FHM cover

FHM website


For this creative piece, I was set the brief of designing a cover for a magazine, drawing on the appropriate codes and conventions. The software I utilised to design the cover was Adobe Photoshop CS3, which provided me access to a wide number of tools and options which proved to be exceptionally useful. For example, the easy managing of individual layers allowed a freedom of image editing that would not be possible on a less technologically advanced program, such as Microsoft Paint.

The obvious sources of inspiration for this mocked-up cover were the front covers of multiple issues of FHM. These provided me with a plethora of necessary information that proved to be essential in getting the 'feel' right, in terms of both style and themes.

A key aspect of getting the cover to look right was the fonts, an aspect which could be easily over-looked, yet would cripple the 'authenticity' of the mock-up if not properly observed. For example, even something as minor as the use of serifs on fonts would have stuck out horrendously.

It was crucial for me to capture the same tongue-in-cheek, self-aware style of writing commonly seen on the cover of FHM. As such, I followed the common example of subverting audience expectations at the end of a list through the inclusion of Barry Chuckle after Lou Ferrigno and Steven Segal under the 'FHM's Action Heroes' subtitle. I also included pop culture references in the form of variations of well-known quotes, such as 'He also cooks' and 'You'll like him when he's angry'.

Puns also feature prominently on FHM covers, so I utilised 'Fox Hunting' as a title for the piece on Megan Fox. I also put a slight tilt on the piece of text which displayed the name of the covergirl, Bianca Gasgoigne, another commonplace feature.

There was a slight issue with the picture I used, as most FHM covers usually have the model occupying the middle vertical third of the page, with the text flanking on either side. However, due to the size and proportioning of the image, I had to fit the text around the image as best as I could. As such, there is less text on my cover than would normally be found on an FHM cover. An alternative solution would have been to cut the model from the background using the lasso tool. However, this would have proved time-consuming and would probably have significantly reduced how professional the cover looked overall after completion.


Foucault's ideas of narratives and technologies of the self are crucial to bear in mind during the creation of the magazine cover. The cover must convey the content of the magazine and make the readers feel like they need the magazine to self-actualise. However, this is often counter-balanced within the magazine, as the primary job of the magazine is to shift copies and make a profit. If the readership managed to fully self-actualise, they would no longer have a need for the magazine. As such, there is a delicate balance between offering the readers means, or 'technologies', through which they can improve themselves and advertisements and features which keep the readers needing the knowledge within the magazine.

Bourdieu's theories of cultural capital are also relevant. As a magazine embedded in popular culture, FHM often seeks to be up to date with (and sometimes ahead of) current trends. FHM commonly maintains a balancing act between contemporary representations of masculinity, such as looking after appearances and dealing with emotions, whilst also tapping into elements of a 'retro' representation of masculinity and a fondness for days gone by. For example, the current main theme on the FHM website is a revisitation of the Sixties, in terms of fashion, jokes, sports and key issues which remain as relevant today.

Arguably the most crucial media theory in terms of magazine covers is the ideas of Louis Althusser. Interpollation is vital in a world where hundreds of magazines are easily available to audiences, meaning that in order to succeed and secre profit, magazine covers must draw attention to the magazines and urge the reader to pick a copy up and investigate further.