Flat plan design

This is an idea of what i would like my double page spread to look like as it has a clear layout however is still very creative and unique.

Questionnaire for traget audience

I am doing this questionnaire to collect data about music magazines as it is essential to know what your target audience wants to see or read in it.

1. Are you male or female?
2. How old are you?
3. Do you read music magazines? If not why is this?
4. What price range are you willing to pay?
5. How often do you buy a music magazine?
6. Why do you buy it that frequently?
7. What type of genre do you like to buy?
8. What catches your eye when you first see a magazine? Why is this?
9. What type of stories attracts you to the magazine?
10. Do you like articles or interviews? Why?

What i have learnt

Throughout the making of the front cover and contents page for the school magazine i have learnt many photoshop skills and i feel more confident when using the programme now. I have learnt about the conventions needed for a magazine and have attempted to include them in my own work. The images i have chosen show that i have understood the connotations of photography. I have used many photoshop tools on my main image such as the blur tool and cropping, i feel more fimilaur with the tools and programme now and i am hoping my final AS product will show that.

Contents Page for school magazine

I have kept my colour theme from my front cover of yellow and blue as this shows continuity throughout the magazine. I chose a medium sized image of students studying as this shows the hard work and enthusiasm in Heworth Grange school. I added the titles of cover stories and features to my contents page as this puts the main headline and other stories into different categories so it is easier for the reader to find what they are looking for. My contents page has a simple layout however i think that less is more as it looks more professional.

Front Cover of school magazine

These are my three drafts of my front cover for the school magazine. I started with the colour theme of blue and yellow as Heworth's school logo use these. I then chose topics relevant to school to add on to my front cover while also having photos that connected to the topics. The large image is of a pupil from this school as this is relevant to the genre of my magazine. I wanted my magazine to look professional and authentic as then i would atract more of an audience to read my magazine.

Layout

Large image – most magazines have a large image which takes up the majority of the front cover. The image will most likely be of a popular artist as this lets the audience know what type of music genre the magazine is.

Masthead – the masthead is usually big and bold so it stands out to the audience and the colours used are very effective as well as being simple yet eye catching. Some magazines cover up parts of the masthead with the main image however the audience still recognises and identifies the magazine as it very popular.

Selling line – Looking at the selling line it is simple and gets to the point. You get to know what the magazine is about as if you only read the masthead you wouldn’t know it related to music. This also shows the audience the genre of the magazine if it was about something else like gossip.

Main cover line – is very eye catching as bold and outstanding text is used. It keeps a consistent house style with the different colours of the words. Black, white, and red are the main colours of this magazine front cover. The main cover line also usually relates to the main image as they both show the genre of the magazine. The size of the text will also be in larger than the others as this shows it is the main story of the magazine and more important than any of the other stories.

Bar code – a bar code is very commonly been placed on this magazine. They are most likely placed so that they don’t cover any of the main image on the front cover of the magazine. In the space that the bar code covers, it also has the date and the issue number so the audience know where to look for this information.

Bad Photograghy

Good Photograpghy

What makes a good photograph is that the positioning and distance of the model is of the shot you’re looking for E.g. a Medium shot should not show the model below the chest.  The mise en scene is important including lighting, figure, colour, objects, and setting within the framing shot. E.g. If the photo is too dark you won’t be able to see what is on it so the lighting needs to be perfect also if using colours they need to contrast with the background of your photograph so the main object stands out more than the rest. It is critical for a successful print project as if the print project does not look professional or authentic enough then no one will want to buy your magazine or even attract the audience you are aiming it for.