2. After looking at the exam board’s mark scheme, I decided that the image was not entirely suitable for a magazine cover as they are not looking into the camera. In my final draft, I am going to change this so that my model is looking into the camera and forming a relationship with the reader before they even open the magazine. This will intrigue them, causing the image to be more functional instead of just being artistic. By having the model look away, I do not feel the cover has an impact on the reader. Front Cover The masthead is a little ragged and untidy, maybe a neater font would be more appropriate. I will do further research into a similar font style as I like its size, however, there is room for improvement. Untidiness will make a customer less likely to buy this magazine. The layout is not very effective on this ‘lure’ as it looks flat and uninteresting. The layout on the ‘lure’ “Laura Sage” is much better, so I may use a similar type of thing for “The state of music”. The continuation of fonts here is a typical convention and is a good example of continuity throughout the magazine. The purple logo on the model’s vest top has been edited so that it matches the colour of the purple heart on the hand. This stands out and gives the cover a burst of colour, however, it is not enough, in my opinion. Without this colour, the cover would look very flat, however, it does give it a little lift. In my final magazine, I am going to use more of this purple and hopefully it will have more impact on the reader when they pick this magazine up. However, it does work well, but this needs to be further improved on the next attempt. The change of black and white fonts here to contrast against the image is a great thought as not only does it make it clearer for the reader to read, but it still follows the colour scheme of three colours, which is a common convention in magazines. The font used is the same as the masthead, which, again shows continuity in the magazine. The price of this magazine says £1.99, which is too cheap for a magazine in most shops. The inspiration for this magazine comes deeply from NME and having been into the shop to research some prices, the last issue was priced at £2.30, so in my next magazine, I will price it similarly to this, as this is the main influence and a similar sort of audience will be buying my magazine. The barcode is appropriately placed and is of an acceptable size, however, being a tad smaller would make the cover more aesthetic.
3. The main title used for this page uses the same font as the front cover does. This shows continuity throughout the magazine and helps to give the magazine a sense of identity. The use of black in the title abides the black, white and purple colour scheme used throughout the magazine. However, again, like the front cover, the font used is a little ragged and uneven. This makes the magazine look unprofessional, so I shall change this aspect of it when I am creating my final design. This side column used is a very uniformed and well laid out idea. The black abides the colour scheme and so looks professional whilst at the same time drawing the reader’s eye so they know where all the information they need is. The white writing used is effective in a way that it is easy to read, but, again, has abided the colour scheme of the magazine. By following a colour scheme of three colours quite strictly it gives the magazine a sense of identity and as the theme runs throughout the magazine it gives it quite an aesthetic edge. Contents Page Although there are a few images here, I do not think, nor does the feedback I have received, there are enough. I need a greater variety and as this is a unisex magazine, there needs to be more males featuring in this part of the magazine as I do not believe there would be enough male interest in this magazine at the current state of this magazine. Also, Laura Sage features on every single page I have produced and the magazine is starting to look as though it is wholly dedicated to her, and that is not something I want to happen, it needs to have other people featuring in it also. I will take more pictures for my final design and make this magazine more appealing to a unisex audience by doing this. As I have mentioned, there are not enough shots on this two thirds of the page. I need to include a greater variety of shots. I need long shots, mid shots, close ups and others too. This will show that more thought has gone into the magazine and will give it more layers – making it more interesting to look at. This lure does not tell us who the giant pull out poster is of. This is not what you would see in a published magazine, so I will ensure more details will be provided in the final design.
4. Double Page Spread The colour of the title is black, which is co-ordinated so that when Laura Sage speaks in the article, her writing is black again. This makes the article easier to understand for the reader. The title uses the same font as the front cover and the contents, this shows continuity and gives the magazine a sense of identity. However, the font used is a little ragged and a neater, smoother font should be used in order to make the magazine look more professional. The page overall lacks impact, I need it to grab the reader’s attention more and be able to hold interest for longer than what it already does. The image used shows the subject has attitude and the pose is similar to what other magazine may use. The image has been lightened on photoshop so that the skin of the model is more pale than what she would be normally to make the image abide the white, black and purple colour scheme. The nails of the model and the skull motif on the vest top have been made the same colour so that the image is more eye catching to the reader and more interesting. The article I have created is far too short too be in a magazine, it needs to be almost double in length. The purple font and black font is a good idea to help the reader recognise the different speakers in this article. The colours used, again, follow the tri-colour scheme and co-ordinate with the colour of the image used. This page does not display a page number, and so does not look likely to appear in a real magazine, this is a main aspect of a magazine, so I will definitely include this and correspond the correct page number here on my contents page. The article I have written is flirtatious and not very professional, it is also poorly written. The article seems a little confused and maybe written too quickly. It also says very little about music (which the magazine is mainly about). In my final magazine, I am going to make sure the article is longer and more well worded in order for the enjoyment of reading this to be at its peak. This page was designed so that the fold of the double page spread was exactly in between the columns of writing, making it easier to read for the reader and giving the magazine a professional edge.
