Drafts of Front Cover

I first placed the image of the singer onto the background. I then had to make sure that I had placed the masthead behind the singer - to show that the singer is most important. I made sure that I had placed the kicker and masthead where I had on my layout. I felt that image of the singer is too stretched out and there's too much dead space.

I then I had resized the image of the singer and cut around parts of the image I didn't need as it would give more space which I could later use to place a banner there. I also made the background darker which has caused the masthead to look less bright.

While I then placed a banner in the dead space and started to add images to the banner. I added a tag line as it is a common convention used on music magazines; additionally, it gives the audience a better idea of what’s included in the magazine. I used clone stamp around the singer's head as it makes the image look more professional; as well it makes the image stand out infront of the masthead - showing that she is most important. I then moved the bar code to the corner to create more space - in which I have placed my main headline and sub-heading. I have also included the issue number and the magazine release date under my masthead.

Finally I have added the rest of the images to the banner as it gives the reader a better idea of the information included in the magazine. Under the images I have included sub-headings; I made sure that the font which I used is

Image Plans: Double Page Spread

Image Plans: Context Page

Image Plans: Front Cover

Feedback: Double Page Spread

Strengths:

1. The quote from the singer is good as it can show some of the singer's personality and well as give the audience a better impression of the singer.
2. The fact you have separated the interviewer's questions and then the singer's answers in two different colours is effective as it makes the interview easier to follow.
3. The chart about the singer can be seen as a strength as it further inform the target audience about the singer and how successful they have been.

Weaknesses:

1. The layout of the images can be seen as a weakness because of some of them looks like it is covering up some of the interview. This can make my double page spread look less professional.
   
2. The font colour which the text under the sub heading is in - "Meet the...." can be hard to read against the background. Also I haven't used that light colour on the double page spread so it can imply that I haven't fully used the same constant house style throughout all of my media products.
   
3. Another weakness is that both sides of the double page spread seem to be quite busy. This can be shown as a weakness because it could distract the target audience away from the interview.

Feedback on Context Page

Strengths:

1. There isn't too many colours so this causes the context page to look less busy and it can show that you have used constant house style.
   
2. There is a various of fonts. The serif-sans fonts are modern looking and it will appeal to your target audience; while the heading "Context Page" is written in the same font as your masthead, this can link into your theme of your magazine and well further show that you have used a constant house style.
   
3. The images reflect well with the text and can give the reader an idea of who or what is mentioned in the magazine.

Weaknesses:

1. The columns of text seem to be placed unevenly- making the context page look less professional.
   
2. The repeat of tag-line font colour clashes against the background and is hard to read.
   
3. The boxes around the sub-headings are too close colour as the background so this can make the white writing on top them of sometimes hard to read; furthermore, it can also make the context page look less professional.

Feedback: Front Cover

Strengths:

1. As the masthead and the word "Anya" are the same style of font this can instantly show the audience that she is important in the issue.
2. The banner with images can show the target audience of what is included in this issue. Additionally, the sub-headings under the images are short and often use the word "New" so this can shows that magazine is fully update with the latest music updates.
3. The use of kicker promotes offers in the magazine so this could interest the target audience as well as inform them more about the offers or what is included in the magazine.

Weaknesses:

1. Some of the font size e.g. the issue number and the tag-line are quite small and it can make it hard for the audience to read.
   
   
2. The bar-code is too transparent and it is unclear on the page.
3. I dislike how the masthead is not as bright as it was planned to be, instead it looks duller and might not catch the interest of your target audience.

Magazine Double Page Spreads

Magazine Context Page

Magazine Cover

Photo-shoot - Edited Photos

 

 

I have edited some of the photos I have taken. On most of the photos I used a clone stamp from Photoshop to get rid of unneeded objects e.g. the date of when it was taken. On other photos I simply used a black and white effect. I have also changed the brightness and contrast of the photos as well as the exposure.  

Photo-shoot

Theses are some of the photos which I have taken which I could possiblity use for my products. I am going experiment with editing some of the photos as they could improve some of the photos I have taken already - as some are too dark so its hard to see the image.

Feedback on Mock Ups: Double Page Spreads

I have asked a various of people their opinion on my double page spread so I know the strengths and weaknesses of this mock. In addition, how I can improve it for when I make my final product. The feedback which included what the strengths and weaknesses were on my mock up. A strength of my product according to the people I asked was that, they liked how I have used a various of fonts; they said it helps to make the magazine look more eye-catching. They said that having the names labeled on the smaller pictures can make mock up look more professional. In addition, it can give people who don't know the band an idea about who they are. Some weaknesses of this mock up is that the some of the text is too small - so it is hard to read. Another weakness which they said is that they don't like the font colours red and blue - as they said it is too contrasting and can distract your attention from the article.

I am going to then ask people the strengths and weaknesses of my mock up are. A strength which I got from feedback is, that the bright colours are good as they catch your attention. They liked how I had used the band's logo as part of my font. However the weaknesses of this mock up is that is that the font which I have used for the interview is too small so this makes it hard to read. In addition, as I have used bright colour for the text and it is hard to read the writing. To improve this in future if I have a black background I should use white text as it will make the text clearer to read.

I am going to get feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of this mock up. A strength of this mock up is that it is good that the image is one page - as you can see the singer clearer. In addition it show that this interview is all about her. However this could be seen as a weakness as having an image just for one page, can be seen as taking up too much space. The feedback I got said they liked how I have used a various of fonts. However a weakness of this mock up is that the text writing is too small - making it hard to read. Furthermore, the amount of different coloured text can be seen as a weakness as it can draw the reader's attention away from the article.

Feedback on Mock Ups: Context Pages

I will now get feedback from various people so that I know the strengths and weaknesses of my mock. A strength of this context page is that it's not too busy; so your attention isn't drawn away from the context page. They said they liked how I have used a various of fonts as it can make the mock up look more professional, as the use of different fonts is a common convention magazines use. Another strength of this mock up is the text "Context page" is placed over the top of the main image - this can cause the audiences' attention as it bright and eye-catching. However, this can also been seen as weakness as the words "Context page" take up too much space on the main image.  Another weakness of this mock up is that the writing is too small; this makes it hard for the audience to read.  To improve this in the future, I would have to make sure that I use a reasonable size font.

I will ask people what the strengths and weaknesses of this mock up are so that I know in future how to improve my final product. From feedback I have found out that a strength of this mock up is that they like how the background is a picture of the band - as it can show that the band is a main feature in this issue. Another strength is that they like how I have used again a various of font - varying from sans serif font to font that fits into with my genre. Another strength is that I have used the same font for my masthead for the title of this page - this can emphasis that I have followed a clear house style. However, a weakness for this mock up is that the text is too small and is hard for my target audience to read. Additionally, the images on the right-hand side can be seen as a weakness as some of them are too transparent with the background and could distract the reader away from the text.

I have asked a range of people what the strengths and weaknesses of this mock up are. A common strength is that they liked the layout as it looks well thought out. Additionally, makes the context page look not too busier yet there isn't any dead-space. They liked how I had used colours which complimented each other and how the white writing doesn't clash against the background. However, the disliked the size of text and images; the size of the text is too small so it makes it harder for the reader to wear. As well the size of the smaller images can be seen as too small as it could be unclear who are in the images.

Feedback on Mock Ups: Front Covers

From asking various people I have found out that a strength of this product is that have used a the colours red and black through so this can show I have used a constant house style. However, a weakness of this product is the masthead covers the main image so this stops the band from looking most important. Another weakness is that the bar code looks like its randomly been placed - making the mock up look less professional. Furthermore, the writing on top of kicker is hard to read as it is too small so this stops the audience from being informed about offers in the magazine. Another weakness is that mock up looks too simple and overall looks unprofessional.

 I have asked a range of people what the strengths and weaknesses are of my product are.  The feedback which I got was that the main image on the cover, stands out which catch the audiences' attention because it is bolder than anything else on the image. Additionally, as it is behind the masthead this can further emphasis that the band are the most important thing in this issue. Another strength is that I have used the bands' logo as a title can draw the audience in. However, a weakness is that some of the text is too transparent so it is hard for the audience to read. Also the text on the kicker is unreadable due to the colour of the font and text size; so this can stop my target audience from being informed about the offers in the magazine.

A strength of this mock up is that I have used quote - so this can give the audience an impression of what the signer is like. Another strength is that the main image I have chosen is good because it shows the singer is happy to be involved with the magazine and this could interest fans of that band. As I have chosen colours that complimented each other this stops the front cover from being too busy. However, in some places the colours can seem quite bland and could put my target audience off. Another strength is that the singer has been placed in front of the masthead so this can show she's very important. Although, this can also be seen as a weakness as now the masthead is unclear so people won't know what the magazine company is.

Audience Feedback

I asked people which of my mock ups has the best layout and which mock up is more favourable. From doing this, it can help show me which out of my mock ups are more appealing to my taraget audience. In addition, it can help me decide which mock up would be more professional looking.

This tally can show that overall the people which I asked thought that my double page spread which featured the band All Time Low was most effective.








This tally can show that people mainly thought that my we are the in crowd mock up for context pages had the best layout.

This tally can show me that from the people I asked that my paramore mock up has the best layout.

Mock Ups of Double Page Spreads

On this double page spread I have included an interview; I used different colours for the band's answers and for the questions - this makes it clearer for the target audience. As well it is a convention commonly used for interviews. I used the colour red because that is a colour I have commonly used throughout my mock ups. Also it links into my masthead as that is the main colour for it. I also used the colour blue because it contrasts against the colour red; and contrasting colours appeal to the audiences' eyes. I used a small text size so that it would fit on. However when looking at the image you can't really read the writing. To improve this I would have to make the text size bigger so that it is readable. I only used three main colours as too many colours would make the magazine look too messier. In addition, it would make my magazine look unprofessional. I used a grey colour background because it doesn't clash with any of the other colours and also it makes the images stand out more. I have used several different fonts. The fonts that I used for san serif, I used san serif fonts because it is modern looking font. Also it is a quite simple yet sophisticated looking font. For my page numbers I have used the font which is the same as the font that I have used for my masthead. This can show that I have used a constant house style throughout my magazine. I have included an image of the whole band together which is a common convention in interviews. I have also expanded this convention by using images of the band members separately with their names on them - I did this for people who don't know the band. In addition, I also added a quote from them next to them so it can give people an idea of their personalities.

On this double page spread I have included an interview. However the font size that I have used is too small so this makes it unreadable. To improve I need to make the font size bigger. I used different colours for the interviewer's questions and the bands answers. However because I have used a black background it has made the text unreadable. So to prove I need to either use a coloured background like grey or white so that the text can stand out. I used a colour scheme mainly of black, white, red and blue. I used theses colours because the mainly contrast against each other and I have used theses colours on other mock ups - so this can show I have used a constant house style. However I have used the colour purple for a lyric from their song as it stands out on the page, drawing the audiences' attention to the lyric. I think that on this double page spread mock it is too busy because I have really thought about the layout. For the word "Paramore" I have used the band's logo.

On this double page spread I used an image of the singer "Taylor Jardine" on one page. This shows straight away that this article is about her. I chose an image which includes direct eye-contact so it can imply that the singer is very confident. I have used several different text sizes and fonts. For the interview text I have used a quite small font however when I look at the image now, it is very hard to read. So to improve I will have to use a bigger size font so that it is readable. Even though I have used different fonts I made sure that they were san serif. I did this because san serif fonts can be seen as quite modern and this would appeal to my target audience. For the words "reveals new album for" I used the same font which I used for my house style. I did this because it can imply that I have used a constant house style through my mock ups.

Mock Ups of Context Pages

For my mock up page, I used the same picture which I used on a previous mock up cover, so that audience know which magazine it is for. Also it implies that the band are the most important article in the magazine as it is the main image. I have used the same font as my masthead in the same colour, so it shows that my magazine follows an organised house-style. I have followed conventions of other context pages - as used main sub-headings which are commonly used on music magazines. I have used several of fonts which is a convention of music magazines. I have used a messier font for the sub-headings and this can link into the genre of my magazine. While the font I have used for the pages is san serif; this font appeals to my target audience because it looks modern - making my context page look more professional. I have also included pictures which contain page numbers on them - this can give my target audience a better idea of who or what the article on that page will be about. I think that the back background was good to use because black makes the pictures stand out more. In addition, it isn't a similar colour which I have used for my font - meaning that my target audience will be able to see the writing clearer. The title of the page "Context Page" is written in the same font which I have used for my masthead. This shows that I have used a constant house style; making my magazine look more professional.

On this context page I have used the same font which has been used for my masthead; this can show that I have used a constant house style through my mock ups. I made sure that I only mainly used three different colours as if I used too many it could make my context page look messier and less professional. I used the colour red - as that links into my masthead. As well red is an eye-catching colour it can also imply danger - which then could be linked towards harsh sounding sounds, and the genre of my magazine does use harsh sounding music. I have used the colour black stands out on nearly anything. As well the colour black can be thought of as being a "sophisticated" colour - which is something I would like my mock up to be. I have made sure that I used sub-headings which would be commonly used in music magazines. The font I used is messy looking and this fits in with the style of my genre. The font which I used for the page numbers is san serif and this can make the font look more modern, which would appeal to my target audience. I made the colour of that font grey - as it is a simple colour, so it would stand out against the image that is my background but it won't distract the audiences' attention from the image. I used an image for my background to show that they will be the most important article in the magazine. In addition, your eyes are drawn to it; this emphasis that they are very important towards the magazine. As I have also included images of the on the right hand side of the magazine. It can imply that the bands are a constant feature in my magazine. As well on my context page I have used other images which include page numbers, this can show the audience what bands are mentioned in this issue.

On this context page I have mainly used a colour scheme of red, black and white. I used the colour black for my background because many other colours stand out clearly on black. Also black is quite a simple yet sophisticated colour which is something I aim my magazine to be. I used the colour white because white is simple and doesn't clash with other colour. In addition, it stands out clearly on the black background. I used the colour red because it is the same colour that I used for my masthead - this can show that I have used an organised house style. For the title "context page" I have used the same font which I used for my masthead. I used this font because the lettering looks harsh and messy; and alternative music can be seen as harsh and quite negative music. I used several of different fonts. For my subheadings I used a similar font to my masthead and because it is quite messy looking, this can link with the genre of the music. The other font I used for page numbers is a san serif font. I used this because san serif fonts are quite modern this will appeal to my target audience as it could make my magazine look more professional. I used two different sizes for my images. For my main feature in the magazine I used a bigger size image - this can show the audience that this issue is mainly about this person. In addition, it can imply that this article is the most important. For my other images I used a smaller size and I included page numbers so it gives the audience an idea of what bands will be on which page.

Mock Ups of Front Covers

On this mock up I have used a colour scheme mainly of red and black. I used the colour red because it is the same colour which I have used for my masthead. In addition, the colour red is a quite eye-catching colour. It can be seen as negative and be seen as to imply danger and the genre of music which I am doing can be thought as quite negative. I used the colour black because black contrasts well with the bright shade of red. In addition, the colour black is quite modern - as it is often used on magazines. Furthermore the colour black can be seen as quite sophisticated; which is something I aim my magazine to be. I have placed the masthead behind the band to show that the band is more important. I chose a photo where the members give direct eye contact so this can imply that the members are very confident. I have used a kicker to adversative other articles in the issue as well as inform the audience. I don't really like the layout of this mock up because it is quite bland and boring in my opinion.

On this mock up cover I have placed the masthead behind the band to show that "Paramore" are the most important feature in this issuse. I have included the logo of the band repeated behind them and this links into the word "takeover". However you can't really see that word so to improve I should have made that less translucent and bolder. For the kicker I found another logo from their albums and placed it in the corner to make the shape of the kicker. However you can't really see the writing on it, so to improve this I could chose a different style of writing or I could change the kicker. I have used the font which I used for my masthead for the kicker and for the date information. While for my headings I have used a san serif font as that font style is a convention used on magazines. In addition, it is quite modern looking which could make it look more sophisticated. For the word "Paramore" I have used another logo from their albums. This can emphases how important the band will be in this issue.

While on this cover I have placed more subheadings on their, than on any of my other mock up covers. I made the photo go in front of my masthead to emphasise that the singer is most important. However, you can't really see any of the masthead. So to improve I could have chosen a better position to place my photo in or made my masthead look bolder. I included a kicker so it could inform the target audience of other articles in the issuse. I used a basic colour scheme of mainly red and white and hints of black because if I had too many colours on their it could make the cover look other crowded. I used a various of fonts from the same font which I used for my masthead to san serif fonts. I used the same font as I chose for my masthead because it can show that I have used an organised house style. In addition, I chose it because it quite messy looking and negative; and this can be linked into the genre of alternative.

Masthead - Final Choice

I have decided that this will be my final choice for my masthead. I have used the font style "All Over Again" from the website Dafont. I chose this font because it looks slightly messy yet it is still readable. I think that this font links in well with the genre which I am doing as on most alternative magazines - the masthead has slightly messy writing. In addition when something is messy it can look harsh - and the word "Infectious" sounds like a negative word so this links together. Furthermore the font uses san serifs which can make the font more modern looking. I used the colour red because it is eye-catching. The colour red can imply danger and because the genre alternative can be seen to have a harsher beat and sounds quite negative at times. I chose the word "Infectious" because it sounds quite harsh on your tongue and that can reflect the style of music. I also chose that word because when I asked people about what name to use - it got the most votes. As the word sounds harsh, this means it can grab the audiences' attention - meaning that they would be more likely to remember my magazine.

Planning - Colour Scheme Ideas for my Masthead

As well for my masthead I will need to think able apporiate colour scheme which I will link into the genre alternative. I will research this by looking at other alternative magazines and see which colour schemes are common to use. I would like to use the colours red, purple, blacks and maybe a dark blue. I like the idea of using maybe a bright colour to contrast with all the darker colours. I will need to use the colours from the masthead as part of my house style to show that I have an organised house style. In addition, this will make my magazine look more professional.

I have tried using different colours with my masthead to see which one would go well on a magazine.

I think that if I had my masthead in red then it would work quite well as the red is eye-catching. The colour red can be seen as danger and quite harsh and links into the word as "infectious" is seen as a negative word. In addition, it sounds harsh. However a weakness of using red as a colour is that not all coloured backgrounds go well with this colour. Although I could place banner behind the masthead or have a black outline going around the words.
 

 I think that the colour blue would be an okay colour to use. As it colour is slightly bright so it would catch the audienes' attention. Furthermore it looks quite well on different colour backgrounds. However I don't want to use it as a background because it isn't as eye-catching as the colour red.

I think that the colour purple would be an okay colour to use because the colour purple is quite bright. However it wouldn't be a good colour to use as it can be seen more of a feminine colour and might be not be

associated with the genre of my magazine.

 

The colour black would be a good colour to use as seen as a darker colour and this would work with the style of my magazine. However the colour black is used quite a lot and it could become quite plain. I want my masthead to catch the audiences' attention.


In the end I think I will use the colour red for my masthead as it is the most eye-catching out of all the colours. In addition, I think the colour red links into the music genre which I am doing better than any of the other colours.

Planning - Fonts for Masthead

For my masthead I have to chose a relevant style of font. The font of the masthead needs to be eye-catching however it also needs to resemble the genre of my magazine. Because the genre that I am doing is alternative, I need to make sure my font looks slightly harsh. I want to chose a font which looks slightly broken and messy, yet is still readable. I would like my font to be unevenly placed as I think it will fit into the style of genre.

I will research different fonts on the website Dafont and then see which fonts look the best and would be ideal for my masthead.

I found when researching that I liked the style of these fonts. I then selected three of these fonts which I was considering to use.

This font that I have used is called "All Over Again". I like this style of font because it is slightly messy, yet it is readable. The font uses thin styled letters and uses a san serif font, this can make the font look more modern. The fact that this font looks messy makes it look like the font looked rushed, and this will link to the genre because some of the music in that genre can sound rushed at times.

This font that I have used is called "Sickness". I like this font because how the some of the words are missed off - this makes the font looked slightly smashed and that is something that I wanted to include in my masthead. I like how the words are uneven. I think the layout of this font is pretty good and work well as a masthead, however I don't like how thin the lettering is as I think it makes the font look less unprofessional.

This font that I have used is called "Knife Fight". I like this font because it is messy-looking and most fonts on alternative look slightly messy as it fits in to that style of music. I think it would be bold on any colour as it does seem to stand out. However I think the letters are too messy-looking because the letters "u" and "s" look too close together, making the font hard to read.

Overall, I think all of the font would be suitable to use, however I think I will use the font "All Over Again" for my masthead. However I am going to make some changes to the font e.g. I will move the placement of letters around so it makes the font look uneven. I am also going to remove some of the lettering like in the font "Sickness" as well as it will make the masthead look more harsh and infectious is a harsh sounding word.