Improvements

I am improving some aspects of my work at the minute, i am planning on getting feedback on my products so that i can improve them further. I am writting an article to place on my double page spread and editing some of my images further.

Titles

I have chose three different designs for my title. The first one is black and has a silver outline, this helps the title to stand out and it also links in with the colour scheme.The second title is silver which does stand out well on the cover but i feel it fails to fit in with the chosen colour scheme. The final title is a plain black with no outline which fits in with my chosen colour scheme well, however, it doesn't stand out as well as I would like on the front cover. With this, I have chosen the first font as the outline helps it to stand out and shout out to the reader or costumer.

Ideas For My Spread

Influenced by my planning and mock ups I created i have decided to continue the colour scheme of black, white and red, I have also chosen to use shapes as an element of my pages as demonstrated in the images. With images i had previously taken i placed them on squares. I placed them all on one individual square each, this does however show the lines through the cubes which i believe looks less realistic. I placed all of the 'members of the band' on one cube and personally found that it showed more unity between the group. It would also leave more space for text as i plan to use one of these images on my double page spread. I took images with all of the ' band members' wearing red so that they would link with my colour scheme. I wanted the positions of the people used to be confident and maybe even show a small amount of attitude so that it would seem like they were a real rock or pop band.

images

This is a small selection of the images I have taken, I chose three girls to act as a band and asked them all to wear clothing following the colour scheme of red white and black. I used props such as drum sticks and sunglasses on the images to add to the 'glamorous' image and music genre.
The first image shows all of the band member close together and looking happy and positive, representing the band and the impact they could have on the audience. They are looking into the camera, including the audience through eye contact. The second image shows the power of the band through their body language. they are standing firm and looking up and forward with their heads held high. The image is taken form a low angle shot which enables the audience to feel as if they are looking up to the band . Their facial expressions are serious which could again represent power and also that they take their career seriously. The member standing at the front has a facial expression that could be seen as 'mean' or 'fierce' that reflects her character. The two band members in the background are wearing sun glasses to add glamour to their image and also add an element of mystery to their characters by not showing all of their faces. The final image shows the unity between the band. It shows that they are comfortable in each others company and like the target audience, can just let their hair down and have fun. They all look happy and positive which will have an effect on the audience and their opinion of the band, the image shows them as 'down to earth' regualr people that are enjoying their time in the band.

Spreads- mock up and layouts

I have created a layout plan for the spreads I will create. This has the image taking up the whole of the background with the main focus on his face. I have the title on the left hand side at the top so that is is easily seen and the text at the bottom of the page, where there is not much deatail of the image needed . As both the image and text go on both pages it links the pages.







I created this layout similar to the cover I created, i have placed the heading or quote in the centre of the page which links the two pages together.
I have continued the colour scheme as i believe it makes the page looks bold and vibrant with the powerful colours. I have chosen to frame one of the images with squares in different colours from the colour schemes, this places focus on the image of the artists face. I have placed the text over both pages so that there is no large empty spaces and so that all of the elements of the page are evenly spread out.

Contents Mock ups

I created some mock up contents pages from the layouts I previously made. Personally I feel that the title 'contents' is better at the top of the page as it shows straight away what the page is, although placing it at the bottom and down the side in unusual and unique. The third contents page shows a colour scheme of white black and red and I placed squares around the image in these colors, using the one image makes it stand out. Placing the image at the top means that it can be a larger image making it easier to see and listing the information below is also clear and easy to see. In my actual magazine the text will be much smaller than demonstrated on these mock ups. On the images used on the fourth mock up I have put a small box in the corner with the page number, so that it is obvious what page that image relates to. Using the three images down the right hand side seems quite effective, it shows the variety of what is in the magazine and relates to the articles listed on the left.
The final contents page is all black and white. The image is at the bottom of the screen and shows the band looking up, the background also mingles in with the black background used on the page.

Contents Layout

I have created four contents page layouts. These all involve text and images. I will create mock ups of these layouts to see what my magazine contents could look like with these layouts. I have experimented with the positioning of the Contents title and the amount of images on the page. Having the title of the page going down the left hand side is unusual and unique. Some of the pages have a lot of text which could be needed to show everything in the magazine, other layouts have more images that relate to the articles.

Price

The price of the magazine is an important factor. It could effect the popularity of the magazine and the audience it appeals to. I did a poll to find out what my peers and other members of my taget audience would pay for a music magazine. There are certain elements which I made clear such as; there will not be a free gift in the magazine and the magazine will be every month.

less than £2.00 2/25
£2.00- £3.00 5/25
£3.00- £4.00 13/25
£4.00- £5.00 5/25

Using these results I will place the price of my magazine in the region of £3.00 and £4.00, probably around £3.00. As it is a monthly issue it can be more expensive than a weekly issue that my target audience would have to pay for every week.

This link (http://www.nrs.co.uk/toplinereadership.html) shows figures that show that the genre of my magazine is quite popular with my target audience. My target audience is is young adults from around the age of 15+.

Mock ups

I have created some mock magazine covers using the layouts plans I created as a template. For these mock ups I gathered images from the Internet of music bands, and artist that are popular in my chosen genre of music and appeal to my target audience. The first mock up shown is also the first layout shown on a previous posts. I found an image of Cheryl Cole, the image is from her popular number one single, and this is recognised by the clothing she is wearing. I decided to incorporate more elements of her single and music video onto the cover by using the color scheme used in her video, red white and black. I added red and black columns around the singer to frame her image and show a theme. I also put the subheading as a quote in a hand writing style of text , showing Cheryl is a down to earth, 'girl next door', kind of person that she is well known for, this also shows her influence on the magazine as it is about the artists and music. The handwriting style is also used for her album, single and music video. I also chose that particular image of her as she has great body language, she is standing firm and this could show power, and the fact she is in clothing that can be associated with a soldier could show bravery, strength and fighting spirit. Although the cover is simplistic I feel it is effective.

The second cover is okay, I like the masthead at the top of the page with the main image central. When I take the image for my cover I would have it so it fills more space as I felt this left the page empty so I filled it with some images related to music. I like the third cover as it takes up most of the page and the colours really stand out on the black background. The space for the heading and subheading on the right hand side was perfect on the page and I think it all look evenly spread out. I did have to slightly edit the back ground. I chose an image of Madonna that people would recognise her for such as her outfits like the leotard and dance moves. Her shoes are also glamorous to go with her image. I chose text that was bold and made a statement that the magazine was about the 'queen of pop', I also used the contrast of colours red and white on the text so that certain words stood out such as, exclusive. The final cover has a thick black border so that the main image stands out. The image relates to the heading with the band holding an award. The name of the band is at the top of the image section with an image of the band below showing all of the band members clearly. The masthead is at the top of the cover and in the border so it doesn't cover any of the images and the white stands out clearly on the black background.

Color Schemes

I experimented with color schemes that I could use for my magazine. As I previously posted I feel I will most likely include the colours black and white. I like black white and red as they stand out well together and are colours that will fit in with both genders. Personally I don't like the color schemes that are just two colours as it could be too plain. I find the black, white and yellow are bright, they stand out well together but I feel that the yellow could be too bright and hard to read. Together, black and green will contrast well but may not fit my target audience of both males and females from around the age of 14 plus. Black and white are bold and contrast each other and I think they could be used together without been overpowering like the black and green. I do not feel that white and blue follow the genre of the magazine as the colours are too weak together and don't make a bold statement compared to the other color schemes.

Colours

Looking at a variety of magazines I found a consistent theme of Black and white accruing, this is very popular as the colours contrast and are easy to see next to each other. With this I feel it is essential that i include these too colours within my color scheme and will continue to experiment further with my ideas on colour schemes.

Fonts

When I was looking for mast head fonts I saw a few that I thought I could use for the general writing in my magazine for my contents or double page spread. Here is a small selection of font that I feel are easy to read, and not boring like a usual font. I chose fonts that look like they are hand written to make the magazine more informal and to relate to my target audience more. The font needs to be clear and readable like all the fonts chosen.

Layouts

I have created a range of layouts that I could use for the front cover of my magazine. I could use the image as the whole of my background as shown on the first, third and last example. This would mean extra care when taking the picture as I would have to leave enough space for article and subheading space without it cutting off part of the image. The mast head will most likely by placed at the top of the page but I experimented by placing it at the bottom as shown on the first example. The second example shows the image in the centre of the page with a large black boarder . This focuses more attention on the image. I have chosen for the headline or subheading to overlap the image on all of my layouts so that they stand out and in some cases frame the image. I have included the date, issue and price as it will have to be on my cover somewhere, however I have placed this at the top or bottom of the covers as it is not a very important part of the cover . The final three designs follow the visual hierarchy with the masthead at the top f the page which will be the first thing the costumer will see. The final and second design follow it a little more by the heading been slanted, however it would have to have a sharper angle to follow the hierarchy correctly. I have used objects slanting to show how 'out of control' the magazine is and so it looks less formal.

Masthead Style

All of these mastheads are the same font. I have edited them using a variety of tools, this is to add detail to the masthead and remove the feminine butterflies on the corner of the 'E' . I chose a variety of effects to make the titles fit in with my genre and give the magazine an informal effect. It could be argued that the second font down has too much 'splatter' and isn't very easy to read. I like how all of the fonts are bold and shout out but I feel that there may be too much detail for a masthead. The final masthead has a pattern within it which I added, the colour is a light grey so that it doesn't stand out, however I think it is too much. The font also has giraffes on it which does not really agree with the music magazine genre of rock and pop, it is not extremely noticeable and I could edit the font to remove it .

Magazine Title

I have selected some titles that I could use for my magazine. 'Tribute' would be great for a music magazine as it is used in the industry and the magazine could be seen as a tribute to the singers and bands. Its one word that is short and catchy. I chose 'Queen' as it is the name of a old well known band, this has proved successful in other magazines such the 'Rolling Stone'. It also suggests royalty, class and quality which would give my magazine a great image. The last title idea has a good ring to it and could be shortened to RPS. It is straight to the point of what the magazine is about and tells the reader that the magazine is purely about music. It also tells the reader what the genre is and will shout out to fans of the rock and pop music.

Fonts

I have chosen a wide variety of fonts that I could use for my masthead. I am planning to create a rock and pop genre of music magazine. In this case some of the fonts are not realistic such as the last three. The first of the last three is hard to read and has a horror effect. The last two are in a graffiti effect and this would be more appropriate for a gangster rap magazine rather than a rock and pop genre. I think that all of the fonts on the left hand side are appropriate for this genre of magazine and are fairly easy to read. My personal favourites are the first five fonts as I feel that they would bring character to the magazine and set the tone of the genre. I think the third would give my magazine a great image for the everyday person. The mixture of upper and lower case letters would show that the magazine is not formal and along with the pulse line flowing through it could show no control. I also feel that this applies to the first font. I like that the fonts do not look neat and tidy which can often look boring .I feel the fonts in the top right hand side do not suite my genre of music and some look too feminine, they also do not make a bold statement that I think is necessary for this magazine. Some are to basic and I would like some detail on my masthead.

Magazine Spread Analysis

The main colours used on this page are black and white with the image of Kanye West been black and white as well. The font used is quirky and bold, it looks more fun than serious and is also the same font used on his albums and posters. With the main colours been black and white any other colours stand out really well, Kanye is holding a rubix cube that has several bright,vibrant and bold colours, these colours are then spilling out of his hand. This suggests that anything he touches turns to colour, making it more interesting .

The font links the two pages together . Kanye's name is written in the bright colours showing that he isn't boring like the rest of the page and the colours shout out to the reader, so they know that the article is about Kanye, the colours flood of the page and this could show that he is a rebel or uncontrollable. The text says ' the gospel' according to Kanye' and this relates to colours black and white. It also suggests that he is a powerful man and his body language looks quite powerful. He is looking down on the reader and is showing them eye contact under his glasses showing control. He is wearing sun glasses whihc shows glamour and money.

The feature headline is large and falls on both pages, linking the spread. It is a quote said by Lily Allen and is in the contrasting colours black and white. The style the headline is done in stands out and isn't plain and boring representing Lily Allen and possibly the interview. Lily Allen is written in a different colour so that it stands out. The background is plain white so that all of our attention is drawn to the image and writing. The image of Lily shows her looking directly at the reader. Her hair has a messy style and we can see her dark make-up, along with this she shows her tattoo hinting at a rebellious side. Her clothing links in with the colour scheme and her left arm is on both pages linking them together. Her shirt colour is red and this could represent the passionate and fiery nature Lily is well known for. The text is separated from the image and put in four columns with gutters in between as part of a simple layout.



The background is the main image, there has been room left for other images and text to over lap it. The font used is simple and easy to read on the background, that has been changed to white in some areas, and a faded white in others, so that some of the background image is visible. The colours used are bright, vibrant and eye catching. They also continue on from the cover and contents page, as well as the style of the masthead. A negative point about this spread is that there is a black line running through one of the band members faces due to the page split. The image in the top left is not the best quality due to the lighting coming from behind. The image is of a band that are wearing sunglasses adding an element of glamour, however, in contrast they are also wearing wellington boots adding a down-to-earth and quirky factor.

Contents Research

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Contents Research

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Rock And Pop

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Rock And Pop

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This presentation shows my analysis of three music magazines with the theme of rock and pop. The text is a little small so its better to read on full screen, from analysising these magazines i have seen a variety of shots and how the image can create an atmosphere for the rest of the magazine. Comments are welcome :)

Wordle

Words that I relate to media!