Constructing my Front Cover

 My first step was to create an A4 sized blank document as my template for the Cover.

Next I chose the photo I'd be using for the cover, I edited (selected a colour using the dropper tool and painted using the paint tool) the backdrop to make it smooth and less wrinkly and to even out the lights/shadows. I then dragged the photo onto the background and sized it to fit centrally.

Then I created a black banner for the top of the page using the rectangle shape tool.

I next added the text and image of a cursor to the top and over the banner, I used the font Bebas Neue as it was a very conventional font for magazines with a similar target audience. I put the Cursor image over the text and banner to give a more layered look and to make it look a bit like the computer would look.

I then added the Magazine's title in red and magazine's slogan in white just to the top left of the model, using Bebas Neue again for the magazine's name and the font Georgia for the slogan.

Next I started to add the article subheadings and summaries below the masthead using Bebas Neue for the band names and Georgia for the summary. I chose to use the font Bebas Neue for the band names because it makes them pop out and attract the audience.

After adding the second band and summary I created a new layer and used the paint tool and changed the shape of the tool from the circle to a brush that seemed to imitate a paint brush well. I then brushed the tool along the layer and chose the colour that was the same as the magazine name.

I then added the subheadings onto the paint marks in Bebas Neue.

I then put the introductory text for the main article's band name in the font Georgia and in white. I used bigger text to give a clear hierarchy on the page.

Then I added the main band's name below the main image. The main band's name is in the font Thirsty Script which is a classic but unique font and is very eye-catching. I then put this into the same red colour that the masthead and the paint marks are in.

I then started working on the right side, so I put the band name and article summary on the right next to the model's head and repeated what i did on the left side.

Next I added the second, smaller image onto the page, I edited this image on photoshop to make it a square shape and edited the brightness and exposure. To add it onto the page I just dragged the image onto the page and put it in position, using the resize tool to make it the correct size.

Below the second image I used the rectangle tool and the paint dropper tool to get the correct colour. I then drew the rectangle under the image and made it the same width as the image.

I then got the T in the Park logo and dragged it onto the cover page. I then used the resize tool to size it down into the rectangle I had just made.

I put the text relating to the logo and image onto the rectangle I had made. I used Bebas Neue for this to keep the fonts consistent.

I then started on the footer of my page, firstly I used the rectangle tool with the red colour and drew a small thin vertical rectangle at the bottom of the page.

I then added band names onto the footer using Bebas Neue in white, keeping the font size large to allow the bands to be recognised and eye-catching.

I continued this with three other bands and used the same rectangle by duplicating the layer and moving the rectangle along, using shift to make sure that the duplicated rectangles were in alignment with the original one.

I then created a barcode by opening a new photoshop file and putting in a barcode, then I added some writing with the date etc. to give a more realistic barcode. Once finished I exported onto a JPEG file and dragged this file onto the cover.

I then decided to layer the drumsticks and model's head over the writing on the cover to make the cover less flat. I did this by opening the background image in a new photoshop file and used the lasso tool to section out the drumstick. I then dragged this drumstick onto the cover and used the eraser tool with a soft setting to go around the edges of the drumstick and get neater edges. Once I had neatened the edges I resized the drumstick to make it the same size as the                drumstick that was already on the page and layered it over the text.

I repeated this with the second drumstick and also put this onto the cover over the text.

I then repeated this but with my model's head, this was more difficult because his hair was very hard to lasso and didn't look very good when I placed it over the masthead. I decided to use the eraser but make the size larger and softer so the hair blended into the masthead smoother, and to give it a nicer look.