The cover is essentially a recruitment poster. It has to reach out and engage with the browser facing a crowded news-stand. It is not meant to be a familiar sight for regular readers (they will go to it anyway) – it should be designed to grab the attention of people who do not normally buy the magazine. Where possible a cover should carry an element of surprise – something to make non-readers re-assess the title.
Even subscription and controlled circulation magazines need to burst out of the package demanding attention – proclaiming that this issue is different from the last.
GPS charts the way in which would-be buyers interact with the basic elements of Cover Design:
- Need for dominant image
- Prominent coverline that links with the image
- Supporting coverlines that do not intrude on the image
- All coverlines to SELL (not merely be labels of the contents)
GPS also explores the colour psychology of cover design. Which colours attract? Which repel?