Evolution of double page spread



My final design for my double page spread




second version of the double page spread



First Version of the double page spread



mock up of front cover

In my mock up I chose to make it very simple and make the photo stand out more than anything else. When looking at other magazines I found that they had a lot more text than pictures on the front cover. For example the picture below of the NME front cover has a lot of text and other pictures and plugs. With all this information on the page I felt it distracted the reader from the main articles. When choosing how my layout of the magazine will be I chose to use the rolling stones magazine conventions as a starting point.

 

The conventions of rolling stones magazine mean that the features to the left of the page are easy to read but don’t distract any buyers or readers from the main article about Lil Wayne.

On my mock up I’ve chosen to use almost the same conventions as the rolling stones. After looking through my lifestyle research on my target audience I found that they tend to be on the move and are always socializing or playing sports/ hobbies. With this information I know that compared to other magazines like the NME one above, the Rolling Stones magazine is a lot better to use. This is because its not so much of a daunting look to it. With little text generally on the cover it gives the look to the magazine that it is a simple read and a relatively simple magazine. Unlike the NME magazine it looks more inviting for people who live a busy life.

When designing my mock up I chose to keep the idea of the features all on the left hand side. This was because while researching I noticed that the majority of features on the cover were on the left side, this was presumably due to how we find it easier to read from the left side of pages.

Once id added all the features to my mock up I added plugs. When looking at magazine plugs I found that the most popular place for them was across the whole width of the page, either at the bottom or top of the page they always are big text and are extremely noticeable no matter where they are on the page. I chose the bottom of the page for my main plug; this was because like the Rolling Stones magazine I didn’t want to take any attention away from either the masthead or main article. Having it at the bottom of the page means it will still be just as noticeable but won’t draw any attention away from the picture and other features which will also help pull readers in to buying it. I chose to also have a “sticker “plug. This will give the idea of it being an important article. The reason for this is because it’s like a stamp.

For the choice of font I wanted a less formal font which would entice my target audience. This is because I think with the lifestyle questionnaire it would be more attractive for them to see that font than a more formal font. With the questionnaires I found that they all wanted a more casual read so with less formal font it look more welcoming and enticing for the.

Like the NME masthead I wanted it to be block font. This will make it stand out and give a more powerful look onto the magazines brand and front cover.

 

evolution of contents page

Final design for my contents

My second design for my contents

My first ever design for my contents

Photo planning for Doublepage spread

Photoshoot Title:

Double Page Spread

Photoshoot Concept:

For my double page I plan to have pictures of the main band performing and still photos of the members together or separately.

Aims:

The aims for the photo-shoot are to create interesting photos which will attract readers to the double page spread. Using lighting at the performance of them I plan to make them stand out. I plan to use very little editing, this is because I want to keep it as true as possible and not distract the reader from the music.

Date & Timings:

I plan to take them on the 13^th of April at the Ouch Bar in Brighton

Location:

Im taking the double page spread photos at a performance in Brighton.

Equipment & Preparation:

Ill be taking my camera

Desired Shots (Draw sketches)

I plan to take a action shot from behind and in front of them. This will help me choose the best photo for the main photo on the spread. 

Reference images:

Analysis of Rolling stones contents page

Contents analysis of rolling stones magazine from Mark Rowland

Analysis of Q magazine contents

Contents analysis of q magazine from Mark Rowland

evolution of Front Cover



This is my final design of my front cover



Here is my third version of my front cover



 




Second Draft of my Front cover





First Draft of my Front cover



improvment on Front Cover

After having my magazine analysed by friends, i have changed the layout of my magazine and tried to make it busier and have more context on my cover. As it was my first issue of the magazine ive decided to move the plug into a feature and instead have a plug talking about the new music offered in the magazine. I have also changed the text colour, this is due to how people commonted on how it was sometimes harder to read the text due to the background.

Reviews

Once finishing my final front cover, I got several friends to analyse it and say what kind of target audience I was aiming at.

James:

I looked at the magazine and straight away it is obvious it is aimed for the teenager audience. With the front cover, the picture makes it obvious it’s not aimed at older people who like music but instead young people who are starting to choose what genres of music they like. The music shown on the cover instantly says it’s a magazine that doesn’t specialize in one particular genre of music but tries to cover all main genres in one magazine.

Although I feel more could have been put into the magazine to make it stand out a lot more.

Crystal:

I think the cover is too simple; personally I wouldn’t buy it because I feel there isn’t enough going on in the cover. Although the music is good I feel that there could have been more text on the cover to take up all the empty space.

With the colour scheme I feel that it’s a pretty good decision to have red, although with the background picture the door in the background could have been removed and would have given it a more professional look. The text in the cover is really good however and makes it even easier to read. the colour of text with the colour scheme of the rest of the page means it works really well and stands out from the rest of the page.

Alice:

I agree with crystal. I think the picture is an average picture for a magazine. Nothing special or exclusive about it so there’s anything I feel attracted to. If it was in a shop i don’t think it would stand out, it just looks too simple. the colour scheme and text etc make it really easy to read and are attractive to look at. The only improvements that could be made were the fact that the cover is too dull and more needs to be happening in the cover.

Front cover version 1

This is my first version of the front cover.  Using the conventions of other magazines like The Rolling Stones i had all my features on the left hand side with the main picture taking up the majority of room on the page. With so much space on the page im going to increase the amount of features and maybe change the picture so it will stand out more so the page doesnt seem so dull.