Magazine Cover Reflection- Alejandra A.

I created the HER HORIZON magazine cover in Adobe InDesign. This project helped me understand the process behind the creation of an actual magazine cover and how the aesthetically pleasing and information dense features serve genre and readership. I learned about the relevance of media industry standards and how visual hierarchy and conventions contribute to successful media industry creation through my own creation, experimentation, and refining of my layout.

Learning the Magazine Conventions:

What I learned about magazine conventions is that they make for a realistic, professional magazine cover. They also prevent the magazine from looking tacky or like something a fifth grader came up with in a matter of moments. For example, inappropriately positioned masthead, primary image, cover lines, bar codes, prices, dates and taglines are all failings of a magazine cover. Furthermore, I learned about guides, margins and appropriate alignments that make things aesthetically pleasing and easy to read. Therefore, using such conventions helped to make my magazine cover more professional.

My Genre Choice and Representation:

The genre of my magazine is self growth and emotional wellness for women. I chose this genre because it embodies a sense of nostalgia, reflection, restoration and transformation. My cover conveys this genre through the softness of the colors on the cover, the outside setting of the image and the fact that the woman is looking towards what's ahead (the horizon). Even the language of the cover lines supports this genre with healing, growing, boundaries and self image.

The Magazine Conventions and Effectiveness:

Many magazine conventions were used to create an effective cover. The masthead is large and at the top of the cover for brand identity. The main cover line is large and central. Secondary cover lines are dispersed around the image but do not interfere with the subject. I also placed circular outlines behind some of the text for clarity and aesthetic appeal. These conventions move the eye in a natural motion and allow for the magazine's purpose to be easily conveyed.

Challenges and Successes:

One challenge I encountered was ensuring legibility with the background imagery, which was solved through font adjustments and shape backings behind prominent text. Another challenge was to ensure a layout so that the cover did not feel cluttered. One successful challenge was creating a final product that ended up looking very polished and professional, ensuring, at first glance, that it falls into the proper genre.

 

Important Takeaways and Next Steps:

One of the biggest takeaways from this project is the idea of layout and hierarchy. Something as simple as adjusting where an image sits or the kerning of a font will make it more or less professional. I'll certainly be more aware about layout before setting elements in place for good and will always play around with typography and placements.

Connection to My Portfolio Project:

 Not only will this project be a great asset to my portfolio but it will also stand as testament to my successful engagement with industry standard software and media standards. The topic applied will help me bridge the gap to increasingly complex layouts, denser visual narratives and more refined media products. I now possess a tangible product as proof of my ideation and later realization.