5 Tips for Designing a Killer Cover 

Effective magazine covers are attention-grabbing and encourage reading. But with the wrong cover design, even the best content can go unnoticed. Here are five tips for creating successful covers that attract readers:

1. Practice simplicity. Be selective and creative with the cover lines, and move busy logos inside to the TOC page. Too many cover lines and graphics create distracting "visual noise."

2. Beware of bold. Steer clear of overly bold and heavy condensed fonts for the nameplate. Lighter, less serious fonts convey airiness and a more modern feel.

3. Jazz up your skyline. Faux page corners and starbursts are so yesterday. Instead, run a brightly colored band at the top of the cover to call attention to a special issue or event.

4. Don't get "stocky." Unless you have the budget for a photo shoot every issue, look for stock images that are less posed and have a more believable color palette.

5. Shake it up. When every cover starts looking the same, readers get bored. Get out of that rut by taking a blank-canvas approach to stir up your creative juices.  

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