Ideas for double page spread

Layout drafts- NOT INTENDED PLANS

I have decided to do some pretend layouts of my double page spreads- In doing this it will help me find the best layout for my magazine. I have designed two layouts. Firstly one has a black background which graphics situated round the sides- I will use graphics in my double spread as I did this on my front cover and contents therefore I intend to keep a unified house style- However the graphics used in the first layout will not be the ones I use in my final. I realised that the best layout is infact the second layout therefore I will do this when designing the double page spread. However I do not like the "D" on its own therefore have designed a masthead of the sort of idea I am going for. I will use three photographs of my model and set them out as if they are from a polariod camera (as shown in the diagram below). I will research more into the texts I intend to use by going on www.dafont.com and also looking at the texts I have used before.





This is a polariod camera layout- I intend to distribute my photo's in a way like this on my double page spread.

Photographs on double page spread

I have decided on using these three photographs for my double page spread. I will set them out to look as if they are Polaroid photos or in a movie strip. I have edited the photographs in photoshop. I changed the brightness and constrast then the exposure. I edited out any blemishes using the spot healing tool and patch tool. Additionally I removed "red eye" using the red eye tool. Furthermore I used the clone tool to whiten her teeth which makes it overall look more presentable and proffessional. I also used the paint brush to colour in her nail varnish so it stands out more to the reader.

Here is a draft in how I wish o position the photographs- I used word document to set this out. I have not yet decided whether I will layout the page with the photographs landscape or portrait- I shall decide this later on in my double page planning.

Researching Double page spreads

This is a double page spread taken from NME. It is an interview with current indie pop artist Lily Allen. Instantly looking at the double page spread, the colours are what attract me. The use of primary colours is bold and draws the reader in. The use of the colour black is luring- Although the test it in black, the artist has also very dark eye make up and dark hair which works very well together. Additionally, the clothing she wears links in very well with the genre and overall house style generated.

The photograph is a medium shot- This shot pratically takes up half of the page with no other images placed on the double page spread, however In my opinion I do not think any other images are needed seeing as this photograph takes up a wide space. I like the idea of the masthead taking up half of the double-spread and the font is very attracting- also links in with the picture.

The use of the quote "People think I'm an attention seeker, but I'm just honest". This quotation from the artist is intruiging and also lures the reader in as we are forced to read the interview and find out that the artist may have been misiunterpretated. The use of a captiviating quote draws the reader in and makes up the decision whether they read it or not. If all a reader can see is lots of text then they may decide not to read it, therefore captivating short quotes in different font styles and sizes are useful- especially for my target audience.


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This is a double page spread taken from NME on www.google.com.
Firstly, this double page spread will differ greatly from mine as it is a male indie band whereas I have an indie pop artist. After taking this into account, I do like the use of font style and its layout. The different use of font within the masthead gives it a unqiue musicality revealing the genre also. Simililarly to the previous double page spread, the article starts with the huge capital letter- I have noticed that many magazines do this and it creates a good starting point therefore I shall do this when designing my double page spread. However, I feel that there is not enough text on this page therefore will hope that my double page spread is more spread out. However the medium long shot of the band is well taken and the brightness links in well with the overall house style. I like the different fonts used on the masthead however I intend to create graphics on photoshop using the custom shape tool and place this into indesign and use it on my double page spread.

Feedback from Front over and Contents Page

Feedback from my front cover and contents page

After completing my front cover and contents page I decided to get feedback from my target audience. This is very important as I need to make sure they are appropriate for my readers and actually meet their needs. I improvements are suggested I shall look into these and adjust them.

Person 1)
I like the way she has used her house styles on both the front cover and on the contents page. The name of the magazine "Nation" stands out on the front cover and is very intriguing. It is placed in a large, bold and eyecatching font. Also, the different fonts on the magazine contents page work well, as it is easy to read and overall looks clean and well presented. Great main image for her front cover- Very bright and radiant which draws your attention directly to it.

Person 2)
The brightness of the front cover image is amazing and the postioning of the text is very good. The straplines of the front page look very professional and link in which the genre perfectly. Contents is layed out well and is clear which it needs to be.

Person 3)
The image on the front cover is very clear and bold- You can tell there has been a lot of thought in to taking the photographs as this photo is very suitable for a front cover. I also like the fonts used for the masthead as they stand out very well. I like the house style between the front cover and contetns and how she has used similar fonts and colour schemes- I recommend she keeps this unified style when designing her double page spread. The contetns is well spaced out into sections, making it easy to find the section you want to read about. This is very good!

I was very pleased with the feedback I recieved from target audience and thought it was constructive. I will take their advice and keep a unified house style when designing my double page spread- showing the continuity. I realised that most of my comments were saying that the image was very bright, clear and well suiting my genre of music.
I will take this constructive feedback and be aware of it when researching, planning and designing my double page spread.

Final Contents Page

Here is my overall contents page- I decided to input an image of an artist from the band "The script" as the space looked quite empty and almost in need of an image to fill the spot.

Grab shots of Editing Contents

On my front cover I used a few graphics in which I designed- Therefore I decided that I should keep this in order to make it unified. By using the Pattern tool in photoshop I added a graphic in the left hand corner- I believe it is unique and fits well in with the indie pop genre. Additionally I placed graphics around the text "THIS WEEK" so it draws more attention to it- However also gives it a unique touch.

After placing the headings on the contents page, I added the typeface in- I decided to use the same font that was used on my front cover- Additionally for the contents headings I noticed that most magazine use a black background to enhance the text and for it to stand out to its audience. In terms of the content, I placed the page number in a larger font and wrote a summary below of what the pages have in them. I added the issue number and also placed text saying "THIS WEEK" in capital letters- Many magazines do this therefore thought it would look proffessional.

I decided to then place the text onto the contents, I placed the headings in first and also set the layout out. I made sure that the text and picture were at an equal width. I choose to use the same font which I used on my front cover to keep the unified house style. I also kept the colours the same, Black, White, Grey and dark red.

Next, I decided to edit my photograph by changing the brightness and contrast, this made the red lip stick stand out. Then I changed the exposure which contrasted the colours and made them more vibrant. Additionally I used the spot healing tool to erase any blemishes- This makes the overall photograph look more presentable.


Before starting my contents I planned my work before hand- I did this on a seperate piece of paper manually. In terms of the layout I researched into different magazines to identify similar aspects. Firstly I placed the masthead "contents" in the right hand corner- After research I realised that not all magazine place the masthead at the top directly in the centre therefore I adapted the layout. I decided to use this photograph of my model- In terms of mise en scene I like the action she is doing with her hand as this displays attitude- Which links in well with my genre.

Contents Planning and researching

Taken from www.google.com
Before starting my contents page I researched into Music magazine contents pages in order for mine to look proffessional and presentable. Above is a contents of NME's magazine- Firstly I like the bold typeface displaying "This week" as it draws the reader in. In addition the headings on the contents read "news, radar, review, live feature" they are highlighted with a black background which standards out from the rest of the contents due to the white background. I think that i will use this house style on my contents as it goes well with my genre. Also, the page numbers have a different coloured typeface and also colour this draws us to the page and helps the reader find where it is. Additionally the healine of this magazine was Oasis- and a photograph is used in the contents wtih a standfirst situatued below.

Planning of my Contents

After researching into contents pages I decided to do a overall plan showing my layout in Word document. I have decided to use three columns- Including a box suitable for an image. I will place the masthead in the right hand corner.

Final magazine cover

FRONT COVER AND CONTENTS

Overall Annotation of Magazine Cover