Cover Draft

This is my initial draft of my magazine cover. On Canva I searched "teen magazine cover" for inspiration by scrolling through their preset templates. The thirteen magazine cover seemed the most suitable. This template allowed for the image to fill the entire background and eliminates any borders, a feature uncommon in teenage magazines and college magazines. I maintained the italicized magazine name but added a dragonfly symbol, something representative of our brand. I added a text box that informs the reader that this is the "Summer Edition" for the year. Under the magazine name is the slogan "spread your wings". I placed it in its designated spot so that the 'g' in dragonfly would not overlap the slogan. This placement also allows for flow so that it reads "dragonfly, spread your wings".
We continued to use the default font type from the template. This particular font, Montserrat Classic, is bold and in all caps. We felt this helped to differentiate between the headline and the strap line that is written in both lowercase and a different color. I used the different font colors to my advantage and made sure that the headline was the only title with yellow while the others were light pink and orange to keep in line with the summer palette.
To create anchorage between the cover image and the headline, I placed the headline directly beside the celebrity's face. This provides context as to who the image is of as well as showing they are the main article of the magazine edition. Placing the headline and strap line, of which varies from the actual article's title within the magazine, on her shoulder also avoided the issue of not being able to read the text. The yellow shade would otherwise be difficult to read when put on the light background of the image. The golden hue of her skin provides contrast to the yellow font and allows it to pop off the page.
However, I did stumble across some issues with finding colors that coordinate with the summer season while also being legible against the background. The light pink cover lines along the left side with the white descriptions are readable on the page. The "Best Summer Jobs for College Students" was made orange to stand out against the white of her shirt. I will have to remedy the black description underneath because it appears obvious that it is the result of a formatting issue.
For the sweet spot, I kept it the same as my original draft but added a sort of frame around it to draw attention. Under the text combination templates on Canva, I found the 'online sale' one depicted in an image above. I removed the text and placed the sunburst-like dashes around the circular hairspray promotion. This gives the promotional offer the appearance of a sun. This detail also suits its positioning since it appears to be almost in the sky.
These particular cover lines were chosen to be on the cover because they incorporate both academics, lifestyle, and fashion and beauty. These elements are prominent in magazines published for the teenage girl and young adult demographic that our magazine also caters to.