Within this section, I am going to show my planning which has been created in the process of completing the contents page. I have drawn out rough sketches showing my thought process and how I personally wanted my contents page to look; this was very beneficial as it helped me make decisions regarding layouts showing the images and information. I have continued to use the same colours used within the front cover (black and red) as I feel it shows professionalism to follow the same colour scheme throughout the magazine, this is known as continuity.
Fonts (Title)
I like this san serif font as I feel although it is simple and basic it still is eye catching which is hugely important when attracting a niche audience and showing the importance of the contents page. (Above)
When first looking at the title I thought it would be good on my contents page. However, after comparing it with others I found that it looks to squared off, this does not show creativity and flair this meaning that it is not ideal for my magazine.
(Above)
I think this serif font is stylish; however I do not feel it would look good on my contents page as it gives an informal approach. (Above)
When I first looked at different fonts I thought this would be suitable. After looking at both advantages and disadvantages, I decided it would not be good enough for the title of my content page, as I don’t think it would immediately make my audience want to read the contents page. A reason for this is because the font is too simple and therefore would not attract the audience like other fonts may do.
(Above)
Colour Scheme
Within the process of creating the font cover and contents page I have found that the black and red colour scheme is perfect for my magazine.
Black and red:
One of my ideas for my front cover was to use mostly the colours black and red adding some white. I feel that these are similar colours, which are regularly used on existing magazines. I like the idea of these colours as I think that it stands out towards the audience. I think that these colours reflect what is inside the magazine and is similar to a stereotypical music magazine front cover. When deciding the colours for my magazine I took the genre ‘Indie’ into consideration.
I have used these colours on my front cover and to follow continuity I have also used them for my contents page as well. I like the idea of three certain colours that keeps consistency throughout my magazine, hopefully making it look more professional.Information
These are some of the stories, which fit my genre that I am going to include on the Contents page. I may not use all of them however I feel these are the most suitable.
· Exclusive photo’s from the UK’s biggest music event which can only be the European Music Awards 2010
· Exclusive interview with American Band the Killers who have won four NME awards.
· Beat asked YOU who you thought the best band was in 2009 and who will take the spotlight in 2010.
· Beat will be given you a free guide to help you get the most out of this years V Festival. We are offering 3 tickets in this week’s competition.
· Florence And The Machine set for one-off UK gig - ticket details
· 2010 Line revealed
· Noel Gallagher Unearths Oasis Rarities at Solo Show
· The 100 Best Albums of the Decade
Mise-en-scene
This section of planning is where I am going to begin deciding the location of the images I am going to take, the costumes the models are going to be wearing and how they will be presented. I need to take into consideration the genre I am trying to create as all of these can make a huge impact on this.
I feel that the costume, hair and make up all play a huge part in the images as they can indicate a lot about a magazine. I have decided to keep the same look in each image because this is what is said to be the ‘Indie’ look. Although the make up, costumes and hair will stay the same, I have decided I am going to take pictures in several different positions in different positions which should all create different effects.
After the models were in costume I began to decide the location. I took pictures in several places and decided on the best three. For my first photo shoot I created a band using a guitar microphone and speakers; however I decided this was more suitable for the front cover.
I then took other images behind a collage of magazine with one of my characters in front using a guitar. I also then took a similar picture but in front of a brick wall creating a different effect, which I also liked.
After taking several images I decided to edit a few. I then came to the conclusion that it may be a good idea to use a number of the pictures on the contents page. I am going to edit ten photographs independently to create the desired look. I thought of an idea of how I could present them all of one page. I am going to create a Polaroid effect giving the pictures more creativity and eye catching for the audience.
Images
I have taken screen shots, showing some of the pictures of which I have taken. I have selected the images that I am going to use for my contents page, annotating them.
I like these images as I feel the background is original as I have created the collage and taken the photographs in front of it. I have taken pictures of both male and female in front of the custom made background in different positions, which I feel worked well. In each picture I have also changed the lighting and the camera angles and shots. Some of the pictures I took from a low angle, after I looked at these images I felt it showed the model looking vulnerable. (Above)
In the same photo shoot, I decided to change backgrounds. I felt that these images were more stereotypical whereas the other images were more original.These images are ‘Indie’ based, however I have taken these on a plain background making them look different from others. (Above)
Editing Using Photoshop
I like several of these images above therefore I am going to display a few from each photo shoot on the contents page. I am going to edit them using Adobe Photoshop CS4 to a near professional standard. I have then decided to create a Polaroid picture effect, which I will show the stages below.
Firstly, I started off by importing the photo into Photoshop; once this was completed I added a new layer. (Above)
I then used the transform properties to resize the image, whilst holding shift the photographs proportions stay perfect, which helped me achieve the realistic look that I was aiming for. (Above)
Once the image had been resized, you can see the blank white layer underneath that was created in the first stage. This layer will be resized in a similar way to the photograph to create a frame for the photo. (Above)
By resizing the white layer without holding shift, as I did not want to keep the layers original proportions I was able to create this look. As you can see it’s starting to look like a Polaroid picture. The grey and white squares in the background represent transparent pixels; I need to get rid of these by cropping the image. (Above)
Before I cropped the image I wanted to experiment with the blending properties. I added a stroke effect, which creates a black outline around the original picture and the Polaroid frame. I like this effect as I feel it gives the overall image a professional touch. (Above)
You can see now how effective the blending properties are. I have also cropped the image getting rid of a lot of transparent pixels. (Above)
Templates (First And Second Draft)
Below, I have created two similar first drafts. However I have changed a few things hopefully improving them. After evaluating them, I have come to the conclusion that I am going to use both drafts to help participant in making my final contents page.
(Click To Enlarge For Better Quality)
When designing my contents page, I looked at existing contents pages, which should give me a better understanding of stereotypical layouts.
I feel that there are both advantages and disadvantages for this contents page. An advantage is the colours I have used. The reason I choose these colours is because I have used these on my front cover, which I feel shows consistency throughout.
Although I felt that the above was a huge advantage, I also feel that there are more disadvantages with this contents page I have designed. It is said that pictures attract the audience, however I have not added any due to the lack of space left on the contents page.
Another disadvantage is the size of font. I have decided that it would be beneficial to decrease the size of the font allowing more stories to be seen.
I like the idea of this magazine, however I feel their needs to be improvements. After evaluating this I have decided to use this first drafts changing the disadvantages into advantages. (Above)
After already creating a contents page I have tried making improvements. However, this was a lot harder than I thought because of the space available. I am aiming to add both information and pictures therefore this may need to be done several time to achieve the result I am looking for.
An advantage of this contents page is the images. I feel the idea of Polaroid pictures creates a huge impact on the page. I feel that there is also a disadvantage from these, in the first draft I liked the red block with information in, however from adding pictures we have lost this.
Another disadvantage of this contents page is that I feel the ‘THIS WEEK’ is overpowering ‘BEAT’. The reason I feel this is a disadvantage is because ‘BEAT’ is the title of the magazine therefore is possibly the most important, which should immediately stand out towards the written. However, this can easily be improved as I am going to make ‘THIS WEEK’ smaller.
I like specific parts of this magazine, however overall I feel that there can be some improvements, which I am going to change, hopefully making it look more professional and stereotypical. (Above)
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