Analysis of School Magazine Front Covers

I looked at some school magazine front covers to get an idea of what I should do on my magazine in order for it to be successful and evaluate how effective other covers are.

I feel that this cover is quite successful, as, while the girl's face is just off a hotspot, the picture of her is the most prominent feature of the cover and that draws attention to the upper left hotspot towards the masthead and strapline. The colour scheme is inconsistent at the bottom where there is yellow text, which doesn't help to complement the green text above or the picture at the bottom of the cover, where a parent is wearing orange, as all 3 colours seem to clash with one another.

This cover looks well produced and thought out, but has some areas for improvement. The student visibly has his top button undone and a badge on his tie, which makes him look messy, which, in turn makes the school seem messy. Additionally, the text is difficult to read in some places due to the colour of the background. The straplines are laid out clearly but the way they are laid out, one beneath the last, makes them feel like a list. The strapline layout does however complement the arrangement of the image (despite the colour issues making them difficult to read in places).