My Final Drafts

Front cover Designs

                 These are all concept ideas I came up with for my front cover but never ended up using

Contents page

This is my final contents page design. I kept 'regulars' and 'features' inverted versions of each other so that I could establish some kind of house style and theme. This method also helped me stay within the limits of a 3 colour scheme.

Double Page Spread - 3rd times the charm

This is my third attempt at the font because I felt that the other design which had blue boxes stood out of place because they were not really working well with the overall colour scheme so I tried I experimented with cream coloured boxes and felt that it looked a lot better.

Double Page Spread take 2

This was my second attempt at trying to make the text more clearer to the reader. I tried using darker font but that wasn't enough because it started being difficult to read on the left side so I added a fill to the text box but it covered the image up too much so I made it slightly transparent so that the picture behind was still slightly visible and the text was still slightly visible.

My new Double Page Spread

This is my first draft of my Double Page Spread, I used a pull quote in the top right and altered the edges to make it slightly wrap around one of the band members head. I used the green and orange for the title because they contrast really well and draw the reader's eye. For the image I blew it up so it covered the whole page and used a gradient effect around the edge to make them stand out a little more. The interview is not that long and the text is fairly sized so that it is clear to the reader but in some parts it is difficult to see especially the right area.

My new Masthead

I redesigned my masthead to seem more suited for a magazine. It has a sleeker design and is more compact like XXL's logo, I also changed the colours slightly because the old colours made people that I asked think of fast food restaurants. I thought that red and white worked really well together and would be good for a rock magazine.

My updated Double Page Spread

This is an updated version of my Double page spread which i chose to include the questions I will be asking the band

My Front cover

My Double Page Spread

Day of the Photo Shoot

I prepped everything before my models came in, since I already had an idea about what kind of shots I wanted to do I made small adjustments to the lighting and camera before the models came which helped a lot because I only had a half hour time slot.

Call Sheet for Photo Shoot

My Presentation

This is my presentation that I created to show my class my magazine proposal

My Magazine Proposal

Visiting the photography studio

Today I learned how to use the camera equipment in the photography studio. The teacher showed my class the proper way to set up and use the equipment, different effects that can be created using the lighting at different levels and positions.

My finalised cover photo

                                               This is the final cover photo I decided on

My Masthead

This is the development process of my masthead for my future music magazine. I made it in Adobe Illustrator and the order of development is from top to bottom.

My Evaluation

                                       Evaluation

My initial goal for my college magazine front cover was to make a magazine that looked professional by following other magazine guidelines such as the 3 colour scheme, however I was not able to follow it strictly because I had used a red skyline banner at the top. This unfortunately counts as a 4^th colour alongside my already used colours of greyish blue, dark greyish blue and a slightly faded yellow however I stand by my choice of using the red banner because it surprisingly meshes well with the other colours and does draw the reader’s eye. Despite this minor problem I still think that my magazine looks relatively professional because I feel that it resembles the more professional magazines that I looked at and mainly my inspiration the College magazine with Mike Posner on the front. I think the part that pulls all of my magazine cover together was the font because it stands out really well, it does not seem too childish or too mature and to me personally feels like it was perfect for a magazine aimed at teenagers. Especially for the masthead because it is really clear.

For the contents page I was more determined to follow a 3 colour scheme however I was again unsuccessful. I was inspired by the style of Kerrang who sometimes use a whole image for the front cover and Rocksound who use a watermark of their logo in their background. Inspired by these styles I opted to use a faded image for the background that was visible to the reader like the Kerrang magazine contents page but not draw all of the attention like the Rocksound magazine contents page. I also used this as an opportunity to experiment with the use of a puff.

What I think was good about my front cover was the use of colours that worked well at making each other standout, I don’t think that they clash in anyway at all. I also think that the background is interesting and good to look at but I feel that having a proper background image would have worked better and looked more professional. I think that the cover image was good because it linked to an article that I was going to hypothetically have inside my magazine and it linked with a cover line on the front cover. The only problems with it is that I think that the cover line that linked to the image should have been closer to the image in fact it should have replaced the cover line that was on the image ‘Also we countdown the ten best bags for college’. One more problem is that Irnidas’s shirt was not photo shopped that well and it is very clear to the reader that it is. During the process of developing my front cover I experimented with the colours and ended up with two designs I was unsure which one was better so I left it to the people who view my blog to decide by posting both designs on my blog. One person who saw my blog commented that they liked the blue background better because ‘’the colour scheme is more simple/professional”. Someone else said “I personally think that you should use the blue one just because it doesn't strain your eyes when looking at it, as it blends in well with the people on the front cover”.

I quite like my contents page because I feel like I was able to incorporate the original ideas that inspired me really well, I am also really pleased with the layout and I think it all fits together well because no part seems forced or out of place. In my original plan I wanted to add more photos but I think that the ones I have right now are enough. The only photo placement I do not like is the book case at the bottom right because it seems out of place and looks a little awkward. I think the puff was risky but it just about works, I think it would be better to choose a different font for it next time to make it more interesting to look at. I think that it would be a better idea to make the title bigger because that would make it look better. I am quite fond of the red outline around the letters in the title because it subtly draws your attention to it. I also think that the page numbers should be bigger because they would seem clearer to the reader that way.

For improvement next time I would focus on following a 3 colour scheme more closely to make the magazine seem more professional, I think it would help if I made a detailed plan beforehand.

Another change I would make is having a better cover image that has a background if the image is not that big like my one otherwise I would use a Photoshop made background if the image is big and covers a large amount of the cover.

One final change would be to utilise different techniques like puffs and cover lines more effectively for my front cover.

My Contents Page

                                 This is the contents page I created for my college magazine

My Front Covers?

These are the two versions of my front cover that I made. The blue one is the original that I created and the orange one is the one I experimented with. I wasn't sure which one was better so I'm going to let you decide in the comments.

On a side note the blue cover has one cover line in a different font this is because I used two different photoshop programs. One version has a font that the other one doesn't and I used the one that did not have the font for last minute changes without knowing this fact which is the reason for the varied font.

My Practice front cover

This is my practice cover that I made in preparation for the real thing. I like the layout but I'm not so sure about the colour of the masthead and due to some complications I am unable to change it :(

Rocksound Media Pack

The audience is 55% female, 77% aged 15-24 who they reach through their various media outlets such as twitter, YouTube, Facebook etc. Rocksounds audience also spend a ridiculous amount of money on clothes and gigs, roughly around £250 million each!

Kerrang media pack

 The media kit for Kerrang tells us that their average readers are usually around 22 years 

old, male, are rock music fans, and they regularly go to concerts. It also mentions that they have varying interest in several bands, engage in music actively, value their individuality and are very fashion conscious so can be influenced by the latest music trends.

From the logo at the bottom we know that Kerrang is part of Bauer media group.

Rocksound Double Page Spread Analysis

                                         Rocksound Double Page Spread Analysis

The pages are from a live performance by Andy Biersack; the interviewee and his band the Black Veiled Brides. The picture takes the whole page and the colour behind Andy makes him stand out really well because of the deep contrast of his black attire against what I can assume is a mixture of pyro and smoke. The image of Andy is a mid-shot of him performing. The pages are littered with logos which promote the show that Andy was playing at and some of its main sponsors like ‘Monster’ and ‘Vans’. The header itself certainly draws attention due to it’s over the top varying sizes and colour choice. The cracks inside the font are like literal examples of the edginess and over the top action that is apparently happening thanks to Black veiled Brides finally arriving at warped tour UK. The headline may have also been influenced by the intro text which talked about Black Veiled Brides bringing out the big guns for their headline set. This sort of intro straight into the page would really excite any Black Veiled Bride fan; speaking from experience and other readers who are going to Warped tour UK who may have had no prior knowledge of Black Veiled Brides.

The interview only has Andy’s answers to the questions he was asked beforehand, the interview starts with a large red drop capital and this happens again in the second paragraph with the same letter but in black. Both the first two paragraphs with the drop capitals start off with the technique atmosphere and then proceed with Andy’s comments. The interview is split into two even columns which are inside a white box to make them stand out. There is one pull quote from Andy and the amount of writing is an average amount so it implies that the focus is roughly 16+. There is also a second intro under the header which has a mixture of a rhetorical question and a statement which is left open by an ellipses.  The genres discussed are rock and the typical stereotype of rock and roll attitude can be implied from the way Andy talks about how things get ‘wild’ when he meets up with fellow rock bands ‘Asking Alexandria’ and ‘Attila’.

Rocksound Contents page analysis

Rocksound contents page analysis

Rocksound’s contents page takes up two pages, one page is dedicated to crediting the team who helped develop and contribute to the magazine on a regular bases such as editors, web designers, columnists etc. The page also includes a message from the editor which is relevant to one of their current articles; Bring me the Horizons triumphant return and evolution of the band and its members individually. They then go on to show a large roughly A1 image of the band and include all their social media and contact information. The contents page does not specifically say contents page but instead shows a large banner of the magazine name with a watermark of its logo on one of the pages.

The contents page is very organised thanks to all of its subheadings which organise its content do that it is easier to find what you are looking for, this includes page numbers on the left in a different colour (red). All of the information on the pages inside is fitted inside one column with the same font but with slight alterations regarding boldness and sizes. Next to the column with all the page there is a red banner which stands out against greyish/pale background that has 3 boxes which each have screenshots of articles that are within the magazine. They are organised in order of appearance and are shown because they are what rocksound believe to be their most popular articles in this issue. The boxes which the screenshots are in, are all the same length and fit perfectly in line with each other. The contents page does not have a subscription offer and seems to follow a 3 colour scheme of red, white and black. 

Rocksound Front Cover Analysis

                                Rocksound front cover analysis

The front cover of rocksound magazine almost fits within a 3 colour scheme because it uses a mix of white, black, yellow and red. The masthead of the magazine is not completely obscured and is still readable due to its deep contrast with the background. The cover stars are wearing clothes that do not clash with their surroundings and the all look serious because this is a big moment for them and they will be discussing a few dark topics that other obstacles that they encountered before they could create a new album that would be dubbed some of their best work. Because of this rocksound have dedicated a large portion of their space to them which means that all other topics would have to be right at the bottom or at the top. The skyline is quite noticeable because of its red banner which goes behind the barcode which are both at the bottom. On the barcode is the price in 4 different currencies along with the erbsite. In order to draw attention to its other articles and not just Bring me the horizon on the front cover rocksound use a lot of puffs 10 in total, 4 yellow, 4 black and 2 red. 

Kerrang Double Page Spread

                           Kerrang double page spread analysis

The double page spread is in the style of pre-emptively asked questions so that the reader only sees the answer from the artist who in this case is Stephen Arkins. The pages follow a 3 colour scheme of white, black and cream and the title of the interview is ‘Dreams come true’ which is reference to how Stephen feels about his band’s success. The colours and the style of how things have been set out is very simple which I believe is a reference to how Stephen was just another ordinary music lover until only a couple months ago and it hasn’t affected him yet. Another example of this is the picture we have a longshot Stephen on the right in his room surrounded by his rock CDs and posters in his childhood bedroom which is really messy and unkempt like most other guys which shows how much of an ordinary guy he is.

The interview begins with a drop capital and begins with a short anecdote about Stephen and his dream of wanting to be a rock star to make readers want to know how he achieved the dream that most music fans wants. The second paragraph also begins with a drop capital and the layout is in 3 equal sized columns. In the second column there is a pull quote from Stephen in bold with a picture of Stephen and his band Only Rivals performing directly underneath. There is a relatively just under average amount of text which implies that the audience is roughly 15+. The header is in full capitals and in an almost wavy form to represent a dreamlike familiarity to the reader. The size of the header and the message itself ‘Dreams come true’ work effectively in drawing in the reader because the reader becomes curious about what the article is about. The intro text succeeds in teasing the reader into wanting to read the article because of the way mention fantasy becoming reality and famous friends. It also has Stephen and his band name in bold so that reader is drawn to the names. On the page there also page numbers, a small advertisement of Only Rivals new album and a few very small info boxes which provide some context to the pictures. There is only one genre portrayed which is alternate rock which is the style of band Only Rivals is, this understandable because they are the main focus of the article. There are mentions of other bands that let Only Rivals perform and tour with them. They are shown through the image of Stephen in his room through all his already existing posters, CDs and cut out articles that are around his room. All time Low were shown through a poster Stephen has of the band along with an info box showing their connection with Only Rivals. New Found Glory were shown also through a poster whilst Finch were shown from a CD of one of their albums. The picture was also accompanied by the title of meet your heroes and the fact that Stephen already was in possession of all these items shows that he really was able to meet his heroes.

Kerrang Contents Page Analysis

Kerrang Contents page analysis

The Kerrang contents page is only one page but is still able to successfully present all the information without it seeming like it is squashed. It has a single image of rock star Iggy Pop during his recent performance at a concert that Kerrang would go on to review in the same issue. The picture’s background is dark and it makes the picture of Iggy stand out as well the contents title in the top right which is white and covered with illustrations to possibly appeal to a younger demographic. The contents page is covered by Iggy partially but this implies that he is more important and they did it to keep the attention on him as much as possible. Below it there is a short message from the editor along with a picture of him, the message is not literally relevant to the posts in the magazine but relevant in the sense that he wants you to feel the same nostalgia he felt when he watched VHS tapes of his favourite bands performing when reading about the reviews of the gigs that happened over the weekend. The part of the contents page which says where all the articles are and page numbers are is covered by a white box to make it easier to notice and read. It uses large bold lettering to draw attention to what the section is about and they also use bold lettering to draw attention to key points in the subsections which explain what is on the page. There is one screenshot of the magazine cover and one artist included with the information on page numbers there is also the addition of yellow and black striped line next to the white box which could be a representation of the hazardous wild side of the magazine; something which would possibly apply to younger readers.

Kerrang front cover analysis

                              Kerrang front cover analysis

The masthead contrasts well against the blue background but it is blocked out a lot by the cover stars on the front which means that Kerrang believes in its notoriety and that readers may still be able to find and notice it straight away. The cover image is flashy and showy which it makes it very easy to spot and draws a lot of attention towards itself. It has a lot of stars on the front; who will be in the countdown of 51 greatest pop-punk albums ever, everyone seems to be emerging from an explosion that has launched them into the air. Due to the range of colours on the front there is no indication of a 3 colour scheme or any visible cover lines other than the one about the 51 greatest pop-punk albums ever and an interview about a bands emotional comeback, a completion and posters that are available inside the magazine. The barcode is at the bottom right corner and there is a header at the top which looks like it has ripped the top of the magazine off which advertises an exclusive interviews with big metal bands Iron Maiden and Parkway Drive. This style of presentation would appeal to a younger audience along with the way the title Kerrang which is an onomatopoeia of a power chord being struck on an electric guitar. Kerrang do have a skyline which they placed at the bottom of the front cover in a yellow box so that it would be easy for people to spot. On the barcode is the price in pounds and Australian dollar along with the website name and issue number. 

Music Magazine Selection Kerrang! and Rocksound

I chose these two because there were a lot of similarities and differences between them and I thought it would be good to compare them to see just exactly how similar and different they are and whose individual style is better 

My First Article!!!

So...this is my first attempt at a rock music magazine it was heavily inspired by the style of Kerrang articles I had seen before. I hope you enjoy reading it and when your done let me know what you think.

TimeToast Coursework Schedule

Using InDesign for the first time!!!

Last week I used Adobe InDesign for the first time and I thought it was a decent effort considering I only made a few mistakes...such as copy and pasting writing in the wrong sections. But other than that it was a solid effort. In case you were wondering I was attempting to recreate and already existing double page spread.