressive. The color for the miscellaneous information was chosen so that it stands out, but does not look too out of place with the rest of the cover. It is also in a different font so that it stays separate, and looks good on display. The image was chosen to persuade the most readers while also leaving room for text to fit in. My coverlines were chosen so that they all connect together and connect back to the main image, and are worded in a way that they hint at what is inside the magazine, but not too much, and invite the reader to read more. The barcode is at the bottom right so it does not attract attention, or get in the way of anything.

Revisions. After peer feedback, I decided to change things up in my magazine. I moved the masthead higher so that the hot air balloons are less covered, made it bigger to attract more attention, and changed the size of the miscellaneous information under it smaller so that it attracts less attention. I also changed the color to white, as I was introducing too many new colors to the audience. I changed the font of the coverlines so that they are more visible. I also moved them down, and to the left. I left aligned the text to leave more open space. This is seen in many professional travel magazines as it shows more of the image. I also right aligned the main coverline to follow these conventions, and to show the image more. I changed the color of the text to black to add contrast to the other coverlines, and I changed the "50" to red as it adds contrast to the main coverline. I also used text this time instead of an image as it is more original, and looks better. I used the specific font for it so that it is bolder, and still looks good. I also added a shadow to make it stand out, and it also looks really good. I changed the barcode at the bottom right as the white background was attracting too much attention, so instead I used a plain white barcode.

Based on feedback from my teacher, I decided to change my cover one last time. The black coverline did not fit in, so I made it white to fit the rest. Then it looked like there was too much white, so I changed the echo of the "50" to black to add contrast, and increased the offset because it was hard to see. Lastly, I changed the "International" to "Unknown" to make my coverline more descriptive.