Planning For Double Spread

I am going to plan extensively for my double spread as I have done so far for my front cover and contents page. I have to make the decision regarding the double spread and what topic it elaborates on. Once I have decided this I am going to work on fonts, images and colours boards, which I will then go on to analyse.

Making a decision (Topic)

I have been on the Internet looking at different double spreads from existing magazines. I have analysed a few, giving me an idea of stereotypical layout, colours and so on.

I have been thinking of several different ideas that I think would create a good double spread. After going to the Brit Awards, I felt that an Award ceremony would be a good topic for my page especially because it can relate to my magazine. Whilst at the Brits I took several photos of different celebrities that were at a high enough quality to be used on a double spread. I then came to the conclusion that I am going to base it on the Brit Awards. However, I am not allowed to generally talk about the Brits, as this is not individual information. I have decided to stick with the idea of an Awards ceremony but with a different name whilst I re-create a logo, this is ideal as I can still use the raw photos I have already taken.

Font (Title)

I found looking at different fonts hard therefore I picked five main fonts and have analysed them, discussing both advantages and disadvantages. This should then help me come to the conclusion which font is the strongest and what will best suit my double spread.

After looking through several fonts I felt this one was appropriate. One of the advantages of this font is that it is similar to the ‘Brits Awards’ font. I want to re-create a similar style to the “Brits” font and this font seems appropriate. (Above)

This serif font has different connotations to the others. An advantage of this font it that it looks classic and elegant, however the genre of the awards I am trying to create is ‘Indie’ therefore I feel this isn’t suitable. (Above)

I felt an advantage of this font would be the effect it would have on an audience. However, a disadvantage would be the fact that this font would attract the wrong audience as I have aimed my product at a ‘Indie’ based audience. Immediately after looking at this font I thought that it was more likely to attract an audience who were interested in the genre of ‘RNB’. (Above)

Logo

I am going to design a logo for my double spread page. I am going to use the logo also on my front cover that my audience will see immediately. I am hoping this will attract and engage with the audience persuading them to read the inside of the magazine. I struggled to create logos as i found it challenging to create something from scratch. I created several logos in total and am going to analyse the best ones below which I hope will help me come to the conclusion of which will be my final logo.

The Making Of The Logo:

Original I looked for an image with a specific music note. Once I had found this image, I used the magic wand tool to select the music note I wanted and then copied to a new document. (Above)

Within the new document I duplicated the music note and rotated/flipped it thereby creating a ‘M’ shape in the middle, which stands for the word ‘Music’. I then used a different font for the other letters.

After creating the main part of the logo, I placed it on bright coloured background on the logo. I also then added a ‘sponsored by Visa’ as several of the existing logos have this, making my logo look more realistic. (Above)

When designing this logo I looked at existing logos that looked similar to the logo I have created. I like this logo as it is simple however I feel that it would attract the audience. I used different colours for the outlines of the letters creating an immediate effect. A disadvantage could be that it is simple however in this case I feel that it could also be perceived as a advantage. (Above)

When I was designing this logo I wanted it to look professional yet creative. I experimented with different fonts. To create the ‘M’ I used two music notes and emerged them together. I then used a font creating the effect of a paint look for the other letters. I looked at existing logos, which had block backgrounds behind. I felt this had both advantages and disadvantages. An advantage is that it stands out which would immediately attract the audience. (Above)


Colour Schemes

Earlier in my planning I have looked at several different colours and what they connote. When looking at different colours it is very important as I have to make sure that the colours I am going to use are suitable for the genre and type of magazine I am producing.

Black and red:

I have used these colours throughout my magazine. I feel that using similar colours continuously helps show continuity within the magazine. I have come to the conclusion that I am going to also use grey within my double spread. The reason for this choice is because I feel grey is quite a neutral colour attracting a wider/mass audience. Grey also works well with the vibrant colour red and black. I feel that a double spread may look to simple, using too colours therefore I have decided I am going to use grey for the background and then continue with the colours red and black.

Sketches

Below, I have drawn out some sketches that give me a guideline of how I can present my double spread. When making my final piece I am going to follow these, which should create a well-presented double spread. However, once on the computer it may look different and I may change my ideas.

Article

The EMA Awards 2010 held at Earls Court venue in west London last month has been voted the best music awards worldwide. Several celebrities performed outstanding performances; however someone the other hand weren’t so great. Jay-Z and Alicia blew the audience away with outstanding vocals. Robbie Williams as expected did not disappoint. Robbie Williams was honoured with the award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. He has won more EMA Awards than any other – 11 as a solo performer and four with his former band mates Take That. Cheryl Cole performed her single Fight For This Love who done incredibly well after the latest tabloid allegations about her husband, England and Chelsea footballer Ashley Cole. However this was not the case as people may have thought that it was a bad performance. Lady Gaga the eccentric performer, was the biggest winner at the EMA 2010 and took the award for most eye-catching outfit denying all claims of her gender.

Her performance was both emotional and memorable as she dedicated it to the wonderful designer Alexander McQueen; however was not what people expected to see. The younger people in the pit were not involved in Lady Gaga’s performance until she sang her latest hit ‘Telephone’. In the past 12 months she has enjoyed a rapid rise to fame, selling eight million albums and 35 million singles therefore when Peter Kay presented her with an award she gave a wonderful speech. As an audience member I was expecting more from Peter Kay because of his positive reputation as a comedian. However, it was said that he only said one quirky line throughout after the incident involving a member of Oasis. Liam Gallagher made a surprise appearance to collect the award, pointedly refusing to thank his estranged brother, Noel. He threw his award and his microphone into the audience, prompting host Peter Kay to say: "What a knob-head." I felt that the EMA Awards was

the best yet, this may have been due to it being the 30th anniversary of the EMA. Beat magazine exclusively went backstage allowing them to meet several of the acts including the fantastic performer Lily Allen (Visit page 20 for more information on her interview). She seemed pleased with her performance as she said “The audience were amazing, it was such a buzz. I would love to be back here next year”. The EMA Awards was such a great night. On behalf of all from BEAT magazine we would like to thank everyone involved in making the EMA Awards such an enjoyable experience. We also strongly agree with Lily Allen as we would like an invite for next year too. Yasmin Bogle BEAT Magazine Editor

Images

I have selected some of the pictures that I feel were the best quality. These photos were taken from an award ceremony that I had been to. I am going to use around five of the images making my double page seem realistic.Below, I have print screened the page to show some of the images I took. I am going to look at most of the images below, aiming to use around 5 for my double spread. I am going to edit each image, possibly making the image brighter which should make the images more professional.

I have selected some of the pictures that I feel were the best quality. These photos were taken from an award ceremony that I had been to. I am going to use around five of the images making my double page seem realistic.

Making the Final Piece

I made my double spread using Photoshop CS4. Below, I am going to show the stages explaining each one separately.

When Photoshop had opened I started by creating a new document at A3 size. The default for this document is a portrait sheet
when creating a double spread a landscape sheet is needed. To do this, click on ‘Image’, ‘Image rotation’ and lastly 90CW. This should then rotate the document 90 degrees clock wise.












Once a landscape A3 page is shown I began working on the background. In my planning I had decided to use the colour grey creating a gradient effect. I then experimented with blending properties creating a gradient for the background layer.












Once the gradient was in place I continued to use the blending properties experimenting with the opacity’s of the different colours involved within the gradient.

After the background was complete I decided it was too plain. Although the font and images will be covering a lot of it I decided to emphasize the importance of the awards show by adding spotlights creating a ‘showbiz’ vibe/atmosphere. I created a new layer and used Photoshop brushes to create the spot light effect.












I added stars/camera flashes into the background by painting various sized white dots on a new layer; once this was complete I then added a glow effect using the blending properties. One of the reasons I decided to add these was because I felt it looked more like an official glamorous event. Also looking very professional.

After the background was finished I began importing the edited images and began typing the text/article that I had earlier prepared in my planning. In this screen shot, it shows me adding a caption over the main image of Lily Allen.

Templates

To produce a near professional product there must be first drafts as each time you are noticing things you can improve on. When I first started producing my double spread I wasn’t sure on stereotypical layouts therefore my first draft did not look professional. I also used an existing logo, which cannot be used; therefore this could be understood as copyright. After researching and completing my planning to a higher level, I began creating the final product. I created my own logo placing it in the top right hand corner. I felt this looked more stereotypical especially with the new layout I had created.