Initial Ideas- Front Cover

I have created two rough ideas for the cover of my magazine using Microsoft Word's text box and shape features. By doing this, I got a solid idea of what sort of layout I should go for. 

Idea 1;

 For my first idea I wanted to make a simple looking cover with a large mid shot of the cover star taking up most of the page, with a piece of text below to elaborate and entice people into the article. Most of the other information on the page is in the left third, which is because this is what most people's eyes are drawn to when they first glance at the cover of the magazine. Around the masthead of the magazine are a kicker on the right, similar to that of the Q magazine I analysed, as well as a bar at the top displaying the slogan of Pulse. This adds more colour and variety to the front cover which can help entice customers.

Idea 2;  

In this design I chose to place the masthead and headline of the magazine centrally and the main cover image in the left third. I think that this could be effective as someone walking past will see the image first and recognise the cover star, but when they pick up the magazine the Pulse name and headline will really stand out to them. I have also been able to include both a pull quote and a strapline above and below the headline which I think looks really effective. The secondary leads have been placed below the headline so that the eyes are naturally drawn to the other articles after reading about the main one. One way that I can additionally gain interest is by putting the artists featured in the magazine at the top, which can allow people to see their favorite artist is in the issue and make them want to buy Pulse. Finally, I have used a button to provide more information but in a more colourful format, which helps prevent the magazine cover look too static and boring.