Media Magazine "Future of Media" cover
a print design project by MediaPost

Creative brief

The buyer added updates to the brief. Read them.

LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT US:

We are a glossy trade magazine covering the media industry. We write about the art and science of media and everything in between, telling the stories that can't be told in our dailies. We are currently working on our second annual "Future of Media" issue, which is being guest edited by Alex Bogusky. Read more about us and the issue here: http://bit.ly/jTtFj

HERE IS WHAT WE NEED:

Cover design for Media Magazine’s Future of Media special issue, interpreting the theme, "The Future of Media" with the sub head "It isn't what it used to be". Use of the supplied photo of guest editor Alex Bogusky is suggested but not required. Final product should be a layered Adobe Photoshop. InDesign, Illustrator and Quark Xpress files are also welcome. The only real requirement is use of the logo in its standard position, with tag line intact and legible.

Specifications:
8.375in x 10.875in with bleed (.25in)
300dpi
CMYK

Accepted Formats:
Photoshop PSD with layers and fonts included or turned to outlines (CS3 preferred, but lower is fine)
Illustrator AI or EPS with fonts included or turned to outlines (CS3 preferred, but lower is fine)
Indesign INX or INDD with fonts included or turned to outlines (CS3 preferred, but lower is fine)
Quark Xpress with fonts included or turned to outlines

OUR TARGET AUDIENCE IS:

We are mainly read by media strategists and top-level execs in advertising, entertainment, publishing and media.

WE LIKE THESE DESIGNS:

Our standard font families are Franklin Gothic, Serifa and Scala. But the headline text for this cover is open to creative interpretation. You can use our fonts or explore fonts that help to evoke the future of media. We've uploaded sample covers from the past few years that show both how the logo is normally presented and ways in which the logo has been altered to suit a theme (lighted by a lightbulb, cracked with the surface of the cover itself, a blueprint design). We want you to start out with a sense of creative freedom to find a solution unique to this project. Normally, the cover features a bright color either in the arrows in the logo, or in the background of the cover itself. Also, traditionally, the name Media appears in black or white, rarely in color. Again, this is not a rule, but it is what we normally do.

WE ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE (or we don't want to see) THIS IN OUR DESIGN:

Our logo must be in its standard position, with tag line intact and legible. Besides that, I do not want to put any kind of restriction on this. Give it your best shot. As we go, we'll check in periodically and sort out directions we like vs. directions that are not working for us.