Completed Magazine Pages

My Completed Double Page Spread

My Completed Front Cover




My Completed Contents Page

Contents Page

I have created my contents page for my music magazine using In Design. I designed it using my plan, as well as using elements from the two real contents page examples that I found. Below is my first draft.

Contents page first draft

I used the same models, but different photos for this page. For example, the largest photo has the model sitting down rather than standing, and the photo below that has the models facing the camera so that you can see their faces. The second photo is also edited differently (it is in colour, not black & white). The model in the smaller photo in the corner has the model looking up rather than down. The colour scheme of the photo keeps with the house style of red, blue, white and black. The typeface used is also on the front cover, which again contributes to this. The main articles (or features) are shown down the right side of the page, as I have seen done in many rock music magazines. The title of the page uses a simple banner, using a larger font to draw attention.

Contents page second draft

After reviewing my first draft again, I decided to make some changes. Firstly, I added a white stroke to the title and the feature titles. This helps them stand out better and not get lost in their dark backgrounds. I also changed the second photo for a photo I took on a different shoot that didn't get used. I edited this photo with warmer colours, and gave it a pale purple/blue background. This gives the page a wider range of photography and brightens up the page. I added a grey backing to both of the larger photos in order to help them stand out better to the reader against the white background. 

Contents page final draft

 

In my final draft I have added a grey backing to the photos in order to keep the same theme for all of them. I have also added page numbers and titles to the photos to show the reader which articles they are linked to. I used the same size, font and stroke so that the article titles match the others. I have added a short description to go with them at the top left corner of the pictures. This gives the readers a brief idea of what the article will be about and persuades them to read it. I have performed a photo shoot with another model on location in order to provide more images so that there is a larger variety, which I have placed in the larger photo space. As well as this, I have included a photo of myself as the editor. This version has smaller articles to make room for more, which helps to reinforce the idea that my magazine is packed full of articles. 

Contents Page Plan

In order to create a professional looking contents page for my magazine I have researched rock magazine contents pages and took design ideas from them. Below are two examples of contents pages that I liked the design of the most, taken from Kerrang! magazine.

Contents page example #1

Contents page example #2

After considering these designs and my own house style I created a simple contents page plan in word. I will create my final contents page in In Design based on this plan.

My Contents Page Plan

Audience Feedback Survey

In order to understand how my target audience would respond to my magazine I have created an online survey using survey monkey. The survey consists of eight questions, and can be taken online following the link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/W98WHXY 

Below is a screenshot of what my survey looks like to the audience when they follow the link.

My Online Survey

After I had received what I thought was an acceptable amount of responses (15) I collected the responses and put the screenshots into a word document. These results are below.

The results have shown me that most of my target audience think that my magazine looks professional and accurately represents the conventions of a rock music magazine. Overall, I am pleased with the results of my survey and will be making the necessary changes (e.g. improving the quality of my photography in the magazine). This will help my magazine to look more professional and therefore do better with the target audience.

Front Cover

I designed a few different versions of my front cover. Below is my first initial design, not including a main image. I used a bold, hard font for the masthead in order to catch the audience's eye and to fit in with the genre. I kept the colour theme of black, white, red and blue that I have been using through out my magazine. This helps to create a recognisable brand. The same typeface and colour is used in all of the articles in order to create a theme. 

Front Cover first draft

In my second draft I changed the font of the masthead to look more neat and professional. I also removed the puff and replaced it with text for a 'special' article. This text is in blue to show that it is different to the other articles and make it stand out. I used a darker background to test what the articles would look like against a dark photograph.

Front cover second draft

On my third draft I added my photo to the cover. I also added a background colouring of off-white to help the photo stand out. I changed the colour of the title to fit in better with the photo and stand out against the background, as well as the colour of the article text so that it can be easily read over the photo.

Front cover third draft

On the final draft of my front cover I increased the size of the photo after looking at examples of magazine covers in my genre. I also added a white stroke to the articles to help them stand out better against the dark photo. I like this cover the best because the articles look well placed and the photo is focused and fits well with the genre. 

Front cover fourth draft

Front Cover Photoshoot

For my music magazine front cover I conducted another photo shoot with another model. I added the photos from this shoot to my contact sheet.

Requiem Magazine Contact Sheet

I then edited the best photos from the shoot using Photoshop. 

Screenshot #1

First, I opened the photo in Photoshop and used 'auto tone' and 'auto contrast' in order to create a smoother look to the colours. This gives the photo a more professional look.

 I then used the black and white feature in order to fit in with the style of photography I have been using through out my magazine. I used these settings in the black and white feature in order to darken the blue, red and cyan tones of the photo. This creates the style that I was looking for and gives the photo a 'moody' look that fits with my magazine genre.

Once I was pleased with the colour and overall look of the photo I used the polygonal lasso tool to cut out the photo and make the background transparent. I did this so that I could place the photo between the masthead and the article titles on my cover to give it a professional look.

Original photo

Edited photo

Front Cover Plan

I have created a quick plan for my music magazine front cover in word. I used an existing cover of the same genre in order to ensure that my magazine cover looks professional and uses common conventions of rock music magazines. I will create my cover using this design plan in In Design, and make necessary edits to the appearance once I can see what the final product will look like. The colour scheme I will use will be red, white, black and navy. I will conduct a photo shoot in order to get a photo for my front cover that will be appropriate to the genre.




Front Cover Plan



I based my front cover design on examples of real covers of rock/metal magazines in order to ensure that my magazine looks professional. Examples of these covers are below.




Front cover example #1 - Classic Rock magazine

Front cover example #2 - Metal Hammer magazine

Double Page Spread

I have experimented with several different techniques in order to design my double page spread article. Below is my first double page spread draft. I created this in In Design, using a bold font for the headline in order to grab the reader's attention and keep in line with the rock genre. The colours I used are red, black and white. This is the colour scheme I plan to use through out my magazine. The image is black and white, taking inspiration from rock music photographer, Amy Barwell.

First Draft

In order to create my second draft I made some changes to my first. The most noticeable change I made was adding a new photo to the bottom right of the column using text wrapping to shape the text around the image. I also used a smaller typeface in order to keep with the professional appearance of my magazine, and spaced the title out more. The image has also been further edited to create a darker shadow across the models.



Second Draft

I was unhappy with this design because of the way the second page looked too spaced out and empty. In my third draft I moved the text to create a diagonal step appearance that gave a more interesting appeal to the article. I also added a faded letter 'L' for the band 'Leitmotif' featured in my article. The faded swirl that was under my title was replaced with a more professional looking divider that I thought fit in well with the page's overall look.

Third Draft

I made a few more finishing touches to the headline to create my fourth and final draft that I am happy with. I added a stroke in order to make it stand out better. I also changed the colour of the word music in order to help it further stand out against the rest of the page. I am happy with this design because I think it fits the genre well and the images and colour scheme follow a pattern that I will continue to use through out my magazine to create a brand. I also added a caption to the photo to provide meaning, and a page number and small 'Reuqiem' logo to maintain the house style.



Double Page Spread Plan and First Draft

This is the simple mock up of my double page spread that I have created using word. I will base the appearance on this plan as well as inspiration from other double page spreads from rock music magazines.

Double Page Spread Plan

I have created my first draft for my double page spread on In Design. I will improve on this article and the design in the future.

My Double Page Spread Article

Below is the first draft of the article I have written for my own double page spread for my music magazine, titled 'Is there a future for rock music?'

Double Page Spread Research Task

For this task I had to research different elements used in a double page spread from a magazine. I researched the definition of each term, and then found two examples of a double page spread from my genre and analysed them in a word document.

Double Page Spread Photoshoot

For my double page spread I completed a photo shoot using different lighting and props, and two models. I chose the models to pose back to back to balance the photos and give them a harsh look that would be necessary when posing as a rock band. I used both bright lighting and a blue filter over the lights in order to create different effects. I like the photos using the blue filter because they have a darker edge to them. One of my models used the headphones as a prop to represent a music magazine. When preforming the photo shoot I followed safety rules (e.g. made sure the wires leading from lights weren't tangled, cleared plenty of space when asking models to pose). I created a contact sheet of the photos I took.

 



My Photo Shoot Contact Sheet

Once I had taken the photos I uploaded them to my computer and begun editing my favourites.

Original photo



Edited photo



Original photo

Edited photo

I edited these photos using Photoshop with the skills I have learnt from previous lessons. I edited the first photo to give it a fully black background, which was inspired by Amy Barwell's photography. This gives the photo a more edgy feel that I think goes well with the type of magazine I am creating. I cropped the second photo to get a better focus on the model, and edited the colour to black and white. The highlighting from the lighting I used in the photo shoot helped to lighten the model's face and create edges instead of using plain straight lighting.

Music Photographers Research

I have researched two music photographers in the rock industry who's work I found eye catching and interesting. I thought the images I found would fit into the style of magazine that I want to create. I presented this research in a Prezi. I also created a collage on Photoshop of my favourite images the photographers have taken.





Collage of my favourite photos by Ross Halfin and Ami Barwell

Magazine Market Research

In order to create my own music magazine I had to conduct research on the magazine and music magazine market in order to fully understand the market I would be entering. I have put my findings from this research into a Prezi presentation so that it is easy to access.

Readership Profile



For this task I was asked to create a readership profile for my music magazine. I used to Photoshop to design this. I have included photo examples of things that a typical reader of my magazine would be interested in, and a description of the different elements that would make up the typical reader of my magazine.

 



My Readership Profile

Mood Board

For this task I was asked to create a mood board which demonstrates the colours scheme and title examples for my music magazine. I also wrote about the target audience of my magazine and how I will accommodate to them, and included examples of magazines that I will take my inspiration from. 

 

My Mood Board

Semiotic Analysis of a Magazine Cover

For this task I was asked to create a semiotic analysis of a magazine cover. I used a cover from the magazine 'Top of the Pops' and created a power point to show my analysis and conclusion of the cover.

ANATOMY OF A MAGAZINE



Cover Analysis



Understanding magazine cover design (1) 

Understanding magazine cover design (2) 

Evaluation of the Preliminary Task

COMPLETED PRELIMINARY TASK

My completed student magazine front cover

 Above is my final front cover, including my photo that I enhanced in Photoshop. I designed it using the front cover examples that I researched as well as my mock up version as a guide. I used a colour scheme of purple and white because purple is the college colours and will be instantly recognisable to students. The medium close up that I used is appropriate for the cover because it gives a full view of the model whilst still leaving space for the title and articles. The colours of the models hair work well with the orange and red tones in the background of the photo, creating a theme. The depth of focus makes the model stand out against the unfocused background. The vocabulary I used will appeal to the young audience because it is laid back, but doesn't use slang which would cheapen the look of the cover.

My completed student magazine contents page

This is my final contents page that I created using In Design. I designed it using the contents page examples that I researched and analysed, and my mock up version as a guide. I kept the colour theme of purple to reinforce the brand of the magazine. I also started to use black as a third colour in order to give it more of an edge than the cover. The use of the photos give a preview of the articles that would be inside which could help to pull the reader in and make them want to read on. The use of exclamatives helps to make the articles look exciting and enticing to the reader.