Double Page Spread Development and Finished Article

Below I have posted a few different versions of my double page spread. The first image shows a work in progress mock up while the second image shows the finished article. My magazine stays faithful to my original design that I created although I did make some developments. For the second version I spaced out the text in order to align the columns up correctly in order to make the main body of text look more structured. I also added some finishing touches such as the page number in the bottom left corner. Originally I was only going to have the red and blue colors on the 3D title as they matched the 3D glasses presented in the picture. I decided to add this effect to the pull quote in addition to the quotation marks as well in order to maintain a sense of color consistency. I also moved the writing credit and subhead text in order to fill out the blank space more effectively.  For the final finished edition I added the logo of the magazine to the bottom of the page in order to keep it consistent with the other pages.

Development version 1 

Development version 2

 

Finished version

 

 

Double Page Spread Article Draft and Flat Plan

For my double page spread I had to write up a draft article that will feature on my double page spread. I decided to base the article around the theme of three-dimensional music videos as this links with the 3D glasses that were  used as a prop for my photo-shoot.  Below I have pasted a JPEG of the article that I typed up on Microsoft Word. 

I have also created a mock up flat plan for my double page spread design. I created this rough design in PowerPoint and I will use it as a guide when I start to create my magazine on InDesign. I was inspired by the Scarlett Johansson NME cover which I analyzed earlier when conducting my research. I decided to follow the general convention of having the main image take up half of the page and have the columns of text sitting next to it. Due to the model leaning to the right I should have enough space to put a pull quote in-between the columns of text and the picture. This should be useful as it will help to attract the audience’s attention.

Double Page Spread Adobe Photoshop Editing

I decided that I wanted to use this photograph as the main graphic on my double page spread. I loaded it into Adobe Photoshop in order to start editing it to make it more suitable. I started out by removing the blue screen background using the polygonal lasso tool and then I color corrected the outer edges in order to get rid of the residue. I also had to manually remove the blue background that appeared in the gap between the glasses and his finger tips because the smart radius could not detect this automatically. After I had finished removing the background I applied a quick color correction filter in order to get the contrast right although form a distance it has not made that much of a difference. I did not make any dramatic changes as I was pretty happy with how the image turned out initially. Below I have posted the original photograph and the edited version.

Before

After

Double Page Spread Photoshoot

I created a contact sheet on Adobe Photoshop with all of the photos that I took during the photo-shoot. I then selected three of the best photos which I will edit on Adobe Photoshop and use for my double page spread.

I like this photo because the focus is very clear and clean. In terms of composition the model is angled to the right of this medium close up shot and he is looking directly at the camera. I think this photo would be suitable for a double page spread as it almost looks like he is starring at the reader of the magazine. The pose is also interesting as the finger tips on the edge of the 3D glasses are a nice subtle gesture that adds a bit of action to the image. In terms of space there is plenty of room on the left and right for me to cut him out of the background in Adobe Photoshop. The top of the image is a bit marginal but it should be fine if I'm careful when positioning the picture on the page.

This image has an interesting dynamic due to the model kneeling down on one leg. I had another image taken from the same angle put I preferred this version because you can see the models eyes peering over the frames of the glasses. This give the image a personal touch as in the other image all you can see is the blue and red filters. There is a clear line that differentiates his outline from the blue screen behind so it should be easy to remove the background without much residue. However, I might need to work on the color contrast in Adobe Photoshop as the positioning of the light has caused parts of his blonde hair to turn white.

I picked this medium shot as it offers a view from a distance as we more of his body is visible tan in the two photos. There is a lot of space around the person which would make it pretty easy for me to cut him out. This gives the image a lot of versatility and it could easily feature on my contents page if I don't use it in my double page spread.

Photoshoot: Equipment List and Health and Safety

Before I started the photo-shoot I wrote a list of all the equipment that I would need to carry out this task. I typed this up on Microsoft Word and I have embedded it below.

 

When planning my music magazine photo-shoot I had to take many different risks into account. I had to be very careful with the industrial lighting equipment because the bulbs built up a lot of temperature very quickly.  I had to be careful when positing the lights and the model to ensure that they were not blinded by the really bright light given off by the bulb. The support legs on the lamps were also very small so we were careful not to navigate near them after they were set up in order to reduce the risk of them being knocked over.  

 

 This is an photo of me attaching the trip pod square base to the camera while the photo-shoot is being set up

I checked the camera numerous times to ensure that it was safely secured to the tripod. This was to ensure that it wouldn’t fall on the floor as I didn’t want to damage the equipment or for it to land on the feet of anybody who was unlucky enough to be standing nearby. When I used the camera for handheld shots I also ensured that I was wearing the neck strap when taking the photos as this acted as a safety net in the event that I dropped it(which fortunately did not happen during the shoot).

Jonas can be seen here in the background modelling a pair of 3D glasses for my double page  spread while I focus the camera.

Researching Photography for Music Magazines

I went and researched  different music photographers in order to have at how they compose their shots. For this task I looked at three specific photographers sand they were Pat Pope, Nick Pickles and Samantha Marble.  I wrote a brief description about each photographer and their individual achievements as well as showing a few examples of their work. I decided to present this research as a Prezi and I have embedded it below.

Music Magazine Artist Collage

On PowerPoint I made a collage featuring the type of music artists and groups who would appear in the sort of magazine that I am trying to produce. For this collage I focussed on Take That and Oasis as two famous British pop boy bands and also I had a look at Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams who are international artist who regularly chart well in the UK.

Magazine Article Research

I went and researched some key terminology for magazine design . Below I have picked out some key words and written a short definition for each one.

I also wanted to have a look at an existing double page spread. Below I have annotated a double page spread from the British NME magazine. I also picked out a few features such as the use of colour and the consistency in the page design and analysed them in a paragraph.

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Music Magazine Research

I decided to try and compile some initial research on music magazines.  By using the Bing internet search engine I looked specifically at front covers, contest pages and double page spread articles.  For each of these pages I took a screenshot of some examples and commented on them in bullet point format. I typed up my notes on Microsoft Word and I have posted a PNG image of this research below.

Music Magazine Audience Profile

For my next task I compiled my moodboard audience  feedback and I have created  an audience profile for my magazine which I have embedded below.   The target demographic age group that I have chosen is the  16-25 age group  and  I have also put some images of items that relate to the teenage audience that my magazine is trying to appeal to. For example the magazine is targeting a young tech savy audience so I have included some social media images such as Facebook and Twitter and memes like Netflix and Chill.

Magazine Moodboard and Audience Research

I decided to create a moodboard in order to map out my early concept ideas for the magazine. I decided that I wanted to make a pop magazine so I have collected a series of ideas around this genre of music. The moodboard that I made was created on Powerpoint and below you can see a JPEG image of it.

I then printed off this moodboard and showed it to some people who fitted within the target audience. I was then able to gain some valuable insight into what they liked and disliked about the idea.  I also asked people to pick which title they liked from some of the ideas in the box and a lot of people went for Shockwave. All of this information I have learned has proved insightful and I will  present it  as an audience profile in my next post. 

As Media Semiotic Analysis of a Magazine Cover

For an AS Media task I had to review the front cover of a music magazine as part of a group. We took a look at XXL magazine which featured Chris Brown on the cover.  For the review we decided to make a video so we recorded the audio and edited the footage on Adobe Premier Pro.  Below I have embedded the video which has been uploaded to YouTube.

Researching Music Magazines

I  created a Prezi presentation about the UK Magazine industry which I have embedded below.  The first part of my presentation  gives a general overview of the best selling magazines  and publishers . Then towards the end  I focussed specifically on the music magazine genre by picking out individual titles such as Q and Kerrang! which also gave some information such as target audience and circulation figures.

As Media Music Magazine Introduction

For my AS Media main task I have to produce a music magazine. I will be required to produce a front cover, contents page and a full double page spread article. Furthermore, I will also  have free rein  to choose what genre and target audience would be suitable for this magazine.  I will be using the same software that I used in the preliminary task such as Indesign and photoshop in order to create the magazine pages and edit the photographs that I will take.  One of the first steps  I will take in order to complete this project will involve me researching some existing music magazines and compiling some audience research.

Anatomy of a Magazine Cover

 

 

For this task I had to analyse the features of a music magazine cover.  I picked an issue of Q magazine featuring Take That to look at and on PowerPoint I  wrote a few paragraph  describing the key features(see below). I then annotated the cover and  picked out some feature such as straplines and buzz words.

 

 

 

 

Preliminary Task Evaluation

I created a PowerPoint evaluation for my preliminary work and then I turned it into a video. I uploaded this to Youtube and I have embedded the video below.

 

 

 

 

Final Pieces

 

Below I have embedded an image of my final magazine cover and contents page designs.   The magazine is targeting college students as its primary audience and this is reflected in the design. A college student is on the front cover which can allow people to associate with the magazine. In addition, a few key  buzz words such as gaming and music are included in order to target the 16-19 year old demographic that attend the college.

 

 

 I used the Bradley Hand ITC font for the writing as it is relaxed and this reflects the mood of a college student.  It also resembles the sort of handwriting somebody would use for a notebook which fits with the college theme.

 

Contents Page Research

For the contents page I went and found three different magazine contents pages to analyse and learn from.  I wanted to make sure that I covered a variety of magazines so each contents page I picked is from a different genre and they all target different audiences. I also wrote a small paragraph about why contents pages are an integral part of a magazines.  This work was all typed up onto Microsoft word and I have embedded it below.

After completing the research I then designed a mock up of my contents page on PowerPoint.  I created this design after I designed my front cover so it is more consistent with my final cover rather than the preliminary cover.   

Front Cover Research

Before designing my front cover I went away and researched existing college magazines. I wrote up what I learnt in bullet point form in Microsoft word which I have embedded below.

 

When I was creating the mock up for my cover I was still unsure as to which image to use.  I created a design on Powerpoint that could work with either cover image. I tried to include all of the key features that are common in magazines such as bar codes and a bold title.

Preparing the cover Image

For the cover image I wanted to  have a medium close up shot of a person as that is a typical convention for a magazine. I took 4 photos which I have displayed below as contact sheet.  I had a persons stand in front of a solid purple background as I thought it would be easier to remove them from this background once colour correction had been taken into account.  However for my second set of photos I had a shot of a person leaning on the college sign post. I  thought it would be a good idea  to incorporate this object into my covers design by having it run down the side of my image. I thought that the pole fit into my idea of a contrasting black and white colour scheme.

I selected this photograph for my cover  and I removed the background on Adobe Photoshop by using the polygonal lasso tool. I then corrected the colours with the colour contamination tool.

Photoshoot 1

I took some photos of the college and then arranged them into a contact sheet.  When taking photos I had to think carefully about composition, shot size, and I also employed rule of thirds.  Image 9382 is a long shot and it was composed so that the students occupy the first two thirds of the image while the college is in the background in the final third.

 

I took image 982 and cropped out the building in the background to focus on the two individuals. I also corrected the colour slightly by adjusting the levels.  Below I have placed the original image and the edited image.

 

Original Image

 

Edited Image

 



Preliminary Task

For this preliminary AS Media task I had to design the front cover and contents page for a college
magazine. In order to do this I researched existing college magazines and then I went out with a camera and took my own photographs of the college.  After sketching a rough outline of my magazines front cover I began to edit the photos on Adobe Photoshop.  I removed the background  from one particular image and then I imported it into InDesign where I used it to form the basis of my magazines front cover.  I used InDesign's grid system to organise my front cover and I also created the mast headings and text. 

Once I finished designing my front cover I exported it as a PDF file and saved it as a JPEG. I used the remaining images to design my contents page and then I exported it in the same way.