Key Features of a Magazine Cover

I have created the image below, and identified the key features of the magazine. 

Definitions: 

Masthead: The Masthead is the logo of the magazine, on this magazine it is NME. 

Essential Info: This is the date and price of the magazine. 

Main Image: The main image is normally associated with the main article story. In this case, it is the Arctic Monkeys. 

Main sell-line: This is normally the biggest font on the page and will normally catch the audiences eyes. It gives the audience some insight into what the magazine will contain. 

Sell-line: This gives a brief insight to the variety of different stories that are in the magazine. 

Sub-head: The sub-head gives more detail into other stories in the magazine. It almost teases the audience in the hope that they will buy the magazine. 

Bar code: This communicates information to the retailer about the price. 

Colour: In some magazines, the colour will vary each week/month. However, the colours will always be made to stand out and catch the audiences eyes. 

  

Brief

Preliminary exercise: using DTP and an image manipulation program, produce the front page of a new school/college magazine, featuring a photograph of a student in medium close-up plus some appropriately laid-out text and a masthead. Additionally you must produce a mock-up of the layout of the contents page to demonstrate your grasp of DTP.

Main task: the front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine.