Name: ____________________________________________ Day & Block: ________
Unit 2.01 Create a Magazine Cover in Adobe Photoshop
Objective: The student will successfully demonstrate the ability to create an attractive,
well-designed magazine cover that demonstrates a variety of raster editing techniques.
Key Concepts Utilized: The students will demonstrate the ability to work with layers,
apply transformations, create and modify text layers, add adjustment layers, and apply
layer styles. The students will also utilize the Principles of Design when creating this
project.
Procedures:
You are a graphic designer who has been hired to create a magazine
cover about an international arts university, college or institute. The
magazine is being produced to highlight the strenghts of the university to
assist in recruiting new students.
1. Collect Information:
Gather information about the international arts university, college or
institute, the target audience, and design goals by using the internet. Social Media is
now a vital part of the student recruitment process.
Look up your university’s Facebook
, Twitter
or other social media site.
You might want to follow your university’s account to get a feel about the
university and/or look at their recent posts. This is an example of USC’s Twitter
homepage with their hash tag.
a) Determine the technical requirements for the design project:
i) The magazine cover dimensions are 8.5” x 11”. The resolution should be
appropriate for print. The cover will be printed in full color.
ii) The magazine cover should have a well developed masthead and minimum
of five (5) cover lines. A masthead lists the publisher, other data and may
include staff names of publication. Remember, newspapers and magazines
sometimes call their nameplate their masthead. It may include the name and
logo of the publication.
Name: ____________________________________________ Day & Block: ________
2. Brainstorm:
a) Research existing magazine cover samples for design and layout inspiration.
b) Develop a minimum of three (3) possible names for the magazine.
c) Develop a list of possible ideas for cover lines (stories) that help paint a broad
picture of the strengths of the university.
d) Create a rough sketch that includes: the main image, magazine cover name,
and size and placement of the cover lines. Sketches and/or rough drafts must be
teacher approved.
3. Experiment: Using Adobe Photoshop, develop a cover design to be shared with
your class. You may use the technical guide on the next page to guide your design.
You may also want to review these power points: Unit 1.01 Multiuse Principles of
Design, Unit 1.01 Typography, Unit 1.02 Graphic Design Features, Unit 1.02 Graphic
Design Layout Options,
4. Proofread: Have a fellow classmate proofread your work. Make corrections based
on their feedback.
5. Revise: Revise the design based on their feedback.
Name: ____________________________________________ Day & Block: ________
Technical Guide:
1. Create a new file in Adobe Photoshop with the dimensions of 8.5” wide x 11” tall,
at on screen only resolution. Name it ‘Magazine Cover Project – your name’
2. Find an image to be used as your cover photo for your magazine. Pay attention
to the type of images often used on the cover, which allows areas around the
edges for cover lines without detracting from the important parts of the image.
3. Move it to your cover file, scale and place it to maximize the design of the cover.
Color correct if desired using an adjustment layer.
4. Using the type (text) tool, create a masthead and cover lines (article titles). You
may consider downloading a font for the title if your computer allows. One free
font site is www.dafont.com, but there are many more. The masthead may
partially overlap the photo. Change the type attributes (character pallette), which
may include font size, leading, kerning, horizontal scale, etc… to ehnace the
design.
5. Use type colors that correlate to colors in the photo if possible.
6. Apply layer styles (drop shadows, strokes) to the type to enhance design and
readability.
7. Look for additional details to include such as a UPC or reverse type.
8. Using Adobe Photoshop, save the file as [LastName]Magazine.psd
Checklist:
Dimensions
Image
Scaled
Masthead
Layer
Styles
Adj.
Layer
Font
Choice
Articles
Main
Image
Date Line
Details
Sampled
Colors
File Types
Name: ____________________________________________ Day & Block: ________
Unit 2.01 Create a Magazine Cover Questionnaire
International University, College or Institute
Name:
Address:
Phone:
What is your University’s Mission Statement?
Example: The mission of the University of South Carolina English Programs for Internationals (EPI) is to provide
high-quality English language instruction to international students, whose goals may be academic, professional or
personal, and to meet the University's English language needs in instruction, assessment, and resources, thereby
increasing the University's capacity to recruit top students.
How long has your university been in existence?
List and rank six or seven strength’s of the university that you would like to highlight for
this project.
Who is your primary target audience? Please list any information you think may be
relevant such as age, gender, income, education level, ethnicity, primary language,
religion, location, etc.
List three to five adjectives which describes this university.
Are there any visual elements or styles that MUST be used such as a logo, key phrase,
or typeface. If there is a logo, please paste a copy below.
The symbolic elements of the University of S.C. logo relate to the heritage and statewide impact of our eightcampus university system. The gates represent the opportunities provided by higher education and are a direct
architectural link to the original campus Horseshoe. The tree represents knowledge and stability. What's more, the
palmetto is an obvious tie to the state of South Carolina and underscores our position as the state's flagship
institution with locations throughout the state. The use of the 1801 founding date emphasizes a proud heritage as we
continue in our third century of service.
Name: ____________________________________________ Day & Block: ________
What is your preferred color scheme for your design? Hex Codes? Please describe:
•
Complementary color scheme – any 2 colors directly opposite each other on the color
wheel
▫ Examples: Red/Green, Purple/Yellow
•
Analogous color scheme - any three colors which are side by side on a 12 part color
wheel
▫ Example: yellow-green, yellow, and yellow-orange.
Usually one of the three colors predominates.
OR
•
Monochromatic color scheme - uses variations in lightness and saturation of a single
color.
▫ Produces a soothing effect
▫ Easy on the eyes; however, can be difficult to highlight important elements
Are there any designs that have a look and feel you admire? If so, please include links,
references, images, and/or identify the particular features you find most appealing.
http://www.sc.edu/toolbox/design_elements.php
Name: ____________________________________________ Day & Block: ________
List of International Universities Examples to choose for your project
1. Miami International University of Art & Design – Miami, FL
2. University of Oxford – Oxford, The United Kingdom
3. University of Cambridge – Cambridge, The United Kingdom
4. Royal College of Art – London, The United Kingdom
5. San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA, USA
6. Universite Paris Sorbonne, Paris, France
7. The School of Art and Design Berlin, Berlin, Germany
8. New York University, New York, NY, USA
9. University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria/Spain
10. Parsons The New School for Design, New York, NY, USA
11. The Academy of Fine Arts Prague, Prague/Czech Republic
12. UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
13. Yale University, New Haven, Conn., USA
14. Ilya Repin St. Petersburg State Academic Institute of Fine Arts,
Sculpture and Architecture, St. Petersburg, Russia
15. Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts Poland, Warszawa, Poland
16. Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts, Budapest/Hungary
17. Accademia Belle Arti Bologna, Bologna/Italy
18. Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
19. The University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
20. Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
21. Chelsea College of Art and Design, London, The United Kingdom
22. Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY, USA
Magazine Cover Examples: