Unit 51 Page Layout and Design Production Commentary The document discusses the design and layout of a gaming magazine cover and double page spread created by the author in Adobe Photoshop. Research was conducted on other gaming magazines to gain ideas on formatting and layout conventions. The magazine focused on the game Bioshock, so the font and color scheme took inspiration from its art deco style and logo. Design principles like Guttenberg's were applied, with the masthead in the primary optical area and credits along the axis of orientation. The target audience was identified as mainly young males aged 15-25, and the informal language and popular games featured would appeal to this demographic.

1. Unit 51 Page Layout and Design
Production Commentary

2. Slide 1: Design Programmes
During making my magazine the only
programme I used was Adobe Photoshop for
both my double page spread and front cover. I
did use numerous tools while editing my images
and text, including; the quick selection tool, the
magic wand tool, eyedropper etc. When writing
my article I used word.

3. Slide 2: FORMATS
• I researched into other gaming magazines, to
gain ideas on how I should layout my front
cover and double page spread. I looked at a
varied mixture and made decisions on what I
wanted to do with mine and took inspiration
from other gaming magazines.

4. Slide 3: Conventions & Visual Language
• The genre of my magazine was gaming and the issue I was doing was
mainly on a game called ‘Bioshock’ which Is a thriller action game that
concentrates in worlds that have art deco features so I chose the fotn of
my masthead to reflect and have it similar to the font of the games logo.
The front cover I filled up a fair bit but when it came to the double page
spread I kept it minimalist and simple to reflect the themes of the game.
• I then took into consideration, Guttenberg's design principle, I put my
mast head across the primary optical area and strong fallow area. So it
was the main thing the audience would be looking at. Then I placed the
model credit across the axis of orientation, so that was the next thing the
audience was looking at. I also placed the aspects I didn’t want my
audience concentrating on such as putting the barcode in the terminal
area.
• When it came to colour usage I mainly used contrasting black and white to
make the magazine feel more simple and for the rest of the magazine such
as the model credits it was reds and golds as these are the colours of the
bio shock logo, the connotations behind them are danger and wealth.

5. Slide 4: Audience
• The target audience for my magazine is mainly
young people 15-25, with both genders but
mainly male. The audience for my magazine I
believe will also be C1 downwards.
• I think my magazine meets this target audience
by featuring informal language which would draw
that target audience in and I also used popular
games that my audience would enjoy.

6. Primary
Optical
Area
Weak
Fallow Area
Strong
Fallow Area
Terminal
Area
Axis Of
Orientation

7. Masthead
Main Image
Badge Flash
Model Credit
Barcode
Cover lines