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