Front Cover Development #2

I have decided on this image as I feel like it has more of a striking impact than the one with the fur coat, and have chosen the dark navy for an eye catching masthead which stands out. To contrast with this I have chosen a pale baby blue for my sell lines as this compliments it well and limits the colour palette so it looks professional. To the left hand side I have included a list of featured artists which is an idea I got from many existing magazines as it encourages one off buyers to purchase the magazine if they see a person of interest is going to be inside. I quite like how this looks however want to make my main image slightly bigger, so this would no longer fit. I have thought of the solution of adding a banner to the bottom of the page which will include this list as it will fill up some blank space and be more easily seen, as well as making the necessary info such as the issue number more clear on the page.

So far I really like how the front cover is starting to look however need to think of some solutions to the white space, so I plan to enlarge my main image and sell lines to do this. I also want to experiment with colours slightly more so it is not so monochrome and appealing to stereotypical males by being blue.

Front Cover Development #1

I have started to design my front cover for my magazine. I have so far edited my main image, created my masthead and also created a barcode which is one of the necessary conventions. I really like the colour scheme of this front cover and the main image as I think the dramatic makeup of the model is effective, however I think the font of the masthead could be a bit too thin as it isn't very bold and eye-catching, nor is the shade of blue I have chosen. 

This is actually my second front cover design, as initially I used a different image which is shown below. 

I decided not to use this image as although I really like the styling and hair on this image it didn't have as much visual impact as the models expression is quite dull. The leather jacket on my final image is darker so less distracting from the makeup and sell lines I will add. However, I do prefer the navy shade of blue used for the masthead so plan to alter my current front cover to look like this. 

Double Page Spread Draft Article

I have written an initial draft of the article I plan to use for my double page spread. The topic of this is that it is a feature about my main artist, a fictional teen star Lily Walker, and how she has returned to the industry after taking a few years out to grow up. It includes large bits of interview with the star as well as a brief review of her new album, I have chosen this topic as it is an artist of a similar age range to my target audience making her relatable and also someone to look up to. As she has a new album coming out it is a very current hook which will interest the reader.

My teacher marked this draft at a grade B, and overall it was a relevant and good article however to improve I have been told that a closing paragraph is needed which includes tour dates and an album release date as I have mentioned these in the body of the article. I will add this to my final draft to try and improve my grade to an A however I am also considering putting details like this in a separate box on my double page spread to highlight this immediately to the reader as I think this will be more effective, in a similar way to 'the lowdown' section on this example.

Contents Page Fonts

For the main title of my contents page I have decided to use the same font as my front cover mast head to create a house style for the magazine which is consistent. This font is 'Bebas Neue' and is effective as it is bold and takes up a lot of space on the page making it eye-catching and instantly noticeable.

For the titles of the features and articles I will use the same font as my sell lines on the front cover for the same reason as I have just stated, I want these to stand out on the page too in order to clearly anchor the article names.

For the writing underneath my article titles which will be a short summary of the features or pull quote from them, I will use the font Bodoni XT as it will be clear and easy to read at a small font size. I will use this same font in a larger size for the page numbers which are an important convention of the contents page as it will contrast from the article title therefore standing out to my audience.

Contents Page Colour Scheme

In-keeping with my house style, I will carry through the colour scheme of blues into my contents page as this will look equally as effective here and relate to the same people.

The varying tones of blue mean I will be able to ensure every aspect of the contents page is clear and distinguishable however in cases where this is not easy to see against the images, I will again optionally use black and white to ensure nothing blends into the background.

As an extra for my contents page I will potentially incorporate some dark red colour into the colour scheme if I want to highlight an aspect of it, such as the page numbers which are an extremely important feature. This will make sure it is eye-catching and as easy to navigate through as possible.

Colour Scheme

I have chosen to use a colour scheme which is based on blue. This includes light sky blues which connote fun and happiness, possibly medium blues if a darker shade is needed to make some font stand out, and a darker, navy type blue for main sections of font such as the masthead and main sell line as this is a dark colour which will contrast from the white background and stand out on the page.

This is another colour chart I have created which is showing two simple block colours, black and white. I have included these in my colour scheme because in some areas of my front cover, the colours might not stand out against the main image and in these cases font which is black or white would be necessary  in order for everything on the front cover to be clear and noticeable at a glance. 

Overall I think that the colour chart I have created will be effective for my magazine, as although blues are often related to the male gender, the specific tones I have chosen are bright and youthful, and will appeal to both genders I believe. When taking my photos I ensured my model wore blue nail varnish to fit in with the house style and this is an eye-catching colour scheme to have on the front cover as it will grab the attention of readers when on the shelf, encouraging them to buy due to this being such a bright and bold primary colour.