First school magazine front cover.

After using the results from my survey, I have created my  final design for my magazine front cover.  I will then create a second magazine front cover once I get feedback off my audience. The people who answered my survey told me it is better to not have the logo for the school, therefore I changed where the logo would of been to a PUFF which says 'Free enrichment program inside' This makes the audience more involved as they may want a copy in which they was not able to get before. The audience told me to keep both the masthead and the slogan the same, therefore I did not change the rest of the top third of the front cover.

The audience did say that my main image should be in the middle, however I did not want the cover lines on both sides of the main image, because it would make the front cover look too busy. Again the only problem with my main image, even though it is a mid shot of someone doing their work, which promotes education, I feel the model should look at the camera, with a direct mode of address to show that the audience should feel engaged with the magazine.  

Therefore I went to take more photos that I could link to a suitable anchor text. I chose a mid shot photo of the sixth form students completing their art work as I thought it helps connote to the audience that the school is very serious about their work and it shows that students are allowed to flourish in creativity within this school. 

The cover lines were chosen by the people who completed my survey, they said out of the selection of cover lines I had thought of, these were the most appropriate to the school and the front cover. The colour of the coverlines are all different colours to help each one stand out from the other, keeping in mind that they need to contrast well with the background. I chose the colours red, black and white as they are the colours of the school which makes the front cover more personal to the school. The coverlines help to connote schools passion for education as that is what the majority of the cover lines are about. Even though the cover lines do not have any catchy phrases, I thought it would be stronger to show the audience that these articles are straight to the point instead of trying to reel in the audience through comedy and language features. Also to the audience, it connotes that the school does not just care about their Key stage 3 and 4 students but in fact key stage 5 students as well. 

If I were to improve this piece I may put taglines underneath the cover lines to explain them further. The anchor text is bold and in capitals to show that the audience that this is the most important thing for the audience to read. I used the font ‘castellar’ on both the anchor text and cover lines to help show a sense of sophistication to the audience and as I feel this font is appropriate and clear. In addition I thought using the colour white would create a nice contrast to the background where the anchor text has been placed. I added the tagline I 'come to Plantsbrook on the 22nd October for a look around our school..' This creates a sense of mystery as they need to come and have a look at the article otherwise they are not going to understand what is happening. I used a personal pronoun of 'Our' which helps the audience feel that this front cover was made by someone who is in relation to the school. Similarly using this tag line helps to connote to the audience that we are all connected.

 Finally I used a slogan 'be the best that you can be' As this is the school's motto. To the audience this symbolizes  a positive and challenging attitude towards the students. Making this look more appealing as they are keeping this attitude through their different media platforms. 

School magazine draft

After using my knowledge of fireworks and using my photos that I took last week I have created a draft magazine front cover for a school magazine. I feel that from my research the colour scheme is appropriate as from my research I was told that this was the most appropriate colour scheme. Also from research into cover lines, people said that including our new build information and an article to relate to exams would be the the most appropriate.
I feel that using a close up will be better as you can see what the photo is, however I do not feel that this would be the most appropriate for when I do create my school magazine because the photo shows Shakespeare but it does not link to the anchorage text. I would like my photo to have someone in uniform to connote education, I also believe that I should have a direct mode of address for my main image so that the audience feel engaged by this.
I feel that using a PUFF that relates to school makes the magazine seem more intriguing as we are offering something that is now rare to get, that the audience can get for free. However I feel that this Puff does not look very sophisticated and slightly unprofessional.
Within my research I had a mixed result of whether to use the logo within my work.I think it is appropriate at it helps create a personal touch to the magazine and it helps make the front cover look slightly busy without going over the top. However I feel that I should use the 'magic wand' on fireworks which will take out the white background, and then I will make the lines bolder so that they are visible on the front cover without the white background.
I have used a variety of different fonts, keeping the cover lines and anchor text the same to keep a professional look, it is also a basic and clear front so that it is easy for the audience to read it.  I have put the slogan in a different font as it is similar to the front to the school. It also helps stand out a little but look quite sophisticated.

questionaire results

From people completing my survey on www.surveymonkey.com I have gathered my results to decide what  features I will include on my school magazine front cover.

Out of the 19 people I asked said that they prefer the Red and Black colour scheme. I think this is the post appropriate as well for the targeted audience. This means I will use red and black on most of my cover lines and masthead. I think this mainly is because of the colour of Plantsbrook school are black and white, therefore will create more of a personal touch onto the magazine. I might also use white as this colour contrasts well with the two colours.

I also found out that the people who answered my survey mostly really cared about GCSE and/or A Level results, This helps me understand that they would like this subject to be one of the coverlines/anchor line. Therefore I will use the results as a cover line as this time of the year I will not be able to find a suitable picture to engage the audience.

 Within these results I was able to narrow down the most appropriate coverlines to include in my front cover. The majority of the people believed that they would like a cover line about revision tips and the new build. These are the coverlines I will prioritize in my front cover and if there is space, start to put the less liked coverlines underneath.

The next question was to help understand which layout the people who answered my survey liked the most. We found out the one on the right was the most liked layout. This is probably because it looks like there is a lot of information on the front but not too crowded. This will help me decide which layout I am more likely to use.
After I looked at if the people would like the logo put on the front cover. Majority of the people said yes, I would of thought this is because it makes the magazine more personal to my niche audience.
From looking at these results I have now narrowed my ideas down to an appropriate front cover design in which the audience will like.

 

Independent research: Practice Fireworks piece

I have started to use my understanding of fireworks to create a music magazine. I thought instead of creating a school based draft, I would create one that has no relation to my work. I feel that I need to do a few more practices as the lines I have drawn are not thick enough and I would like to add more smaller images.I feel using this practice will help me to understand the way in which I can change certain features, for example the picture and the contrast of colours. Using this colour scheme is appropriate for the type of magazine, however they are not as easy to see, due to the dark background and not very light colours for my coverlines.
Eventhough this is a draft practice, I do like the masthead as I made, as I have made this masthead name up, for my rock magazine I may use this masthead as I think it is quite appropriate, considering it will be for a music magazine.

Fireworks Tutorial

To help create an effective magazine front cover, I have found a really good tutorial video which helps me to understand how to work Adobe Fireworks. This software is really good but not something I understand therefore I am broadening my understanding of how to use this software. 

After this video I am now more educated on how to work fireworks. I have found out the different layers in which I can include, which will make things easier to move, instead of it being on the same layer which will all move at the same time. I have also found out how to 'transform' layers on my page, this is so I can change the size, angle and position of the part of the page I am changing. Finally I have understood how to change the colouring or the textures of my fonts/texts, this is so I can make the text look more effective towards my target audience. For example I will use a bold, 3D look for my school magazine, whereas I would use a more 'crumpled paper' look for my rock magazine. 

Survey..

To help delve deeper into my research, I have created a survey that people of the public can complete to help me decide how my front cover will look like. The questions will ask the preference of certain features and colours. If the survey is completed by my target audience it will be easier for me to create something in which my audience will like. You can complete my survey  and the continuation of the survey on:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XPPW3LG https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7QRBDNW

Layout, double page spreads

 Due to looking at existing double page spreads, I have decided to practice some work into making layouts of double page spreads, using Microsoft Word. I feel this will help me when it comes to creating my final AS piece of coursework as I can evaluate which is the best layout. I can also get audience feedback on the layouts to see which layout would be the most appropriate for my audience.

Majority of the layouts have some features which I used from existing double page spreads. For example, the use of using little columns, but lots of them, this helps the audience to take a break from reading and will not lose where they were reading to. Also I saw that a lot of double page spreads for music magazines use large main images. I think this is to help make it clear to the audience that this is what the article is about. This is also because there is more of an impression to the audience about what the models look like than the text they will be reading. I have found that my audience prefer visuals than reading.
I have attempted to make each of the layouts completely different, this is to make it easier to help decide which features are the best.
The first two layouts are quite effective as they show clearly both what the article is about and that there is a lot of information about it. I think that the one on the right is the best as separates the pages but still links them with the writing and colour schemes.

The next layout doesn't include as much information but some people do not want a lot of writing if you can get all the information in two small columns. This helps attract the readers as they can read it quickly and get the information they want. Also using a large image creates character to the page as you can put more detail into the connotation of the photo instead of language features. I also thought including a quote away from the columns/text will make the page look more busy as there is lots of things for the audience to engage in.

 The next layout is slightly different as it may attract the audience as the quote makes the page more personal as the subject of the article has spoken to this magazine company. This also helps prove that the information will be correct. Also using a good title can reel in the audience as there can be good language features used in this masthead. Also in this layout it is more likely that the image will consist of a mid close up as it makes the audience feel the subject is looking directly at them.

 The next two layouts I do not feel look as effective for a rock magazine as they look more laid out, whereas a rock magazine consists of more random and uneven layouts to connote the feelings of the audience and to reflect on the type of music. However I feel the banner or PUFF is quite effective as this could be the area of the double page to state that this is an exclusive article that not many magazines will have. This will intrigue the audience as they want to know what this magazine has, that others do not.

This double page spread out is something I was inspired by a page spread about Tiny temper. This is because the main image was a landscape long shot of him to create detail with a quote below to show that he directly said it. It also included a lot of information to help reel in the reader. I feel that this layout will be effective to the audience as I have found existing rock double pages similar, depending on the genre of rock the band/singer is like will depend on how the pages are set out.

Examples of double page spreads

 I thought that part of my final AS work is to create a final magazine front cover, contents page and a double page spread, preferably our main article. For this I feel I should delve into the research of what is included in double page spreads, so that when I complete mine, it will be appropriate and effective.
I have chosen a lot of rock genre double page spreads, but I feel it is also important to keep looking at different genres, this is in case there are different features I feel would be better suited.
Firstly the main image is of a man with tattoos and piercings, this can be to represent the stereotypical rebellious behavior of people in the rock business. This will be more appealing to people who listen to rock, compared to more sophisticated people. The use of the tattoos if I were to include this on my double page spread would be that an older audience might feel more appealed to this as people over 18 may have tattoos and can look to see the comparison of theirs to the celebrity. It could also help to give them ideas on what to have as a next tattoo.
We can also see that the shot is a mid shot, this is to focus on more of his top half, instead of the way he stood. This is so the audience can see more of his face and his direct mode of address, making the image and double page more engaging and appealing.
Next we see the masthead which is of a quote, this could represent that it is an interview instead of an article about something that has happened, as this is the most interesting thing the interviewee has said throughout the interview. The use of using capitals is to help make the masthead stands out so that it catches the readers eye. Also they have kept a colour scheme of white, grey and pink, as the colours compliment each other appropriately. Using pink takes away the serious approach, instead it makes the reader feel more relaxed.
We can see in the columns they have highlighted some of the words in white, this is because they are quotes or questions and are supposed to be shown as a distraction from the straight read down the columns. As majority of the highlighted words are questions, it is easier for the audience to be able to start reading from where they want. They do not need to necessarily read the article in order, but get the information that they prefer. In addition we can see there are 3 columns to show there is a lot of information about this but is split up by these questions, making it easier to read. The use of quotes can make the article more personal as it is his own words so it is more realistic.I would consider using an interview on my double page spread as it is easier to give out the information that the audience would want, and it is easier to read, with the fact you can start reading from anywhere. 

 This includes a lot of red to connote violence, this is also shown through the background of the title, due to the edges looking slightly bloodstained, this also helps to connote blood and violence. The article is laid out in columns which helps the reader to follow the article of what it is about. We can see that the top of the first column has a larger letter. This represents to the audience that this is where the audience should start reading from. However we also see small images under the last two columns, which is linked to the article, that can help achieve the purpose of the article it's self. The main image is of a group of teens about to stamp on the animal. This is a connotation of violence to represent a visual of what the article is about. This may be a band or a group that associates themselves to the genre of this magazine. The use of using a long shot may represent to the audience that they want the audience to see what they are doing instead of their facial expressions.

In this article, the title has been separately placed as if they are different letters from newspapers. This could represent uniqueness of the article, or a representation of whom the article is about. What the title says 'people think i'm an attention seeker, But i'm just honest' can be seen as a quote to the audience, which creates a more realistic insight of this article as they have spoken to the subject instead of this being an opinionated article. The use of the title being this big is to catch the readers eye as they might flick through the pages. The use of using a big main image, which is spread over the two pages suggests that you need to look more at whom the photo is of, more than the information that is included. Also the use of the main image being a mid close up is to show the detail on her face and clothing. The clothing she is wearing is not considered smart, maybe slightly individually which may not be considered popular in today's society suggesting that she may be slightly rebellious. Also the use of dark make up on her face can suggest that she is dark and mysterious in her ego.
Also the tagline to the masthead is to help you understand what the article is about so that the audience can decide whether they would be interested in reading. The use of having columns but are small is to show that they do not have that much information on that topic but using a lot of columns makes it look as if there is a lot of information.

The masthead takes over the majority of the double page. This is because the masthead is unusual to attract the audience. Also using the word 'Dinosaur' is metophorical and a connotation for big as the dinosaurs were considered large mamals. Also the masthead 'my dinosaur life' shows that this band member has a big and hectic life. We can see the use of comedy by including a small dinosaur at the bottom by the main image to show the point of this article. Also the main image is a long shot so that you can see the size comparison of the man to the dinosaur, which could represent how big (famous) he is or to show that the size of the dinosaur is nothing compared to how big this mans life is. Also we can still see that he is making a scared facial expression to show that he is scared of the life he has as this could connote that the pressure/stress of being known is too much for him. The man in the main image is wearing all black. This is to fit in with the colour scheme of black and orange. Using less than 4 colours makes the audience see that this has been thought out and can be considered organised and can be visually pleasing. which is a representation of how good the information will be if they have put so much effort into the layout. We see that the tagline to the masthead is quite big to help explain the metaphorical masthead. It also is very well spaced out to show that they do not want the audience to feel they have been given too much information.

We can see that there is a close up of beyonce as we can see her face which is quite serious looking but can also help to connote the understanding that she is fierce. Also her make up is dark but shows more about how fierce she is instead of looking mysterious. We can also see that she is looking at the camera to make the audience feel more engaged as she is looking at the audience. This links to the masthead of 'fiercely creative' I feel that the font of this is slightly robotic to show how modern and newly important this article is. The background of the article is a fade in the colour purple. This is to create a warm feeling to the audience as the fade represents a fire look but using the colour purple shows the boldness of the writing.

My chosen best draft

Here I have created a Thinglink on my best school drawn draft, according to the verbal feedback I had from my audience research.

More magazine practice.

I have drawn other practice magazine front covers for my magazine front cover. I used the layouts that I did on the computer as templates of these designs as some of them show creativity and helped me to plan what and where I would include each of the features/ conventions
However I changed some of the designs as I found some of the layout was better suited in different areas, for example the PUFF. I have also included the Plantsbrook logo on one of my designs as I feel this is makes the magazine more personal to the audience.

I feel that the most effective draft is the first one as it is busy but not too much to put the targeted audience off. I also feel that the second one is too bare and needs more detail put on the front, otherwise it will not appeal as much as one which has a lot of reeling information to excite the audience.
I feel that putting the logo on the front somewhere helps complete the front cover. This is because people know the school more by the logo than the name or masthead font.

Creating practice front covers helps me to improve my skills to create more effective magazines for my future music magazine piece. Also it helps me to plan out basic features of my final piece, for example the use of different shot types.

Rock Magazine Masthead Analysis

Due to thinking about my final Magazine front cover, I have decided to analyse existing magazine front cover mastheads to start to think what I will want my masthead to look like.

• Majority of the front covers include the colours black, red and white. I think that red connotes violence, danger and blood which is what rock can be associated with. Also the connotation of  black is death and darkness which contributes to the stereotype of rock and people who listen to the genre.  
• We can see that all of the mastheads have a clear font, so that you can see what the masthead spells. Also the masthead of the rolling stone is less basic than the rest. This could be considered a more formal and sophisticated rock magazine, the same as 'Q'. But we can see that 'KERRANG' and 'NME'  use captital letters, this could be connoted as the use of shouting and loud volumes. Also they are more bold and have a bigger font. This is because they want their masthead to stand out just as much as anything else. Also Kerrang magazine can sometimes have their main image infront of the masthead, therefore they need the letters which the audience can see to stand out. 

Front cover layout.

layout 1

layout 2

  Here I have created using Microsoft power point, layouts of magazine front covers I am considering for my practice school magazine and my final magazine. I have tried to create a variation in layout to experiment with how people would feel about them. I feel that either the 1st or 4th would be the most appropriate. This is because then I can put as much information to make the front cover look busy but not crowded.
I feel that the least effective layout would be the 5th as this is the most formally laid out front cover, which would be more appropriate for an older audience. The younger audience would believe it looks the least exciting.

layout 3

layout 4

 I think putting a scroll on the outline for the anchor text could be considered appropriate, depending on the topic of the main article. For example it could connote as old, so something that could be considered old is appropriate to use as a main image and main article.

layout 5

Comparison of Rock magazines

Since doing some work on magazines I have become more lenient towards the genre of my magazine to be rock as I feel there is an better criteria as rock is more connected in general to each of the inner genres of rock. Therefore I have decided that I would like to find out some features of rock magazines that I can consider using on my own work.

•  The main image covers the masthead.
• The colour of the mastheads are white on a black background
• They all look very busy
• They have a dark background to make the picture and the masthead stand out.
• All include only 3 colours for their colour scheme
• Red is commonly used to connote danger and violence
• Men are very common in this industry due to the genre excluding feminist bands
• All main images are a close up or mid close up to show either the detail or facial expression of the character.
• Like to offer freebies to their audience which is related to the genre and interests.

Some of these features such as the colours will be very good features in which I may consider using on my magazine cover. This is because I will have to be very stereotypical when it comes to connotations as there are fewer people whom like rock, so there connotations will be a lot simpler and stereotypical than of people who listen to similar music and read similar magazines.

Drawn magazine front cover draft.

Using my photos I took this week and the understanding of magazine front covers I have created a draft of what my school magazine front cover may look like.

I decided to use one of the mastheads that I created before as I feel this font, colouring and name is appropriate for my targeted audience. The use of colours will contrast with the white background to stand out and look more appealing. I also feel that the name of the masthead has a basic but sophisticated connotation. This is due to knowing some newspapers with similar names. However the use of shortening Plantsbrook to 'PB' will be more attractive to the younger audience.

With my strap line, I used the slogan that the school uses 'Be the best that you can be' This makes the magazine seem more personal as no other school has this slogan, therefore the magazine front cover shows that the magazine is for Plantsbrook students only.

I decided to have a close up shot of the school entrance as the main image. This also has a eye leveled angled shot, this is to show that you would be looking directly at the school. I feel using this image will make the audience feel comfortable as this is something they see on a daily basis.
Also as it is not a portrait I didn't feel that it would be vital to use the rule of thirds as you do not need to see every single part of the image as the audience would know exactly what it is. I feel that using the whole front cover to place my main image makes it look busy so the audience feel there is a lot of information that they can read inside. If I were to take this photo for my front cover, I would include some people on the front with a direct mode of address to ensure the engagement of the audience. It would also bring more familiarity to the audience.
The cover line of 'Goodbye old build' is something that is the most recent news, therefore it would be the most addressed article. It is also the biggest news as it will create a big change to the school so I feel that the audience should know more about this than anything else. Also having used this as a coverline can help to address a mass audience instead of just the school students. This is because local citizens that may want their child to attend this school, may want to know about this information. Also using the tagline 'Travel through the memories of the old Plantsbrook building as we say hello to our new build' can be considered emotive language as memories can be a connotation to emotions that students may feel as this school has been a big part of their childhood. It also helps create a synopsis of what the main article will be about.


Next I have used a number of different sell lines to help attract the audience. I have decided to use different sell lines to help target different specific years, for example I have created sell lines for the year 11's by giving information on GCSE results to see which subject did the best. I have also tries to target different years as enrichment is offered to all years, therefore different students from different years can see exactly what enrichment the school is offering for them.These would be in similar but different fonts on my final idea so that they could appeal more to the audience, if the coverlines for younger audiences were more cartoon like and the coverlines for older audience, such as year 11's would be more structured and mature looking.


If I had to improve this for a second draft I would experiment with different main images and maybe create different sell lines to help attract a bigger audience. I would also use different fonts to make the front cover look less boring.
In addition I would try to emphasize the colour scheme to show off the 3 colours I have chosen. But when I do my final draft it will be on the computer so I can choose from a variety of different shades to which will be more suitable.

Portrait photography

In today's class we decided to take the photo skills in which we have learned over the past few weeks and the skills to use the camera. We tried to create many different camera effects as possible. I feel that we used a range of different lighting by getting the flash light off our phone and putting it on different side of the shot to see if it would effect the photograph. I also feel that we used as many different camera angles and shot types to get a better understanding of photography.

We even attempted to use rule of thirds so that in a magazine front cover you can have enough space for a masthead and coverlines/ taglines. We also tried to create a variety of different focus to see if this would also make a difference to my photos.
Majority of our photos included soft lighting, this is because the sun was pointed at the school and there are a lot of windows to bring in the lights. We especially used the locker room for hard lighting as this room had no windows, therefore we could rely on the lighting of our phone to make an effective photo.
To get a better understanding we even tried to do some visual lean ins by placing the camera by a wall or large object so that you could still see our faces but the people in the photo were not the main focus but were still a visual for the audience if we were to use that photo on our front cover.

If I could do another session, I would of tried to attempt using more movement in my photos to see if this would improve the focus of the shot. However I realize that this would not be as effective on a magazine front cover but it would still be good to improve my photography skills. I also think that I would like to widen my skills by using creative photography, this is by using 'props' to create a different purpose.

Created with flickr slideshow.