Final Magazine Pages

progress update: magazine complete!

I've finished my magazine. I'll upload the final pages later. Since my last update, I have finalised my DPS text, and inserted it into colunms on the page. I coloured it orange, added a pull-quote like in my researched DSPs, and a headline. Finally, I added page numbers for authenticity and continuity(the numbers match those on the contents page listing).

dps update

The article text is now orange, and has a darkened background to make sure the writing both stands out and is legible. There is now a second dropcap halfway through the article.

Audience Feedback

Front Cover

• What does the layout/colour scheme connote here? Would you change anything, given that it is aimed at late teens and young adults?
• What genre is suggested here?
• Does the magazine's design appeal to you?

Contents

• How well does the layout here work?
• Does the language feel appropriate for you?
• Is the colour scheme feel too blue? Are there any colours that would work better?
• Are there any details which you feel are missing, or need to be changed?

D.P.S.

• What audience is suggested by the language here? Do you think it is appropriate for your demographic?
• Does the design/colour scheme appeal to you? Is there anything you would prefer different?
• Is there sufficient continuity between here and the other pages?

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 I am going to use this feedback to improve my pages over the next week or two. At the end of this time, I hope to have finalised my page designs.

Update

I have more or less finished tweaking my front cover and contents page. The double page spread is coming along nicely as well- I've redrafted the text, and inserted it into the right-hand page using 3 columns. I have used a drop cap to start the article, and put a pull-quote under the headline on the left-hand side.

Progress update: Double-page spread begun.

I've begun work on my dps. I have selected the image I will be using for a background( see below) and have started drafting the text. I have cleaned up the image in photoshop. I mostly edited out rust from the swing-seat, although I have also removed things like a distracting mole, and some scuff marks from the guitar.

----------------------------------------------

1st draft of text

A small village in the countryside. Sitting on a patio is a teenager, idly strumming a guitar. The house itself is modest, the road nearby almost silent. Humble beginnings, then, for one of the newest music sensations. Only a few months ago Andy Fletcher was posting music covers and original songs videos on youtube. It seems everyone has noticed his rise to fame started the same way Justin Beiber’s did. However, he isn’t exactly fond of his predecessor. “Beiber’s a jerk” he says, groaning at the similarity. “I mean, just look at all the idiotic things he’s done. I can’t believe so many people still like him. If I ever end up acting like that, somebody outa shoot me. Not a kill-shot though. In the leg or something”.

After being picked up by an interested record label, Andy was quickly pushed into the limelight. “It was really weird. One moment, I’m in my bedroom, and the next I was in this really hi-tech recording studio with my parents. I couldn’t believe. Reckoned it was all a dream for the first week”. But it wasn’t a dream. Andy was soon recording his debut album, along with his trusty guitar. An album which is scheduled to release later this month. “It’s pretty good. It’s all my own stuff, songs I’ve written in my bedroom. It’s mostly pop and rock-type stuff - really energetic. I don’t really like love songs, but I’m probably gonna end up doing one sometime. Hopefully not for ages though!”

Despite his aversion to love songs, though, he has already gained a decent female following on twitter. “I’m kinda worried. I mean, there’s all these people paying attention to me now. If I mess up, it’ll go on the news! There’s a lot of pressure on me now. Not like before when it was just me messing around at home with a microphone. I just hope everything turns out alright. Everyone seems to like it so far, at least.”

‘Starlight’, named for the album’s first track, is certainly looking to be popular. Already, thousands have reserved both digital and physical copies of the album online. “It’s insane. The guys at the studio were doing all this promotional stuff, and suddenly there was a ton of orders. I’ve even been on TV!” He refers, of course, to the numerous UK chat-show appearances he has undertaken in the last month. “It was awesome. I’ve talked with a bunch of famous celebrities. It’s all been really cool.”

So, what’s next? When we asked, Andy grinned. “I’m working on some new songs. Always am, to be honest. We’re hoping for a single next year sometime. I’ve got about five year’s worth of material from just messing around in my bedroom, so it’s not like I’ve got to make something from scratch.”

From the sounds of things, there’s plenty more on the horizon From Andy Fletcher. This is only the beginning of what’s shaping up to be a very successful career. We review Starlight later on, so keep turning those pages!

Final images

These are the cleaned up (minor editing in photoshop) images, ready for insertion into my magazine. I am unsure which 'duo' image to use at the moment- I will decide that soon, when I assemble the pages, seeing how the two fit in with the rest of the page.

I chose this image because I liked the pose and composition of the shot. Ollie's(the model's) face is central, and a mid-close shot shows he is dressed casually, thus giving a sense that he is a fairly relaxed person.

I chose this image for reasons similar to the one above. In addition, I felt that the angle made the image look quite interesting.

I chose this image primarily for two reasons. First was the practicall resoning that It provided me with ample room to place text. As this is to be the background of the DPS, the right-hand side can be used for the article text, ensuring that the face of the model is unobscured. The second reason was that it was, to me, a nice pose, one that subverted conventions by having the model looking down at the guitar, and not at the camera.

Secondary image photoshoot

These are the photos taken for the contents page and secondary image on the front cover.

front cover+ contents page update

I've taken an initial photoshoot with my brother at home, allowing me to finally insert the main image on my front cover. I've done some minor photoshopping to clear up some of the larger spots on his face, as well as removing some unwanted elements from the background.

Also, a few weeks ago I started work on my contents page. Taking from my mock-up, I created a basic plan and began adding in details. I highlighted the splash article in the same colour as the text on the cover. I also used the same blue colour scheme, and added a resized copy of the masthead to the top-left corner. I did make to changes to my original design- first, to save on space, I merged the 'contact details' box with the editors word box. I also removed the bottom image space from the contents list. I have split up the articles into groups under headings, similar to the layout of magazines like MOJO:

Both this and last week, I made tweaks to the contents page, and began filling in the articles,borrowing story ideas from magazines like Q in addition to my own ideas:

Front cover+DPS photoshoot

These are all the images taken for the front cover and double-page spread.

Photography planning: models and locations

For my models, I'm going to enlist the help of my brother and fellow media students. I will include images of both genders, so as to appeal to the entirety of my audience, which is older teens/young adults in general (no gender bias). I'm going for a fairly casual look, so there will be no need for any particularly detailed costume choice- their ordinary clothes will be just fine. Likewise for any makeup the girls will be wearing.

There are a couple of locations I will use for my photos- a blank wall will provide a nice, neutral background for my passive sots, while a hallway and an exterior brick wall will provide more engaging and colourful backgrounds. For my front cover's main image, I will use the brick wall of my house as a background, And there is a swing-seat in the garden I am going to use for my double-page spread.

Photography planning: Inspiration and Ideas

In magazines like Q, photos of artists sometimes have plain white or gray backgrounds, although the majority do have some form of setting.Additionally, you will periodically find black-and-white images when reading through a magazine.

This is an example of the presentation of a pop musicband, One Direction, in photographs. Here, a plain background has been used, with the only colour coming from darkness created by shadows. The members are clearly posing, looking straight at the camera in fairly neutral poses- there is little action in any of the shots, it is all rather plain.

When not using plain backgrounds, the setting of photos varies immensely, from mid-concert, natural shots, to posed outdoors shots with bright , vibrant colours.

For my photos, I 'm thinking of a mix of single and group shots, most likely posed and passive. I do want them to be fairly high-key, however. Maybe a white background? I think I will have some photos, probably a couple for the contents, which have a more busy background to them, possibly outside.