Magazine Update 6

Hey Everyone,

Today I changed the page numbers on my contents page. I changed them so that the background of the numbers where white which meant that when I put them onto my images it meant that they were a lot easier to see and it gave an interesting effect as it made the images look like there had been a small part cut out for the number, my style model also does this in some of there issues and it was one of the things I really liked. I also added a quote to my article on my double page to break up the blocks of text. I added lines around the quote to create corners so that it stood out from the rest of the text. I also made the quote quite large and the font of the quote a different font to the rest of my article so again it would stand out.

Magazine Update 5

Hey everyone,

Today I decided I wanted to change the layout of my contents page so it was more like my style model. I made it so that I still had the one larger image from the previous layout but rather than it being at one side I have made it slightly smaller and placed it in the middle directly under the title of my page. From there I then arranged my other images and articles around it. By doing this I have a lot less spare white space between things although it now means I have enough room to fit two more pictures and articles onto my page which means I will need to take more photos. I also added a subtitle to my double page spread and re-edited the photo on my double page spread.

Magazine Update 4

Hey Everyone,

Today, I started to make changes to my magazine from the feedback I was given. First I added more stories to my front cover and made sure the writing was clear and readable, I also added a price. Then I changed some of the fonts on my double page spread and decided to even out the columns of writing as it didn't look very neat the way I had left them. The final thing I did today was to make up and add the website and social media accounts for my magazine to my contents page, I also added the Facebook, Twitter and Instagram logos underneath.

Rough Cut Feedback

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Today I got given feedback on my rough cut pages about what people liked about them and what they thought I could improve on, so first here are the things people liked:

Front cover:

·        * Strong title

·         *Good logo/ name

·         *Good image/ editing of the image

·         *Colour scheme

·         *Good Fonts and layout

Contents Page:

·        * Good variation in pictures

·         *Page numbers stand out well

·         *Description boxes are unique

·         *Colours really work

·         *Good layout

Double Page Spread:

·        * Good image

·         *Question and answer article

·         *Interesting quote

·         *Good use of fonts

·         *The page number and logo in the corner

Things my target audience said I should improve on when I was given feedback:

Front cover:

·         *Add more too it

·         *Make the writing easier to read

·         *Make sure everything stands out

·         *Add a price

·         *Add more stories

Contents Page:

·        * Add some range to your photos

·         *Improve the text at the bottom

·         *Fill up the white space

·         *Change the page numbers to all match

·         *Add more articles

Double Page spread:

·        * Add a quote to the text

·         *Make the article bolder

·         *Add a subtitle

·         *Make title more original

·         *Add more interesting fonts to the page

I will use all the feedback that I was given to make improvements over the next few weeks to my magazine pages ready for my final cut in April.

Rough Cut Deadline

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Today was the rough cut deadline so I spent some time in class and at the end of the day making finishing touches to my pages such as changing stories on my contents page, adding a story and a bar code to my front cover, and adding a drop capital on my double page spread article. Unfortunately I just ran of time so there were a few things I didn't get to add like page numbers and some of the texts weren't in the correct font but I will be getting feedback from my target audience in the next few days and then I have another few weeks to improve on this feedback until my final deadline. Here’s what my pages look like so far:

Magazine Update 3

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Today I finished of my contents page making sure I had stories to go with every picture I had and adding a “Plus” column and a subscription section. I used my style models for this idea as NME have a “Plus” column and both NME and Q have a subscription section. I also made a few changed to my double page spread such as adding a quote down the side of the picture and making it curve around my model.

Magazine Update 2

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Now I have pictures of my main model and I have edited them, I spent today choosing which photo I wanted to use for my cover and my double page spread and inserting them into my layout. Then I focused on writing a title for my main article on my front cover and a quote to go underneath it. I also added a few other stories around the side of the page and added an issue number just under the title. I also finished writing my article for my double page spread which I started last night and added it to my page where I found out that it was too long so I spent some time editing bits out of it to make it a more acceptable length for the columns I had already made.

Main Photoshoot

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Today I took my main model up to the city centre to take some images for my double page spread and my front cover. I took a wide rand of shots in different places so I had a variety of photos to try on my pages. Unfortunately I wont be able to use all of these photos as I will have to choose the most appropriate photos out of all the photos that I took to use in my magazine. Here are some of my favourite images that I took and what they look like after I have edited them.

Photo shoot Organizing

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Today I have just been organizing with my model when and where my main photo shoot will be tomorrow. I have decided to go into the city centre and wonder along some of the bridges and old castle ruins and see what looks good as a location.

Contents Page Update

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Today I focused on my contents page as I now have most of the images for my contents page from the photo-shoot I did yesterday. I downloaded some fonts from “Da Font” for my contents page title and for the subheadings and stories on the page. I then arranged the photos I wanted to use on my page and started to add page numbers to each photo remembering the style colours I wanted to use from my target audience research and my style model, NME and Q, and how they layout their contents page.

Contents Page Photo Shoot

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Yesterday I took some photos in the studio that’s been set up at school for my contents page. I had five models which I was taking pictures of and as I wasn't too sure of who I wanted to use as solo artist and who I wanted to use in a group I took a wide variation of shots. I used an SLR camera which was provided by the school as well as various lighting equipment. Today I have looked through my photos and selected a hand full which I really liked and might want to use for my magazine; I have then edited them slightly to make them look better for my magazine. Below I have chosen a few images to show you the original images and then what then now look like after I have Photo-shopped them.

                  Before                                                                                                          After

For this image I cropped it down to a better size and then changed the brightness and some of the colour saturation of the photo as it was just a bit too bright, this made him stand out more from the back ground as we as making the colour of his clothes bolder and his face less pale. Finally I sharpened the image slightly.

                                                                                                                 

                    Before                                                                                                 After

 

For this image I cropped it down from a long mid shot to a mid-close up to really draw into her face. Then I made to colours stronger and edited her face so that her eyes and eyebrows were bolder and draw in your attention.

                    Before                                                                                             After

First I cropped it down to make it a long mid shot and to get rid of some of the excess white space above them. Then I changed the brightness of the image as it was too light. To finish it of I adjusted the saturation of the colours to make the colours a bit brighter.

                                      Before

For this image I felt like the girl in the middle and the girl on the left looked a lot stronger than the girl on the right so I decided to Photoshop her out of the picture but first cropping it and then easing the image that was left next to her shoulder. To finish of I adjusted to brightness slightly and the colour saturation just to emphasis the light and dark tones as add a bit of extra colour to their hair and faces.

                                   After

Photo shoot Day

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Today I have been taking photos of  my models for my contents page. I had 3 girls; Sammie, Ellie and Victoria and 2 boys; Andrew and Peter. I took the photos In the school studio. I will post some of them tomorrow after I have edited them.

Magazine Update

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Now that I’ve done some target audience research and I know what I want the title of my magazine to be and what font I want to use for it, I have started to make a finalised layout for each of my pages on InDesign which is the program I am using to create the pages of my magazine. I have made a basic layout by making frames for everything that I want to be on that page and where I want them to be. Soon I will start filling in these frames with text or images to get ready for the rough cut deadline in just over a week.

Magazine Title Font

Hey Everyone, 

Today I asked my target audience which out of the following fonts they liked best for the title of my magazine. The majority of people who I asked said they much preferred the top left font to the rest of them.

Questionnaire Results

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Today I handed out a questionnaire to 20 people to help me decide on what things I should include in my magazine, what colours people would  want to see and most importantly what name they liked best for my magazine. Here are my results.

I made my answers into a graph and this graph told me that articles about artist or bands that the reader likes attracts them most to the magazine. Other things that people mentioned where the front cover, interesting articles, and interesting headlines and images. This information is all very useful to me as it will help me make sure I create a magazine that will catch peoples attention.







This graph was on the question about what people most like to read about, it told me that there are various different types of thins people like to read about but the most common was interviews, and then close behind was new album reviews, Other things that people mentioned was new bands, concert reviews, and upcoming tours. This will be helpful to me when I come to making my contents page as I can include stories based around these things as well as advertise them on the front of my magazine.

The next question I asked was about what colours people would want to see in a indie music magazine. The colour that was mentioned the most was blue, with purple very close behind. Other colours that quite a few people mentioned were white, black and red. One or two people said that I should use a mixture of dark and lighter tones and low hue/saturated colours. Although this didn't give me an exact colour of which I should use it was still really helpful and something I will keep in mind.

And finally the most important question I asked was which of the following names i had given them people liked the best for an indie music magazine. There wasn't a stand out winner of this but the majority of people chose the name IndiGo. The next favorite was Kaleidoscope, and although I like both names i feel that Kaleidoscope might be too long for a magazine name and since the majority of my target audience chose IndiGo that is the name I am going to use, or at least for now.

Questionnaire

Hey Everyone,

Today I finished designing my questionnaire ready to hand out to my target audience tomorrow. I settled on asking the following four questions:

* What attracts you to reading a music magazine?
* What types of article do you like reading about?
* What colours would you expect to see in an indie magazine?
* Which name out of the following do you like the best for an indie magazine?
                    - IndiGo
                    - Kaleidoscope
                    - Indi
                    - Roulette
                    - Radioactive

I will let you know the results of my questionnaire tomorrow.

Hand Drawn Designs

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Today I finished drawing my hand drawn designs of my three pages that I am going to create. I already know that I am going to have to change the title of my magazine as it is too much like the name of a dance magazine than and Indie magazine which is my genre but I kept it for my designs just so I got an idea for the layout of the page. As I make my layout on InDesign in the next few days I will probably find that it will change a lot from these original designs but that is all part of the progress and creation of making a product. So here are my hand drawn designs of my front cover, contents page and double page spread.

Getting Started

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So before I start to create my front cover, contents page and double page spread of my magazine I need to do some preparation so that it suits my target audience. At the minute I am in the process of creating some hand drawn designs for my magazine so that I have a rough idea of what I want my pages to look like before I start to design them on InDesign which is the program that I will be using for my project. I also started to think of some questions that I would like to ask my target audience to help me with the creation of my Magazine.

Update

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Now that I have finished all my analysis I can focus on the rough cut on my front cover, contents page and double page spread. I need to decide on the people that I want to use in my magazine, the name of my magazine and the colours I want to use. I'm going to be handing out a questionnaire to my target audience in the next few days to help me decide on the name and colours of my magazine. Hopefully I can start taking photos within the next week or so although the rough cut deadline is only a few days after the day I plan to take photos so I am going to have to focus most of my time on the layout and design of my magazine before I can focus on the images. I'll keep you all updated with my target audience research and the design of my magazine.

Double Page Spread Conventions I will Use

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So again I will be telling you all what conventions of the double page spreads I have analysed I want to use. I want to have my image on the left hand side and my article on the right as this is a typical thing to do for a double page spread. I want to use a minimum amount of colours so that when I do use colour those specific things stand out more than the rest. I also what to use the idea of having a clever name for the title of my double page spread like they did on the Ed Sheeran double page spread that I analysed as I think it looks really good and it will make the readers what to read the article more than if the title was just the name of the artist. Finally I want to use a plain background for the page of my article so that its easy to read and the article stands out.

MOJO Double Page Spread Analysis.

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For my final analysis of double page spreads I chose to do a MOJO. This double page spread is quite different from the others that I have analysed mainly because of the layout of the page. All the double page spreads I have looked at have had the image of the artist if one of the pages and the article on the other page but this double page spread has the image and the article spread across the two pages. I think the image is also very different to the other images on the double pages spreads I have looked at because they aren't being very serious about the photo since they are covered in cream pies. It’s also a close up of the whole band rather than a close up of one person or a long shot of the whole band. I like how they haven’t made the photo very serious it gives you an idea of their type of personalities. The image is all quite bright making it stands out against the dark background of the page. When I take my pictures for my double page spread I might try and take some that are landscape rather than portrait to see if it would fit in to my double page spread, although it is typical to have the image on just one side of the double page and most of the ideas and other magazines I have looked at have kept to the idea of having the image on just one page and not spread across the two.  I will make sure to keep in mind the colours that I want to use on my page so that when I take my photos they will stand out against the background if I cut the image out or stands out from the text if I have the text over one side of the image. The next thing I noticed about this page was the title of the article “FUN! FUN! FUN?” It stands out on the page as it has been written it bright yellow and out against a black background, it’s also all in capitals and has been made look really bold. The words its self reflects the image as they look like they are having fun in the image. They have used repetition of the word fun in the title with an exclamation mark after the first two times but a question mark after the third which suggests that it might not be as fun as they think it. I like this title because of the repetition and how bold it is against the dark background, when I design my page I want to make sure that the title is one of the first things that the reader notices so I want to make sure that the title stands out against the background. As for the wording I think I would rather use a pun which is related to the artist or the artist’s actual name than using something similar to this title. Another place they have used colour really effectively is the quote or subtitle at the side of the article. It has been highlighted with a yellow background which matches the title. Since the text is black and the background of the text is yellow is links in with the colours already on the page really well and makes that bit of text really stands out as it is almost the reverse of the main title. Within this bit of text some of the important names have been written in red rather than black making them stand out even more especially since they are the only thing on the page in red. If I decide to have an extra bit of text on my double page spread, either a quote or a sub title, I would want to make it stand out as well as this one does. I would try and make it a contrasting colour to the background or use the idea of it being a completely different colour to the other colours of the page so it grabs people’s attention straight away. I don’t really like the idea of having the writing surrounded in a different colour making it look like it has been highlighted as I feel like it makes the writing look too blocky, I would rather having the text in just a different colour to the background. 

Q Double Page Spread Analysis

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My next two analyses are going to be double page spreads form Q. This double page spread is quite different to the double page spread from NME. The main thing you notice in this double page spread is the image mainly because of the location and how the whole photo has been spread across the two pages. It also shows that he’s in London which represents the fact that he is British. The way he has been positioned in the photo is that he is doing a casual pose showing that he’s quite a laid back person and looks like he isn't bothered about the fame but just wants to focus on his music. He also had his guitar on his right hand side showing that he is a musician, it also gives the impression that he might be busking around London because of the fact that he is outside in London in casual clothes with his guitar. It really shows how down to earth he is as a person and an artist. When I come to taking my pictures for my double page spread I will keep in mind the story and personality I want to portray through the picture and make sure that my location, costume, body language and facial expression interpret the artist I want to create. I will also be aware of using props in my image as I have already had the idea of wanting to use a guitar. For the article its self they have put it in a white box so that it stands out from the image behind it. I like how instead of using a quote from the article within the space of the article but has been made bigger so people notice it, they have placed a box telling you things about his new album, name, producer, where it was recorded and so on. I think this is quite a god idea as its original from most of the other double page spreads I have seen where they have had a quote from the artist in a similar style and place. They have also made some of the writing within the box as well as the banner for the title of the box red so that it automatically draws your attention to it and it stands out from the rest of the black writing. I think its clever how they have used red as it is the logo colour for Q. For my double page spread I might think about the idea of having a box within my text but maybe including some different information in it related to the artist rather than using a quote which is what is mainly used. Whatever I decided to have in the separate box I will add colour to it so that it stands out and make sure that the colour I use links in with the house style of my magazine as well as the style of my double page spread. If I decide to have an image that will go across both pages I would prefer to make sure that one side of the image was a plain enough colour that I could put my article over rather than having to put a box behind my text although I do think that the idea of using a box behind the text looks good in some cases.  I really like the title of this article “I’m bringing ginger back!” I think it’s really clever as the artist has ginger hair and he is known for his ginger hair. The quote is also a pun on the Justin Timberlake song “I’m bringing sexy back.” I think the title of this double page spread is also quite original as most titles they include the name of the artist that the page is about but this title doesn’t do that but at the same time you can guess who the article will be about just from hearing the title because he is so distinctly known for being ginger. They have also made the word ginger red, so it really stands out from the other words again putting emphasis on which artist the article is about. The title is also a quote from him which I like as again it shows how relaxed he is as a person but that he is also serious about his music. For the title of my double page spread I originally wanted to use the name of the artist as the title but after seeing this title I might try and create a title which implies who the artist is rather that tells you directly although I think this might be difficult to do as I will probably be making up an artist so they won’t be recognizable to my audience there for making a pun for the title may not fit, but if I think of something catchy I will defiantly use that rather than the name of the artist.

For my second Q analysis I chose to this double page on Florence. The image on this double page spread is different form the other double page spread I have already looks as because it is a close up shot rather than a long shot. I think they have taken this picture very well as it has been applied to the rule of threes. Her eyes are on the top like of the three rows and the lines going down to create three columns also go directly through her eyes, this draws your attention straight to her eyes. They have done a similar thing with her lips; they have been places of the bottom line of the three rows and have been out in between the two columns going down, which also draws you into her lips. By doing this it ensures that you focus your attention on the picture straight away and then you are drawn into her eyes and mouth and because the image is so close up it makes the image quite personal. When I come to taking my picture for my double page spread I will keep in mind the idea of using the rule of thirds although I want my image to be a long shot or a mid-shot rather than a close up so if I use the rule of thirds it won’t be used in the same way to the way that it has been used for this image. The next thing that I noticed about this double page spread was the title. It’s very big even for a title, it’s been written in black as well as been made bold. It also has a black line above and below the title as almost a border for the title. The title isn't really related to the artist herself but suggests that the article is going to be talking her career early on. They have also used the same font and style for the drop capital in the article which I think looks really good as it keeps the style of the page. For my double page spread I think that I will make my title more relevant to the artist or even make it the artists name rather than a title similar to this one. I think that I will probably have a black title as it stands out more if I have a plain background I also think it looks bolder if is black making it more eye catching so that its one if the first things you see on the page. I think a main thing that stands out on this double page spread is the fact that it isn't very colourful. The background is white and all the text is black meaning that the entire colour on the double page is within the picture of Florence. The main colours within the picture are the eye shadow which is bright blue and her hair with is red. This means that the reader’s attention is drawn into the image of her rather than the article. It’s also quite a contrast having those bright colours since she has quite pale skin. When I create my double page spread I don’t think I will use this technique as I think the page looks better when you have a splash of colour throughout rather than the colour just being on the image although I do think that the way this double page spread has been done looks good. Finally, this double page spread has three columns for its article as do most double page spread articles because it is a typical convention of a double page spread. Sometimes the article can be long or short but it is still set out in the layout of three columns. When I write my article for my double page spread I will make sure that I write enough to fit over three column as I want to use the convention of having three columns because it is a typical thing to have as well as the fact that I think it looks good and more professional. 

Second NME Double Page Spread Analysis

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For my second double page spread analysis I am doing another NME issue. This double page spread is quite different to the previous NME spread I analysed but also had similar ideas. The main this that stands out to me again is the image of the band, they have been positioned in a way that the main person from the band is at the front and is the only one facing the camera. The rest of the group is behind him and facing different direction, this automatically draws you attention to the person facing the camera who is also the main singer in the band, the front man of the band. Another reason you can tell that he is the main person in the band is because of what he is wearing. The rest of the group is wearing black or dark coloured clothing but he is wearing a bright blue starry shirt making him stand out from the rest of the group and making him stand out on the whole page. The colour of his shirt also ties in with the colour on the page as they have used blue and red for some parts of the text. You could almost say that they are being patriotic in a way as he is wearing a starry shirt representing the stars from the American flag and then throughout the page they have used the colours red, white and blue. I really like how they have arranged this photo, using the positioning within the image to tell you about the band as well as using the costume of the image. If I decide to use a band on my double page spread I will make sure to take into account the positioning of the band and the clothes they are wearing, I will also have to make sure that the style of the image fits in with my genre and target audience. I like how the use of colour on the page, how certain bits of the article have been picked out and made either red or blue to make them stand out. As the background is plain white and the main colour of the article is black having a few works a different colour really makes them stand out from the rest. They have also made the drop capital red drawing you into the beginning of the article making you want to read it. They have written a sort of introduction or sub title to go at the top of the page before the title which is large but not as large as the actual title. These sentences have been put in red and blue also to make them stand out and be the first thing that people read. I really like the idea of using colour for specific parts of the article or extra quotes or title that have been added to add emphasis on them. My previous analysis did the same thing and I mentioned there that I would really like to use this idea especially if I have a plain background for my article or maybe if I have a contrasting colour as the background just so that those specific words stand out from the rest. The other thing I like about this double page spread is the simple use of the lines at the top and bottom of the page, one red and one blue, making them fit in with the colour scheme on the page. I think this adds a bit of house style to the page as well as making the page look quite professional. They have put the lines behind their heads and then within the boundaries of their feet to give the picture some depth and make it looks like they are standing within the magazine.  In my double page spread I want to add something similar to the lines to give my page some house style and make it look professional. I may not use lines to do this but whatever I decide to add in I will make sure that it can be used on my contents page as well as possible my front cover to give my magazine some house style and make it recognizable that they are from the same magazine. 

NME double page spread analysis

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For my next few blog posts I am going to be analysis 5 double page spreads.

I am starting with a double page spread from NME. This double page spread is fairly simple but I think that that is what makes the article so eye catching. A typical convention of a double page spread is to have one page with a picture of the artist or band and then the other page with the title and article of the double page spread and this double page spread has done just that. I chose this double page spread as it was from the same issue as the front cover I analysed with Haim on the front, as well as the fact that I really like the style and layout of the page. I think the thing that strikes you the most about this page is the picture; it has been cut out so that it is just the three girls on the plain white background making them stand out from the page. The image is also quite unusually in the way that with a band there is usually a front singer or star of the band which is put at the front of the image showing that they are more important or are the main star but with this image they are standing next to each other and no one is standing in front of this others. This suggests that they are all quite equal which is backed up by the fact that they are all sisters. There pose is also relevant to the idea that they are a close band as they are leaning on each other showing that they depend on each other. When I take my photo for my double page spread I will make sure to think about the positioning and the pose of the person or people I choose to photograph so I can try and get across the message I want to portray. Although I like the idea of having the artist cut out from the background of the image and placed on a plain background I think for my magazine I would rather have the artist at a location to give the page some depth as I think that would look slightly more professional and be more appropriate for my magazine. The next thing I noticed which I really liked was how the splashes of colour that have been used within the article. The drop capital has been made bright pink as well as the names of the writer and a quote which have been written in blue and pink when the rest of the writing is black. I really like the way this has been done as it draws you straight in to those bits of information and makes you read them as they stand out from the rest so you automatically assume they are important and need to be read. Again because of the plain background and the rest of the writing being black the use of the colour really does stand out, it makes the page a bit brighter as well as gives a bit of an edge. I really like the idea of using colour for certain words or parts of the page to make sure that bit of information stands out from the rest. I think if I end up having a blank background with black writing this would defiantly be something I would do but as I want to have a picture with a background this idea may not fit in with the rest of the page unless the setting of my image is quite dull so it all depends on my image and the other colours on the page as to whether I use this idea. Finally the main thing that stands out on this page is the title. They have made it big black and bold. The title is simple and short and also contains the name of the band. They have made the title big enough that it has taken up half of that page which really draws your attention. Since it is black and bold it stands out from the white background and catches your eye straight away which is the main purpose of a title. When I create me title I am going to make sure that it is short and catchy and most probably involves or is related to the name of the artist. I am also going to take on the idea of making the title really big and bold although I have had the idea of stretching my title across the two pages to show its importance but if that doesn’t if in with my image I will try this idea.

Contents Page Conventions I Will Use

Hey Everyone,

So like I did after I finished my front cover analysis I am going to list a few conventions I will include in my contents page. First I think I will use the blocky look for my contents page as it fits in more with my genre and I much prefer this layout anyway. I want to use the same colour on my contents page as I have used for the title of my magazine to create a house style for my magazine. I want to create interesting page numbers such as making them quite large and a bright colour to make them stand out. I also want to include a website and a social media sit at the bottom of my page to hopefully give it a more professional touch. Finally I will make the details of each article simple and short because since my target audience are mainly teenagers it isnt likely that they will want to read a lot of text.

Q Contents Page Analysis

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For my final contents page analysis I have chosen to do another Q contents page. This Q contents page is quite different to the last Q contents page I analysed, but they both still have the blocky look.  I think a way this contents page has really captured your attention is the use of different shapes. I really like how they have sectioned everything of to their own square with a picture and a small description of what that article is about, but each squared has been set out a different way, for example the pictures are all arranged differently, some are the full picture others have some of the image sticking out of the main image, one has been cut out to just the person and another has been shaped to a circle. I like the idea of having each story put in a separate section as this is something I have already thought about from previous analyzing. I also really like the idea of making the images all slightly different in a way even if it’s just changing the outer shape of the picture so I think on my contents page if I have an appropriate picture to do something like that with I might try it to give my contents page a sort of edgy look and catch people’s attention. Another thing I like is the page numbers; they have put them into speech bubbles which I think is another really good use of shapes. They have made each speech bubble a different colour so they stand out from the plain white background making sure that the text inside the bubble is an appropriate colour to be seen against it, they are also the only main bits of block colour on the page which also draws attention to them. I really like this idea, especially the use of colour against the white background, it really adds emphasis on the page numbers as well as adds a splash of colour to do the page. For my magazine I think I might use the idea of colour against a plain background for some aspect of the page to make it stand out but it might not necessarily be for the page numbers.  Another think I think looks good on this contents page is the plug near the top of the page next to one of the articles telling you that that article is a 25 page special. They have put this text in a circle and made the outline yellow, this makes it stand out again the picture for the article as well as the plain background. I think the idea of having something like that is quite good as it advertises the fact that there is a really special article which is 25 pages long, it also adds the shape look on the page and the splashes of colour. Although I think it looks good on this magazine contents page I don’t think that I would use this on my contents page as I think the idea of a 25 page special is a bit excessive but I might use the idea of having something similar to make a certain piece of writing stand out or maybe for a subtitle for something. Finally i like how the title of the page is in a banner. They have made the banner black and then have the Q in its normal red and the title of the page in white making the whole tittle really stand out as the black catches your attention against the white background and then the title stands out against the black background. It has also include which issue is it above the title of the page in white so that stands out and people know that what they are going to read is recent information. I really like this idea as it makes the title stand out as well as giving the page a edgy look and making it still have some aspects of professionalism. I am going to keep this idea in mind for when I create my contents page as I think it would fit in with the style of contents page I want to create.

NME Contents Analysis

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For my forth contents page analysis I chose to do another NME contents page. It is very similar to the last NME contents page that I analysed which shows that NME use the name kind of format and layout for every one of their contents pages. In the contents page I really like how they have put the main story in the centre on the page and made it larger than the other photos because this means you are automatically drawn to this picture over the rest. Underneath the image they have put a quote from the person in the picture is a larger font to the rest of the writing underneath it and the writing for all the other articles, the font is also different to the other fonts on the page which makes it stand out more, the font style looks quite like someone’s handwriting which reflects the idea that it’s a quote from this person. For my contents page I think I might make the main story bigger than the rest of the stories on the page so people know that it is the main story. I also like the idea of how they have put in the quote especially since its quiet and interesting quote as it will interest the read so I think this might be another thing I will think about doing on my contents page as well as making that bit of writing stand out more with different size, font or colour for the text. I also like how they have a small “plus” column in between two of the stories which tells us what other stories they have in the magazine and the page number they are on. It shows that there are more stories in the magazine than just the main ones that have been highlighted with pictures and a small description. It also fits the space really well and doesn't take up too much space as well as it fitting in with the blocky look of the page. Since they have made the title of the column “plus” and made it larger than most of the other text as well as making it a fancy font it automatically draws people in to read it. I think this is a really good idea as it means you can highlight the main stories in your magazine with the large images and text but you aren't forgetting about the smaller articles which are still just as important to include on the contents page. I like how they have made the heading of the box larger and with a different font to attract people’s attention, I think it also adds a professional touch and if I was to include this idea on my contents page I would defiantly make sure to make the heading of it stand out in a similar way to what they have here. I like how in this issue they have not only made the page numbers next to the picture large making them stand out but they have also made them red, this is one of NME’s house-style colours which means by seeing the red on the page you can automatically tell that it is part of an NME magazine. They haven’t used red anywhere else on the page other tan for the background of the subscription box, because of this it means you are drawn into these things since red is a bright colour and stand out to the rest of the page. I think the reason they have done this is because they want to readers to be able to find the page numbers easily and so that you are attracted to the subscription box and won’t miss it meaning they are more likely to have more people subscribe to them. By making these things red it also keeps the house-style which is important as well as drawing in the reader’s attention. For my contents page I think I will use my house colour in a similar way to attract people although it might not necessarily mean that I will use the colour for the numbers of the pages just for minor details on the page to make sure I keep my house style but don’t make the page too confusing and bright to read. I think by adding small amounts of colour to certain places and then having the text a plain colour like black it also makes the page look more professional.

MOJO contents page

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For my third contents page analysis I chose to do a MOJO contents page. This contents page also has a blocky look to it and has a similar layout to the last contents page I analysed with the pictures down the left hand side and the text for the articles down the right hand side. Something I like about this magazine is how oh each large picture there is a small caption at the bottom of each one to tell you what story the image is related to and what page that story is on. They've made sure to put it in white so that the text is easy to read on top of the picture but still links in with the other colours on the page. For my contents page I might do a similar thing as I think it is a good idea although I do still like the idea of having large page numbers on the pictures so I will have to keep both of these ideas in mind when I am designing my contents page and I will see with idea looks better or maybe even use both. I also like how they have kept the writing quite simple, they have used different but very similar fonts for different parts of the writing so they stand apart from each other but don’t stand out from the house-style of the magazine. I think it’s a good idea how they have kept the headings for each article really simple and just one word, this appeals to its target audience which is more teenagers and young adults, so they are more likely to be drawn into it if they don’t have to read a long paragraph to find out what that page is about. They have also made these headings larger than the rest of the text but still on the same line so that it doesn't look really spaced out but it is still really easy to read. For my contents page I think I will try and make my subtitles for each article as short as possible so they too appeal to my target audience and make the page easier to read and nicer to look at. I will also make the titles larger than the rest of the text but I might make them a different colour depending on the style and the layout I choose to have on my contents page. I like how they have added a section along the bottom of the contents page which shows the people who have contributed to the magazine that month. I like how they have put the person’s name, a bit about what they did for the magazine this month and then a photo of them next to the information. The layout of this fits in with the rest of the page and it adds a professional touch. I think it’s a good idea to do this as it makes the magazine a bit more personal for the reader to know who had contributed to making the magazine they are about to read. I’m not sure if I would do this for my magazine as I would be the only one making it I’m not sure it would be appropriate although I do like the idea and if I find that I have space to fill anywhere on my contents page I might add something similar to this.

Q contents Page Analysis

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For my second contents page analysis I chose to do a Q contents page. I really like the layout of this contents page. I like how it has all the information about each page down the right hand side of the page and then on the left has pictures that go with certain big stories. This is quite a blocky looking contents page but different to the last contents page I analysed. For my contents page I think I will do a similar style as I want it to be a blocky look as this fits in with the style of music I have chosen to do and typical magazines of that style. I like the layout of this page because everything is easy to see and read and I want my contents page to be like that. I also really like the colour scheme, how they have used the colours of the Q logo; red and white, and used these two colours for the entire page and this works really well for them as it’s their house style colour. They have kept the writing for the titles and descriptions of the stories in black and then added a red line between each story to separate the stories and to add more of the house-style to the page. For my contents page I would like to do a similar thing and use the colours from the name of my magazine to create my own house-style colours so I can use them in a similar way so people will recognize the colours and styling as being my specific magazine. I’m not sure what colours I want to use yet but I will hopefully use colours that are bright and will stand out as well as be colours that appeal to my target audience. Another thing I like about this contents page is the way they have used large page numbers to go with the pictures on the left hand side so that people can see the image and if they think they know the artist and want to read about them they don’t have to search down the list of articles to find that one because the page number is right there. They have also made these numbers white in a black box which is a similar style to the name of Q with the white letter in the red box, so they are continuing with the style of that and applying it to other things and it looks really good because it ties in with everything else on the page because of that. For my contents page I want to try and do something interesting with my page numbers too. I might use the idea of having a few large numbers that go with the pictures on the contents page which would be the main stories. I’m not sure if I would use the idea of putting the numbers in a box although I do think it works well for this magazine and it does make sure that the numbers stand out but it depends of whether that style fits in with the style of my magazine. My final point about this contents page would be the small details that they have put at the bottom of the page, they have out the Q logo at the bottom of the page as well as the page number and the date of the magazine. On the other side of the bottom of the page they have put a website name. This is a typical convention of a contents page to have the date or the issue number and then the website details at the bottom of the page but they have made sure to put this information in their house-style again. For my magazine I will include a website name and the date and possibly an issue number as it’s a typical convention so I should probably include these anyways, plus I think it gives a little extra touch to the magazine and makes it look more professional.

Contents Page Analysis

Hey Everyone,

In my lesson today at school we started to analyse some contents pages to give us an idea of what type of contents page we want to create either the “blocky” look or an image dominated look. We also looked at the codes and conventions that a contents page would normally contain. Here’s a picture to the right that I took in my lesson which compares the types of contents page. Although the types of magazines I have been looking at use the "blocky" look on their contents page anyway I much prefer that style of contents page anyway. I think it’s much clearer to read and it also means you can fit more information on the contents page without it being too difficult to read. 

My analysis of the "blocky" style contents page is that I really like the neat and square look; it almost looks like everything is sectioned of so you can differentiate between each story. I also really like how they have made the numbers of the page next to the images quite big and bold so they can’t be missed. I also like how they have made the back ground white to keep it minimalist and so that all the images and text stand out on it and makes it easy to read. I think a good thing that they have done is have a subscription advert in the bottom right hand corner with a deal in it, so that people don’t miss the information and it’s easy to find. They have also put the sub title for each story in either a different font to the rest of the text or in bold so that it’s easy to read and stands out from the rest of the text. I think that when I come to designing my own contents page I will keep all of this in mind apart from the subscription box, I’d prefer to have an email address and telephone number at the bottom than a whole box dedicated to subscribing to the magazine. I will also keep in mind all of the codes and conventions that I learnt in my lesson so that my contents page is a typical contents for a music magazine.