Rough Cut

Success!

Today I found out that I have passed my rough cut. I am so happy! I have lots of ideas to improve my magazine and plenty inspiration from other students and my friends.

Front Cover

Rough Cut 

Today I finished my front cover rough cut

Double Page Spread

Rough Cut

Today I finished my rough cut double page spread

Contents Page

Rough Cut

Today I finished my rough cut Contents Page.

Rough Cut

Finishing off

In today's lesson I have been trying to get my work up to the rough cut deadline standard by just altering simple things like the size of text ect... I have changed around a few things on my front cover to make it more like a real magazine front cover such as the thin banner along the top of the page and increasing the size of my fonts. I have also made all the writing on my front cover capital letters so it stands out and it makes it look a lot neater than lower case writing.

Rough Cut

In today's lesson I made my font sand out against the brick wall on the double page spread. I did this by creating a see through black rectangle to go behind the text to make the white text stand out. This looks a lot better because you can actually read it however my photo may not be suitable. 
Today I also altered a few things on my front cover such as the text, It was overlapping the picture so I changed that and I changed all my fonts to block capitals. 

Contents Page

Rough Cut

Yesterday I I started and nearly finished my contents page, I added my photo and completed the text however I need to take some more photos for a mini montage at the bottom of my contents page. Throughout the lesson I kept referring back to a Q contents page to make sure that I keep up with the codes and conventions that they use. For example page numbers, fonts ect...

I also used a similar photo to my double page spread so it was obvious that they are from the same magazine.

Contents Page

Rough Cut

Today I started my contents page, I have based the layout on a blocky Q contents page with the picture down the right hand side and the information down the left hand side with the magazine title in the top left corner and a contents banner along the top!
I have done this because I want it to follow the codes and conventions of a Q contents page as closely as possible as they are my style model. Similarly its easy to base it on something and but your own swing on it then just doing it yourself from scratch.
I think it looks really good because it uses a similar photo to the double page spread, in fact a photo from the same shoot. This adds sinuosity to my magazine and it makes it obvious that both the pages are from the same magazine.
I have also used the same font through out my magazine. I have used Franklin Heavy, I like this because it give the magazine a house style and makes it look classy, however I have also used a graffiti font through out so it follows the graffiti theme that I have got going on for my double page spread.

Rough Cut

Contents Page 

Over the weekend I have been planning my contents page. I am going to go for the 'blocky' look because it is the most common for Q magazine also I want to use more than one photo and that is a common feature for blocky contents pages, as picture based contents pages only usually use one large image. 

Rough Cut

 Front Cover & Double Page Spread

This lesson I have finished the rough cut of my double page spread and front cover and I am so impressed with what I have done.

For my double page spread I downloaded 'graffiti' font to make it look more realistic. I feel that I have produced a really well designed double page spread that captures the indie style that I am going for. I also think that it follows the classic codes and conventions of music magazines such as Q and NME and the style definitley corresponds with the NME style! I have spend all lesson focusing on trying to make it look as professional as possible. 

Next lesson I am going to start my contents page and once I have finished then go onto Photoshop and try and make the graffiti as realistic as possible by blending it into the brick wall! 

Also I have been speaking to my teacher about the text in the columns because it is quite hard to read so next lesson he is going to show me a way to make the text stand out more against the brick wall. 

For a rough cut I am really happy with my progress, so over the weekend I am going to try and plan my contents.

Rough Cut

In today's lesson I changed the pictures on my double page spread to just one picture enlarged instead of 2 small ones. This is because 2 pictures don't match the codes and conventions of classic double page spreads as one does. I also started my article on word and next lesson I am going to finish it and put it on Indesign.

Rough Cut

In today's lesson I completed my rough cut front cover and I added my pictures and title to my double page spread. I added some plugs and story's to my front cover to make it look as realistic as possible and I changed the colours of my front cover title to make it maroon and black.
To follow the house style of my magazine I have decided to follow the same colour scheme through to my double page spread and contents page. Even though I don't have the same font for the double page spread I have used the same colours to make it look like the same magazine.

Front Cover

Planning

Over the past 2 lessons I have been trying to put my front cover together and I have been deciding the font for my front cover. Originality my title was going to be all red but I decided to have the 'a' in black instead so it stands out more and gives it a more of an edgy look. Likewise I decided to have the letter 'a' in a larger font to the rest so it stands out ahead of the title. I also added a line saying '1st of 10 limited edition front covers' coming off the title to make my magazine look as professional and realistic as possible. I made the 'of' italics and also black to make it stand out as the rest is red like the title. This is because I took inspiration from Q magazine as they tend to do this a lot on their front covers and they are the model that I am making my magazine more like, with a twist of NME, I am adding some NME style into it as well because that's where I am getting the 'indie' look from. I am showing this the most on my contents page because the picture that I am using has a rustic dark red wall as the background and that gives it a cool effect. Where as Q magazine would use a clean looking background like plain white. This is one of the only differences though, the rest is mainly like Q. 

Today I am going to try and finish the writing and fonts on my front cover and then start my contents page.

However I am doing photos for Mel's magazine so that will effect the amount of work that I will be able to complete in the lesson.

Model Decisions 

Over the weekend I have been thinking about having a second model for my magazine as the feedback from my target audience suggests that more that one model looks better! I am still debating who to choose as my model but I think that I am going to have a girl.

Double Page Spread

Plan

This is my quick sketch of my double page spread. I have decided to have to the landscape photo of my model on the left hand page crossing over onto the right. Likewise I am going to have my interview on the right hand page and the interview title is from scanning CD's to selling them.

Questionnaire Planning

Questionnaire

In my free time I am going to come up with a questionnaire for my target audience so they get a say in my magazine. This is because I would like my magazine to have other peoples tastes in and not just mine, making it as versatile as possible. Likewise I would like it to appeal to as many as people as possible! This is my questionnaire that I am going to send out to 15 people of different ages and genders. Ages ranging from 16-25. 

The feedback that I received from my 15 questionnaires of mixed genders ages 16-25 was that they preferred only 1-2 people on the front cover, 6 said 1, 4 said 2 and 2 said 3. 

Similarly 8 preferred 'white, black and red' colour scheme and only 4 wanted grey, red and white.

Like wise 10/15 preferred the name 'AMP' as it is much more like a music magazine. 

Similarly 12 out of the 15 people that I questioned preferred male models on the front cover, and that was 6 girls and 6 boys so it wasn't bias at all. However, only 3 of the people that I questioned said they read Q magazine and they were all girls. This means that the people I questioned weren't really up to date with music magazines even though they were my target audience. This was mostly apparent in the people 16-19 which surprised me. 

Do you read Q magazine?

Which name do you prefer?

Do you prefer male or female?

What colour scheme would you prefer?

How many people would you like on the front cover?

Now I am going to take this feedback and finally start making my magazine.

Editing

 I have just edited 2 more photos that I think I am going to put on my contents page or along with one on the double page spread. This is because I want my model to dominate the magazine. Likewise I think magazines look more appealing to people if they contain some photos. Just the Q I am going to focus all/ most of my photos on my model. 

Photo Editing

Photoshop

Over the past few lessons I have been editing photos of Ethan my model on Photoshop. I have been using the clone stamp tool to remove blemishes and the dark circles under his eyes. Similarly I used the same tool to neaten up his hair as his fringe stuck up too much and didn't look neat enough. I also adjusted the lightness and saturation of the photo so the reds and the blacks in the photo looked really bright and clear.

These are the two photos that I have edited...

Photo Decisions

These are the photos that I am choosing between for my front cover, contents page and Double page spread.

First Rough Cut Lesson

Front Cover Layout

This lesson I am planning the layout of my front cover on in design  I have already done my front cover hand drawn design so today I need to plan the layout properly. I have a layout in mind very similar to the Q layout I am going to have my 'AMP' title in the top left corner and then the photo more to the right but covering most of the page as it is the portrait medium close up photo. Likewise I am going to have another smaller photo in one of the bottom corners showing a snippet of to what is inside. This is the layout that I have came up with. The small box in the left hand corner is for the magazines title, the the large box covering most of the page is for the main portrait photo of my model and the two boxes at the bottom are for 'Ethan Logan-Ross' I am getting this idea from the Q front cover starring Alex Turner and I really like the look of it and it really corresponds with the style that I am trying to show... I love how 'Arctic' is bigger than 'Monkeys' it gives it an edgy twist and thats hopefully what I am going to achieve with mine.

My Model

Photography 

Over the holidays I have taken my photos of Ethan I chose the locations of the different photos before i got my model to come. I chose the have a plain background for the portrait photos and then for the double page spread photos I chose to take some on old garages and and old brick wall. This is because it gave an 'indie' feel to the photos so the setting matched my model. These are some of the photos I have taken. I have chose the photo I would like for my front cover however I need to pick some for the contents page and the double page spread. 
Similarly I need to put the photos on Photoshop and edit them removing blemishes and changing the contrast and brightness of the photos. After this then I can see the effect fully and think about putting them on my magazine layout. I think that I am going to leave the photos on the background that they are on because the landscape photos give off the look that I am trying to achieve due to their 'rustic'  background. For the double page spread I am going to have the photo covering the majority of the right hand page and crossing and overlapping onto the left page. That is why I have used a landscape photo so it is long enough to cross over the page.
I asked my model to wear pain yet 'cool' clothing so he follows the image and look that I am trying to put across in my magazine. I told him to wear a baggy T-shit for the profile photos then a different more layered outfit for the double page spread and contents page photos. I chose the positions and poses that he had to do because I wanted to make sure that he followed the style of the magazine! 

Hand Drawn Designs

 Front cover, Contents Page and Double Page

For my hand drawn designs I used the classic conventions of music magazines. I focused on Q magazine because I like the genre of music that it portrays. One of the codes and conventions that I have followed is the 3 colour scheme. I have chose red, black and white which is like Q. I have chosen my Model Ethan to star on the front cover because he has the look that i am trying to portray as he looks slightly like Alex Turner and that is the model that I would preferably like to have on my magazine cover. For my contents page I have chose the 'blocky' layout because I think it is the most conventional to Q magazine and I think it is the easiest to navigate. I have used a close up mid shot for my model as I think it shows enough detail of the models clothes and facial expressions but isn't too close.