3 secrets for a great cover

First impressions count. A high-impact cover increases your magazine’s ‘pick-me-up’ factor. Whether you are using photography, an illustration or typography, some basic rules apply to create a cover that captivates.

1. Choose the right image
Fix an idea of your members in your mind and check the relevance of the image you’ve chosen. Will it resonate with them? Is it in their frame of reference? Or will it alienate them?

Photographs of people on the cover - especially those who reflect the membership demographic - can engage members and bring the idea of membership to life. Images of people looking directly out of the page, giving the reader eye-contact, can be particularly evocative.

Keep it simple
A cluttered cover is confusing. A simple, direct message can be understood within seconds. Illustrations in particular often have many different elements. Clever detail can be great for a feature inside but keep it crisp on the cover and don’t ask too much from the reader.

2. A strong masthead
‘Masthead’ means the title of your publication at the top of the front cover.

Think about how the identity of your magazine interplays with the brand of your organisation. Your members already have a relationship with you; brand the magazine so they know who it’s from.

However, it should also have its own distinctive identity, so it doesn’t feel like a brochure or too corporate. Choose a font and colour that brings to life the magazine’s unique personality.

3. Punchy coverlines
Coverlines (the text on the cover introducing articles) are your opportunity to sell the content inside, so use them to your advantage. They should be as concise as possible to grab the reader quickly. ‘Front load’ your sentences with interesting words at the beginning to draw in scanners.

You will usually have a lead coverline which relates to the image on the cover. If you can make a link between the coverline, the image and the content of the story, it will give real and lasting impact. Avoid clichés. Clever and original puns can work brilliantly. But if it doesn’t feel right for your readership, drop it.

Are your coverlines readable? This doesn’t just mean that you can make out the text. There should be no distractions behind the words, like patterns or shading. Clear coverlines make a big difference to the overall professionalism of the publication, so they're worth getting right.

Last, but certainly not least, get rid of any typos! The only way to safeguard against them is to have a strict process in place for proofreading the cover so that nothing is missed.