Double Page Spread

Above, I have shown that I have created a double page spread, and this is the final version. Throughout the making of this A3 page, I have learnt new skills and used a new program to which I had no experience of before. This was: "Abode InDesign."

Creating the double page spread was an important factor due to the colour scheme. I wanted to keep the house style and the colour scheme running throughout all the pages in which I designed and created, and I done so with this page. Using primary colours, I was able to create a double page spread that not only stood out and was attractive to the readers eye, I had included quotes and statements which were written in either a larger or different fonts, sizes or colours. This meant that it would capture the readers attention, especially with both the title of the double page spread and "Just like a truffle-hard on the outside and soft on the inside." I have added page numbers to the spread to relate to the contents page, as the contents page has told the reader is shown on pages 22 and 23, which I have added. Using the two photographs which I have added, gives effect to both of the pages, and she is not doing the same pose, which means I have differentiated the style, and this has not only occurred on the double page spread. Looking at all the front page, contents and double page spread, I can tell that my model is wearing different items of clothing throughout the magazine, which gives it more of a effect rather than having exactly the same appearance.

My Final Front Cover, Contents Page and Double Page Spread

To the left displays both my final front cover, my final contents page and a final copy of my double page spread.

You can tell by looking at them that the colour scheme and house style is correspondent throughout, which is a benefit as if a page was taken apart from the magazine, you could still tell it related to Volume.

Thoughts on both my Front Cover and Contents

Within the class, I asked three people to look and evaluate both my front and contents pages, to find out my strengths and weaknesses, and things I could improve on.
Here were my results:

Person One:
-Lots of information on the front cover
-Suitable font styles
-The record image for "Volume" in the title
-Easy to read with a clear contents page
However...
-The edges of the front cover picture could be altered
-It is hard to read the two words "latest" and "all" due to the colour and the fact they are overlapping the main photograph.

Person Two:
-Love the title of the front page, with a great use of the CD
-Great house style; black, white and red
-Good use of artists, fit in with the genre
-Model's name stands out well
-Fonts throughout stand out from the rest

Person Three:
-Good house style
-Good font for title
-Good order of contents, laid out well
-Good use of colours in the contents page
-Great titles in the contents page, like the way they overlap slightly.

Overall Conclusion:
I have gained knowledge of my strengths and weaknesses within both my front page and contents of my music magazine. I now that my strengths are probably the titles, colours and fonts used, but on the other hand my disadvantages could be the fact my photograph could be cut out better to ensure the edges are cut out correctly and are smooth.

Finished Contents Page

To the left shows my final version of the contents page in which I have created.

The house style has been represented throughout the page, as well as the colour scheme use of red and black.

The page has been set out so that it is easy to read and is clear, as well as a large selection of pages for the reader's to look at, including "Kirsty Walters."

Although I have written the title of the magazine again on the contents, I feel that without it the reader would still be able to see that this page of the magazine relates and appeals to the front cover.

Contents Page So Far

Whilst in the making of designing my contents page, I became unsure of whether the background should stay white or whether I should change to black or another colour.

However, when looking at other magazines which are available for purchase in shops and supermarkets, I found that none or not many had a gradient background within the contents page, and mostly had white backgrounds. In addition, instead of creating the same effect for the background as on the front cover, I chose to stick with white.

In conclusion, I feel that the contents page so far is adequate, but a photograph of the model and editor is definitely needed.

The Main Contents

Although I have shown my paper based view on how my contents page is going to look like, I have shown the template of how its going to look like. I have used the same colour scheme as the front page; Red and Black, meaning that the house style will be similar throughout the magazine, and so that if a reader sees the contents and not the front cover, they will know which magazine it resembles and fits into.

The outline of the magazine consists of a title of the magazine in large, as well as the title of contents. Although this would be obviously the contents page, a main title giving the readers a insight to the page, so it is easy to navigate around, and so all the pages within the magazine are shown.

Although the photograph and the editors notes have not been inputted as yet, this is how the final contents page is going to look like. however, the background may change due to the photograph, as it could leave a large gap meaning the colour may need to be changed, which I could show later.

Final Cover of my Magazine

To the right shows the final version of the magazine.

I have added word art, gradient, photographs, bold text, and eye capturing titles. All these features appear to the reader, and are advantages within the document.

The best feature I feel within the document would be the "Kirsty Walters" text as although it is different from the rest of the document, it stands out so the readers will know that its the main story line within the document, and they will also know who the main photograph is if not already.

Choosing between two designs

To the left and right shows two designs in which I was going to use for my final magazine cover. I could not choose which one, but after a lot of thought and consideration, I decided on the one to the left, with the word art in the middle. This was because it gives the cover more effect and stands out of the page, capturing readers or customers attention.

Voting For The Best Colour Scheme

As I couldn't decide between the two colour schemes, I printed both pages out and showed them to 50 people, and these were the results:

RED & BLACK: 28 votes

GREY & BLACK: 12 votes

The Chosen Font

My chosen font I have chosen is "Capture It" which is the first font I trialled. I thought that this would be suitable for the target audience and the genre of my magazine as the font is not plain and it kind of resembles a rock band. The text includes splodges, with each letter cut into two or more parts, and could be quite eye capturing and relevant to the magazine...

Researching Fonts

Once the type and style of font was chosen, I next had the decision of the colour scheme.

As the colours that I thought were most appropriate to the genre and target audience, I tested out the colours; green, white, black, red and grey.

Because of this, above shows a word document which i have "grabbed" in order to make a print screen of the selection, to test out the different colours to see which looked best.

In conclusion, I found that I preferred the colour scheme of the red writing, with either the white or black background.

Researching Fonts

On the right shows some formats in which I have researched in order to find the best font available to suit not only my target audience, but the magazine as well.
They all represent a kind of "rocky" theme, which links and relates to the magazine cover, but as the title is most important, I initially found 7 fonts to help me decide.

However, the 4th font suits a more hip hop styled magazine, and I do not think this would be appropriate for VOLUME.

Also, the 6th font looks as if it would be more suitable to futuristic magazines, and when changing the font, the background rather than the foreground changes, so I think that this would not be suitable as it would not stand out.

The Genre and Colour Scheme of the Magazine

The genre of the magazine for VOLUME I have chosen will relate to the "Young Alts" group, which includes; Indie Scenesters, Emos, Scene Kids, Indie Scenesters and Hipsters. This is because I feel the front cover resembles this, the code of dress is similar, scarves, Baracuta jackets, skinny jeans, with vans high top Nike, or converse shoes. Passionate and influenced by the television and the media, listening to "X-FM" "Radio 1" and using websites alike "Facebook," "bebo" or "Myspace."

When deciding the colour scheme, I had to think of all the colours relating to the genre. This words I came up with were; red, black, grey, white and green. I then tested these colours within a word document, and tested out which of those looked most suitable, to which I chose the colour scheme of red and black due to the colour and style of the genre.

Choosing Names for my Magazine

Final Names for the Music Magazine
After spending quite a bit of time thinking of names to title my music magazine with, I came up with 7 final options. I then asked 50 people to vote and see what they think. and to see which one they prefer. The options I thought of were:

• SOUL - received 3 votes
• ELECTRIC - received 8 votes
• AMPLIFY - received 5 votes
• VOLUME - received 17 votes
• SLAM - received 5 votes
• BOOM! - received 7 votes
• BEAU - received 5 votes

As you can tell, I am going to go with the name "Volume" for the title of my magazine. I think this was one of the best choices, along with BOOM! and amplify, as they most resemble almost any genre, as I am yet to decide.

The reason for choosing the title of "Volume" was because although it won the majority of votes, I feel that as I have not decided on a genre, Volume links to all types of music, dependent on the font and colours used. The word volume itself relates to the theme of music, as one of the key factors, and a piece of everyday use when listening to radios, mp3's, phones etc.

The Main Task

The "main" task is to create the front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine, choosing the genre, name for the magazine and taking photographs. (Minimum of 4 images per student)