Critical Evaluation of First Draft of Front Cover

Critical evaluation of first draft of front cover

For my magazine, I am aiming it to be in the genre of rock and indie music. I think this front cover represents the style of an indie music magazine more than it does for a rock magazine. I think this is due to the colours, however, I think the masthead of ‘Riot’ does bring it all together and tie in in the fact that this magazine both incorporates rock and indie music. I think it also represents the aim well as it gives you information about what’s in the magazine and the type of articles you’ll find inside.

Some of the coverlines are easier to read than others due to their brighter and more vivid colours, compared to some of the other dark colours used. However, the additional text (coverlines) on the front cover could be made easier to read, as well as fit in more with the main house style of the magazine. The coverlines overlap my main image of the artist, however, she is still clearly visible and the coverlines that surround her do not obscure the main overall look. The font of the coverlines are plain, simple and easy to read, which makes it easier for the audience. They also contrast to the masthead’s font, and I think this gives the magazine a unique edge, making it stand out. The masthead is very prominent, placed in the centre middle of the cover and stands out with its bold use of colours, as well as keeping in with the overall look, though this doesn’t keep in with magazine conventions, as usually, they’re placed in the top left corner. However, I don’t think this makes my music magazine unprofessional or any less like a music magazine, and with the use of a barcode, date, price and issue number, it really pulls together making it look more like a real music magazine.

The colours used all tie in together and link with the main house style, as well as the main image itself, and I think this makes it and effective front cover. However, I think it could also be problematic, as the colours of the coverlines may not stand out against the image and draw in readers. Also, the colour of the dark red used on the coverlines of ‘Molly Booker’ and ‘Molly’s first official interview’ link back to the colour of the artists lipstick and so those particular coverlines are recognisable to the main story of the girl on the cover. The background has turned out to have a gradient effect due to the lighting during the photoshoot, though I think there is a nice and even balance, which does not affect the front cover in a negative way.

Aimed at young people aged 16 to 20, I think this magazine front cover is appropriate for my target audience as it fits in with the conventions of a magazine for young people. It attracts more of a younger audience, than an older one, which is what was intended. However, when thinking of my design intentions, this front cover draft is not how I intended it to be, it has warmer, pink, purple tones to it than intended, though I still think I have achieved a reasonable cover in comparison to my initial designs.