For this project, I designed a magazine called “The Campus Quad.” Intended for a young adult, female audience, this essentially targets women who are just out of the age bracket for magazines like “Seventeen” and “ CosmoGirl”. It would cover topics more relevant to college or graduate student in order to appeal to a more mature audience. The magazine title is meant to call attention to the “Campus” aspect of the magazine, and immediately make it relevant to an audience that regularly traverse’s a college campus.
This particular cover is for the April issue, so spring is still a relevant topic, but summer is what’s really on people’s minds. This month’s cover article is all about fitness, which fits well with the reemergence of good weather. Many students are looking to get outside and to get fit (just in time for summer!). To reflect the article, the cover picture is of a young woman who had just participated in a Color Run. These are gaining popularity, and the concept is fairly well-known. The woman is also relatable; this isn’t a picture of her coming in first or looking glamorous after a long run. This is her having fun. With that, I also made sure that she stood out in the picture. I blurred out the background and added a layer in between her and the background. By playing with the opacity of this layer, I was able to shadow it while leaving her figure clear and sharp in comparison.
The articles themselves also help to complement the woman’s shape. The words are arranged around her, and never cross over her frame. The “Enjoying Exercise” blurb takes up the most space of any of the sections, but is still positioned to show its relevance to the main picture. The other articles are varied, but still tie into several common magazine tropes; quizzes, fashion, and food. One quiz promises a color palette for the spring while the other will point out what trends are on the rise for the warmer weather. Another addresses the common issue of dealing with meal plans at the end of a semester. The “Insta-Perfect” article references the popular activity of instagramming and would discuss how to take a “successful” picture. The “Make the Most out of Summer” article is a guide to how to navigate planning out a summer. College students are presented with a variety of opportunities to take advantage of during the summertime, but all those options can be overwhelming; this article would include topics like internships, summer courses, travel, relationships, and living expenses.
The color used for the article titles help the words stand out on the textured background and complements the yellow paint of the main picture. I also used stroke and drop-shadow to make sure the text was readable. Underneath, short descriptions are written in white (using the same stroke and drop-shadow to keep consistency). This provides extra information but still calls attention to the titles. All the articles are done in the same font (Myriad Pro), only varying in size. This helps keep the cover simple over such a busy background. It also helps the magazine title even more recognizable in comparison since the Broadway font is unique in itself.
