This document describes the process of creating a double page spread for a music magazine. The author began with an edited photo of the featured artist that fit the layout. Miniature photos of the artist were added along the bottom. An interview section and quote from the artist were also included, following conventions from other magazines. Consistency was maintained through continued use of design elements like the blue color scheme and scratch design from other pages. The background was further enhanced with overlaying colors and reduced opacity hand prints to achieve a look representative of a pop-rock magazine.

2. This was the original edited photo that I decided to use for my double page spread. I liked
the mid shot of the artist, as I felt that it fit in with the page layout of a double page spread. I
also ensured that the artist was the same as the one on my front cover as this is a standard
convention within music magazine’s. The background of the image, being a plain light
colour, would be easily editable. Therefore, this image was an ideal photograph to use, as I
planned to change the page’s background to match with the front cover and contents page’s
and efficiently reflect the pop-rock genre of my magazine.

3. My first step was to create the title for my double page spread. The name of the artist
featured within a double page spread is usually used to show readers who the artist is. I
chose to use the black background with a stylised wind effect that was displayed on my
contents page. I liked this design, and therefore decided to use it again within my double
page spread. By doing this, a consistent theme is prevalent throughout my magazine, and
helps to generate a more professional design layout. I also continued the colour
scheme, with blue and white writing.

4. The next step I took in the creation of my double page spread was to add some miniature
photographs of the featured artist along the bottom of my magazine. I found a similar trait
within a Q magazine, and I liked the artistic aspect that it brought to the page. To ensure
that it didn’t look too formal for a music magazine, I chose to alternate the angles of the
image’s. I also created a black stroke blending option around each of the images, as they did
not stand out against each other as they all had similar coloured backgrounds. I made sure
that they were black and white in colour, so that they did not direct attention away from the
main image.

5. A main feature within a double page spread of a music magazine is the interview section.
Therefore, I added the section to the magazine. I placed it on the left side page, and situated
near the bottom as I had planned to include a quote above the interview, as I have seen this
aspect frequently when researching different magazines. The size of the writing was set to
size 10, which is the standard size for magazine text. To differentiate between the questions
and answers, I made sure that the questions were bold. This would be easily noticeable for
readers, as it is a typical visual feature of magazines.

6. My next step was to create a quote from the artist in bold writing across the top of the left
hand page. This is a stereotypical feature of various magazine’s, including Kerrang!, Q and
NME. I liked this feature, as it briefly indicates what type of person the artist is, as it is
usually associated with something personal or inspirational surrounding the artist. I
measured where the middle of the page would be, as this is where the writing would be less
visible due to the magazine’s production, and ensured that the writing did not overlap this. I
also continued the blue colour scheme of my magazine, to create visual consistency.

7. Next, I created incorporated the album cover image from the cover of my magazine into my
double page spread. I did this so that the article on the front matched the nature of the
interview. I placed it on the right of the page, and angled the photo to reduce its formality. I
also used the paint splat used in my contents page, to again create consistency. I used this
feature to display any notices that the magazine would like to make, and I chose to state that
Scarlett was Avenue’s No.1 artist of the year. The design of this ensured that it stood out
against the background, and made it bold and noticeable for the audience; and important
aspect to consider when creating a magazine.

8. To create some divisions between the main body of text and other features of the page, I
decided to create a minor quote featured within the main interview and place it towards the
right of the page, next to the image of the artist. Partly this was so that there wasn’t any
noticeable areas without information, but I feel that it efficiently displayed another aspect of
the artist. I also introduced a caption to the image of the album cover, to briefly explain
what the image is for readers who have not yet read the interview. These techniques help
aid the overall layout and look of the double page spread.

9. I felt that the background of my double page spread was very plain, especially compared to
my contents page and cover design. It was also unrepresentative of a standard pop-rock
magazine. To combat this, I created two different photographs of the artist and reduced
their opacity to 40%, placing them behind the main body of text. Due to their reduced
opacity, they did not draw away attention from the main image, but added an artistic
element to the double page spread. I also ensured that the artist’s image’s were placed in a
way so that her eyes were not covered by the writing, as I feel it is important if the readers
can connect with the artist.

10. To further increase the consistency throughout my magazine, I decided to add the scratch
design from my previous two pages to my double page spread. This scratch design
generated a theme stereotypical of pop-rock magazines. I changed the colour of the actual
background to a light blue, to follow the standard blue colour scheme of my magazine. I feel
that this element brought all the colours of the double page spread together in an efficient
and visually effective way.

11. However, I was still not satisfied with the look of my double page spread. When compared
to my other two pages, its background colour was too fair and light for a pop-rock magazine.
I also felt that it was not colourful enough, and so I created a spectrum of colours behind the
image and changed the blending mode to overlay. I also added a mixture of various sized
hand prints in the background of the image and slightly reduced their opacity. This was
purely for visual reasons, as I saw this when researching magazine’s and decided to use this
aspect within my own double page spread. I also slightly increased the boldness of the
quote, as I felt that it did not stand out sufficiently enough.