Andy Warhol once predicted, "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes." Now, you can help your family and friends achieve that elusive goal by putting them on the cover of a magazine or tabloid.

Here are some tips to make your covers look authentic.

Use san serif type. Mix it up by varying the weights, from thin (book weight) to heavy (extra bold). Vary the point sizes, too. Capitalize words for emphasis. Italic type is especially vital for tabloids, it adds a sense of urgency. And pick 2-3 colors for interest, using color found in your photos.

Type needs to pop from the photo. On magazines, the type lays on top of the photograph. Make sure the color of the type stands out against the photo. To add a little more pop, add a thin outline around the type, and a subtle drop shadow. It will help separate the type from the photo. See the difference on the image on the right?

Use plain, bright or primary colors. For a title block or an area surrounding a photo, stick to plain colors. It's more authentic. You can use papers or other effects on the title or masthead, but keep your color around the photos on tabloids plain. Make sure the colors pop against each other.

Need help coming up with wacky headlines? I love the Weekly World News website. There, you can find the most outrageous headlines to inspire you. From aliens, to vampires, to conspiracies and weird phenomena, it's packed with potential! Celebrity gossip magazines are another inspiration source. Check out a magazine rack at the grocery store or bookstore and you'll soon see the similarities of cover designs.

Magazine and tabloid templates can be stand-alone layouts. They are great ways to recognize special achievements, events, parties, showers, weddings, new babies, back-to-school, graduation and retirement. Travel and vacations are great subjects. So are pets! But you can also use a finished cover as an element within a scrapbook page.

Save a copy of your finished cover and flatten it. Then drag it onto your scrapbook page and reduce it. Rotate it, add a drop shadow and use it as another element on the page. Fun!

Tutorial uses:

	Note: Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Digital Layout Templates - Layered: Magazines Super Biggie and ScrapSimple Digital Layout Templates - Layered: Tabloids are also available.

Tutorial written by Valerie Randall