TORONTO—Aimed at helping magazines boost the effectiveness of their covers, the Canadian Society of Magazine Editors recently hosted a Cover Buster Boot Camp.

In his presentation titled Judging a Book by its Cover, Impressa Communications president, Ryerson journalism instructor and Canadian Magazines blog writer D.B. Scott gave his editorial audience some insights on how to improve their magazine covers to ensure they get picked up on the newsstand.

First off, no one gets anywhere by playing it safe with covers, said Scott. He noted People magazine founding editor Richard Stolley’s laws for covers:

• Young is better than old
• Pretty is better than ugly
• Movies are better than television
• Movies and television are better than music
• Movies, television and music are better than sports
• Anything is better than politics
• Nothing is better than the celebrity dead

Scott said Stolley added the final rule after not understanding the appeal when Elvis died. He said he did not make the same mistake when John Lennon was murdered, which remained People’s best-selling cover until Princess Diana died.

Other key points Scott stressed for a successful magazine cover included:

• Use contrast: light and dark, big and small
• Use symmetry
• Keep it consistent: readers will recognize style
• Have a strong central image
• Keep it fun, informative and moving
• Use big, bold type
• Use key words
• Use attention grabbing devices: slashes, spots, starbursts, etc.
• Use numbers
• Remember the six-foot rule: you should be able to read the cover lines from six feet away
• Covers must evolve: any cover looks dated two to three years after being published

Rules, however, were made to be broken, noted Scott. He also pointed out unsuccessful cover devices, which include:

• Being too depressing or silly
• Too clever or subtle
• Too cluttered and confusing

Scott said women’s service and gossip magazines are especially guilty of the last point. They often put so much on their covers that it is difficult for readers to tell the difference between any of the titles. Contact: Canadianeditors.com, Canadianmags.blogspot.com