Double page spread

Here is my double page spread as you can see i am ver pleased with it as it meets the requirments of what a double page should look like.

The layout of this double page has differed to my orignal drwan up mock as i felt it did not suitthe needs of the target audience nor did it follow the typical conventions of what a magazine following my genre would look like. Also as you can see one side of A4 is covered with an image and the other half is an interview this craetes an even layout for the target audience of people who are don't like much text therfore a large image meets thier needs and people who do like text there is a page full also. Guttering has also been placed above the image going across in a horizontal line as it links to the contents page and follow the colour pattern throughout.
The image on the right hand side denotes of a girl with headphones listening to music here this image has then been inhanced by adding a speciual technique to it on photoshop in order to give a funcky edgy look. Also by adding this special effect it connotes a techno stlye which is one of th emany musics that influences the magazine. The colours that have been selected to enhance the image include yellow, red and bleaack as these are the colours used throughout therefore creating a consistancy throughout. A Quote has been placed by the image as this gives a sneak preview of what the interview consists of this therfoe is a small incentive in order to get the target audience enticed to readonward and purchase the magazine.

The typography on the right hand side is also consistant with that alreday used and the size alteration differs due to the impotance of the text. For exmaple the article's titile is the largest piece of text as theis is ehat interests the target audiencewhat the article is about. The competition os also very important therefore that is much larget than the interview itself. The text below the actual interview is much smaller as it is the web page were inteactive viewers can log on and the page number is the reference. as you can see it is split into collomn as it is a generic convention to position the text in this way.

Contents page

Here is the contents page of my magazine, i am very pleased with this as i feel it meets the needs of my target audience.

Starting with the main image on the contents page it has an added affect which highlight the advance in technology as well as making the magazine looking funky and fresh. The effect used also places a red hue to the image which follows the colours used throughout. The model's props and clothing also reflect on having a good time as she is listening to music with headphones in, smilling showing she is having a good time. The smaller image on the right hand side also has an effect placed on it as it is a moving image which reflects that it is a dancing magazine it shows a fun loving time. Also the models clothing shows she is having fun and is young this is repersented through her short skirt which is very provocative. The final image is of a CD cover in the left hand corner this is of the latest new album released into the charts.
The colours used follow the front cover as this creates a continuity throughout so red, black and yellow are still used.

The typography is the same also with front sizes differing due to the importance of it.The background follows the same colour scheme as it is white, this is the last colour from the four colours, this also allows the images and text on the for front to stand out and be bold.
Finally the structure of the magazine has one column going down the left hand side and two joined bellow the main image. The first column contains sub categories which helps to identify specific areas of the magazine i.e. the latest fashion and music. There is also a little music review at the bottom which also another reflection of what type of magazine it is. The border surrounding the edge of the page is of a retro black and white squares this creates a funky look. Also this black and white square colour is used on the models dress on the front cover as a result there are links between the two which keeps a continuous flow throughout.
Also above the mini music review is a heading to explain what is going on in that specific section allowing easy assess to stories so no time is wasted. Above the first column is a rounded square which contains the word "Contents" and has the date on it showing it is the latest issue released to date.

As you can see from above here is the drawn mock up of my contents page, here i planned out the layout by position text and pictures in the appropiate areas in order to follow the typical conventions of my magazine cover. from my finished product you can see they match up fairly well therefore no adjustments had to be made.

Front cover

Here is my front cover of my magazine, i am very pleased with the end result as i feel it meets the needs of my target audience which includes dance music and clubbing lovers.
The origin of the title “Replay” comes from replaying your favourite music tune over and over again therefore getting glued into your mind. The typography of the title is in lower case which gives the magazine a relaxed approach to things. it is also in San serif which means it is strong and bold this means it can be recognised instantly by the target audience. Also as it is is the masthead it must be the most important element of the cover therefore being the biggest.
The straplines are another key element of my front they are all connected to the genre of the magazine which means they also must stand out as they are what makes the target audience to purchase the magazine. For example the strapline "Samantha Ronson live" here a famous established artist is used to lore in the the audience.
I have also added a little free gesture on the front cover as a incentive to persuade the target audience to purchase it. The free CD does this as it gives the consumer a taster of what type of music the magazine is about and what they reviews will be of.
The background of my front cover is a plain bight yellow which allows the picture of the model to stand out, also the colour yellow is fun, vibrant and young this reflects upon the type of people purchasing the magazine which is of people aged 18 and onwards.
Another key element of my front cover is the colours used i choose a selection of four colours red, white, yellow and black. All of these are used as the compliment each other therefore making the cover looking ascetically pleasing. Key points such as the kicker is placed in the brighter colour out of the four as it is one of the most important parts of the magazine.
Typography is another aspect of the magazine that must be cohesive with the rest of the magazine. Therefore i used a similar front to the masthead to make sure it was not miss matching therefore not looking symmetrical on both sides. The size of the front is also another vital element as the bigger the text is the more important it is so it must stand out. The alignment of the text is slightly tilted towards one side as this a special so something had to made different and unique.
The image of the model has been cut around and placed on the background. This picture was selected as it is very seductive and provocative which reflects upon the cheekiness of the magazine. This is done through the use of props such as the lollipop and glasses these are retro, fresh looking extras which give the magazine a boost to the magazine. The colours used also follow the colour scheme as the dress is black and white with the jewelry being red, this as a result compliments the cover well.
Finally the general conventions of the magazine was placed in specific areas such as cost and bar code. These small elements are still key therefore must be positioned in a certain area.
As you can see from my hand drawn copy of my front page the mock up and the actual cover follow the same structure as i have thought out and planned the layout.

MIXMAG: Front cover, Contents page and Double Page spread

Here i have analysed a front cover, contents page and double page to compare to the NME double page spread, from doing this this i have noticed many similarities between the two however, there are some difference also for example with the colour and layout.

Research for my mian task - NME double page spread

Here i have analysed a double page spread of an article in the magazine here i was able to recognise how the layout was constructed, what type of text was used, positioning of the image and the colours used. All of these elements are similar to what has been used on the front cover and contents page as this creates a continuous flow throughout the magazine.

Reseach for my main task - NME contents page

I have analysed the front cover of NME magazine picking out the key conventions and how they meet the expectations of their specific target audience of a very niche market of people. You can see this through the various annotations i have made on the contents page. I then drew out the layout of the contents page by using a grid like structure this helped me to realise how it was constructed and that it uius thought out. This means that elements are not just thrown together.

Research for main task - NME front cover

The front cover of NME magazine has two models positioned with one touching the other, this creates sex appeal and suggests a sense of provocativeness as the male model is touching the females mid area. This area of her body has a channel logo on it which illustrates a high end fashion look demonstrating an up scale target audience. The model is also smoking a cigarette which shows she is extremely rebellious and subversive as she is risking her life in order to look what is considered "cool". Also she is promoting a lifestyle of drugs by smoking. The female model is also the more dominant model out of the two as she is the main focus of the shot this can be due to her being the main singer in a band therefore being in the for front of the magazine. The model is leaning on the masterhead as nothing is controlling her she is therefore placed in the front of title. Also everything is placed around her this includes straplines, masterhead, kicker and skyline.
The straplines also link to the type of magazine it is as they talk about "MURDER,DRUGS AND TWISTED LOVE," these are considered very dark ad sinister subjects which the magazine are speaking very openly about. As a result the magazine is fairly non-judgmental, consequently this may lead to some criticism towards the magazine as they are not displaying a negative image on the topic as this would be the usual response to these sorts of topics (negative media).
Also another example of a stapline is ""my life in Kurt" ex manager speaks" here the magazine displays a exclusivity that no other magazine may have as they have the death of a legend speaking openly about for the first time.
Finally the last example of a stapline on the front cover is one in which is promoting the Kaiser Chiefs latest album where it uses explicit language such as "F***ED UP". This illustrates a very rebellious, hard core and subversive side to the magazine once again.
The mise en scene of the image includes the clothing this also represents the more rebellious side of magazine. As the female model is wearing leather which demonstrates a rocky edgy look which much of their target audience would aspire to look like. The positioning of the image is medium shot, taken from the above angle as she is looking up. This is very different and unlike and other magazine therefore thus, making it unique.
Also the layout is very unusual as it has the kicker running through the middle of the page and straplines on running across the left hand side. These are not the typical conventions of a magazine but with that specific cover image, to make it seem balanced everything was placed on the one side as the other was mainly covered with the two models. As a result this created a slight difference in the way it was constructed, as specific elements had to be placed in certain areas of the magazine in order for the presentation of it to look correct.
The last element of the magazine which resulted in the final touches of the magazine were the colours used, this consisted of yellow, red, black and white. These colours are associated with goths and rebels through the contrasts they create this as a results meets the demands of their target audiences.
Overall, the magazine was created for a niche market which meant that certain aspects of the cover were altered in order to meet the demands of the target audience. This resulted in the build up of many layers as more straplines were placed on the cover to promote more headline stories.

Resaerch for main task - Musical

The front cover of Musical nion has a cover image of a musician he is positioned with his hands in his pocket and looking directly at it target audience this makes it more personal to the consumers as eye contact creates connection between the two. Also he has his legs crossed which fits the type of personality he is demonstrating which is fairly straight to the point and professional. This feeling is also demonstrated through the type of clothes which he is wearing, which is a suit this makes him look very smart.
He has been placed in the for ground of the magazine showing that the magazine is very well known to its consumer therefore even without the title people can still recognise what magazine it is due to its unique characteristics.

The colours used also show that its pure, calming and natural this is represented through the white and cream used in the background and the masterhead. this reflects on the type of instruments used in classical music which include violins. There is also some blue and black which contrasts the background very well as a result making the straplines in these colours stand out which shows they are key.

The straplines are key in representing what type of magazine it is and is shown by what has been placed on the cover all the stories link to music and in particular classical music. An example of this is "Warren Mailley-Smith, The Pianist talks exclusively to us" here this artist links to this type of music in particular and by having a special interview with him shows that he is very important in that industry and popular.

Overall, the construction of this magazine is very different to other magazine such as the Hip Hop magazine as it is aimed at a different target audience therefore produces are having to alter certain characteristics of the magazine to meet their specific needs.

Research for main task - Hip Hop collection

The front cover of HIP-HOP collection magazine has a cover image of The Game with his head tilted to the side as he holds his hat this representation of the rapper demonstrates him as being hard core and rough. The image is also placed in the upper third of the page which is very eye catching to its target audience as it is near the masthead which is instantly recognised therefore the cover image can partially cover it. His clothing is also very casual with a plain, dark t-shirt, hat and tie. The repersentation of the tie illistrates the difference in the expected dress code of what a typical rapper would wear, this as a result goes afgainst steriotypes.
Around the cover image there are straplines positioned specifically in a certain place which have a specific meaning behind them that links to the type of magazine it is which is a hip hop magazine. For example "Beef 2008" here the use of slang word beef meaning having a problem relates to the origin of the magazine which comes from the streets of America. this as a result is specific to the target audience of the magazine as these are topics in which they would be interested in therefore meeting their demands.
The typography used on the front cover is known as san serif which is bold and stands out and suggests a male audience as for a female target audience the writing would contain what is known as "curly" ends on each letter.
Also in the background there is an American flag which illustrates the country the rapper has comes from what the magazine editors must feel hip hop began from.
There is also a selection of three colours which are used consistently throughout the magazine these include black, white and yellow. These are fairly neutral colours however, the black and white are total opposites of each other which can show the divide in opinion over this particular type of music which is very controversial world wide.e
There are also many other elements which have been used such as the bar code, skyline and price/issue number. These are key essential of a magazine front cover ad without these the magazine would not be following the generic conventions of what a typical music magazine would look like.
When the magazine was constructed many layers were put together in order for the magazine front cover to be created. These were positioned on top of one another which means many layers have been used to build up the image of the cover.
The magazine also provides an extra incentive to purchase it with the use of a free CD. This gives the target audience a taste of what the magazine is like therefore can be used to entice their target audience.

Contents page

This is my contents page i am very pleased with the outcome of this as it looks very professional.
I used the same image as i did on my cover but shaded the background in pink to keep the colours constant throughout the magazine. I then positioned the image in the left hand corner of the contents page as it is no longer the focus point of that page.
A point in which i forgot to mention on my front cover was that when this image was created there was some difficulty as it was not the correct type of photo, it was a medium shot and a medium close up was needed. I therefore had to re-take my images as when i tried to edit them they begin to stretch and look disfigured.
I then added the title of my magazine lordswood ladies at the top of the page with the same typography also as it creates a continuous type of writing again. the colour was also kept to simple black to create an elegance about it by using a traditional colour.
After this i added my story lines which would actually be inside my magazine on the bottom right hand side corner, as this space had become free and looked the most suitable.
Finally i added a simple touch of my logo on the cover in the same position and my contents page was created with all the typical convention of a magazine fol lowered.
This contents page was created through the process of using many different layers positioned on top of one another. which gives the effect of any typical magazine.

Magazine front cover

I have completed my task of creating a front cover and my end product look like this. Personally i am very pleased with the front cover as it fits the brief perfectly.
When creating my front cover i firstly selected my image and added an effect onto to it by filtering and selecting blur. I then choose two very distinctive cover the first being blue as it is the schools colour, i then selected pink to represent my target audience which is girls and the connotations of this is being very girly and fun. As a result of selecting these colours i made the basketball pink and her jersey number, but left the rest blue. This made the sport which the magazine is about stand out and be instantly identified.
Also as you can see in my background the outline of bricks are shown this shows the rough side of basketball and the "streets" in which they originated from.
Once my cover image was created i then selected a specific typography to be used throughout the cover which was Franklin Gothic medium. This was because it looked both formal and informal enough to stand out as a cover of a school magazine but still relate able and personal to the female target audience. The colour of my text is black this was to prevent their being too many colours and drawing away from the actual image itself. However i did leave the the masterhead in the pink as it is the magazine title therefore it most stand out and be recognisable also it links to the image of the basketball which is also in this colour. The skyline is in the same pink also as i decided to put the skyline in front of a black rectangular background.
After this i selected my staplines, masterhead and skyline and positioned them in the appropriate areas and added effects to make certain word stand out by making them bold and enlarging the text size. For example the word "free" this acts as an extra incentive for my target audience to purchase my magazine as they know they will be benefiting themselves in more than one way as they will be expanding their knowledge on basketball as well as getting free perks. Also the name "Tamika Catching" is in bold to highlight this famous basketball player and an idol in many peoples lives.
Finally i added the finishing touches to the magazine by adding a bar code and issue dates on the cover and positioning them in specific place to fit the conventions of a typical magazine front cover.
Once all these elements where put together with the use of many layers, this enabled me to position certain layers in specific areas of the front cover. Too many layers were not used as i did not want the cover to be about the quantity of stories on the cover but the quality of the fewer stories. This as a result creates a sophistication to my cover which i feel makes it look more classy.

Problems

Today i am having great difficulty with photoshop it is not agreeing with. I have tried several times to add certain effcts which will enhance my image to have a greater quality but it is not working to my advantage.

Image

After a long process of deliberation i have selected this image as my cover image. This was due to many factors such as the lighting being correct as it lights up percific points on Fariha face, also the mise-en-se is the best out of all the images taken. The background which is of the school gym is also illistrated and the prop of thebasketball clearly demonstrates which sport is being played. Finally Fariha's positioning is quiet playful as she has direct eye contact with the consumers which makes it more personal, she is also smiing which shows she is having a good time.

Intoduction

To begin my process of creating a magazine cover i had to think of the type of magazine i wanted to do and for what school, lordswood or another. After some deliberation i decided to create a basketball magazine aimed at the females in our school as this is the majority in the school. I now must concider the colour, typograpgy, layout, image, subheadings and many other elements in creating the magazine.

Dwell Magazine

When creating my magazine i had to consider many factors for example who my target audience is and the typical conventions of any magazines. These conventions included a limited amount of colours no more than three, i therefore used pink grey and white this was due to it representing my target audience of women. Also because they were quite neutral and as a result showing a sophistication and elegance of any women's inner beauty. I also used a specific type of typography throughout, this kept a consistency going and made the cover look more professional rather than using many different types. Another convention i must consider was the positioning of the straplines which were around the the cover image. The cover image was also selected specifically as the target audience is of a more mature age. Therefore "Keira Knightly" was selected to match the target audience as she is a role model to many of these women. Finally i had to consider the layout of the cover and the amount of layers used. This meant that certain elements of the cover had to be positioned in a specific place, the build up of layer allowed me to do this.