Final Construction of Music Magazine
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Construction - Day 1
Today we began the construction of our music magazines. In my lesson I edited my main image for my article using photoshop, I have adjusted the colours to make it brighter and have a more vintage look to it. I placed the image into indesign to start adding text and have been playing around with different colours to use for the headline. As I haven't yet decided the colour I'll be using I didn't save the indesign file with any headline.
Construction - Day 2 (Progression)
I've continued to develop my article for my music magazine, however I've changed the colouring of the image to make it look for vintage, this has also changed the background colour to a yellowy beige which gives it an older look. The following image shows the original image, the brightened image (which removes the background colour making it easier to edit) and then the final image that I will be using for my article. I've used a wide image so I can use it across both pages and write the article over it with less images. I feel it's a strong image and portrays the genre of rock and roll well through the mise-en-scene (records, old trunk, costume) I have not used direct mode of address for this image as I think it takes away the idea of him being really interested and passionate about the music, by not looking at the camera he looks like the music is part of his every day life instead of just posing about it.
The Original Image The Brightened Image The Final Image
Construction - Day 3
I have almost completed my first draft of my article and have made 3 different copies. The first copy incorporates a hand drawn template of a jukebox that is slightly washed out and is placed behind the main figure in the image. I think this gives the article an arty look to it.
The second uses an image of a real jukebox that's I have used photoshops select tool to cut the background out placed behind him. I think this option makes me work look messy and as I've duplicated the background layer so that I can place the jukebox behind him parts of his body get cut out.
Lastly the image that has no jukebox added behind him, personally I prefer this as I think the jukebox detracts attention from the main image, however I will be conducting audience research to see which one is best received by the target audience.
I've also attempted changing the layout of the article itself, by putting the pull quote in the middle of the columns of text.
This is the final draft of my front cover, I'm really please with the outcome and have made the article longer itself as well as adding a byline to make it look more professional. At the moment I do not feel any changes need to be made, but I will conduct audience research to see if anything needs improving and how they think I could improve it:
After gaining feedback from my teacher for my first draft, I realised that I still needed to add a page number and adjust a few things. I added a small banner at the top right corner of the article that said FEATURE, to make the audience aware if they're just flicking through that it's not one of the regulars in the magazine. I used Red and White to maintain brand identity and follow common conventions of music magazines. I added the page number to the bottom right hand corner, I also swapped the 'words by' and the free giveaway around however it made the article have too many gaps and I do not think it looked right.
Construction Week 2 - Front Cover
This week I have been working on my front cover, I've been experimenting with different background colours and typefaces, but have not been happy with any of the final outcomes so far, therefore I will be redrafting and most likely using an image of a mid close up with the girl using direct made of address to give the magazine and range of shot types and make it appear more inviting.Below is the first draft of my front cover, the main image depicts a young female dressed in clothes from the 50's/60's I like the image however I think it would be more appropriate to use on the contents page as she's not using direct mode of address and the camera shot is similar to that of the article. The image is in grey scale to show the older side to the magazine, however I used a two tone background from blue to white to represent that the magazine isn't just for an older audience.
The problems with my previous draft was the colours clashed and made the magazine look cheap and unprofessional, as well as the text being positioned very close to the edge. The previous draft was unfinished as is this, but before I do anymore I think I want to start again using a whole new image. I decided to experiment with different colours and used purple and white, I think this looked better, although I still don't think that it looks right. Also on this draft I made the main image smaller and unfortunately one of her feet is cut out so if I was to use this image I'd need to clone and flip her other foot that you can see. The use of the colours also do not support the brand identity and makes it hard to establish the house style.
Construction - Week 3
I've continued to develop my front cover and completely changed the background and main image I'll be using so that it better supports the brand identity. Currently the cover lines are positioned along the right hand side of the front cover, however because of the headline being a similar size you cannot identify which one is the headline.
To overcome this problem i decided to create a banner at the bottom to place the cover lines within it to make it look less chaotic and more professional. To further improve my products I'd like to find a different colour for the outline of my masthead's typeface as the current colour scheme clashes and looks unprofessional.
Construction - Week Four
I have decided to go a different direction with my front cover and return to the idea on my initial hand drawn drafts. I wanted to experiment and see what it would be like to break conventions of a music magazine (that is a subsidiary of the rock genre) by using a female on the front instead of a male. As you can see from the images above, I really struggled to find an appropriate image that worked well as a main image for my front cover, therefore I decided to have the main image depict a male artist, that is in fact directly addressing the audience, as it's much more welcoming and inviting for the audience.
This is the image I will be using for my front cover, I will remove the background using the magic wand tool on photoshop, and superimpose it onto another image that will emphasis the genre.
I will be making the main image black and white as the era that rock and roll was at its peak was the 60's and the black and white is associated with older images. After having altered the saturation of both images and cropping from the image that I have used for the background, this is the progression of my main image for the front cover of my rock and roll magazine.
Below is a screenshot of a font that I have decided to use for my masthead, I was very pleased with how I developed a basic font that came from a screenshot, into what appears like a diner sign. I did this by inversing the colour so that the text would be white, I then duplicated the layer in photoshop so that on one layer I could change the colour overlay and outerglow and on the other change the gradient overlay. I also put a Gaussian Blur filter on it to give the sign a more realistic effect.
Once doing all this, I added the typeface to the top of the diner so that it looks like the name of the diner. I made the diner sign pink as it's a stereotypical colour of diner sign and stands out against the black and white background image.
As I continued to build on the construction of my front cover, I found it difficult to find a colour to use for the headline, this was because of the pink masthead, and the leopard print tagline. I decided I'd withdraw the red colour from my model's sock that was in the original image, as red is a common convention of music magazines and I have also used it within my article therefore it's contributing to maintaining the brand identity.
Construction - Week Five
This week I began the construction of my contents page, originally I planned to make an A3 contents page, however I found it extremely difficult to take enough shots of different varieties. I then decided to only do A4. I intended my contents page to use a lot of images, to show the more informal side to my magazine. Today I started by setting out the basic structure, and adding the Title 'Contents', the main text which included 'features' and 'regulars' and adding an image of my male model from which I have removed the background. I wanted the text to change according to where he stood to show his dominance within the magazine.
As I continued to work on the construction of my article, I decided that one female was not enough, therefore I decided to take two different images of the same person and clone one of them onto the other picture, so it appeared as though there were two different artists. To accompany this I came up with the name 'Swing Sisters Salut' which is an alliteration and a good use of language for my target audience to see. Below you can see the two separate images that I put together to create one.
Audience Feedback
Although my contents page is unfinished I wanted to gain audience feedback in order to help me finish it, I decided I'd try interviews, I wanted to see how people from different countries would perceive my magazine and genre. Therefore I arranged some skype video calls with people from different countries including Tenerife and Canada.I sent a file of each part of my construction and asked them a series of questions.
These questions were:
'What genre would you associate this music magazine with and how is that communicated to the audience?'
'What do you think the typefaces (fonts) suggest to the audience?'
'As an audience member, what do you feel your role is within the magazine?'
'What do the colour schemes imply?'
'How would you improve this product?'
Sue Williamson, a female, aged 50 from Tenerife, is a big Elvis Presley fan therefore I thought her feedback would be most relevant. She immediately could identify the genre as being Rock and Roll and said 'the props and costumes really communicate the genre.' She thought that the title for the contents page, stood out and caught her eye, however she thought it could have done with being a different typeface, more similar to one on the cover to keep the continuity of the piece. Sue told me that she thought the colours where very typical of a music magazine, however the red was very effective as it looked a bit worn out, she said this was a connotation for how the Rock and Roll genre has worn out and is now only appreciated by few people. The most important feedback I gained from this interview, was how it could be improved? Sue thought that the part that could have improved the most was the contents page, she thought that there wasn't enough images, however she commented that the images used were strong because the figures are looking out towards you (direct mode of address).
Reaction to Audience Feedback
After gaining this feedback I planned to take more images to incorporate, I decided that I wanted the contents page to be dominated by females, because males were originally so influential in the genre (in the 1960's). I wanted to subvert stereotypes and common conventions to mix it up a bit for the reader, and encourage more women to purchase the magazine. Similarly to 'Vintage Rock' each of my images has a different effect on it, to connote the individuality of each artist.
Finally I've finished my contents page, by adjusting the size of the page and reducing it to A4, I think I have successfully managed to produce a product that maintains it's brand identity throughout.
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