All my posts for this blog can be found in the Posts list down the side.
Hope you enjoy :)
xx
× Using Technology- What Have I Learnt?
While carrying out these tasks there were many things that were allowing me to do things that extended my creative control. One of these was the use of photo shop, at first I found it really hard to use and I struggled to do things that I wanted, however after I got used to it and learnt new skills, I was able to do things that I would have never have known how to do before. For example, I wanted to cut around a picture to just have the bodies of the band, and get rid of the black background. At first I couldn't get it right and was going to give up but after I played around and took my time, I was able to do it.
However, there were also technology problems that limited the creative process. One of these was while I was creating my double page spread. I had designed my lay out by hand on paper, but when I went to make it on publisher, it didn't all fit on the two pages. Because of this I had to take out some questions on my interview with the band, so that it would all fit on the page. This also limited the amount of images I could use on my double page spread. On my plan I said that I was going to use one bigger image on the double page spread but when I went to put it on I couldn't fit it. Another problem that I faced with technology was timing. Because I don't have photo shop at home, I had to leave all the photo shop work to do at school and sometimes I didn't feel that I enough time in lesson time to complete it.
I have learnt a lot about technologies from the process of constructing my music magazine. The first thing I have learnt is that technology is very tempremental and practice helps a lot before going straight into making the real thing. I have become very familiar and more confident with using photoshop, whereas before I wouldn't have known where to start. After taking my time to browse through all of the features that photoshop had, I could carry out the task a lot easier and more successfully.
However, there were also technology problems that limited the creative process. One of these was while I was creating my double page spread. I had designed my lay out by hand on paper, but when I went to make it on publisher, it didn't all fit on the two pages. Because of this I had to take out some questions on my interview with the band, so that it would all fit on the page. This also limited the amount of images I could use on my double page spread. On my plan I said that I was going to use one bigger image on the double page spread but when I went to put it on I couldn't fit it. Another problem that I faced with technology was timing. Because I don't have photo shop at home, I had to leave all the photo shop work to do at school and sometimes I didn't feel that I enough time in lesson time to complete it.
I have learnt a lot about technologies from the process of constructing my music magazine. The first thing I have learnt is that technology is very tempremental and practice helps a lot before going straight into making the real thing. I have become very familiar and more confident with using photoshop, whereas before I wouldn't have known where to start. After taking my time to browse through all of the features that photoshop had, I could carry out the task a lot easier and more successfully.
× Preliminary Task
Examples of Existing School Magazines
Before I could start designing my own school magazine cover, I had to look at school magazine front covers that already exist.
Before I could start designing my own school magazine cover, I had to look at school magazine front covers that already exist.
These are two examples of an existing school magazine called the primary times. As this magazine has been produced for a primary school, it is brightly coloured with big pictures. In all the examples of this magazine I looked at the layout was the same. The main title was always in the same place, as well as the slogan and the logo of the clock.
I also found two examples of another school/college magazine for Guilford College. This magazine is aimed at older pupils, unlike the "Primary Times" which was aimed at primary students and their parents. The main title, the slogan and the season/date were also always in the same place. And the layout of the images on the front covers always looked the same. With this college magazine, its not as cluttered and brightly coloured. I think this is because its not based around the younger generation.
My School Magazine
We were set a task to design and create the front cover and contents page for our school magazine at Little Heath School. We had 2 weeks to complete this task. The front cover had to include:
- A photograph of a student (medium close up)
- 3 further images
- Some appropriatly laid out text
- A masthead/ title
The contents had to be designed on one separate page.
My school magazine relates to existing examples of other school magazines because they both contain the same sort of information, and similar images are used on the front cover. For example, images from around the school site. And also images of students are sometimes used on the front cover, just like my magazine cover.
I approached this task by putting together some ideas that I could come up with. For these ideas, I thought about images that I wanted to use on the front cover and possible features and stories to put inside the magazine. I also did four design ideas of my front cover before deciding what one I was going to do.
- A photograph of a student (medium close up)
- 3 further images
- Some appropriatly laid out text
- A masthead/ title
The contents had to be designed on one separate page.
My school magazine relates to existing examples of other school magazines because they both contain the same sort of information, and similar images are used on the front cover. For example, images from around the school site. And also images of students are sometimes used on the front cover, just like my magazine cover.
I approached this task by putting together some ideas that I could come up with. For these ideas, I thought about images that I wanted to use on the front cover and possible features and stories to put inside the magazine. I also did four design ideas of my front cover before deciding what one I was going to do.
From these four design ideas, I chose two that I liked and drew them bigger and in more detail.
My final outcome relates well to my draft design. I made a few changes, which were the background and the graphical feature. Once I made the magazine cover, I thought it looked dull and boring so I decided to add a background of snowflakes to relate to the season that the magazine would be released. On my draft design I put a graphical feature around the issues features, I decided not to put this on in the end because it looked a bit to cramped.
Technology extended my creative control because photoshop allowed me to do things on my magazine cover that I would not have been able to do on any other programme, such as the snowflakes in the background and the editing to the central, indirect image of the student. Technology also obstructed my creative control because I didn't have much experience with photoshop to start with. Therefore I found it difficult to use at first. I think I would have been able to carry out the task a lot better if I had more experience with the programme to start off with.
My ideas specifically represented school life because there were images of the school site, where students spend most of their time. And also my central image on the front cover was of a student doing work, this represents school life because that's what students are at school to do. The features inside the magazine also represent school life because the information inside is about Little Heath School in general and what happens there.
By looking at my final school magazine cover now, l would make some changes. These are changes like using more graphical features to make the cover look more interesting and bold. I could do this by also using more images in the blank spaces left on the front cover. By doing this, it would make the magazine cover look more attractive and eye catching.
My ideas specifically represented school life because there were images of the school site, where students spend most of their time. And also my central image on the front cover was of a student doing work, this represents school life because that's what students are at school to do. The features inside the magazine also represent school life because the information inside is about Little Heath School in general and what happens there.
By looking at my final school magazine cover now, l would make some changes. These are changes like using more graphical features to make the cover look more interesting and bold. I could do this by also using more images in the blank spaces left on the front cover. By doing this, it would make the magazine cover look more attractive and eye catching.
As I mentioned before, I also had to create a contents page for my school magazine. I decided to keep my contents page simple but bright. I related my contents page to the front cover that I created for the Heathsonian. I did this by keeping the ideas of the snowflakes to represent the winter season.
× Research Into The Magazine Industry
To start off with, we researched into 6 different magazine companies. These were:
Conde'
EMAP
National Magazines
BBC Worldwide
Future and;
IPC
We researched background information about all the companies. Such as when they were launched, what magazines they produced, where they are based and other general facts about them. We did this by using the internet. Each pair in the class were given one of the magazine companies to research and then we all got back together and shared what we found out. We then, individually, wrote notes on all the magazine companies so that we all had them.
The purpose of researching these magazine companies was so that I could see the existing magazine companies that are out there and see what different factors influence the production of the magazine. This helped me in producing my magazine because I could use other companies magazines as a guide to producing my own.
I think my genre of magazine would best fit into the magazine company called "Future". This is because they produce games, films and music magazines, and mine is a music magazine.
The research for these magazines can be found below:
Conde'
The Conde' company was launched in 1907 and they were one of the first internet publishers in 1995. They have a US pariet company which controls UK subsidiary of the Conde' company. In 1986 they teamed up with F.T (Financial Times). Conde' is an upmarket publisher of fashion based monthlies and they produce handbag size magazines. Examples of the magazines they produce are: Vogue, Glamour, Vanity Fair, GQ and Tatler.
EMAP
EMAP was founded by Charles Whitrey in 1947. They have UK and USA offices, but the headquarters is based in London. EMAP started off as a local newspaper company. They are a multi-platform company, who was brought by Edenbidco. EMAP own other media companies such as CAP and Planet Retail. They produce omega, computer/ video games and magazines. EMAP employ lots of different people from lots of different fields.
National Magazines
National Magazines is also known as "Natmag" and they are based in London. Natmag was established by Will Randell in 1901. The company also own Comag and Hearst Digital. They publish a wide range of magazines such as: Country Living, Cosmo, She, Prima, Zest, Men's Health, You and Your Wedding, Good Housekeeping, Baby and Pregnancy, Bazaar, Real People and Reveal.
BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide are partially government funded and don't have any adverts. They are the UK's third largest consumer magazine publisher however, the magazine business is only one of the seven departments of BBC Worldwide. They have offices throughout the world but the headquarters is in London. One magazine that they have published is the Top Gear magazine, which has been published in 30 different countries. All the magazines that they have produced are linked to BBC television programmes. During 2007/08, BBC Worldwide achieved sales of £916 million. Other magazines they have produced are: Good Food, Teletubbies and Radio Times.
Future
Future were founded in 1985 and they are based in Bath. They produce games, films and music magazines. They previously have over 100 magazines and over 70 websites. They own the third best games information website in the UK and they have official titles for Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony. Their top 5 magazines are: Xbox 360 Official, Total Film, T3, Classic Rock and Official Playstation.
IPC
IPC was founded in 1963 and they are based in London. IPC are owned by Time Inc, who are part of Timewarner and they currently employ over 2200 people. They are an international publishing company and is the leading UK magazine publisher. 2 in 3 women and 45% of men in the UK read IPC magazines. They own over 80 magazines including: NME, Now, Woman, Nuts, Whats on TV and Rugby World.
× Research into Existing Media Products
Existing Forms
Images (Posed or unposed? What of? Size? Mood created?)
- Indirect mode of address, but is posed for this particular article.
- Image- Intimidating, dark colours, large- takes up half of the double page spread.
Secondly, I analysed a double page feature from the magazine "Top of the Pops".
My school magazine and my music magazine both relate to existing examples of these forms of media. They relate by the colours, images and the issues features being similar. For example, other dance magazines also use bright colours, bold titles and large central images. They also use similar interviews and stories inside the magazine to what I have used. On my school magazine, it also relates to other forms of school magazines because, they also use similar images of the school's site and usually have at least one image of a students on the front cover.
However, they both also differ to existing examples of these forms of media. This is because, on my music magazine I have used bright, neon colours which are really bold and stand out. I have done this because I want to relate to the theme I am trying to reach, which is dance and clubbing. My school magazine also differs to other existing school magazines because, mine has got more on it. School magazines tend to be quite plain, simple and to the point. Whereas I have used a fairly bright colour and I have filled the page by making the background bold.
Investigating Magazine House Styles
Before I started to create my magazine covers I had to look at other magazine covers of the same genre as mine. When I did this I noticed how real magazines are designed and what conventions they use to reach their target audience. The layout of the music magazines I looked at were simple and to the point. They used bright colours to catch the readers eye and images were limited to just one large central image. The particular magazine I looked at was "DJMAG". On this magazine cover the layout always stayed the same, as well as the colour and font of the title. Here are six examples of "DJMAG" front covers:
Before I started to create my magazine covers I had to look at other magazine covers of the same genre as mine. When I did this I noticed how real magazines are designed and what conventions they use to reach their target audience. The layout of the music magazines I looked at were simple and to the point. They used bright colours to catch the readers eye and images were limited to just one large central image. The particular magazine I looked at was "DJMAG". On this magazine cover the layout always stayed the same, as well as the colour and font of the title. Here are six examples of "DJMAG" front covers:
From looking at these examples I can see that on each issue they produced, the central image was always the whole background. And the issues features were written all around that central image. They all had one large masthead and then several small titles around the edge. On each issue they have a competition to win something, this is always shown in a graphical feature on the edge of the page. The barcode, price and issue number are in the same place on all the magazine covers.
Double Page Spreads
In order to get an idea of what I will have to concentrate on when creating my double page spread, I had to research into existing examples of double page spreads. Once I had found some examples, I analysed them to see what techniques they used to draw in the reader.
Firstly, I analysed a double page spread from the magazine "NME".
Audience (Who? How do you know?)
- Aimed at Crystal Castle fans.
- Middle-aged people not younger (maybe teens).
- Pictures and language is not appropriate for younger people.
- Aimed at Crystal Castle fans.
- Middle-aged people not younger (maybe teens).
- Pictures and language is not appropriate for younger people.
Images (Posed or unposed? What of? Size? Mood created?)
- Indirect mode of address, but is posed for this particular article.
- Image- Intimidating, dark colours, large- takes up half of the double page spread.
Layout (How much of the page is image and how much is text? Proxemics)
- Nothing is overlapped, laid out neatly.
- Nothing is overlapped, laid out neatly.
- Half of the page is the main image, third of the page is the title, four columns of writing.
Font (Style? Size?)
- “Alice in” is a different font from “murderland”.
- The writing in the article is really small and is laid out like a story.
- The writing in the article is really small and is laid out like a story.
- Subtitles are a different font from the rest of the text.
Language(Type of words? Language features used?)
- Lots of swearing and fowl, negative language.
- The writing and the language is representing the band and the music.
Content(What is it about? Why?)
- The content of the article is all about the bands life.
- All negative and doesn’t give a good impression to the reader:
“Anyway, we couldn’t even pay the rent on this stinking shithole”
“I’m sick of finding these spat-in condoms!”
Purpose(How do you know what the purpose is? Why?)
- The purpose of this article is not to promote the band.
- I know this because they are not saying good things about themselves- all negative.
- To inform the audience of what the band are like- messed up individuals!
Secondly, I analysed a double page feature from the magazine "Top of the Pops".
Audience (Who? How do you know?)
- Young girls- age 9-13
- Lots of images and not much text (what young girls would like to see).
- Young girls- age 9-13
- Lots of images and not much text (what young girls would like to see).
- Mcfly fans- All about a popular boy band.
Images (Posed or unposed? What of? Size? Mood created?)
- Posed and unposed images.
- Images of the band and some other celebs.
- Posed and unposed images.
- Images of the band and some other celebs.
- Some images that are used are indirect, giving the impression that the members of the band are regular people (natural, casual).
Layout (How much of the page is image and how much is text? Proxemics)
- More of the page is images, rather than text.
- Images- quite big- take up most of the room.
- More of the page is images, rather than text.
- Images- quite big- take up most of the room.
- Images all relate to what is said in the article.
Font (Style? Size?)
- Each section of the article has a big title, as well as the main headline for the whole article.
- Each section of the article has a big title, as well as the main headline for the whole article.
- Each interview is in a smaller font than the titles- still easy to read.
Language(Type of words? Language features used?)
- Language is simple, easy to read and easy to understand.
- Language is simple, easy to read and easy to understand.
- Young girls don’t want to read complicated articles- simple and to the point.
Content(What is it about? Why?)
- The article is about a boy band- Mcfly.
- Interview was mainly about the bands life and their past.
- Also includes extra information such as about their album that was being released.
- The article is about a boy band- Mcfly.
- Interview was mainly about the bands life and their past.
- Also includes extra information such as about their album that was being released.
Purpose(How do you know what the purpose is? Why?)
- Gives the reader the impression that Mcfly just live a normal life like normal people.
× Who would be the Target Audience for my Media Product?
Throughout the two activities I had to make creative decisions based on ideas that I had developed about my readers. I had to think about who I was going to aim my music magazine at. For example, which age group, which sex and what music fans. I decided to aim my magazine at young people, starting at around the age of 16.
Each issue can be aimed at either girls or boys, but it's more obviously aimed at girls. The magazine is all about clubbing so I had to make sure I aimed my magazine at clubbing and dancing fans. I did some research on the internet about what sort of dance and music magazines already exist and what audience they aim at. From looking at these existing dance and clubbing magazines such as Mixmag, I could look at the ways they attract their target audience and use these ideas for my music magazine.
I decided that by aiming my magazine at teenagers, it would be unique, as not many music magazines aim for an audience this young. For example, the music magazine "DJMAG" that I spoke about before, aims at people around the age of 18 and over. The reason that I decided to aim at an audience so young was so that my magazine could be about clubs for under 18's to show that there is lots of ways to have fun and feel older for the younger generation.
Each issue can be aimed at either girls or boys, but it's more obviously aimed at girls. The magazine is all about clubbing so I had to make sure I aimed my magazine at clubbing and dancing fans. I did some research on the internet about what sort of dance and music magazines already exist and what audience they aim at. From looking at these existing dance and clubbing magazines such as Mixmag, I could look at the ways they attract their target audience and use these ideas for my music magazine.
I decided that by aiming my magazine at teenagers, it would be unique, as not many music magazines aim for an audience this young. For example, the music magazine "DJMAG" that I spoke about before, aims at people around the age of 18 and over. The reason that I decided to aim at an audience so young was so that my magazine could be about clubs for under 18's to show that there is lots of ways to have fun and feel older for the younger generation.
× Creating My Own Magazine Front Cover and Contents Page
The main task was to produce the front cover, contents page and double page spread of a new music magazine. We got to choose whether we wanted to work in a group or on our own. I decided to work with a friend, therefore we had to produce an individual edition of the magazine but we got to use the same house style.
I approached this task of producing a front cover, contents page and double page by writing down all the ideas which I had. These were ideas such as who was going to be my target reader, which magazine company will own my magazine, how my magazine will be different from existing magazines and how I am going to attract my target reader. I also put together possible names for my magazine and the images and colours that I would like to use.
I then did various design ideas for my front cover and then choose the best one. Even though I didn't fully stick to my design drafts, they still gave me an idea of what I wanted my front cover to look like.
I approached this task of producing a front cover, contents page and double page by writing down all the ideas which I had. These were ideas such as who was going to be my target reader, which magazine company will own my magazine, how my magazine will be different from existing magazines and how I am going to attract my target reader. I also put together possible names for my magazine and the images and colours that I would like to use.
I then did various design ideas for my front cover and then choose the best one. Even though I didn't fully stick to my design drafts, they still gave me an idea of what I wanted my front cover to look like.
As I said before, me and my friend Lauren decided to do the same music magazine company, but different issues of the magazine. This made it less difficult for us as we got to share ideas and make decisions together. We arranged time to meet up out of school, in order to put our ideas together and take photos for our front covers and double page spreads. We made sure that all decisions were agreed by both of us before we went ahead with it. For example, we sat down and discussed all the colours we wanted to use and all the fonts. We both agreed on the same colours and then varied our fonts. I decided to do a special edition of the magazine, we thought that this would be a good idea because it meant that our individual issues of the magazine would differ a lot more.
The first attempt of my music magazine front cover can be found below. I decided not to use this one, as the cutting around the picture made the whole thing look tacky.
My second and final attempt of my front cover can be found below. I decided to change the background so that the cutting around the centre image couldn't be seen.
During the creation my "Electric" front cover, I had to make lots of creative decisions. The hardest part was organising and making decisions for my photo shoot. This was because after I decided how many band members I wanted, I had to decide what costumes, make up and props I wanted to have in the photos. This was hard because I had to think carefully about my target audience. I printed out all the photos I took and analysed them explaining which ones I used and why, also which ones I didn't use and why. I will discuss this further in the post about my photoshoot.
I think I managed my time fairly well. This is because I planned out each task before I even started. However, I found that I kept completing half a task then leaving it. By the end this made it difficult as I had to go back through and complete any unfinished tasks at the last minute. This was hard for me because, one of the tasks I hadn't managed to complete was my contents page. I don't have Photoshop at home so I had to arrange time to be able to use the computers at school in order to complete the task on time.
I think I managed my time fairly well. This is because I planned out each task before I even started. However, I found that I kept completing half a task then leaving it. By the end this made it difficult as I had to go back through and complete any unfinished tasks at the last minute. This was hard for me because, one of the tasks I hadn't managed to complete was my contents page. I don't have Photoshop at home so I had to arrange time to be able to use the computers at school in order to complete the task on time.
I also had to design and create the contents page for my music magazine. I think I handled this part of the task really well, however, I feel that I left it until the last minute. I only did one draft of my contents page and was happy with it which was good, but if I did have more time I could probably find things to improve.
For example, as someone mentioned in my audience feedback on a facebook comment, I could have blended the white area around the picture of me a lot better. The idea was to have it fading out so it almost couldn't be seen. The reason this didn't work out was because I struggled using the programme that I was using to make it, and couldn't get the opacity of the brush as I wanted it to be.
I would also make the neon coloured lines on the background a lot more faded. I saw from looking at my audience feedback that a few people mentioned how they struggled to read the writing against the multi-coloured background.
× Double Page Spread- Planning and Analysis
As I mentioned in a previous post, I first had to look at existing double page features from magazines. I did this to get an idea of the layout of double page spreads and how they target their audiences through various techniques used on the double page in the magazine. After looking at these I could then design my own double page spread for my music magazine. I started by designing how I wanted my double page spread to look. I just drew a rough sketch of how I wanted it to be laid out. This can be found below:
If I were to carry out this task again, I would probably make a few changes. One of these changes would be to the title. If I had more space on the page, I would have had the title a lot bigger and make it stand out more. I would have had it brighter and bolder and made it a lot more eye-catching. I feel that it is a bit boring and simple how it is at the moment.
I would also add more blown up captions dotted all over the article. I feel that these are effective because once the reader reads these captions, they will want to know what it is all about and read the whole article instead of just browsing past it.
× Questionnaire and Feedback
I created and carried out a short questionnaire. In the questionnaire I asked questions about my final music magazine cover. I gave people a print out of my magazine cover along with the questionnaire. I handed out 10 copies of my questionnaire to the same age group, which was 15-16 year olds.
These are the five questions I asked in my questionnaire:
graphs for all the questions. This was because some of them weren't multiple choice and the person doing the questionnaire had to right an opinion down. For example, I asked what audience they thought the magazine was aimed at. Most people said that they thought it was aimed at young people who are interested in music and dancing. I also asked what improvements could be made.
5 people out of the 10 said that there should be more images used of the front cover, and 3 people out of the 10 said there should be more writing. Some people also commented on the cutting around my central image, and also 1 person said that it might help to make the central image as the whole back ground. From looking at these results, I could make some improvements to my front cover to make it better. I also asked what price they would be willing to pay for my magazine. I put the price as £1.70 on my front cover and most people agreed with that. But others said around £1.00 to £2.00.
From this graph you can see, 8 people said that looking at my front cover they would want to read my magazine. And only 2 people out of 10 said that looking at it, they would not want to read it. The 2 people that said they wouldn't want to read it both said that their reason was because they were not interested in that type of music.
This graph shows that most people said that they thought my magazine was about dance just by looking at the front cover. Only a few out of 10 thought it was about another type of music.
In order to get some more audience feedback about my final magazine front cover, I videoed an interview. I asked roughly the same questions in this interview as I did in my questionnaire.
These are the five questions I asked in my questionnaire:
- Just by looking ay this magazine cover, do you think you would want to read it? If no, then why not?
- What audience do you think this magazine is aimed at?
- How do you think this magazine cover could be improved?
- What type of music do you this magazine is about by looking at the front cover?
- How much would you pay for this magazine?
graphs for all the questions. This was because some of them weren't multiple choice and the person doing the questionnaire had to right an opinion down. For example, I asked what audience they thought the magazine was aimed at. Most people said that they thought it was aimed at young people who are interested in music and dancing. I also asked what improvements could be made. 5 people out of the 10 said that there should be more images used of the front cover, and 3 people out of the 10 said there should be more writing. Some people also commented on the cutting around my central image, and also 1 person said that it might help to make the central image as the whole back ground. From looking at these results, I could make some improvements to my front cover to make it better. I also asked what price they would be willing to pay for my magazine. I put the price as £1.70 on my front cover and most people agreed with that. But others said around £1.00 to £2.00.
From this graph you can see, 8 people said that looking at my front cover they would want to read my magazine. And only 2 people out of 10 said that looking at it, they would not want to read it. The 2 people that said they wouldn't want to read it both said that their reason was because they were not interested in that type of music.
This graph shows that most people said that they thought my magazine was about dance just by looking at the front cover. Only a few out of 10 thought it was about another type of music.
In order to get some more audience feedback about my final magazine front cover, I videoed an interview. I asked roughly the same questions in this interview as I did in my questionnaire.
To ensure that I got the best audience feedback that I could get, I also uploaded my magazine front cover and contents page onto facebook so that I could see what comments were said about them. Below is the screen shots of the comments of the Electric front cover.
These comments read:
Lauren Emm at 6:35pm May 7
Lisa i think this is reall y good. I love the bright colours that go with the dance music theme ... The whole magazine looks like it's glowing which woul d really capture my attention if i saw it in a shop! Well done! :-) xxx
Lisa i think this is reall y good. I love the bright colours that go with the dance music theme ... The whole magazine looks like it's glowing which woul d really capture my attention if i saw it in a shop! Well done! :-) xxx
Natasha Taylor at 6:47pm May 7
Fantastic Job Lisa!It makes me want to open it up and look inside! I would definateley buy it if it was in the shops! :D x
Fantastic Job Lisa!It makes me want to open it up and look inside! I would definateley buy it if it was in the shops! :D x
Leanne Devoil at 6:54pm May 7
Helloo :) I really like the star with 'exclusive' written on it. Looks very professional :) and i think the title looks really good and the composition works really well xx
Helloo :) I really like the star with 'exclusive' written on it. Looks very professional :) and i think the title looks really good and the composition works really well xx
Sophie McDermott at 7:22pm May 7
I would definately look at it if it was in the shops. I like the colour of the writing as it really catches your eye and makes you want to read it. X
I would definately look at it if it was in the shops. I like the colour of the writing as it really catches your eye and makes you want to read it. X
Lucy Mitchell at 7:59pm May 7
like it.It looks very proffessional and eye catching. xx
like it.It looks very proffessional and eye catching. xx
Alex Painter at 8:45pm May 7
i like the colours the green and yellow go very well. and the way the title is bended round is good too. only thing is the yellow writing against laurens top. kind of hard to see. other than that... good job (Y)
i like the colours the green and yellow go very well. and the way the title is bended round is good too. only thing is the yellow writing against laurens top. kind of hard to see. other than that... good job (Y)
Jonathan Bradley at 9:17pm May 7
Looks good, the green works well with yellow (especially against a black background). The 'Mas Kara' font looks great, i'd consider doing the whole of the main sub title in this font, just with the first bit in a smaller font size. My only criticism would be you've got text bending down, text bending up, text sloping left, text sloping right, text ... horizontal ... all in different colours / fonts. I'd go for fewer different fonts / colours and have a bit more consistency. Oh, and your text at the bottom (the list of contents) looks different on the left to the right!? Also, the text on the left is capitalised and it's not on the right!? ... hope this helps!! Jx
Looks good, the green works well with yellow (especially against a black background). The 'Mas Kara' font looks great, i'd consider doing the whole of the main sub title in this font, just with the first bit in a smaller font size. My only criticism would be you've got text bending down, text bending up, text sloping left, text sloping right, text ... horizontal ... all in different colours / fonts. I'd go for fewer different fonts / colours and have a bit more consistency. Oh, and your text at the bottom (the list of contents) looks different on the left to the right!? Also, the text on the left is capitalised and it's not on the right!? ... hope this helps!! Jx
As I said, I also uploaded my contents page onto Facebook to see what people had to say about this. Below, you can find a screenshot.
The comments read:
Lauren Emm at 6:39pm May 7
I love your background :-) it looks like the lights across room of a club. Its good that u've continued the theme and kept the front cover and contents page consistant. The only thing i would say is about the white frame around the pic of you that isnt blended as well as it could be, altho i know you did try to do it! Other than that, i love it :-) well done! Xxx
I love your background :-) it looks like the lights across room of a club. Its good that u've continued the theme and kept the front cover and contents page consistant. The only thing i would say is about the white frame around the pic of you that isnt blended as well as it could be, altho i know you did try to do it! Other than that, i love it :-) well done! Xxx
Kerry Nunn at 9:14pm May 7
Looks good but some of the writing is a little difficult to read...maybe tone down some of the colour? xx
Looks good but some of the writing is a little difficult to read...maybe tone down some of the colour? xx
Jonathan Bradley at 9:23pm May 7
Crikey ... that's bright ;-) ... have you thought about having the page black, with the 'stripey' graphic in a strip / panel down the right-hand side, so you can read the text. Would consider a smaller font size again (so it doesn't look too much like a kid's comic) and don't be afraid to have a bit of blank space ... will look more contemporary ... and cutting edge! Again, bit of consistency in the fonts would work better ... I like the "The UK's No1 clubbing guide ..." font especially ... would work well as the 'Contents' heading also!? Oh, and I think it should read "... the first issue of our ...". Hope that doesn't sound too critical ... Jx
Crikey ... that's bright ;-) ... have you thought about having the page black, with the 'stripey' graphic in a strip / panel down the right-hand side, so you can read the text. Would consider a smaller font size again (so it doesn't look too much like a kid's comic) and don't be afraid to have a bit of blank space ... will look more contemporary ... and cutting edge! Again, bit of consistency in the fonts would work better ... I like the "The UK's No1 clubbing guide ..." font especially ... would work well as the 'Contents' heading also!? Oh, and I think it should read "... the first issue of our ...". Hope that doesn't sound too critical ... Jx
× Photo Shoot
To get all the pictures for my front cover and my double page spread of my music magazine "Electric", I had to carry out a photoshoot. In the photoshoot I took lots of photos so that when I looked at them after I could decide what ones I wanted to use. Below you can find some of the photos that I took in the photoshoot, I have analysed them to say if I decided to use them on my final pieces and if I didn't then why not. I have also explained the reasons for the poses and the costumes in the photos, and why I chose this setting for my photoshoot.
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I took 5 long shots of the girls posing. I did this because I wanted to get lots of shots of their full bodies so that the audience can see by what they are wearing, what types of people they are. Long shots also show how the girls are standing, which could be another way of showing what the girls are like. This is the reason why I used the same camera angle for these shots. In the end I decided not to use any of these 5 photos on my front cover or my double page spread. The reason for this was because I thought the close up images were better for both the front cover and the double page spread, which I will explain below.
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This is the photo that I used for my main image on the front cover of Electric. I used this photo because I thought it portrayed what type of people the girls are just in one photo. You can clearly see their make up and how their hair is done. You can still see what they are wearing, which gives the audience the idea of "glamorous girls" who care a lot about their image. The costumes that the girls are wearing and how they look is really important, as this is one of the first things that readers will look at.
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I used these four images on my double page spread. I wanted to portray the girls as fun and girly and I think these images will put that message across to the readers of the magazine. The title of my article on my double page spread was "Girls Night In With Mas-Kara", the props and camera angles show that the girls are meant to be at a sleepover which links well to the title. The girls look as if they are having a good time in these photos, which shows that they are fun, outgoing people.
It is important to think about mise en scene when taking photos for a magazine. This means that I also had to consider the location of my photoshoot and the lighting as well as the costumes, props and make up. I chose this particular setting for my photoshoot because I wanted somewhere simple. The black background kind of represents them actually being in a photoshoot but the way they are acting in the bottom two photos makes it seem as if the photos are natural and not posed for. This represents that they are not all about glamour and vanity but are also out to have a fun, gossipy, girly night in. I used all the same lighting throughout my photoshoot. I did this again to represent the photoshoot setting, which is bright.
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I took three separate photos of the girls. I did this to put next to each of their interviews. This shows a close up of each band member and what each of them are like individually, rather than altogether. I used the same camera angle for these 3 photos because I wanted to keep them simple but still glamorous.
I carried out an interview with a member of the band that my music magazine was based around. I did this to ask her questions about the photo shoot and what she thought of it. Here is what she said:
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