PhotoShop progress - Contents page...

1) Here, I started to experiment with what else I could add onto the page, especially where the image is as it looked as if it was missing something. I added The 1975's logo and started to experiment with the positioning to see how it would look. 

2) Here, I positioned the logo on the right and slanted it to see what it looks it. I have to say that I don't really like the positioning and find that it doesn't work very well and looks quite odd on the image. 

3) I thought of doing something different and decided to position the logo just above the image but not really slanted as it looked odd in the previous images. I prefer it there and find that it pulls everything together. 

4) Even though I liked the logo and felt as if it pulled everything together and also linked with the text and colours that I used, I decided to put the page number 48 as it links to the section of gigs. This is because the section where it says gigs is about the best gigs and so I decided to put the page number so that the audience could see that the image is linked to something that it categorized. I am not too fond of the page number on the image and prefer the logo much more. 

5) Here, I changed the page numbers so that they were not going in order. This is because when I looked at contents pages, the page numbers are not usually in order. 

6) This is showing you what I have done so far. I have also decided to stick with the logo as I feel it looks better than the page number and I feel like it pulls everything together. I also asked a few people in my class what they prefer best - the page number or the logo? Many said that they prefer the logo than the page number as they also think that the logo looks better and pulls everything together. 

PhotoShop progress - Contents page...

                                      

1) I started to add more text but underneath the image as I just having an image doesn't really show or say anything. Seen as the image is a photo of The 1975, I started to write the beginning of an article for the band so that it would attract the readers to read that section. I added a black border around the it so that people could see that it isn't apart of everything else that is on the page. Also, this links to the magazines that I have been looking at, as magazines such as NME usually have a some sort of writing underneath their image so that the audience know what the image is about.

2) After looking at the text and the box that I added, I realised that I wasn't very happy with the way it looked so I decided to move everything up so that it was just on top of the image, but not covering the image. I still kept the black border around. 

 3) Looking at my previous image, having the black border around the writing wasn't working out so well and as well as I planned it would. For this reason, I got rid of the black borders and used the white boxes as the borders seen as it was overlapping the image a bit. I think that this works out much better than what I had previously done.

4) Here, I finished adding in the text for the mini article and started to add a black box underneath so that the viewers could see that they could also subscribe to the music magazine. I added an image of my magazine cover so that the viewers could see that they will be subscribing to. I made the text white, but I felt that it looked quite bland and I used white and black and a bit of burgundy throughout the whole of the contents page.

 

5) Here, I started to experiment with colouring. I used a mustard yellow for the website. I find this quite effective and think it works quite well. This also links to the music magazines that I have been looking at as they usually have a subscribe box on their contents pages. 

• 

• 

• 

 6) The images above just show how I experimented with the colours white, burgundy and mustard yellow for the text in the subscribe box. Looking at these images, I feel as if the mustard yellow works well as it is bright, eye catching and it is also a different colour from all the other colours that I have used which makes the contents page seem less dull.

7) This is just to show what I have done so far. I decided to go with the mustard yellow in the subscribe box as I felt that this was most effective. Looking at my contents page, there are still some small things to do and improve on. For example, I am going to change the numbers on the contents page so that the pages go up higher and I am also going to sort out the title/masthead. 

PhotoShop progress - Contents page...

1) Here, I added another black line opposite the other one so that I could have all the texts in line with each other as well as having the black boxes in line with each other. 

2) I added all the text in and categorized everything so that the reader will find it easier to look for things in the magazine. I also coloured the numbers the same colour that I have on my cover which is burgundy. Even though you cannnot really tell or see, I added a white sheet behind the image which I plan on adding a border around it and making it look as if it is a Polaroid image. Looking at the contents page, I feel as if I still need to work on the titles above as it doesn't look very good. 

3) This is what I have done so far. It is a close up of the text I have included on the contents page.

PhotoShop progress - Contents page

1) As I started to create my contents page using Photoshop, I firstly added my flat plan on a layer so that when I started to add texts and graphics I knew where to position everything. I added a black box and put my magazine's masthead on the contents page. I also added an image. 

2) I then started to add more black boxes on the page so that I could write the headlines and categorize everything so that it makes it easier for the reader to see what is on each page. 

I also started to add the page numbers and I coloured the numbers burgundy so that it links to the same colour that I used on my cover.

3) Here, I started to add text however I decided to add a line on the left so that I could line everything up so that everything would be in line with each other. It is slowly coming along, but there is a lot of work left to do and some improving along the way. 

Images for my contents page...

 I was lucky enough to see the Indie band  The 1975 live and was able to take some images of their concert. The reason as to why I want to use an image from a concert is because when I look at Indie magazines such as NME, the contents pages do not usually have posed images, but instead they have images of bands performing or they have images of buildings. Looking at these images, they are not all clear however some are and I think that some will work well on the contents page.

Looking at all of these images, I have chosen to use the first image as it shows the artist whilst performing and I think it is effective to use on my contents page. 

CHOSEN IMAGE: 

Deconstruction of contents pages.

I created this on PowerPoint and uploaded it to SlideShare. Here, I have deconstructed two contents pages so that I can see the conventions of a music magazine contents page. By doing this, it will help me to understand the layout, texts, fonts, colour scheme etc... of what an Indie music magazine contents page has. This will help me create my contents page as I know the conventions of an Indie music contents page. Here is the URL link: :http://www.slideshare.net/Eleni10/deconstruction-of-contents-pages

Audience feedback to magazine cover.

Feedback on my music magazine cover:

• Maneet: It’s really good; I like how the colour scheme all works. However, Indie express kind of blends in with her hair.

• Marwa: It’s very informative which is good as it attracts the audience to read the magazine more. The genre of the magazine is obvious as it shares similar features as an official Indie magazine such as the colour scheme and the expression. I like how some features on the cover are slanted such as the artists name and the ‘introducing’ because this attracts me more to the important areas.

• Kaneez: I like how her angle of gaze immediately attracts the reader’s attention and also the colour scheme coordinates itself really well with her outfit. The layout of the text is extremely clear and easily able to read and looks professional.

• Sana: Well, I think the white background works well with the picture, I like it. It makes the picture really stand out and I think the colours work well together.

• Sophia: I like the fonts, it keeps it looking interesting and not boring and her name is really nice and eye catching. Oh, and the colours are really nice, especially how they go with the models clothes. The only thing I would change about it would be the masthead.

• Henna: I enjoy the minimal colours used for the colour scheme alongside how the colours blend together. In order to improve it, you could perhaps add ‘bold’ to the fonts to show the importance of some of the headlines.

• Neran: It has a nice layout, balanced colour scheme and good use of camera shot.

• I am happy with the feedback that I have received as I have received good feedback as well as constructive criticism. For example, some people who gave me feedback didn’t like the masthead, and I agree with this as it feels as if it is something you would find in an American movie. For this reason, if I got the opportunity, I would change the masthead. Others have also said that they would make the fonts bolder. I have taken this into consideration as I have used the ‘bold’ tool to make the fonts look bolder. Once again, if I have the time in the future, I could change the font to something bolder. I am also happy as people like the colour scheme and layout. 

Final music magazine cover.

• This is my final music magazine cover that I have created using Photoshop. I have included pull quotes, a bar code, graphics, subheadings, a masthead and a slogan on my cover and I feel as if this links to other music magazine covers, especially the ones that I used for inspiration. I am happy with how my cover has turned out. Looking back at my flat plans, my cover doesn't really resemble my flat plan. This is because the image that I took and was originally going to use wasn't that effective and wasn't great. For this reason, I had to take more photos. Looking back at my journey whilst making this cover, I can now see that the image that I was going to use isn't as good as the image that I have now as the model looked quite scared in the image and it just didn't seem as if a photo like that would be on a music magazine cover. The image that I have now on my cover works well with the genre that I have chosen, which is Indie. The colour scheme for the cover has also changed as originally I was going to use red, white and yellow. As I started experimenting with this colour and the first image that I had, it made the main image look quite drained and so I decided to change my colour scheme to burgundy, white and black as I find that this links more with the genre and with the clothes that the model is wearing. I think that my cover links to my research as in my research many people said that what attratcts the to a music magazine is the main image. I have tried to link my cover to my research as I have included a main image that includes the angle of gaze which would attract a reader. I have also linked the price to my research as in the survey, many people put down the price of £2.50-3. For this reason, I picked the price of £2.50 as most people put that price down. Overall, I am happy with my cover and how it turned out and feel as if I have really improved the cover, especially from where it started. 

Linking my music magazine cover...

MY MUSIC MAGAZINE COVER: 

• This is my music magazine cover and I have used Indie magazines such as NME to influence my cover.

NME MUSIC MAGAZINE COVERS:

• These two music magazines are the magazines that I used as inspiration for my own cover. The reason as to why I used these covers for inspiration is because they're quite bold and eye catching. For example, the Jake Bugg magazine is bold and eye catching, despite there being hardly any writing on it, as the image is black and white which, for the magazine, acts as a statement. The colours used are also bold. The magazine that has Lilly Allen on it is also bold and eye catching as the main image takes most of the space and the colours that have been used are quite bold. For example, black and red is used which really catches the audiences attention. Linking this to my music magazine cover, I have used an image which is in the center of the page and I have used angle of gaze in order to attract readers. I have also stuck to a colour scheme of burgundy, white and black which are bold colours. In the magazine covers above, bar codes are used, graphics are used, subheadings, and pull quotes. I have added these in my magazine too. Therefore, I think that my music magazine covers link to the ones above as I have used similar conventions. 

Deconstruction of my music magazine cover.

• This is a deconstruction of my music magazine cover so that I can see what I have included and if the things that I have included link to what a music magazine cover has. On my music magazine cover, I have included graphics, a main image, pull quotes, a bar code, subheadings, a slogan and a masthead. 

Cover progress...

• In order to pull the magazine cover together I felt as if there should have been something on the bottom as it was quite plain. I looked at some Indie magazines such as NME and looked at the banners they have. I saw that they had banners either on the bottom or on the top and seen as I already had something on the top I decided to add something on the bottom. I started adding text. I was going to add an artist and also add a something they said, however I found that it clashed with the text above and decided to do something different. 

I added a bleed on the page. It is an image of the Reading festival. The reason as to why I put this bleed on my cover is because at the top of the cover I added a text that said that the Arctic Monkeys announced Reading festival and I felt that if I put this bleed on the page, it would link to the text I have above. I got rid of the text that I started to do on the bottom and decided to add another black box between the artists name and the pull quote. I think that this looks good on the cover and would probably make the reader want to read the magazine and the artists spread. 

• I kept the bleed on the page, however I experimented with the colour of the black box I had previously with the text in it. I kept the writing white and I also used a drop shadow and embossed the writing as this would make the text look more 3D and not flat. I coloured the box burgundy, the same colour I have used for the cover and have added another drop shadow on the box so that, once again, it didn't look flat. 

More photoshop...

•  As I was looking at my cover, I realized that the image looked quite flushed out, so I controlled L and I got the levels box to come up.I then fixed the levels of the image so that it looked brighter and not so dull. I think this had my cover look better as it ties everything together and by fixing the levels, the colours have become more crisp, which links to the colour scheme more. The image underneath is of the changes that I made to the main image.  

• This is how the main image looks now. It looks much more crisp and less dull. I feel as if it pulls everything together.

• Here, I put a line to break up the text from the information about The 1975 and about the new music special. I don't feel as if this works well and so I hid the layer just in case I may want to go back to it. 

• The bar code that I had previous to this was quite plain and in order to make it seem as of it is a magazine, I added the issue of the magazine, the price and the website for my magazine. The colours of the text is the same as the burgundy I have in my other texts, however, I think that I am going to change the colour of the text for the issue and the price to black and leave the website text as it is. 

• Looking at the magazine cover, I think that the bar code that I have now works much better and looks better than the one I had before this. I can see that the pull quote underneath the artists name is actually quite hard to read, and so I decided to make it stand out. 

• To make the pull quote stand out so that people can actually read it, I right clicked the layer and clicked on blending options. This enabled me to play around with the distance, size and speed. I think that this looks much better as it is much clearer. 

• Here, I changed the colour of the issue and the price of the magazine to black from burgundy. I think this looks much better than having it in burgundy. The reason as to why I added a website link to my magazine is because the Indie magazines that I was looking at had their website link. I think by adding this to the bar code, it  links to the music magazine covers I was looking at.