Foundation Production

In the third draft I made sure that the writing was all aligned properly, mainly the hook towards the upper right of the page. I also added a hook asking a direct question, ‘That is the best dance artist of all time?’ For this hook I used the same effect as I used for the title, white writing on the black background and black writing on the white background, this helps to define the image.

I also smoothened the main image by using the blur tool; this makes the sides of the image less jagged. I also added another bullet point to the top of the page between Eric Prydz and Crookers.
I also moved the barcode further into the corner to make it more discreet.

Foundation Production For the second draft of my magazine I moved the image to a more centralised place on the front cover. I also increased the brightness and contrast of the image to make the model appear to look slightly tanned and also increases the defined. The text on the hooks on the left hand side of the cover looked amateurish and appealed to a younger audience in the first draft, this is the reason I decided to change it. I changed it to a more simple bold text and also added: a drop shadow, bevel and emboss, outer glow and a stroke, which is the same colour of that on the title. The title was also stretched downwards to make it larger and more identifiable. I also added more hooks down the right hand side of the magazine. I used to different texts to give the magazine a classy look. In this draft I also added a bar across the top with famous peoples names that are featured in the magazine. To the right of the model I added an issue number, a date and also a website which people can use for further information about the magazine. Above the barcode to the bottom left of the screen I also added a price, the price is £1.00 because the questionnaire research showed that this is the price, which is most popular by the possible audience for my magazine.

Foundation Production

This is a photo of my first attempt of my magazine. As you can see it is not that good because the text does not contrast and lit looks very amateurish. The heading is good and I will keep that. The hooks are all too big and look like they are appealing to a younger age range. I feel that the hooks were in a text, which did not resemble the style of magazine I was making, the hooks are in a text, which would best resemble a rock style magazine. The background is a plain styled one, which consists of black flowing into white, giving a good/bad feel to the magazine. The main image I chose was a medium close shot of myself. I decided to use myself because I felt that I was the most capable for the front-page model. For the heading i decided to use three colours. I used white text for the writing on the black background and black text for the writing on the white background. After I changed the text colour I added a stroke to the heading, making it stand out more. This stroke is a dark gold and is similar to the shirt on the model. This simple colour scheme helps to give the magazine a simple but effective appeal.

Foundation Production

Before choosing an image to cut out for my front page, i took a large selection of images. After choosing one i cropped it and added it onto the background of my magazine cover. Below you can see the first draft of the background and model. after this i added hooks and title to the front page.

Foundation Production

This article is from the well known magazine in the U.K called 'HEAT'. this article contains three small photos instead of one main one like the article from 'LOOK'. the main photo is a medium close shot of June Sarpong who is a well known presenter for channell 4.

The article contains a very basic colour scheme consisting of black, white and orange. the backround of the article is plain white. The main body of text is a normal style black font and the questions are in bold to draw attention to them. the key quotes and titles are boldand orange, they are written in capitals and a different font to draw attention to them and make the article look more interesting.

the article also contains a websight at the very bottom, and also contains two advertisement. there is an advertisment for 'orange' and also for 'heat radio' which is in a big attractive circle next to the main photo in the middle of the page.

Foundation Production

The above article is from the well-known woman’s magazine 'LOOK'. The article has a full page of the model looking straight into the camera in a medium long shot. The style of the picture is a 'chocolate box' according to Marjorie Ferguson's theory. The model, Jade Ewen, has a half smile with slightly parted lips and visible teeth. The showing of her legs gives a sexual feel to picture. The projected mood of Jade Ewen is blandly blessing. All of theses features are present in the 'chocolate box'.

The right hand side of the article consists of the content. The title of the article is an indirect quote from the interview. The article uses two fonts, one for the titles and descriptions and another for the article. The font which is used for the main body font is more simple and easy to read. The second font is more catchy and attractive, this italic text is used for the; title, quotation in the middle of the page, the first letter of the article and also to describe the pictures in the bottom left of the right hand page.

This article from 'LOOK' uses two basic colours, black and white. The colours of the article also reflect on the clothe that the model is wearing. The background of the article is white like the models top and the text is black like her skirt. This use of simple colours allows the article to be read easily and helps the text to stand out.

Foundation Production

This contents page for a ‘Mojo’ magazine is very simple when compared to the contents page for ‘NME’. It has a collage of photos on the left hand side to attract the attention of the magazine buyers and give them some idea of what the magazine will contain.

The title ‘Mojo’ in the top right of is unusual for a contents page as they are normally labelled ‘contents’ The listing of all the articles and stories down the right hand side of the magazine only contains three different colours, red, black and a white background. This is very common for a well known professional magazine because it makes the magazine look simple, un-cluttered and easy to read.

At the bottom of the contents page is three articles from famous music persons. This has its own section to the page to attract attention to it and make the buyers of the magazine aware of it.

Foundation Production

The first contents page I analysed was the one above. It is from a copy of the well known magazine called 'NME'. NME is a British music magazine and is very popular with 14-24 year olds. The purpose of a contents page is to inform the reader of the contents of the magazine and make them aware of the main articles and stories within the magazine. Contents pages can also be used for advertising, like the NME contents above. In the top left of the NME contents page there is a listing of the feature bands and the page number there information is on. This section of the contents page has a basic colour scheme which is different to the rest of the page. This it to make it easy to stand out from the rest of the page so the reader can easily establish the different sections of the page. The bottom of the magazine consists of an advertisement which also has a different colour scheme to make it different to the other sections of the contents page. The right hand side of the page has information about general information in the magazine like news and reviews. This also has a slightly different colour scheme and is also in a bolder and eye catching style. The big title suggests that this section of the contents page is the most important and is the main feature.

All of the text on the contents page is built up around a central image of a theatre. The title directly underneath the main image is in the same style as the main headings on the left on the page. This implies that this is the most important article in the magazine because it has been given so mush room and the biggest text to try and attract as many readers as possible. Although each section of the NME contents is in different sections it still only uses three different colours but mixes them up to make it look very professional.

Foundation Production

The second magazine I analysed was called 'Rock Sound'. Rock sound is a British Magazine which focuses more on alternative music. The magazine aims to be less commercial whilst still featuring big and well known artists. The magazine aims at the younger age group who are 15-24 years old, and are passionate for music. The magazine also attracts both male and female music enthusiasts.

This 'Rock Sound' magazine features a medium shot of the two models form the band 'the Automatic', who are an American boy band. They have been chosen to be put on the front of the magazine because they are popular with alternative music of the magazine. The band isn’t very well known but then again neither is the magazine. The two men on the front of the magazine are looking off the page at the reader which draws your attention. According to the theory of Marjorie Ferguson, this is a common convention of magazines.

This magazine cover has at least five different fonts which is a rare convention for a magazine which normally has no more then three fonts. There are four different colours used for text, these are; red, white, yellow and black. I think that the use of many fonts and more four colours makes the magazine look cheap, common and amateur.

The main title of the magazine is bold and attractive with a backdrop to make it appear 3D. The main title is also on top of the models which implies it is not a very well known magazine because the whole title is visible so people know what it is. The title 'The Automatic' is very difficult to read because of the text it is in. The writing down the bottom left is very easy to read because it has been put onto a white background before being placed on the cover. The photo and writing in the bottom right of the photo is a hook to attract people and try to get them to read the magazine.

In the bottom right of the magazine is the price, issue date, barcode and also a website of the magazine. They are all easy to read but do not effect the overall image of the cover by obstructing anything severely.

Foundation Production

The first magazine i decided to analyse was 'VIBE' a very popular music magazine. by analysing this magazine i am hoping to gain a greater knowledge of the basic conventions of magazines.

This VIBE magazine features a medium shot of Eminem, a very famous American rap artist. He has been chosen to appear on the front of this magazine because he is arguably the most famous rapper in the world. He is well known across the world and very popular with the younger audience, in which this magazine is aimed at. The main and only figure on this magazine is looking straight at the audience in a very serious pose, making you ask the question 'why does he look so serious?’ This look straight into the camera at the audience is a common convention of magazines, according to Marjorie Ferguson’s theory. Lots of young people look up to Eminem because after all he is a rich, famous musician, loved by millions which makes him the perfect model for a magazine.

This cover only has two fonts which is less than other magazines which normally have about three. The magazine has four different colours; red, white, black and grey. The use of four basic colours and only two fonts makes the cover look very professional and classy.

The titles are very bold and clear which makes then easy to read. Also there is a small number of titles and stories which makes the cover neat and tidy and not to clutter which may turn potential buyers away from the magazine. The main title 'VIBE' is also very catchy. It is two colours fading into each other and it is behind the model. The convention of putting the title behind the model is very common especially for magazines which are already popular because the title is already known by the buyer.

The rare thing about this magazine is the barcode. There is none. This may be because the magazine came in a bundle pack but this is probably not the reason because a copy is made monthly. The reason I believe there no barcode is because it may simply be on the back of the magazine.

The titles on the cover are small and catchy and are easy to read. They also draw attention to themselves by their size, the bigger the title the more important it seems to be.

Foundation Production

The following pie charts represent the data i was given from my questionnaire. Each chart is out of 100 people.

When making my magazine, i will design it around the results i received in my questionaiire.

Foundation Production

For our foundation production we were given the task to design and make a: front cover, contents and article for a music magazine. Firstly i decided to ask people what they thought about magazines and general information before going on to analyse existing products.

Questionnaire

Do you ever buy music magazine? (Please circle)
Yes No

What attracts you to a magazine? (Please circle)
Ø Bold and attractive title
Ø Model
Ø Stories
Ø Style
Ø Colour scheme

What genre of music do you prefer? (Please circle)
Ø Dance
Ø Pop
Ø Rock
Ø Indie
Ø Heavy
Ø Country
Ø R&B
Other ……………………………………………………………

How much would you pay for a music magazine? (Please circle)
Ø Less then £1.50
Ø £1.50
Ø £2.00
Ø £3.00
Ø £4.00 or over

Do you prefer articles from real people or celebrities? (Please circle)
Ø Real people
Ø Celebrities

What title would you prefer for a magazine title (Please circle)
Ø ANTHEM
Ø DIVERSE
Ø RIFF

Preliminary Project
This is a copy of my finished contents page. The title 'contents' is in the same font, same font size and same style as the heading on the front cover. I did this to allow the readers to associate the cover and the contents with each other. This association is also shown in the background as it is identical to that of the cover. The information on the top left is the information which is present on the front cover; this is shown in the title. The title of each story is identical the title on the front cover. However, underneath the title is a description of what it is about, all in a smaller size font and italics, this helps the reader to distinguish the title from the description with ease. The pictures in the top right have been put on a blue background to make them stand out more. Each picture directly links to a heading on the left and also contains a page number so the reader can see which heading the picture corresponds to. The bottom left of the page has a title of 'Plus...' which is information and articles not advertised on the front cover. The set out of this section on the contents is identical to the 'From Front' section but a mirror image of it. In some of the article descriptions the writing is a different colour and in capitals. This is to draw attention to this and make the reader want to read more about the topic. The word 'REVEALED' implies that the information is brand new and not many people know about it, making the reader curious, wanting and to buy the magazine to find out more.

Preliminary Project

My name is Thomas .M. Hannett and I am student at Heworth Grange 6th Form studying media. The brief we were given was to design and create the front cover and the contents of a school magazine. The photo on the left is a finished copy of my front cover.
To create this cover, firstly I had to go around the school and take some photos of people which I have used on my front cover. The main image on the front cover was taken and then edited on 'Photoshop' to remove the background which was not required on the cover.
I then decided to add a bright and attractive background of orange fading into red, from top left to bottom right. This attractiveness is added too by adding a bright, bold and textured heading to attract the reader.
The three photos down the left of the cover pull the reader in because they are attracting and make the reader want to know more.
The price at the bottom of the cover is bright and simple. It shows you that the magazine is good value and good quality.
Under the title I have written 'issue 1' which informs the reader that this is the first issue of a series of magazines.
The barcode on the bottom left of the cover is small but easy to find by the cashier