How to design an eye-catching magazine cover, with David McKendrick and Studio Ground Floor 

“In this day and age,” David McKendrick asks, “when there is so much noise, so many images, and so much information, how do you make an arresting image?” This is the challenge faced by designers when designing a magazine cover in today’s world. Whilst we’re glad to see a rebirth of the magazine format within the creative field, they arguably need to work harder – with and for the algorithms – to capture our focus. Within the field of communication, the cover aims to be an “arresting image,” and consequently a direct piece of dialogue with the viewer. So, what do you want to say? What information and content need to be prioritised on the cover for the reader to absorb at first glance, and why? “With Paperboy for example,” McKendrick explains, describing his self-published magazine that delivers ‘only good news,’ “there are three key elements, a confident name and logotype, a strong colour and an interesting use of physical material.” Three pieces of information that, when designed on the finished cover, evoke interest and a feeling. The London-based duo Studio Ground Floor – who are also no strangers to creating eye-catching covers for the likes of Pilot and TYPEONE – believe the information included on the cover is a direct reflection of the publication itself; the themes, the concept and the content. “After all, the cover is an audience’s first impression of the magazine,” they note, “so we want to reveal as much of the mag’s vibe as we can, in as simple a way as possible.” When working on Issue 2 of Pilot – a digest dedicated to all things creative, experimental, and authentic – they reflected the ‘Hardware’ theme of the issue by “unearthing what you usually don’t see.” This involved “a lot of seemingly ‘unnecessary’ details on the cover, or info you wouldn’t necessarily expect on a cover (e.g. page count, typeface names, etc).” By not following conventions or engrained magazine design rules, Studio Ground Floor were able to create something that stands out on the shelf. For the long-term collaborators of TYPEONE, the issue’s number comes above all else, proudly presented with a bespoke numeral to reflect the typographic nature of the publication. “That way,” Studio Ground Floor continue, “the system we put in place has allowed us to explore the individual themes of each issue within these parameters – whether that’s working with a single practitioner relevant to the subject or collaborating with a number of creatives.” Whilst the concept is the leading priority, there are still important details to include such as the price, barcode and sponsor logos. “It’s just making sure that these essential details don’t overrule the cover’s concept,” unless that is your concept, of course!