Contents Page First Draft

I have just finished creating a first draft for my contents page. I had to think carefully about the amount of pages that i would feature inside as there had to be a realistic number therefore i have created around 250 pages.

I decided to feature a 'band index' on my contents page so it is clear what artists the reader can expect to find inside and that they can access them easily. I included a range of different fonts to ensure that all the text is easy to read and that the different sections of the contents page look unique. I also included a small banner on the top right hand corner of the page and included a competition prize in this to make the reader feel that, by buying the magazine, they will be getting more for their money. I have also included social networking details for my magazine to keep up with the current technology zeitgeist of this age and subscription details are also easy to be found.

I have included small images of other artists that I have included inside my magazine to show variety and as they are less well known, the reader is given the chance to recognise these artists before they read about them.I have also included an image of my cover model and feature artist on my contents page and have made it very clear which pages she is featured on. As well as titling the featuring articles in the magazine, I have also given a brief description of them such as what we have talked about or what they can expect to find.

Here is the first draft for my contents page:

Double Page Spread First Draft

We had to created at least two double page spreads and I decided to use one and a half of these for placing my article and a single page for a full bleed image of my feature artist.

On my first double page spread, I included a title and decided to make 'arrived' bigger than the rest of the text to signify that she is a dominant artist in the music industry. I included a small introduction to the rest of the article to set the tone and explain that kind of contents that will be included in it. I also chose to include a banner, both at the top and the bottom of the page, where I was able to display the page numbers, the name of my magazine and the type of article it was, an exclusive.

I decided to include two images, both ranging in size and a pull quote from the actual article. I chose images that went well with the tone of the article and therefore the audience could relate to them. I simple cut the images out and came to the conclusion that I didn't need to edit them. I then went on to add the text and used a 'text wrapping' technique to make sure that there was little white space around the images and that the whole page was covered. I also had to be careful where I placed the images because of the fold in the middle of the page, therefore I decided to put one on each side. Again, I stuck to the colour scheme of my magazine and used the same fonts that I had used on my front cover.

Here is the first draft of my first double page spread: 

On my second double page spread, I decided to go for a different layout. I chose to include one side finishing off the text from the article and used the other for a full bleed image. However I still included the banners at the top and bottom of the page.

I created the Polaroid frames myself by taking a white square and a black one and adding a drop shadow to the white one to give it a 3D effect. I then added the images that I had cut out on to the black square so they appeared as a photo. I thought that it looked good it I had parts of the images coming out of the frame to make them look realistic and 3D and I believe that this has created a unique look to the images, instead of just putting them on the page. I included two pull quotes on this double page spread and used the contrasting colours of red and white over the full bleed image on the second half of the page, to make the text stand out.

I believe that I have included a sufficient amount ofimage sizes and different shot sizes to show that I have taken a variety of images, however I might choose to add some form of background to my full bleed image to avoid all the blank space that there is at the moment. I made my models hair brighter in the full bleed image because I wanted it to match with the colours in my magazine and as there was a shadow on her hair, I removed it and made the whole image brighter. I thought carefully about the page numbers that I was going to use as I wasn't sure where the feature article usually appeared in a magazine but after researching this, I found out that is usually placed in the middle of the magazine or just before, hence why I chose to start it on page 36.

Here is the first draft of my second double page spread:

Front Cover First Draft

Last week I completed the final draft for my front cover. This task took me longer than expected to complete because I decided to change my image. I originally chose to use a close up of my model on the front cover to build a relationship between them and the target audience. However in the end, I decided to go for a more exciting pose that made my front cover stands out. I believe that the image I have now chosen creates a statement and fit in with the genre of my magazine better.

On some of the sell lines on my front cover I have chosen to add effects such as a drop shadow to ensure that the text is easy to read and stands out on the gradient that I placed on the background. I have also tried to lay out each sell line in a different way so that they all look different. I used a combination of four different fonts throughout my sell lines to make them all look different and to give the cover some variety. I chose to add a gradient overlay to my background because I though that a plain white background looked to boring and having a bit of colour makes it look more busy.

I decided to include a button for one of my sell lines and used bevel and emboss and a drop shadow to created the illusion of a button from a plain circle shape. I also came up with the idea of including a 'song challenge' on my front cover where the reader will be given the lyric to a line of a song written by an artist appearing in the issue and they will have to find out what song it is from. I think that this will intrigue the readers and make them want to by the magazine but it will also give them a sense of achievement by doing so.  

Once I cut out the image, I chose to edit it by making it brighter as there was no need to remove any blemishes on my model. As there was a shadow on her right side, I removed this and this made the image look mush brighter. I decided that I wasn't going to make my front cover look too busy so I made my cover image large to it attracted most of the attention and it was clear that the model was the main feature inside the magazine.

Here is my first draft of my front cover:

Diary 12

In the past few weeks I have been creating the first drafts for my magazine. I am doing this to begin to find out what my magazine will look like once it is finished. I have included the necessary conventional aspects of most magazines within my own such as a masthead, sell lines, a bar code, price, website etc. I have also had to make sure that i included a wide range of images that i took from my photoshoot to give a variety to the pages I am creating. I have made sure to keep to the same house colours that I selected earlier to make sure that my magazine flows. I have currently created a front cover and two double page spreads and I am now working on my contents page and will hopefully have completed this by tomorrow. I have gained a lot of skills through working with photoshop in creating my magazine such as how to cut out images, create different effects with the text and how to wrap the text in my articles around the images.

Tutorial: Cutting out an image

I created a video of me cutting out an image on Photoshop to evidence the skills that i have gained and been able to develop since creating my preliminary task. This video is also proof that all the photos I have used throughout my magazine were mine and were cut out by me. Also, doing this helped me because I was able to practise cutting out images to make sure that when I came to using the images on my actual magazine, they were of a better quality and looked tidy. Furthermore, before I started to work on my magazine this year, I had forgotten a lot of the skills I had from last year and this task also helped to refresh my memory of what to do and I even learnt how to use the 'refine edge' tool in order to make the images even better.



Time Lapse

I have taken a time lapse video of my photoshoot as evidence to prove to the examiner that the photos are my own. Also I have been able to look back at it to assess how well I directed my model and to show the varity of angles I used and how I achieved these, (for example standing on a chair to produce a shot at a high angle).



Diary 11

I have completed all these coursework tasks and I will now be able to start working on the actual magazine on photoshop. I just created my article draft that will be used on my double page spread and I made sure that the style of my writing informal so it has a 'chatty' and friendly tone to it that the reader will be able to relate to. I will use all these tasks that I have completed over the past weeks to help me create my magazine in different ways and I have found that doing them has been worthwhile. I'm looking forward to creating my magazine and will start doing so in my next lesson.

Article Draft

I have created a draft article that I will include on my double page spread. I have made sure to aks relevant questions that will interest the readers of my magazine. I have also made sure that the article is informative and entertaining.

Article Draft

Diary 10

As the deadline for completing these tasks is this Friday, I have taken the time to complete some at home. I created my schedule which is a brief outline for when each task is due. This will count as a checklist and help me to manage my time effectively. I also sketched out some quick drafts for my front cover, contents page and double page spread and then created drafts on PowerPoint to give me a rough idea of where I will lay things out on the page and where they look best. I also had to think about where I can incorporate my images in to the double page spread to prove that I have taken a wide variety of different shots and used different angles. Next I am going to create my article draft that will be placed on the double page spread when I complete it on photoshop.

Draft Double Page Spread

I believe that my double page spread was the easiest to draft as the main aspect that will fill the page is the actual article. I will have to create this article as a word document and add this to the real double page spread when I have completed it on photoshop. I made sure that I included some images on my double page spread and I will probably end up using more than two to show that I have taken a variety of different shots. The double page spread also has a title and an introduction for readers that may not know much about the artists and to briefly explain what will be mentioned in the article. I will add the text in columns and use 'text wrapping' to make sure that there is little blank space around the images.

Paper Draft:

PowerPoint Draft:

Draft Contents Page

Similarly, when creating my contents page draft I also started out with a sketch on paper before I created a copy, similar to this, on PowerPoint. I found that creating a layout for a contents page is much harder as I have to think about where to put the information so that the reader can easily find it, yet ensure that it fills up the space needed. Also, there are certain things that I have to make sure that I include within my contents page. Such as subscription details, social networks and a small variety of images to entertain the reader. I will need to use the contents ideas that I thought of to fill my contents page, but I believe that I will need to add to these to make sure that I have a sufficient number of pages in my magazine.

Paper Draft:

PowerPoint Draft:

Draft Front Cover

When creating my draft front cover, I started off my drawing it on to paper to get a rough idea of where I wanted my masthead, images and sell lines to be. I then went on to PowerPoint and created a rough colour version with a picture and different fonts. This way, when I start to create the actual magazine on photoshop, I will know roughly where I want things to be laid out, where they look best and what information I will need to include. Also, I will use my sell lines that I created to help me fill any white space I might have when creating my real front cover. I'm not completely sure that this is the image that i want to use, but from creating a draft, I have realised that I want the main image to be a close-up.

Paper Draft:

PowerPoint Draft:

Schedule

I have create a schedule with a list of every task that I have to complete, any sub tasks that I will have to include within each task and also the date that it will be due to be on my blog. This will help me manage my time effectively to ensure that I complete all my tasks. I will also be able to refer back to this schedule to make sure that I am on tasks and it's an effective way of organising myself.

Video Diary 9

Contact Sheets

I took a fair amount of images during my photoshoot however I decided to narrow these down to just over 100 as this is an easier amount to sort through when deciding which to use in my magazine. I have now presented these as 5 contact sheets to display them in a concise way. Below, you can see that I have taken a variety of shot sizes from close-ups to long-shots and that I encorporated props and different outfit changes in to my photoshoot to make each of image look unique.

Mise en Scene

Costume:
I believe that the type of clothing that the model wears helps to reflect the genre of the magazine. Therefore I decided to make my model dress in a fairly 'laid back' style. I have tried to make her look down to earth and dressed down to create more of a friendly look but I have used colours such as black and red to make her look powerful and mysterious. I had four outfit changes during the photoshoot to give my images variety.

Hair & Makeup:
I wanted the makeup on my model to look quite natural with attention to her eyes as they are a great feature of my model and help enhance the dramatic look she has been given. Her makeup is fairly plain with a red lipstick to add a powerful and dramatic style. My models hair colour is also red and therefore is very eye catching and bright. I also wanted her hair to look fairly natural, so I went for a curly style with a quiff to in keep with a rock style.

Poses:
The poses I used make my model look confident and outgoing. I have tried to encorporate poses that make her look relaxed within what she is doing and this way the photos look more natural and not awkward. I tried various poses to make her look more dominant and in control as well as poses from different angles and shote lengths to signify different levels of intimacy with the reader.

Facial Expressions:
I have made sure that my model used eye contact throughout most of the shots as I believe that this ensures that a relationship can be created between her and the reader. I have used pouts and smiles to show her different personalities - she is serious about her music, yet is capable of having a good time.

Props:

The props that I decided to use was a red electric guitar to correspond with the genre of my magazine. I shows shots of the model playing it and using as an accessory. I also included shots of her admiring it, suggesting that she is passionate about her music and respect it. Another prop I used was glitter. I believe that the glitter creates a fun vibe and chose to use blue glitter as it is a bright and eye catching colour.

Sell Lines And Contents Ideas

I have come up with a wide selection of sell lines and contents ideas to include within my magazine. I have carefully thought about what type of artists I want to be featured within the magazine and also how I can describe these to my readers. I presented my ideas as a prezi to ensure that they were easy to access and to read:

Diary 8

This week I am going to start working on creating my sell lines and contents ideas. These will appear on the cover of my magazine and I will rely on these to interest the reader and make them want to buy it. I will also have to ensure that these sell lines correspond with the genre of my magazine and reflect, accurately the contents that I will include. I am also going to create a schedule for my work so I can make sure that I keep organised and am aware of how long I have to spend on each task.

Diary 7

This week I completed my photoshoot for the image for my magazie. I needed to make sure that my model was prepared with a range of different costumes and accessories to make sure that each image looked different. I also used props such as a guitar to link with the genre of my magazine. I used a variety of different shots such as close-ups and long-shots to ensure that I have a variety to choose from and I also used different angles for different effects for the reader. I had to get my model to sign release form which states that I am allowed to photogrph her and I scanned this in. I am currently creating my contact sheet which will include some of the images from my photshoot which I think look best and might use in the magazine.

Model Release Form

I had to get my model for my photoshoot to sign this release for in order for me to gain permission to photograph her. This was important as I am now able to establish that the image that I use within my magazine are my own (primary images) and that they are not subject to any copyright laws. Also, this was important to ensure that my model agrees to letting me photograph her and it is a professional stage that takes place in the real magazine industry.

Diary 6

This week I have started to think about possible designs for the masthead of my magazine. I have had to think about what colour would go with the colour scheme I have originally chosen and I also thought about the different fronts that I could use. I think that the font of a masthead is very important as it can connote the genre of the magazine. For example I believe that a font such as impact could tell the audience that the magazine is of the rock genre. Therefore there are lots of aspects of the masthead that I have has to think about. I have also started to add differemt photoshop effects to the text to create a unique look.

Name Designs

I have started to look at the different ways in which my masthead could be displayed on my front cover. I have thought about the different colours and fonts that I could choose from and narrowed these down to what I thought looked best. I have ended up with 6 designs that I believe would help my magazine look eye catching and exciting:

Now that I have thought about the different designs for a range of names, I have started to focus on one specific name that I think sounds best. I am going to call my magazine 'RAW' so I have created a range of different style for this particular name. I have even thought about the use of punctuation such as full stops within the masthead and considered the different connotations of these. I believe that a full stop helps to make the masthead in to more of a statement on the front cover.

Diary 5

During half term I worked on a few different aspects of my research. First, I created my target audience profile. In this, I analysed my questionnaire results from my blog and worked out how I was going to use these to improve my magazine. Then, I thought of some suitable name ideas for my magazine as well as deciding upon a suitable colour scheme. I then explained the different connotations that these colours could have. Lastly, I created a mood board of different things that my target audience are likely to find interesting such as the type of clothes they might wear to how they might choose to spend their time.

Mood Board

I created a mood board of things that I believe are likely to interest my target audience. I foucused of fashion and lifestyle and thought about the tye of things that my audience would enjoy doing as hobbies or interests. I am going to look at this mood board for inspiration with colours, style, layout and even for prozes for my monthly competitions.

Mood Board

Colour Connotations

I have chosen to include red, black, white and silver in the colour scheme for my magazine. I have don't this because they have certain connotations that I want to be reflected through my magazine.

Red: Power, Rock, Love, Lust, Passion, Outgoing.

Black: Mystery, Modern, Darkness, Sleek.

White: Sophistication, Minimalism, Innocence.

Silver: Class, Admirable, Expensive, Reflective.

Name Ideas

Some name ideas that I have come up with for my magazine are:

RAW

MODE
ROCK
INDIE
CHOICE
ONE
JUMP

GIG

NOTE

SOLO

TREBLE

ELECTRIC

I want my magazine to have a 'one word' name. This is because it gives the magazine a more established and 'well known' tone. Also, magazines that I have focused on in my similar product research such as 'Q', 'Kerrang!' or 'NME' use this technique and have chosen titles that are easy to say and sound good when they are said.

Audience Profile

I looked at the results from my questionnaire and exlpained what I was going to take from these and how or if they have changed the ideas that I have for my magazine. I also used the results to gain an idea of what most people look for when buying music magazines and I can used this information to make my magazine appeal to a wider range of audiences.

Target Audience

Diary 4

During the week before half term I was given a list of all the tasks that I was going to have to complete before I begin creating my magazine. Thses included a proposal, a mood board, name ideas, colour connotations and draft layouts for my magazine to follow. Last week I began to create my proposal on Prezi where I talked about what style my magazine would have, the type of audience my magazine will be aimed at, the competition for my magazine and how my magazine will synergise with the growing media technologies. I analysed these factors in detail and explained reasons for my choices. I was also made to think about what contents my magazine will include and how this will help my magazine to sell.

Cam Studio

I have tested the cam studio software on  my preliminary task. This way I will have more of an idea of how the software works when I need to use it further to explain what I have done in each of my lessons.

Front Cover



Contents Page

Magazine Proposal

Within my proposal I have talked about the type of magazine that I aim to create, the content and style that I will include, competition for my magazine, the audience I plan to target my magazine at and other business features that I feel are important to notice. I also talked about why I believe that my magazine will suceed.

Video Diary 3

Video Diary 2

Video Diary 1

Key Concepts Prezi

I created a Prezi based on my research of the key concepts os magazines. Within this Prezi, I looked at the codes and conventions of magazines, the type of audience that reads them, how artists and music genres are normally represented and different institutions and the magazines they publish. Overall this research has widened my understanding of magazines and I will use it when I create my magazine to make sure my magazine is in keeping with brand identity.

Similar Product Research Double Page Spread

I then looked in to the different types of double page spreads. I looked at how they are laid out and analysed how this could impact the reader. I think that I will benefit from doing this research because I will be able to take some ideas from them when I create my magazine.

Similar Product Research Double Page Spread

Similar Product Research Contents Page

I also researched in to music magazine contents pages. I specifically looked at the layout, images used and the stereotypical information that is commonly included within them. I found doing this research helpful because I will be able to look back on this when I create my magazine for inspiration.

Similar Product Research Contents

Similar Product Research Front Cover

I researched three different music magazine front covers for inspiration for when I come to making my own. I looked at the detail they included and I thought about why certain aspects were used and what effect this was meant to have on the target audience. I then presented this in a powerpoint presentation.

Similar Product Research Cover

Preliminary Task

Today I created my preliminary task. For this, I had to create a front cover and contents page for a school news magazine. I started off by gathering ideas and displaying these on a draft sketch. I roughly decided on a layout and started to think of some suitable sell lines to include on the cover. Once I had done this, I began to decide on what sort of images I would need to take.

These are my draft sketches:

 I then went around the school and took some images to use in my magazine. I took a range of different images to make sure I had a variety to choose from. The images I took all corresponded with the sell lines that I had decided to use. Once I had collected the images I downloaded them on to the computer ready to be added to the magazine.

Here are the images that I took:

I created the actual magazine in photoshop. I started off by creating two A4 documents for the cover and contents page and then I began to add the text and images that I had collected. I created my front cover first and decided that I would use a full bleed image. As the main sell line is to do with saving the environment, I decided that an image of a student using a rubbish bin would be a suitable full bleed image to use on the cover. I thought carefully about how I wanted to lay out my masthead and I decided to use the Haydon colour scheme of blue and yellow for the colour of the text. I also used these colours for my sell lines. I included the Haydon emblem within my masthead as this gave it a more professional look. To finish off, I added a date and a banner with information at the bottom of the masthead.

My final front cover:



Next, I created my contents page. I used the same text style and colour scheme as my front cover so they look like they are from the same magazine. I used sell lines and images to fill the page and made sure that there was a sufficient number of pages. I included a wide range of images on the contents page to suggest that there is a variety of information inside. I also had to think carefully about the sell lines I included because they needed to be in keeping with the genre of the magazine.

My final contents page: