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