Often, a cover that appears cluttered doesn’t really suffer from a singular issue; rather, it becomes cluttered because a multitude of smaller issues collide. The masthead and cover story battle each other. There is no room for the image to breathe. The headline is too near the edge. Every little cover line is vying for the reader’s attention. It is not necessary to completely redesign the page before addressing the issue. Instead, approach the cover as a series of priorities in need of a solution. It should take only a moment of time for the reader to locate the masthead, main image, and cover story.
Start with the cover story. It is the reason the publication exists. Select one topic or theme that stands out from the rest and afford it the best position. Allow it to claim the largest headlines or strongest visual. Give it plenty of clear space so it reads at a glance. If three stories are all presented with similar treatment, none will be the focus of any one cover line. Secondary and supporting lines may appear elsewhere on the cover page as long as they do not take away from the overall direction.
Cropping of a cover image can help relieve clutter. A full image will sometimes feel cluttered, especially if a large portion of the headline appears over a busy area. Consider a less active area for type. It may be necessary to provide more space above or below the subject’s head or to move the cover line around the outside of the image and allow for a more powerful image. A cover does not have to be all image or all white space, but there needs to be a clear and open area for type to live.
Type hierarchy needs to be simple. The masthead treatment, the cover story, and the remaining cover lines each need their own treatment. Overusing font styles, sizes, tracking, leading, and colors adds to the noise. If a cover requires multiple type treatments, consider the hierarchy in scale first. It is often easier to read a main headline, deck and only two to three small cover lines than it is to decipher many lines of type of the same size.
One way to see how the cover performs is to duplicate the first draft and delete all but half of the cover lines. Keep the masthead, the cover story and the strongest supporting lines. The result usually appears less busy, but the two covers are best evaluated side-by-side at a thumbnail size or smaller. Often the reduced version will look more plain, but it will also make clear how the original covered over what the cover was saying. Add back only what strengthens the reading direction. If an article or theme cannot stand on its own, it should probably not be on the cover.
Consider the edge placement. Sometimes, there are fewer articles and the cover still feels crowded. One of the reasons for this is the lack of clear alignment. Determine an alignment scheme such as aligning cover lines to the left, right or center margins. It also helps to give the text and image enough room from the edge. Margins are not wasted space; they give structure and purpose to the masthead, image and cover story.
A cover that does not feel cluttered does not mean a magazine is more boring. It simply means that there is a clear path for the reader to take before opening it. A cover needs one strong focus, easy-to-read headline, controlled supporting type, and enough clear space. When you review your next cover, ask yourself, if I glance at this, where will I look first, second, and third? The cover is easier to understand when each step is apparent. Trim, align, crop or reduce in scale until the reader can easily see what the issue is about.