Magazine Cover Project
Magazine Covers
• 80 percent of consumer magazines’
newsstand sales are determined by what is
shown on the cover, a fact that can mean the
difference between a magazine’s success or
failure over time.
• The cover image and design reinforce the
brand
A good cover needs to accomplish 4 things:
1. Identify the personality of the magazine.
2. Attract the target audience
3. Lure the reader into the magazine
4. Establish a visual identity
(consistent use of format)
You are to design the cover of a
NEW magazine
(one that does NOT exist…you may
use existing magazines for inspiration
however).
Make sure that each element of your
magazine is on its own layer*.
Your cover MUST include:
• Name of magazine
• Issue/Date/Price
• Main Story lines/smaller story lines
• Mailing Label – use your name but use the
school address
3591 Village Center Loop Rd.
San Diego, CA 92130
• Bar Code
TIPS
• Make the name of the magazine the largest
thing on the cover.
• Your main story photo will be the largest.
• Include smaller photos/ graphics/story lines.
• You may use a photo or photos you have
taken along with images found online.
To Start
• Start by doing your own research. Look up 5
to 10 different magazines that interest you.
• To start the project you will create a new
document in Photoshop by going to the File
Menu and selecting New. Make sure to set
the sizes to the same as shown in this box:
Important!
• Be sure to label each layer with a
name that will make it easy to keep
track of all the elements in your
project.