A great magazine in 7 simple steps

1. KNOW YOUR READERS INSIDE AND OUT

When you craft engaging content that hits your readers’ needs, you create an emotional
connection that makes them feel like they “belong” and that they are part of an exclusive
club where they can immerse themselves in their passion. That kind of magazine/reader
relationship is what every editor should strive to achieve.

2. GIVE YOUR MAGAZINE A PERSONALITY

The best magazines don’t just deliver great content to their readers, they do it in a
conversational style that creates a rapport. A good editor should stamp his or her personality
on a magazine. Every single feature or story in your magazine should convey the message
that you know and understand your readers. Make it personal.

3. CONTENT TRUMPS DESIGN EVERY TIME

Whenever a magazine starts to lose readers and circulation, the finger for blame often gets
pointed at the design team. However, in almost all instances when a publication starts to
slump, it’s because the editorial quality has dropped for some reason. Although good design
is crucial in creating a “complete” magazine package, it’s the editorial content that attracts
and keeps readers. Good editorial can save a poorly designed publication, but good design
can’t compensate for weak or bad content.

4. AUTHORITY. AUTHORITY. AUTHORITY

Readers look to your publication for opinion, advice, insight, inspiration and education. You
can’t let them down. There’s nothing worse than picking up a publication and finding that you
don’t learn anything new or, even worse, that you know more about the subject than the
so-called “expert” writer or journalist.

5. A BLEND OF CONTENT EXPERIENCES

A good publication should take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. You should be
challenged intellectually and emotionally.

6. KEEP THE EDITORIAL EXPERIENCE FRESH BUT FAMILIAR

All good magazines have a consistent rhythm or beat. Readers like to be able to easily find
their favourite sections or columns, and they like to have a sense of where they are in the
magazine at any time. The key to keeping the reader experience fresh is ensuring that the
presentation of content changes from feature to feature. Likewise, every individual issue of
your magazine should feel consistent and familiar to readers yet still be a fresh design and
content experience.

7. ENCOURAGE COLLABORATION BETWEEN WRITERS AND DESIGNERS

Writers and designers can often be very individualistic characters, but the editorial and the
design team should collaborate at all stages of the creative process. Art directors can help
writers come up with innovative ways of presenting copy, while writers should always have
the opportunity to explain how they envisaged their copy being presented on the page. If the
two departments don’t collaborate, challenge each other or occasionally squabble, you end
up with a sterile publication.

Analysis:

In this first part of my secondary research, I have taken some information from this article
about what makes a good magazine in seven easy steps. One of the main points that I will
take from this is that consistency is key in magazine publishing, and to make a good
magazine, having that consistency is vital to make sure that my magazine stands out from
the rest and make people want to read the magazine.

What makes a magazine successful?

1. Start with market research

No matter what your ultimate aims and no matter how smart your design and engaging your
content, unless you know for whom you are writing and how to reach that audience, you’re
probably wasting your time. For that reason, we always recommend starting with market
research. Market research is an often-misunderstood term and can put a lot of people off,
particularly creative spirits who want to focus on their content alone. We get that, but we
know that the most successful magazines are always based on researching the market first.

Market research is nothing to be scared about. It’s really very simple. It just means thinking
about who you’re writing for, where they live, what age group they are, what work they do,
how they pass their spare time, their disposable income, and a range of other demographics.
Why? Because this will allow you to target focused content which they will love! If you don’t
know for whom you’re writing, how can you know what to write? That’s why there are so
many different magazines out there; each one targeted to a niche market demographic.

2. Voice and style

Each magazine has its own voice and style. Do this simple experiment: go to the newsstand
and pick up half a dozen different magazines at random. Read the editorials, read through
the main features, and look at the letters page. You’ll soon see that each publication uses
language in a specific way, that the images and advertising are carefully targeted to the
readership, and that you couldn’t copy-and-paste an article from one magazine into another
without it looking profoundly out of place. Voice and style come from knowing for whom
you’re writing. It sets the tone and builds a sense of familiarity and ease of communication
with your readers. So, take time to experiment with the kind of content that your readers will
most likely appreciate, the tone or “voice” which would appeal to them, and the overall look
and feel of your magazine.

3. Content vs design
This is a little like the old conundrum of the chicken and the egg or the dog chasing its own
tail. Which is most important, content or design? The truth is that without content you have
nothing to design and without design no one will read your content.

Certainly, the two should complement one another. Exactly how you design your
magazine — in terms of the color scheme, the materials, the artwork, the font, the layout, and
more — will depend on your content and your readership. Likewise, your content must fit with
your magazine’s overall design. Form and function are interdependent. So, give a great deal
of thought and care to synchronizing your content and your visual design. It’s one of the
major keys to making a successful magazine.

4. Build authority
Whatever your niche or target readership, your audience will need to trust the information,
the advice, the opinions, and the insights that they find within the pages of your magazine if
it’s to be successful. How do you build that trust? On one hand, that trust is built through
voice and style, making sure that they resonate with the natural interests, inclinations,
expectations, and beliefs of your target audience. On the other, it comes through
demonstrating authority in the subject or topic or niche.

What does that mean in practice? It means engaging the services of expert writers, or, if you
are writing the content yourself and you are not an acknowledged expert in the field, taking
care to cite authoritative sources for any factual information or claims you make. Combining
these two is the best way forward. It takes a little more research, time, and effort, than simply
“cranking out” content as some low-level bloggers do. But, if you do your due diligence, you
will be amply rewarded as readers will know that they can trust content that your magazine
delivers.

5. Combine variety and novelty in equal measure

Successful magazines offer a sense of familiarity and consistency to their readers. It should
be easy to find particular sections, segments, or regular features, so make sure they’re
always on the same page and perhaps contain consistent visual elements which allow
readers to quickly find and identify them. At the same time, readers like pleasant surprises
and are always delighted to find something new and interesting to read.

So, the most successful magazines have regular slots which are unchanging combined with
short series, guest writers, and news items which are topical, or unusual, or unexpected in
some way. Always, of course, slanted toward your audience’s beliefs and interests.

This doesn’t mean you can’t be challenging. It depends on your readership. Many
magazines publish controversial material and expect to host lively debate in the readers’
letters section! But for a successful magazine you should aim to combine familiarity and
novelty so that your readers feel comfortable but remain engaged.

6. Make it easy for readers to contact you

If you’re just setting out, this might seem scary, but it’s very important if you want a
successful magazine. Make it easy for readers to get in touch with you, comment on the
content you’ve created, express their opinions, and generally give feedback. But don’t worry!
In the early days, it’s highly unlikely that your post box will be inundated with letters from
your readers. When that happens, it’ll mean that your magazine has really taken off and you
will be able to employ a customer service team to deal with it all! But it’s very important that
readers feel they can get in touch with you if they want to. So, make sure your magazine’s
business address, website, email address, and telephone number are published on the
inside pages.
7. Teamwork and a common vision
It’s very rare, even if you’re a solo entrepreneur, that your magazine will be “all your own
work”. In most cases, you will need to engage one or more professional writers, a
photographer, graphic designers, and of course, an offset printer (that’s us, by the way!) In
this case, it’s vitally important to get everyone on board with a common vision of what the
magazine is for, to whom it’s marketed, and the contribution it will make to the lives of its
readers. We’ve seen magazines fail which had everything else in place but where the
editors, writers, artists, designers and the printer simply didn’t communicate or weren’t on
the same page. So, right from the outset, if you want a successful magazine, make sure that
information, ideas, and creativity are shared in a team-like atmosphere which allows
everyone to make a valuable contribution.

Analysis:

In this article that I analysed was what makes a magazine successful and this will help me
massively to understand what makes a magazine successful. It is also time consuming so
you can plan it the best it can be so you can compete with competitors. I have also learnt by
reading this source that keeping it simple will be the best thing to do and by keeping it simple
will attract the most audience to buying the magazine. I have also learnt that having a direct
address on the front cover is crucial to bring in the audience because they are looking
straight at you and it makes the audience draw the attention to the magazine. Another thing
that I have learned is to avoid a busy background because you don’t want the attention of
the audience being shifted to something else and you want to look at the main image of the
certain celebrity. Also, putting the name of the magazine in the correct place is crucial
because it is the biggest font on the page and you need to make sure it stands out, with it
also being visible to the audience to see.

The 10 golden rules of a magazine

Masthead

Of course, we have to start with the most important one. The masthead represents the name
of the publication and is the most crucial aspect of your magazine cover design.
Professionally designed magazine covers make the mast head stand out besides the other
elements. Therefore, it’s good practice to set it right in the centre and make it as big as
possible. It will also help people to recognize your magazine among all the others.

So follow what magazine designers do and use a big and bold font for the masthead. Also,
don’t forget that the masthead’s colour has a crucial role in making it pop even more.
Therefore, it’s helpful to adapt the title’s colour to match the image and theme you’ll use on
the front cover.

Issue and dateline

This section contains the date, month, year, and issue number of the publication. Some
magazines, like Vogue, only specify the month and year as they only publish one issue for
each month. And usually, some magazines also add the price in this section.

Main image

The main image of the magazine cover is usually a representative illustration of the content
within the magazine. It should best reflect what the issue is all about. Big magazines typically
portray a well-known celebrity or a visually appealing image that easily triggers an emotion.

One thing you should have in mind when designing your magazine cover is to use
professional images. When you invest in high-quality photos and have a cover image that
stands out among the others, you improve the chances of selling more. Also, keep in mind
that the image you use will draw the readers in and make them curious to know everything
your magazine contains. So invest in photography because it’s one of the most important
aspects of a magazine. Choosing the right image is one of the most essential aspects of
designing your magazine cover. So make sure it will best reflect the content within the
magazine.

Lead article

The lead article reflects the central issue of a magazine. Maybe an interview with an artist,
an expert on a subject, and the list can go on. It’s recommended to use a different font for
the lead article to let the readers know the issue’s theme and main story.

Supporting cover lines

The supporting cover lines are topics that can revolve around the same theme or simply be
completely different subjects. When it comes to placing them on the magazine’s cover, the
key is balance. Try to make them clear, short, and concise. Also, go for a more subtle font
and choose a smaller size to avoid distracting the reader from the main attractions.

Bar code
Most of the time, the bar code area is made by the printing house you collaborate with, but
it’s helpful to plan and have it in mind when designing the cover. Try to leave a little space for
the bar code in some part of the corner area. Maybe you also noticed that they add the price
above the bar code in some magazines, but it’s not a mandatory option. You can decide
what works best for your cover and even change the place in other issues.

Here are 10 golden rules of magazine cover design:

Place the magazine name in the most obvious place

Use the same cover template for all magazine issues
Work with grids and layouts
Decide on a focus point and build everything else around it
Play with font styles
Emphasise powerful words
Infuse your magazine cover design with a healthy dose of colour & contrast
Place a portrait on the cover
Avoid busy backgrounds
Dare to be bold. Go for illustrations

1. Place the magazine name in the most obvious place

We already talked about how important the title/name/masthead is. That’s why the first thing
you should start with is placing the magazine name in the most visible place. Truth be told,
most magazines cover giants, put it right in the middle of the magazine. It’s easier this way
for people to notice the magazine among the others.

Therefore, the overall layout of the magazine cover should be organised around your
magazine’s name. One rule that all professional designers follow is to make the magazine’s
name the most prominent feature of the cover. So make it big, bold, and as visible as
possible.

And speaking of visible titles, take a look at the image below. Do you see how the flower
crown hides quite a few letters from the title, but you can still figure out that it’s a Vogue
cover? Starting from the image, font styles, colours, and layout design – everything screams
– “Vogue.”

However, Vogue became such a big brand because of the recognizable elements they share
on all their platforms – website, social media accounts, printed magazines, etc. Yes, it takes
some time and learning to build a brand, but it’s so worth it as people will instantly recognize
your magazine’s personality reflected on all your communication channels.

This is a great idea, especially when you have a celebrity on your cover magazine like
Beyonce, for instance.

2. Use the same cover template for all magazine issues

The next thing you should have in mind when designing your cover magazine is to choose a
template that you’ll also use in the following issues of your magazine. If you wonder why let
me tell you this: Consistency is key! And keeping the same cover template for your following
magazine issues helps your readers get used to your specific magazine layout and easily
recognize it.

And most big brands do this! They mainly change the image cover, keep the name in the
same place, and only adapt the colours to match the image. It’s like a proven good practice
that works wonders.

Still, consistency doesn’t mean every issue of your magazine should look exactly the same.
That would be boring! In fact, each issue should look different from the previous one to
ensure readers know you released a new issue. For the same purpose, you should add the
date and the price on the cover.

If you’re not quite sure how to create a cover magazine template, you can always take
inspiration from Flipsnack. We have a vast collection of magazine templates that make the
whole design process smoother. Also, our online Design Studio tool is super intuitive, so if
you don’t necessarily consider yourself a skillful designer, great, you just found the perfect
solution! I’ll tell you more about how to design a magazine cover in Flipsnack in the following
paragraphs of this article.

And for a brief history time, take a look at how Vogue covers evolved over the years. Still, do
you notice the brand consistency? It’s one of the critical elements that kept the magazine
super recognizable. So try to be as consistent as possible. It’s challenging to think about the
future when you’re just getting started. But try to envision how your publication will look in a
year from now and even 2 years from now. And only afterward come up with a template that
will pass the test of time.

3. Work with grids and layouts

Because now you know how much a template can help you make the magazine cover
design, you also have to keep in mind using those grids and layouts! It will allow you to
organise and align your design elements to make your magazine cover look neat and
professional.

Grids and layouts are helpful, especially when you plan to print the magazine. Professional
designers and print studios use them to know exactly where the safe margins are and where
the printed pages of the magazine should be cut.

But no worries. Flipnack’s templates already follow a specific grid style. Our designers
already did the legwork for you, so you don’t necessarily have to think of this step separately.
The only things you have to do are choose your favourite template, change the texts and
images, and basically, that’s it. From this point, you just download your magazine as a PDF
and hand it over to a print studio.

4. Decide on a focus point and build everything else around it

Whenever you want to design a magazine cover, you have to begin with the purpose in
mind. So, depending on the subject – fashion, nature, cooking, business, etc. pick one and
build everything else around it.

For instance, fashion magazines usually feature models as the cover’s focus point, but you
can use an object or a headline. Anyways, if you’re reading this article, you probably already
figured out what subject you are going for.

Still, one crucial thing is to make sure that your subject is best reflected in your cover design.
As I previously mentioned, your magazine cover design should best reveal the content within
the magazine and hook the reader into making them so curious they choose to buy it.

Do you want to talk about fashion? Or do you have a significant lead article with an interview
with a celebrity you want to feature? Choose the focus point and try to build the entire cover
design starting from there. If the portrait of the celebrity is your key element, then let the
image stand out and only mention brief details about the other articles you feature. Figure
out when not to use that much text and when it’s okay to give more information to your
audience.

5. Play with font styles

As you already know, font styles play a significant role in how a magazine cover looks –
they can either instantly attract attention or not get anything at all. So, yes, that’s how much
relevance they have.

And even though most magazine covers feature the headlines of the most important stories
on the cover, using suitable font pairings can make a big difference in how the audience will
perceive them.

Accentuate the stories and articles you want to catch the most attention and make the others
more subtle.

For instance, take inspiration from the Kate Moss Vogue cover. Of course, the portrait of the
well-known model is the main attraction, but the combination of colors – pink, yellow, and
white – beautifully complements the photography. Also, notice that some fonts are bold,
while others are not, and some have serif fonts, and others are kept simple and clean.
Combining font styles can help you balance out the magazine cover design.

6. Emphasise powerful words

I told you in the beginning that the primary purpose of the magazine cover design is to sell
the stories inside. So what better way to do that if not through emphasising powerful words?
The short teasers reflected through sub-headings are the elements that can trigger the
reader’s curiosity.

So don’t neglect the value of using specific words that usually appear in headlines. After a
short glance at some headlines, I noticed that the most used words that quickly catch
attention are: “Now,” “Free,” “Gifts,” and “Exclusive.” I encourage you to emphasise them
because they prove to do the work.

You’ll see this practice used in a lot of fashion magazines. And even graphic design experts
emphasise these words by adding a 3D effect or playing with backgrounds to make them
pop more. Using powerful words increases your chances of having a perfect magazine cover
that will easily sell itself through all the ever changing graphic design trends.

And remember that people buy first emotionally. So use words that people will feel
connected with and instantly draw them to buy your magazine. Colours also play a huge role
in this process.

7. Infuse your magazine cover design with a healthy dose of colour & contrast

When it comes to selecting colours, never choose randomly. Yes, you first have to decide the
image you’re going to use, and starting from that point, infuse the overall cover design with
pops of colours to make it stand out.
Take a look at this Marie Claire cover design. It has an orange-toned text contrasting the
multiple shades of blue in the photography and background. And with the help of Amy
Adams’ copper hair, the contrast works even better. You can also think about coordinating
colours for a chic look (copy a colour from the photo and use it on different elements from
your cover page).

8. Place a portrait on the cover

Placing a portrait of a celebrity or well-known artist, it’s a practice most magazines do. If you
wonder why, well, the answer is quite simple. It sells easier as people are curious to find out
the latest news about their favourite celebrities.

However, when you have a person’s portrait on the cover of your magazine – be it a celebrity
or not, eye contact is a MUST as the audience can make a deeper connection with the
subject.

You might say that it’s easy to do this when your brand is known worldwide but quite
challenging when you’re just at the very beginning. And you couldn’t be more right. But it’s
always useful to follow the best practices most brands do and who knows, maybe your
magazine will be famous one day too. At least that’s the plan, right? So hit for the stars, my
friend!

If your magazine is about fashion, hire models. Or interview people with authority in a
specific field. You don’t need Beyonce to have success; you need great content. Remember
that without a good story, your magazine is effed.

9. Avoid busy backgrounds

Busy backgrounds can dilute the message you’re trying to tell your readers. So keep the
magazine cover elements pretty organised to achieve a professional look. It’s also
recommended that the model on the cover is on a transparent or solid colour background, as
it will be easier to make the headlines stand out a bit more.

For example, if your magazine cover design has quite a few supporting lines, 3D texts, then
avoid making the background also agglomerated. It’s important to keep a balance between
how much text and busy backgrounds you have in your cover design.

The more patterned or mixed-colour a background is, the more stuff it will look. And this
might confuse readers, and you risk not selling your magazine because of it. So don’t
neglect the overall look of the magazine cover design.

Here’s an iconic Harper’s Bazaar cover with the well-known actress – Saraj Jessica Parker.
You can notice the image is quite blurred through the margins, but designers still kept the
overall cover pretty minimalistic to let the image get all the attention. So follow their example
when you have an image that you want to be the central point of your magazine cover and
avoid having busy backgrounds.
10. Dare to be bold. Go for illustrations

Generally speaking, photos perform better than illustrations for the cover page. However, for
a fun look, you can mix the two or add some drawings to photographs.

Let’s analyse the most creative magazine covers in the food market and see what design
tips we can learn.

For instance, this Washingtonian magazine cover will for sure be bought in second by all
sweet tooths out there. It has a mix of delicious good photography and fun font choice that
compliments the food perfectly. Instead of looking for common ways and fonts to write the
headline: 100 very best restaurants, they had fun creatively surrounding the central star –
the apple pie with a scoop of ice cream on top – with the hand-written font style.

Summary:

In summary of the 10 golden rules of magazine front cover is that there is a lot of planning
that goes on into creating a front cover and that it is time consuming to make it stand out to
the audience and for it to make it stand out from the rest. It is also time consuming so you
can plan it the best it can be so you can compete with competitors. I have also learnt by
reading this source that keeping it simple will be the best thing to do and by keeping it simple
will attract the most audience to buying the magazine. I have also learnt that having direct
address on the front cover is crucial to bring in the audience because they are looking
straight at you and it makes the audience draw the attention to the magazine. Another thing
that I have learned is to avoid a busy background because you don’t want the attention of
the audience being shifted to something else and you want to look at the main image of the
certain celebrity. Also, putting the name of the magazine in the correct place is crucial
because it is the biggest font on the page and you need to make sure it stands out, with it
also being visible to the audience to see.

10 things to consider when planning a magazine.

Target audience: Identify the demographic group you want to reach with your magazine.
Content: Determine the content that will appeal to your target audience.
Design: Decide on the overall aesthetic and layout of the magazine.
Frequency: Determine how often the magazine will be published (monthly, bi-monthly, etc.).
Distribution: Identify where and how the magazine will be distributed.
Advertising: Consider how you will generate advertising revenue.
Budget: Create a budget that includes all expenses for creating and distributing the
magazine.
Staffing: Determine how many people you need to produce the magazine and their roles.
Legal: Consider legal considerations such as copyright, trademark, and defamation laws.
Marketing: Create a marketing plan to promote the magazine and attract readers and
advertisers.
Before you commission a professional magazine design agency to work on the design of
your publication, it’s worth ensuring you have all of the elements below in check.

Target audience: Identify the demographic group you want to reach with your magazine.

There are several ways to identify the demographic group you want to reach with your
magazine:

Market research: Conduct surveys or focus groups to gather information about your
potential readers’ demographics, interests, and habits.
Analyse existing data: Look at data from your current readership or similar magazines to
get an idea of the demographics of your target audience.
Industry research: Look at industry reports and statistics to identify demographic trends in
your specific niche or industry.
Social Media: Use analytics tools to see who is following your social media accounts and
their demographics.
Competitor analysis: Look at your competitors’ readership demographics to get an idea of
who is interested in your magazine’s topic.
Surveying your website: Use tools like Google Analytics to understand the demographics
of visitors to your website.
Marketing Segmentation: Segment the market based on demographics, psychographics
and behavioristics.

Once you have identified the demographic group you want to reach, you can tailor your
magazine’s content, design, and marketing efforts to appeal to that specific audience.

The 10-step guide to creating eye-catching magazine

covers

Creating an eye-catching magazine cover is essential in this fast-paced digital world.

Visually appealing covers will attract readers’ attention from the beginning, increasing your
magazine subscriptions as a result.

We’re here to help you create the best digital magazine cover you can. First, we’ll discuss a
common design strategy to create a good cover. Then, we’ll show you how to create a
magazine cover in Flipsnack by following 10 easy steps. And we have a surprise for you:
valuable tips to share from our designer.

What must a magazine cover have?

Before we tackle more complex questions like how to create a magazine cover, let’s learn
the basics and discuss the elements of a good magazine cover to see their impact on your
audience. Because, as you are probably aware, the cover of your magazine encapsulates
the current issue’s subject matter.

Below, there’s a cover from the pioneer of magazine covers – Vogue. We’ll use it as a
terminology glossary to see what elements a magazine cover design should contain.
What are the elements of a magazine cover?

Masthead
Issue and dateline
Main image
Lead article
Supporting cover lines
Bar code
Let’s take them one by one and get into more details. We’ve also prepared magazine
templates that showcase each element — all of them to inspire you.

Masthead
Of course, we have to start with the most important one. The masthead represents the name
of the publication and is the most crucial aspect of your magazine cover design.
Professionally designed magazine covers make the mast head stand out besides the other
elements. Therefore, it’s good practice to set it right in the centre and make it as big as
possible. It will also help people to recognize your magazine among all the others.

So follow what magazine designers do and use a big and bold font for the masthead. Also,
don’t forget that the masthead’s colour has a crucial role in making it pop even more.
Therefore, it’s helpful to adapt the title’s colour to match the image and theme you’ll use on
the front cover.

Issue and dateline

This section contains the publication’s date, month, year, and issue number. Some
magazines, like Vogue, only specify the month and year, as they only publish one issue
monthly. Other magazines also use this section to add the price of the magazine.

Look at this issue and dateline design – discreet, yet strategic.

Main image
The focal point of a magazine cover is always the main image. This is the element that
represents the essence of the issue. Big magazines typically portray a well-known celebrity
or a visually appealing illustration that easily triggers an emotion. However, more recent
magazine issues have also gone the abstract route with their main image.

You should keep one thing in mind when designing your magazine cover, though – use
professional images. Investing in high-quality photos and having a cover image that stands
out improves your chances of gaining more subscribers. Furthermore, the image you use will
draw readers in and pique their interest in learning what the latest issue is about.

Lead article
The lead article reflects the central issue of the magazine. Maybe an interview with an artist,
an expert on a subject, or any other matter you know will emotionally impact your audience.

Supporting cover lines

The supporting cover lines are topics that can revolve around the same subject matter or
differ entirely from the issue’s central theme. When it comes to placing them on the
magazine’s cover, balance is key.

Bar code
The printing house you are working with is usually responsible for creating this particular
section of your cover. However, it’s helpful to plan ahead for it and keep it in mind when
designing your magazine cover.

Now that we’ve covered the most important elements of your magazine cover, let’s just get
down to the nitty-gritty. Using one of our magazine templates is easy and doesn’t need any
additional explanations. So, in what follows, we’ll discuss the 10 steps to creating an
eye-catching magazine cover, and our designer will show you how to do it effortlessly in
Flipsnack. By the end of this, you’ll have a good idea of what the process of creating a great
magazine cover looks like, and you’ll be able to do it on your own.

1. Place the masthead in the most obvious place

We’ve already covered how important the title/name/masthead is. That’s why you should
start your magazine cover design by adding the magazine’s name in the most visible place.
Placing it right at the top and in the middle of the cover will ensure that your readers will
recognize it immediately. You should organize the overall layout of the magazine cover
around your magazine’s name.

And speaking of visible titles, take a look at the image below. See how the flower crown
hides quite a few letters from the title, but you can still tell it’s Vogue? Everything screams
Vogue, starting with the image, font styles, colors, and layout design.

2. Work with grids and layouts

Next on our list are grids and layouts. They are your friends when it comes to organizing and
aligning your magazine cover elements in relation to each other. Layouts are responsible for
giving the cover a visually appealing look and maintaining balance from page to page. Grids
are the backbone of these layouts; they act like a skeleton of sorts, meant to help you create
clear and consistent layouts.

Grids and layouts are helpful, especially when you plan to print the magazine. Professional
designers and print studios use them to know exactly where the safe margins are and where
the printed pages of the magazine should be cut. However, even if you just want to have a
digital magazine, they’re also essential to help improve the overall design comprehension of
your magazine cover.

3. Be consistent with your cover design format

Now that you have your grids and layouts ready and the masthead location and style set,
think of them as a template for future issues. We’ve discussed that the masthead can
change color, but everything else about it should stay the same because consistency is key!
Keeping the same cover format for your following magazine issues helps your readers get
used to your specific magazine layout and easily recognize it.
And most big brands do this! They mainly change the image cover, keep the name in the
same place, and only adapt the colors to match the image. This is a tried-and-true method
that works wonders.

4. Decide on a focus point and build everything else around it

Now that the magazine cover template is ready, it’s time to decide on a focus point that will
help you find a balance between content and design. You’re here because you’ve already
decided on the main subject of your magazine. Whether it’s fashion, nature, cooking,
business, or whatever else, the focus point of your magazine cover will help bring every
other element together.

What do I mean by that? The focus point of the cover should be the main attraction – it
should grab attention while still respecting the material that’s inside the magazine. This is
why you should do your research on your audience beforehand. It’s important to cater to
their needs, but developing something that will hook them instantly is also necessary.

So make sure you choose the focus point, and then try to build the entire cover design
starting from there. Figure out when to be subtle with your supporting cover lines and when
it’s okay to give more information to your audience.

5. Play with font styles

Font styles also play a significant role in how a magazine cover looks; sometimes, they can
make or break your entire magazine cover design.

Magazines feature the headlines of the most important stories on the cover, and using
suitable font pairings can make a big difference in how the audience perceives them.
Combining font styles can help you balance out the magazine cover design.

6. Emphasize powerful words

We’ve talked about how the primary purpose of the magazine cover design is to sell the
stories inside. Emphasizing powerful words is another great way to achieve this. The short
teasers reflected through supporting cover lines are the elements that can provoke the
reader’s curiosity the most.

So, don’t neglect the value of using specific words that usually appear in headlines. In the
past, magazines used words like “NOW,” “FREE” and “EXCLUSIVE,” but today, you can
generate more powerful words using new technology. You could use ChatGPT VPN to find
new words for your magazine cover.

7. Learn to use color & contrast

Every element on your magazine cover should be selected with a clear purpose, and the
colors and contrast should be no exception. You first have to decide the image you’re going
to use, the focal point of your magazine cover, and starting from there, make use of colors
and contrasts to allow elements to stand out.

A common practice among designers of magazine covers is to use green the least and red
the most. But if you look at more recent magazine covers, you can tell that your dominant
color doesn’t matter too much. The important thing is to use contrast wisely to help you
highlight your magazine cover elements – the masthead, the lead article line, and the
supporting cover lines.

8. Place a portrait on the cover

Most magazines feature people on their covers. There is a straightforward logic behind it –
people are curious to know about other people, especially if these other people are
celebrities. If they’re curious about it, they’ll buy it.

But it’s not just about the WHO; it’s also about the HOW. The way the person is portrayed on
the cover is important; they have to create some sort of emotional connection with your
audience. The standard practice is to have the person stare into the camera when they are
photographed for the cover. Eye contact is vital to creating the emotional connection I
mentioned.

Of course, you won’t always have a celebrity on your cover; it’s unnecessary. But if and
when you have a person on your cover, pick a good photo that can rile up some sentimental
feelings in your readers.

Analysis:

In this last article that I got information about, it tells me about how to create an eye-catching