Final Draft (Front cover , contents page and double page spread)

Final Draft (Front cover , contents page and double page spread)

Front cover

 Masthead

My masthead is an acronym for "Rhythm and blues"and "hip hop"this can be found in my slogan just beneath my masthead establishing the genre of the magazine . I created my masthead by using "ariel black" font this font allowed all my letters to be alingned aswell as stand out . The last two letters "HH" I changed the colour from black to pink to higlight a special edition female issue ,as pink can be said to be a common colour assoiciated with females. The effect bevel emboss and the use of a drop shadow has given my masthead the edge  making it the most eye catching convetion on the page . 

Coverlines 

My front page consists of only one cover line "Annalisie breakthrough artist ... meet the star herself".The choice to change the colour and give the main coverline an outerglow was to make it clear to the reader of the main feature article found  in the magazine , Also highlighting the connection of the article to the photograph.

Titles 

Instead of coverlines I featured artists names to fill the rest of my front cover .This idea was inspired from an XXL magazine(Chris brown issue) were only the artists names apart from the main coverline were the writing amongst the page. This technique provides the reader with more insight to the content in the magazine . Choosing the colour pink to tie in with the female edition theme but using grey to break away from the pink as it became very animated which can be seen in my first draft. I continued to used "ariel black" for the font of the names with the blending option of a drop show giving the names a platform to stand out.

Photograph & background

There were many complications with finding a background to suit my photograph as I found it was becoming lost amongs block coloured background .To create my background I blurred the original background from the photo taken and found that out of all the backgrounds I tried to create it looked the best .

Other conventions

I included a date as well as the the type of issue in the top right ear of the front cover .The date is in all black as its not of greatest importance but still needed to be included .I used the same effect used for the main coverlinefor "exlusive female edition" just changed the font to italics to give it a feminin touch.Finally the barcode placed in the bottom right hand corner .

Contents page

Masthead ,titles and headings 

My masthead is repeated onto the contents page placed in the top left hand ear again followed by the magazines slogan this time in all black . The second title is presenting the contents page to the reader with the words reading "this week..." in white writing to stand out and the use of one pink letter tying in with the female theme this can be found in the page numbers and key words in attemp to draw in the reader .

Much like my front cover instead of shocking headlines I used the artists name in bold black and any shock factors highlited in pink. 

Design features

I provided black rectangles as backgrounds for my contents list, my title and competition feature to divide different sectors separating them from the articles at the same time giving them the platform to stand out as as much as the features are important so are the other info provided. On either side of my masthead pinstipes a design feature aswell as a space filler complimenting the colour scheme.

Photographs

The biggest photograph is an indication of a popular artist or a big article , the smaller photos again more favoured artists with an eyecatching story.Also an image of the front cover can be found on the contents page advertising and persuading readers to suscribe .

Fonts and content 

- Bernard MT condensed is the font used for my page list a font that even when small stands out 

- Anne boleyn the font used for my article headlines gives a suttle tone against all the other bold quite edgy fonts .

Double page spread

Titles/Headlines

My double page spread consists of two Headlines the first introducing the article "RBHH MEETS ANNALISIE" Still including my masthead theme with the first two letter being black this is in order to identify the magazine if a reader were to see the double page spread stand alone . The second heading an introduction to "Annalisea's" timeline of her journey as a star . Although both different fonts, to seperate each other from article to time line. I used fonts that were clear and consise for the reader to identify them as headings.
Context
To start of my article in the beginning and after the pull quote I used larger font for the first letter of the first word. This was a way of letting the reader know as to were the article began. Throughout the spread you can find information about the upcoming star and her history .In order to draw away from huge blocks of writing I featured a questionnaire with the questions in pink this allowed for my text to be Broken up to keep the readers focus. My pull quote another convention to break up the text and draw them in by giving them a taster if the content this can be found in 90% of magazines of any style or genre .

Photos
For my double page spread I used the same image to cover both pages but the use of the "flip horizontal" and fading on the right not only took out the feeling of repetition but my article could be read at the same time instead of throughout my research I commonly found article on block coloured backgrounds . The other three photos featured on the time line were another for of interest a brief visual if readers didn't have to much time to read the whole article .The photos also supported with a date and what they each represent .

Photos used for music magazine

1.Front cover

2.Contents page

3.Double page spread

Music magazine evaluation

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? 

How does your media product represent particular social groups? 

My magazine represents a particular social group by specifying the genre of the magazine in the masthead and the slogan "Rhythm and blues Hip -hop  "  it also targets the social audience of females by having a female model on the front page and throughout the contents page and double page spread follows the theme of the colour pink a colour heavily associated with females .

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? 

i wouldchoose Harris  because they are distributers of one of the most successful hip hop and rnb magazines this means a chance at success also a great opportunity to have direct contact with hip hop and rnb stars weather it be for interviews or photo shoots  also high rated bloggers for the promotion side of the magazine.

Who would be the audience for your media product? 

My magazine being a female edition would require the audience of die hard hip hop and RnB fans as the genre is very male dominated to enjoy the magazine you would have a knowledge of some of the females on the uprise in the hip hop and RnB scene although being a female edition doesn't restrict it to just female readers as men do take interest in females in this genre .

How did you attract/address your audience? 

To attract the females i used pink all throughout and by making this issue a female edition  and for the other fans of hip hop an RnB having well known names in the industry on the front over and by having an upcoming star on the front cover causes curiosity .

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product? 

From previously using word and then onto use photoshop i found it was a lot quicker and easier ways to get things done .in photoshop it was about learning all the keyboard shortcuts to make putting together your project lot easier it was also about learning how to make your product come alive there is only so much you can do with word whereas in photoshop the possibilities are endless and it was all bout playing around to what best suited your magazine ideas 

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product? 

I've learnt that every detail is key especially as in Photoshop everything is very realistic so it made me very aware as to weather my product looked realistic or not .I have also found there are quicker ways to put elements together rather than a long winded way round which allows more time for fixing and smoothing 

Music magazine (Front cover , contents page , double page spread 1ST DRAFT)

FRONT COVER , CONTENTS PAGE , DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD (1st draft)

 

Music magazine drafts

Music magazine drafts

Mood board (music magazine)

My mood board made up on key images I feel represnt my genre and feel of my magazine I have the feminin symbol as my magazine is a female edition also follows the pink colourscheme of my magazine , also cosiding with the pink theme a new era cap very a hat very popular in the hip hop scene and pink headphone (beats by Dr Dre) an icon in the hip hop industry. Also in my mood board I have technology thats very big amongst the hip hop community boombox , vinal and Dj decks . I have several posters incorperated in my mood board firstly parental advisory which can be commonly found on Hip Hop CD's due to inapropriate content ,secondly a "rhythm and blues" poster besides this this poster and microphone these are the only photos that can express RnB as Hip -Hop is more a culture movement .Along with this movement comes street dance and graffiti the flaunting of money and jewlery .

Ideas and inspiration for Music magazine

Ideas and inspiration for Music magazine

The background of this issue of XXL is what inspired the background for my magazine , the mention of names too be featured in the magazine without any cover lines apart from the exclusive interview ,i think it is a different way to draw in readers and doesn't look to messy or to busy ,it also a nice design feature from your usual cover lines left right and centre .  

This vibe issue another influence for my magazine this is a "sexy issue" and have four of the current individuals in the hip hop industry this then gave me the idea to make an all female issue to appreciate the women in the industry as they can be looked over also support great talent . 

 The page finder on my contents page is inspired by the one found in this NME issue. All artists names are listed on a bar on the left hand side rather than the name of articles it allows the reader to know exactly were it is they want to read as well as influence from the contents list i also used the same positioning for the masthead sitting right above it the list in the top left hand corner .

My double page spread instead of having the image of a model on just one of the pages i incorporated the images on both pages but on the left hand page the image has faded to allow for an article to be visible. on the right hand side i the original photo and created a time line down the right hand side this an  idea i found on a double page spread in Q magazine to show different stages in the artists career .

Audience research & findings

Below link to my music Questionnare:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/F25RWKB

1.Indie ranking first followed by Hip -Hop as prefered genre of music

2. Bands were more popular than solo artists

3.Gigs were seen as more enjoyable than festivals

4. This was to find out if a masterclass in production could be an appropriate prize 

5. Like 4 another question to find an appropriate give away .

6. This question was to get a feel of what content my article should contain 

7. Another question to see what interests readers , in order for the right balance.

8. Another research give away question.

9. My first 100% response for an activity i could involve in my magazine.

10. My final question to see what best way to promote music.

My research will help my pre production phase by giving me ideas of what genre is preferred ,what content readers would be interested in ,weather a band or a solo artist should be on the front cover what would be the ideal competition or benificial giveaways .

Analysis of Music magazine (Front covers, Contents pages and Double page spreads)

1.

Front cover

-  Bold masthead in white which could possibly show a special addition as the masthead is usually in red . A well known figure is featured  on the front (David Bowie close up) so any rock fan would be somewhat interested this is a technique to draw in a target audience.

-  Pull quotes are featured another technique to draw readers in with dramatic words and phrases ie “betrayed” any form of betrayal is interesting and “we want to work with Jedward” with an icon on the front and the words Jedward will stir up a reaction.

-          Subheadings are in the same font as the masthead just in a smaller size and to add some subtlety they have used italics.

-          The front cover photo is ombre, it might have been used as the original may have been black and white and as they have an audience to maintain and to keep it classy they probably preferred not to animate the photo or over edit it, by adding these colours it made the magazine pop out so simple yet effective at the same time.



Contents page

- The contents page as a whole is very bold the contents page stuck to a black and white colour scheme and this allows the content to be clear and concise. In the right bottom hand corner is a big red box which breaks the colour scheme this is to draw the reader’s attention suggesting you could get the magazine cheaper which is most likely to interest everyone.

- Pull quotes have been used allowing the audience a snippet , wanting to read more and the large numerals above the quote this method is to make whatever strikes their attention is easy to find.

- Although the subheadings aren’t as loud as but they are still in bold not to be lost amongst the photos and pullquotes.

- Overall the contents page is big bold and straight to the point.

Double page spread

- This double page spread consists of an a4 photo on the right side and on the lefts side article masthead with intro to the article.

- The article title takes up a huge amount of the page to clearly catch attention then a play on words to keep attention instead of ‘merry men’ its “merry pranksters” , any form of prank is bound to be noticed and gain interest.

- This double spread in particular stuck to the say colour scheme that the contents page used (black and white).

- In this double spread the involved a picture taking up the whole page instead of the whole article to draw the audience in and not huge amounts of text to bore the reader.

- The double page is missing page numbers which means the readers have to be relient on the other pages which can be annoying.

2.

Front cover

- The front cover only has a masthead, barcode and an ear reasons being it’s a collector’s edition this tells us a lot about the magazine it shows the faith they have in their readers as there is no content featured on the cover. There guarantee that an audience will buy is by putting an iconic band on the cover so anyone interested in Oasis is likely to pick it up.

- The ear is quite clever it simply states “collector’s edition” which shows us they have a wide fan base but lets us know what most of the magazine will entail.

Contents Page

- Unlike the previous analysis this contents page is very different it’s much busier involving smaller font and different size page numbers.

- On the left hand side is a “band index” which list numerous names of bands with a red background

-The masthead on the front cover is repeated on the contents page alongside "this week"this being clear and in bold to announce the magazines content also following the black red and white theme .

-Throughout the middle is I snippet of a feature in the magazine presented with a photo and subheading the photo looks as though its been taken at a gig. Below the subheading reads "SCUM preached to the converted" and that's surely a heading that can't be ignored it sparks all kind of interest to what the article may be about , by having "scum" In capitals makes the audience alarmed and draws them in to paragraph that follows describing an extravagant sermon given by a band consisting of climbing pillars and posing next to the cross.

-Below the small article is a black box advertising the magazine and persuading readers to subscribe using different size font the persuasive info "subscribe today for just "this language suggesting your getting a great deal and the price  in the biggest font . The important info in smaller font  big enough to see but as its not used to catch the readers eye there is no need for it to be in a big font. The use of white and yellow writing is to allow the writing to pop and the yellow is in complete contrast to the theme so it stands out  . Beside the writing but still in the black box they've shown a previous magazine just to highlight what your subscribing to .

-Finally along the far right hand side of the contents is column presenting the reader with headings of news ,radar ,reviews, live and features these all being highlighted in a black rectangle so the content in the magazine is easier to find . Underneath each heading is a list of page numbers in red with subheadings next to them in bold black another technique a change in colour to make articles and content easier to find .

-Double page spread

- The structure remains the same with the same font but the colour scheme of black ,white and red has been changed to yellow, black and white.

- The page is clearly titled "ALBUMS" and the most rated artists have the bigger fonts and photos this being as they are more of interest so they are made easiest to find .

-The left side is taken up by on interview and review broken up into four columns  with a pull quote boxed in the vibrant yellow flickered throughout the page.

- On the right hand side of another interview but not as big as the first broken up into two columns and the rest of the page made up of  six reviews .

3.

Front Cover

- Your immediately met with a promotion for a free CD on the left ear in bold white writing on a red background to enable readers to see the give away . Followed by the magazines slogan "FAVOURITE" highlighted to ensure the reader has a good read ahead.

- The masthead is spread across the top of the magazine unlike the first two magazines but this doesn't put the magazine at a disadvantage as the ear is attention grabbing the masthead is made up of two different font and three colours black, white and red .

- This front cover is the busiest of all the content pages promoting there own compelation of classical music in two CD'S , gifts guides and masterclassess and meet and greets all these giveaways must mean they have a loyal and commited fan base as they are happy to offer free goodies.

- The colour scheme is very broad which gives the magazine a messy look overall.

-There is more of a formal format and colour scheme found on the contents page ,white background which makes the contents in red and black font stand out .

- Again the free Cd's promotion is featured along the motom of the page with "Free CDs" in Yellow to catch the readers eye a contrasting colour from the colour scheme .

- The three photos featured are continued from the front page , the first image with a pull quote from the article and the page number in bold so its easy to find where the main article is .

-On this double page spread we are firs met with a photo similar to the one found on the front cover and contenrtts page about a masterclasss .

- They have gone for a purple and white colour scheme steering away from the red and white .

-The articleStard with a huge "Y" in purple capital lette this allows the reader to be aware of the beginning of the article .

- -The use of purple subheadings ,  more photos and pull quotes is to break up the huge amount of writing and keep the reader intrested .

School magazine (final draft &evaluation)

 

Above is my final Front page and contents page using word for my school magazine my process came through using clip art ,word art ,text bok and drawing tools.

1. How does your media product represent particular social groups? 

My magazine represents a particular social group (students aged 12 -16 ) this can be seen by the images ,background and overall animated look (post it notes, pencils and lined paper)  commonly used stationary by students .The animated look definatly restrics an older student as is very childish. On the contents page the refrence to "after school clubs ...and parent info" another indicator of my target audience suggestin there parents are still heavily involved in their schooling and rather than revision sessions afterschool clubs is more for secondary students. 

2. How might you distribute your media product and why? 

My school magazine will only be distributed amongs the students attending the school almost like a termly newsletter keeping all informed .The ide to release the magazine termly is to not bombared students everyweek and for the magazine to lose any sence of interest.

3. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product? 

Using a program with limited creative options I've learnt to be inventive and manage the use of repetition in images to create somewhat of a theme. Whilst playing around with conventions i learned that less can be more as to much can cause clutter.

Research front cover and contents page

This front cover has an extreme close up photograph sugggesting an article inside could be up close an personal .The masthead spread along the top of the cover following a centered headline .The front cover only feaures three headlines which are very suttle with lighter shade of grey than the background.The barcode which is commonly found in the bottom corners is 3/4 of the way up the right side this probably avoiding any interference with the photo .

The first contents page I’ve chosen is my favourite due to its simplicity everything is clear and easy to find this is  key as you don’t want the audience to lose interest if too busy .

The contents page only has one image on it I think this allows the clean look to remain consistent and not cluttered the image is also used as a reminder as the same imaged featured on the front page .

The ‘features’ are centred as they are seen as the most important articles as well as they only come around once and most likely to be of most interest

There is colour scheme grey white and black very uniform colours and gives a sense of simplicity rather than the loud colours used in gossip magazines. It can be said there is a lot of dead space on the contents page but I feel it’s very effective as it doesn’t expose all which could lead a reader to want to flick through the rest of the magazine

The same font runs through the front and contents page the contents page to involves to feature stories and a selection of reviews.

2.   The second front cover very different to the first , the masthead is situated in the left had corner which allows it to be seen on a shop shelf also the choice of the colour red allows the whit "Q" to pop  . The male model is in a full length photo standing in the rain this could suggest reference to the current season  .The main coverline is a rhetorical question bound to grasp attention the other coverlines in two opposing colours another technique used to draw attention .

The contents page compliments the front page still following a simple yet effective black and white theme . On the left the coverstories and page numbers are in bold for readers to easily find articles to the right are featured photo shoots the headlining shoot is the biggest image the follow up from the front cover and the other two overlapping one another which i feel adds creativity to the contents page as it could have been very formal.

3. From the get go you can tell No3 is a fashion magazine the bold yellow ,models and fashion images splashed all over which is key as it can be easy for a magazine to get lost amongst many other magazines it shares shelves with . The masthead plastered along the top just beneath the magazine motto . The front cover is a fold over magazine to enable readers to see the full photo of the models but also see what they have to offer in their "big fashion issue".

The contents page a lot less busy but still evident that its a fashion magazine by having a model to right in the latest trends yellow is also incorporated in the contents not as loud as on the front cover but enough to keep an ongoing colour scheme .

Evaluating flat plan

Evaluating flat plan Costume & props

- Use of lined paper to create a school/college feel
- Use of "post it notes" to give the sense of a learning environment
- Use of dramatic symbols to draw an audience/readers attention Written content
- Involves competitions
- The masthead , giving the read some knowledge of the magazines content- Shock factor , to engage the audience
- Interests and statistics , to widen the market Layout/composition
- Rule of three- Central photo (immediate attraction) Font style and size
- Masthead ,large and basic (clear and concise )
- Subheadings ,applying the same font but smaller to keep a consistent theme

School magazine flat plans