Cover, Final and update.

These are the three main stages of my cover, in which I was making crucial decision about the house style of my page. I did use the Directors criticisms as some constructive feedback and changed the size of the model to decrease the amount of white space on the page. To further reduce this I added my tagline and date: "JANUARY 16: A JOURNEY INTO SOUND" this tagline will change every month, e.g. "FEBRUARY 16: A JOURNEY INTO SOUND".  In addition to this, combining the tagline and date allowed me to remove the date line next to the bar code (AUGUST 2015) which improved the overall look of my page as it now appears less clustered. 

This is my final cover:
I created my final cover by mainly relying on the grid view so that I could place everything in it's proper position on the page to avoid disrupting the harmony of the composition of graphics. 
I believe the gradient layer with altered opacity levels was a significant factor in improving the aesthetic of my cover as it made it appear more professional. This links back to my Target Audience research, in which one of the students I interviewed commented that the colours were too bright. I tackled this issue with the use of the additional layer as it matified the colours and reduced the brightness, causing my magazine to look less "cheap" and tacky. 
Furthermore, I did reduce the specs around the anchoring text which also made the writing more legible. I also followed the feedback of another student I interviewed and reduced the size of the sell lines to create more space around my model's head, this makes her the focal point of the page and strengthens her importance on it. This factor, combined with the direct mode of address and shot angle/zoom creates what I believe is a powerful image, with a look that is almost careless yet also very mindful.
I believe the colours on the page all work together very well. 

Close-up of tag line on page. 

I believe the half/half filtered image links to the anchoring text as it shows the transition of a person,  implying her metamorphosis was overwhelming as it was portrayed visually on a cover. The effect also links to the belief around hip hop, the ideas surrounding people's alter egos in the industry: having to act hard or as someone you are not. This is presented in the use of two contrasting colour schemes on one model, showing a clash of two natures in one person.

I continued the half/half idea into the anchoring text also to suit the house style.

New bar-code, less clustered, looks more professional.