Research & Magazine Cover

Part of the unit was to analyse and create our very own magazine cover. We looked at a wide range of magazine covers from various film industry magazine companies. Nonetheless, I decided I would like to re-create a ‘Total Film’ & ‘Little White Lies’ cover because I thought they were two uniquely crafted covers. They would allow me to convey my own ideas and present a chance to show my Adobe Photoshop skills.

Total Film...


The first magazine cover from ‘Total Film’ I looked at was the Ironman issue. This was a cleverly designed poster with very clear meaning. For example, (Number 1) the price, website details, Issue date and number are always at the top right of the ‘M’ on the cover. It is essential to show consistency throughout the cover, otherwise it will not look convincing. (Number 2) the ‘Total Film’ logo stays the same throughout every issue, so this was key to creating a distinct look. (Number 3) the colour scheme is always consistent in every copy. For example the clear bold, golden text of the cover line ‘Ironman 2’ is generated from the gold helmet of Ironman, whereas the flash of light blue on the hand is complemented by a dark blue background. On (Number 4) we notice how the plugs on the left hand side compliment the main story. For instance, the theme for this issue is sci-fi, the magazine also talks about stories on Batman’s Dark Knight ‘as well as the teaser ‘More Marvels’ which uncovers other superhero’s such as Thor & Captain America. Lastly, (Number 5) the barcode is ever-present on the bottom right corner, with the publishing company logo ‘future’.



The Spirit issue was the cover that I felt was most suitable to our particular film, for instance the use of red tie with the dark shadows in essence of film noir. I took into account (Number 1) the puff on the top of the cover ‘Free Posters’ in bold white capitals behind a red background, mainly used as a unique selling point. Furthermore, the second strategy Total Film used to sell copies was (Number 2) a teaser, ‘World Exclusive’ – the word ‘exclusive’ add an importance; that this is the only magazine with that particular story. I was also impressed with (Number 4) the chosen font, which is fit for purpose. The movie is inspired by the original comic book story to which the red and white bold, retro font matches.



Little White Lies...


Whilst the ‘Inception’ issue was my favourite individual cover, the concept behind ‘Little White Lies’ I was particularly enthralled with. The design behind the cover was extremely stylized and individualistic; the image was always a close-up head shot of a particular person/character transformed into a comic-style image. The cover is always very eye-catching with either a colourful background or image of the character. There is relatively/if any text around the outside with only the title of the movie, whereas the logo always stays the same on top/middle as a white circle with the barcode and trademark logo.

Draft 1 of Covers...


Total Film Front & Back Covers

Little White Lies