It is also essential to consider color theory and the basics of the color wheel that we all learned in elementary school art class. When designing a magazine cover, make sure to use brand colors if you’re designing for a brand, and ensure that colors are either complementary or contrasting in an exciting way. ColorĬolor is the primary element of design that makes art stand out and look cohesive. So, when you're thinking about creating your first magazine cover, keep in mind the following four essential elements: Four Basic Elements of Magazine Cover Design 1. The main goal of a magazine cover is to attract readers by engaging them visually through various forms of illustration and typography.Īnd while advertisers use visual cues such as typefaces and color schemes to direct attention toward their product, magazine editors aim to do so using layout techniques and images rather than relying too heavily on words. They differ from advertising because they sell ideas about what people should buy instead of selling products directly. Magazine covers are unique enough to warrant their own category.
It requires careful attention to detail and adherence to the basic principles of design. The approach to a magazine cover is much like any other form of graphic design. Many designers working for magazines have experience designing graphics or advertisements as well. We’ve got a few other blog posts covering this topic more in-depth, so we’ll just give you a quick rundown here.
The elements that make up a stunning magazine cover are similar to those used in other types of graphic communication. What are the Elements of a Magazine Cover? Let’s talk about how you can do that, using the basic principles and elements of design. So, it’s crucial that you get the design right. The cover image is the first part of a magazine that you see, and it's the thing that determines whether you will pick the magazine up or not. This has created a demand for skilled designers who can produce distinctive, eye-catching designs on various subjects, with none so crucial as the coveted magaziine cover image. These diversified interests require different types of visual content-not just photographs but also illustrations, advertisements, cartoons, caricatures, editorial text, and colorful full-page spreads. Magazines often specialize in one niche area and feature images, articles, and news related to that niche. Magazines have remained in print but have adapted to the digital age by curating a strong online presence. That demand hasn’t faltered even with the decline in print media. This led to the creation of a large number of specialized weekly and monthly titles. Others like Harper's Bazaar, Good Housekeeping, and Vanity Fair remained in publication much longer and are still in print today.Īs time passed, more people became interested in learning more about fashion, home life, health care, religion, politics, education, travel, gardening, cooking, and other topics from magazines. Magazines such as The Century Co.'s Cosmopolitan, McCall's Ladies' Home Journal, Collier's Weekly, and The Saturday Evening Post all appeared in short runs of less than six months. However, many of these publications lacked sufficient circulation to sustain themselves long-term and subsequently went under after only a short run. "In this era, publishers and advertisers capaciously demanded from artists to create artworks that would visually communicate with their audiences in exquisite styles that would appeal to aesthetic tastes of the modern-age public." - A History of Graphic Design, Guilty Novinīy 1910, there was a proliferation of both picture periodicals and illustrated weeklies. We’re obsessed with this vintage Vogue cover from 1928, created by Porter Woodruff. The Golden Age of American Illustration, between 18, gave us great advances in printing technology, and with it, more creative publishing art like book and magazine covers. Magazine covers have been around since the early days of print media, and they continue to be popular even in the digital age. This article will cover the history of magazine cover designs, magazine cover design inspiration, and some design tips to help you create your own.
Magazine cover wall how to#
If you want to learn how to design the perfect magazine cover, stick with us. Magazine cover design is an underrated art medium that can be incredibly impactful and unique. If you can learn to create a truly creative and distinct cover image, you can get the world’s attention. Jean-Paul Goude reworked his own Champagne Incident artwork from the 80s for this unforgettable cover image that exploded on social media and on newsstands. Who else remembers when Kim Kardashian broke the internet with her Paper Magazine in 2014?