InDesign and Layout Trials

We used the program Adobe InDesign to re-create existing magazine covers.

Harper's Bazaar Fashion Magazine

I began on the Bazaar magazine with the fonts and kerning of the text. I used the font 'Didot' for the big titles and for the number '937' on the cover. For the rest of the text, I used 'Gill Sans'. Sticking with two fonts for the entire cover ensured consistency in the formatting of the text. To get the exact same pink colour used on the original cover, I used the dropper tool which automatically found the correct colour.

To add the shapes (across the top right corner and underneath the word shopping at the bottom of the cover), I drew a shape and then used the sheer tool to match it with the shape on the original cover. I recreated the cover photo by taking a photo of a similar-looking girl (white with straight, fair hair facing side on and looking directly at the camera) on a white background. The background in my original photo was not as white as the background on the original magazine cover's and so I edited it in Photoshop so that it was pure white.

NME Music Magazine

I began with the main mastheads 'NME' and 'Bombay Bicycle Club' by using the grids as a guide to help me with my placement. I managed to find fonts that look very similar to those used on the original cover. I then began on the subheadings and shapes.

To create the shapes, I matched the size and angle of the shapes on the original cover by using the sheer and skew tools. I also added drop shadows to all of the shapes and the some of the text to match the three-dimensional look of some of the features on the original cover.

Finally, I added my photos. I had to change the sizes, proportions and angle of my main cover photo to match the original cover's and to make sure that text was not covering up any of the faces. I found this magazine cover much harder to do and a much lengthier process mainly because of the differently sized, coloured and angled shapes included. This made it more difficult to keep the shapes consistant and place them in the right spot on the page.

What I Learned

During this project, I learned how to use a program I had never used before, Adobe InDesign, and how to use it to create a magazine cover. I also learnt about kerning and how specific it requires you to be when choosing the placement of the letters.