Preliminary Magazine Contents Page

The Final Draft Of My Magazine Front Cover

Preliminary Photos - Rejected

When I tried to take this picture I wanted it to look very natural, like a student who is taking a photography or media course using her camera caught on camera to make my magazine different to everyone else's, it seemed like a good idea until my model moved and she ended up not looking at the camera and also the shot was not zoomed in enough for it to be a medium close up. The background isn't ideal as the windows are cluttered and the door looks very battered and scruffy which doesn't create an ideal image to promote the college in which the magazine will be appearing.

I wanted to make this photo different to my other ones so I chose to have my model laid down on a paint splattered table, to take the shot I stood above her looking down. The photo seemed like an original and smart idea but the execution was less than easy, the angle ended up being not so flattering and it doesn't look very professional to be on the front of a magazine. I think the background would look really good if the plank of wood wasn't there as the paint adds bursts of colour and it looks very artistic and modern however the angle wouldn't work for this particular magazine.

   

As the backgrounds for my other photos were quite busy I decided to use a simpler background with more natural lighting. Here, Sarah is stood against the wooden shed in the college allotment, I liked this background and the lighting as it highlighted the model well and made her the main focus of the picture however the light was too bright and turned Sarah's glasses dark while also meaning she had to turn her head to avoid hurting her eyes with the bright sun directed at her. The pose and background for this would have been great but the sun became an issue.

Preliminary Photos - The Good Ones

This is one of the first photos I took of Sarah, i like this photo because she looks genuinely so happy to be at college and also the picture focused well, highlighting the contrast of the lilac walls with her dark clothing. The clothing is casual like I specified in my earlier plan. The shot is a medium close up and I think it looks really good and would work well with the front cover I designed initially.

This picture has a lighter background as the first one is inside whereas this one is outside the sixth form in the car park. Sarah looks so happy but she also looks very casual and relaxed. Sarah's tongue piercing is visible which at first deterred me from using the photo but after consideration this is a college student magazine and many students have piercings and so it would not create an unwelcome image for my magazine.

I adore this photo for my magazine, Sarah looks so happy and she wasn't expecting the photo be taken and so it is a completely natural picture. The lilac background creates a nice contrast with her dark clothing making her stand out, it also allows for coloured text to be visible on the cover of my magazine. The model creates a happy atmosphere with her laughing mid-shot and so makes the magazine have a nicer and more friendly outlook, attracting more people.

The First Draft Of My Magazine Front Cover

This is the initial design I created using Adobe Elements 11. It took me quite a while to figure it out but after I realised my mistakes it was really easy to use. This picture turned out looking blurry when I had selected it, I had hoped that when it was further along it wouldn't look like that and that maybe it was just the minimised view but the photo still turned out blurry so this is something I will have to attend to in my next session. 

The font used for the headline was the closest I found to the font I drew on my hand drawn magazine cover however I do not like the way it looks and so I will also change this in my next session.

The Plan For My Magazine Front Cover

Model: Sarah Clark
Modifications: casual clothes with minimal make-up with a snapback or a beanie.
Reason: I feel like this person incorporates the look I am trying to achieve with my magazine as it is based at teenagers, of both genders, but mainly girls. Sarah is quite edgy and has a unique style and so she will give my magazine a different look and set it apart from the rest. The look I want her to have is casual as sixth form is supposed to be a smart casual place and the students should dress how they are comfortable.

Location: The school library in front of one of the book shelves.
Reason: One of the articles in my magazine is 'Top 10 Reads for The Summer' so the library will link to that and also it will be aesthetically pleasing and add a bit more colour to the magazine.

Title, Font and Colour: The title is 'You, Me @ Sixth Form' which is a pun from the band 'You, Me At Six.' this is a popular band and should appeal to college students. The title font will  be big, bold and black to attract attention but also, if this is a magazine with different issues every month/week then there will be different things on the front cover and black will look good with all types of backgrounds or images. The masthead will be 'new build, new magazine' as the school is having a rebuild and the magazine will be a new edition. It will be the same font as the title but it will be smaller and also not bold. The colours of the article headlines should be quite dark with white outlines so they stand out against the backgrounds I choose to use, they should be big enough that they attract attention but the main article should be bigger and bolder to attract more attention as it is the main attraction.

Q Magazine Analysis Homework

Q Magazine June 2014

This magazine shows Paulo Nutini, a famous male singer who's music is popular recently.

The front cover clearly shows that there is an interview with a popular and modern singer featured which will make it appeal to people who are fans of this singer, this will be the reason his picture, and the caption about him is so large. The caption is white to contrast with the dark shirt in the picture so it is easily readable from a distance, making it so people could see it from across an isle in a shop or through a window and make them want to buy it. The caption states a quote from the interview and then describes the interview as 'a mind bending night on the tiles with the peoples champion' this is used to make it seem like the interview is somewhat wild and shocking but the use of 'the peoples champion' makes it seem like he is well loved and relatable as to appeal to a wider audience.

The "Q" magazine logo is always a bold red square in the corner with a capital Q in the corner, this creates an iconic logo that people will remember and always associate with this particular magazine, making it memorable. The colour red signifies passion, love and danger. In bold coloured writing on one side of the main feature, it tells of other parts that are in the magazine, slightly smaller font but also large enough to signify the importance of these articles, the main topic is in a bigger font than the description so the audience will see that part first e.g. if someone is a fan of The Arctic Monkeys they will see the band name on the front and then want to look closer to see what about them is featured.

On the opposite side is a 'Motown Special' feature. This only appeals to people who are interested in Motown but they clearly think it is a popular subject if they are putting an advertisement of their article on the front page quite large and are dedicating 21 pages to it in their magazine.

As the background of the front page is a plain white they have used a lot of colours in the fonts to create a bit of colour. I wish they hadn't used as many colours as it looks a bit messy and all over the place for my liking. The colours do make the magazine bolder and more interesting to their target audience which I think is probably middle aged or young adult music fans but I, personally, am not a fan.

Response To The Brief

My taste in music is often judged before even half of it has even been heard. I have a very eclectic music taste which varies from Bring Me The Horizon to One Direction, people often start complaining about my taste in music as soon as I've mentioned it, especially One Direction! I keep updated with the new music by following my favourite bands on Twitter and Instagram which is where they usually post about new music and they release new tours. Also every month I make sure to buy at least one of the music magazines I enjoy, even of it's just for the posters!

I usually buy either the "Kerrang!" magazine or the "NME" magazine as they often feature bands I really love or they have new and upcoming artists featured that end up quickly becoming a favourite. These magazines have a black logo with white background with red featured. These colours contrast with each other to create quite a loud cover but also makes it loo more sophisticated as these magazines are aimed at an older audience than some teen magazines as the target audience is aged seventeen and above as the music featured is often too loud with far too explicit lyrics for younger children.

These magazines are really informative about the bands I have an interest in as they have band profiles with information about the members with tour dates and how to get tickets. They also include articles about things that may interest people who like those particular genres of music to keep teenagers informed on recent events.

I started reading these magazines mainly due to the front covers as they often feature pictures of my favourite bands (often attractive members!) and are quite bold and so catch peoples attention. unfortunately, posters that feature my favourite band (one direction) (they're going on a BREAK!!!) are usually quite childish magazines that don't appeal to me due to the lack of imagination put into designing and writing them and the other content included so I'd appreciate if someone would make some better one direction magazines!

OC G321 Print Brief

Preliminary Exercise:
Using DTP and an image manipulation program, produce the front page of a new school/college magazine, featuring a photograph of a student in medium close-up plus some appropriately laid-out text in a masthead. Additionally candidates must produce a DTP mock-up of the layout of he contents page to demonstrate their grasp of the program.
Main Task:
The front page, contents and double page spread of a new magazine.