Flat Plan: Front Cover

This is a flat plan of my front cover, it's very basic but just an idea of how my magazine will be laid out. 

Colour Usage: When I asked people about colours in my questionnaire, the most popular colours were red, blue, black and white. I'm going to use these colours because my target audience would like to see them in the magazine. It also refers to the theme. I would like to have a colour scheme of red, white and blue, this is because I was focusing on the British rock and roll scene for my genre and thought it would look good as they are the colours of the Union Jack. They are also unisex colours which would attract both genders. Red connotes passion and power and is also used by magazines such as Q and NME in their magazines because it is eye-catching. I think the colour red stands out because it is bright and eye-catching. The colours will contrast by applying for different things, for example; red for the masthead and white for the sell-lines.

Image Usage: I will be using a female model as my cover star, because I am going with the 'mod/60's' theme, she will either be dressed in a Fred Perry polo/shirt and pencil skirt or a vintage sixties dress. As a prop, I will buy a vinyl record which will be featured in the shot as it goes with the genre and theme of my magazine. The hair of my model will be back-combed into a beehive or sixties-esque style. Make-up will be quite natural, with a pale base, black cat eye eye-liner and red lipstick. The camera angle will be a mid-shot, not too close-up and also the look of the model will be visible. The image will connote the genre of the magazine as being quite classic, it will reflect the Mod/Northern Soul/ Rock & Roll genre through the clothing, props, hair and make-up. 

Text Usage: The narrative voice of the text on the front cover will be friendly and have a nice tone to welcome the reader. Quotes from the cover model will be colloquial depending on what they say and what will stand out. The enigma codes will be underneath the main sell lines as a teaser to make people want to buy the magazine. I will use puns, alliteration and metaphors to make my sell lines more interesting rather than just plain and straight to the point. 

Layout and Font: For the masthead and sell lines, the font will be quite basic and easy to understand. The masthead will stand out because it will be in a bold font and will be in larger writing at the top of the page. It will be at the top of the page to inform the reader of the magazine name. The sell lines will be placed at the sides of the main image so they don't overlap and make the lay-out too confusing or difficult to understand. I have chosen this layout because it is quite understandable and looks organised. The main sell line and enigma code which will match the main image, will be in a different font to make it individual and to stand out from the other sell lines which will also make it's importance shine through.