'Flow' Magazine Contents Page 1 Step 6

The final step was to add the cover story to the contents. This is when we interview the cover model about their life and work, so we give it as much exposure as possible as readers may be very interested in what they see.

'Flow' Magazine Contents Page 1 Step 5

I added three featured articles within the magazine. All three are interviews with famous existing rappers to give the magazine publicity as their fanbases are some of the biggest in the industry, so more fans will want to read it.

'Flow' Magazine Contents Page 1 Step 4

The next step was to add a background. Like my front cover, I decided to go for a white background, as it is a colour that is heavily featured in most magazines because of how simple it is and how easy it is to write on it. To do this, I used the 'Fill Bucket' tool from the gradient tool's drop-down menu, made sure the colour in the top-right was white, and clicked the transparent background to convert it to white.

'Flow' Magazine Contents Page 1 Step 3

For the third step, I set out the title of the page using the house style seen on the front cover,white text on a red square background. This gives the magazine a more vibrant style and gives it a unique feel.

'Flow' Magazine Contents Page 1 Step 2

For my second step, I added the page number and website of the magazine. The website will give readers extra content as well as exclusive prize giveaways.

'Flow' Magazine Contents Page 1 Step 1

To start off my contents page, I inserted the image of the cover artist that will appear on this page. This is the only image that will be on this page; the second page will have more photos used. The photo has been edited slightly using the Smudge tool on the edges.

'Flow' Magazine Contents Page 1 Flat Plan

'Flow' Magazine Contents Page 1 Introduction

The next page I am creating is the contents page. It is pretty simple to understand the purpose of this page; it displays the content within the magazine, whether it be exclusive interviews or monthly charts. On my contents page, I will try and give the cover story, featuring the cover model, as much exposure as I can.

'Flow' Magazine Front Cover Review

'Flow' Magazine Front Cover Step 13

The final step was to add a barcode in the bottom corner of the cover. All magazines must have a barcode somewhere in order for them to be purchased. The cover is virtually always chosen as it makes it easier for shopkeepers. Above the barcode, there is also a release date (the day that the magazine went on sale) and the price of this issue.

'Flow' Magazine Front Cover Step 12

I included logos of four different social media companies (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat) to represent that the magazine produces extra content on these platforms. Social media is always a great place for promoting and exposing a brand so the magazine uses this opportunity to its max potential.

'Flow' Magazine Front Cover Step 11

I looked at the cover and felt like the colour palette was too bland. I tried to convey the cover artist's dark and shady past using only black and white for the text and background, with only the cover artist having extra colours. However, I decided to choose a more vibrant design instead by adding red to the colour palette. This gives the cover a more interesting and professional look.

'Flow' Magazine Front Cover Step 10

The next addition to the cover was to add a banner at the top. This forced me to move the title down a little bit, but it is still clearly visible behind the artist's head. The banner shows a special offer within the magazine; a code within the magazine gives you a free track from 'Starboy', the new album by The Weeknd. This is a good way to entice readers as there are a lot of fans of this singer and also free stuff is often appreciated well.

'Flow' Magazine Front Cover Step 9

On the right-hand side of the cover, I have added a couple of brief summaries relating to articles within the magazine. These summaries are very short but snappy and they get the point across efficiently using the small amount of space left on the cover.

'Flow' Magazine Front Cover Step 8

Some magazines, like NME, sometimes display the names of artists within the magazine on the front cover in the form of a list. I did the same here, on the left hand side of the cover, as it is a good way to attract more fans of these artists and therefore more readers.

'Flow' Magazine Front Cover Step 7

My next step was to create written sections for the cover and set them up in the correct spots. Traditionally, in hip-hop magazines and music magazines in general, the headline is the artist's name and is placed on the bottom half, and I have decided to follow that trend. I've also included a little information underneath summarising some sections of the interview.