Double page spread peer assessment

This is my peer assessment for my double page spread. I did this by asking my class mates to look at my double page spread and give me some feedback on what they like and what I can improve. I also did this to theirs in order to help them improve and to give me some inspiration which I can incorporate into my own.

By doing this, I found out what my target audience would like to see on the page and what aspects they think I could use to improve or features hey think i can include. For instance after looking over all of the comments I was given I concluded that I should fill up more space on the page a pull quote and make certain text larger to fill gaps, making the audience feel s if they are getting more for their money and appeal to them more. I will also consider making the heading bolder to allow it to stand out more on the page.

Editing contents main image

This is the original image and my first effort of editing the image. I wanted he image to only be the subject as i thought this would be more effective and look ore professional on the page, thus meaning i would have to remove the background. To do this I used the magic eraser tool to clear the majority of the unwanted background. This however made some of the edges very blunt and sharp. i then used the eraser tool to remove the rest of the background and smoothen out the edges of the subject. This tool also allowed me to reach the smaller spaces of background as you can change the size of the curser deciding an an appropriate scale and diameter. You can also chance the brush effect, i chose a brush with blurred edges as this would allow me to blend around the edges of the image. I found once I had saved the image that i had not made a very good effort with erasing the background as there are still smudges of the background showing around the image and especially around the edges of the image.

I then used the Spot healing brush tool to fix any imperfections or blemishes on the subjects skin. I also used the patch tool to fix some of the spaces in her hair due to the messy bun as it made the photo look unnatural. I also used this tool to smoothen some of the creases in the clothing.

I also cropped the image to make it fit well on the page and to allow space for the text on the left hand side.

First draft of contents page

This is the first draft of my contents page. I created this page with the purpose of showing the target audience what is going to be inside his issue of the magazine showing only the main features which I believe will appeal most to the audience and to help them navigate  through the magazine. The outcome is very different to the flat plan as when i was creating the actual product in my opinion this layout looked and worked better to suit the target audience and fulfilling its purpose.

Layout

I chose to change the layout of my contents page drastically from my flat plan with the title still being displayed boldly t the top of the page and the text on the right hand side, however there is only one main image instead of various sub images. I have sill used a competition feature to the page as i think this will attract the target audience and make them feel more involve with the magazine and closer to the artist featured, i have moved this feature hough so that i is located on the bottom left hand side as i think this is an appropriate place for this feature and it works well here. I have placed the text on the right hand side so that once the image has attracted the audience to the page they will see the text and will be a more lifelike feel as people read from left to right. I have included the issue, date and website URL to the top righthand side of the page as although it does not stand out as much in this location it is still visible and keeps the page looking tidy. I like this layout for my contents page as i believe it looks tidy and professional. I chose to section the text into appropriate groups as this would make it easier for the audience to read and understand, i chose to name the three sections, features, weekly and news as this applies to more that one article linking what they each of them have in common in the particular group and is an appropriate heading which the young target audience will be able to understand. I also chose to set the fonts layout as text wrap to allow it to border my main image and to help the flow of the page.

Text

I chose to use a vary of fonts and sizes on my text throughout the page as i believe this would be more attractive and entertaining for the target audience to look at. I have made the more important text stand out by the use of the font size (the larger text connoting further importance). I have used this method on the title 'Contents', on the sub heading 'Competition' and then on the page numbers. I have also used colour to help certain text stand out, mainly in the body text of the page al if he hole text was the same size and colour it would be dull, not attractive to he target audience and will not entice them into reading the text. I chose to use the colour hot pink as a contrast to the mass of black text on the page as this will help the text selected to stand out, i used this colour on the articles page numbers and on the main words in the sell lines below the articles. I have used basic language within the text so that it is free flowing and easy for the young target audience to read as some may be less educated and have difficulty understanding the text is i had used complexed language. 

Images

This is the main aspect the makes my contents page first draft differ to the original flat plan. I chose to use one main image and one sub image which links to the text. I have used a single large main image as i believe this will be more effective at attracting the audience to the page. I chose this image as i believe it connotes a good fun representation of the artist and denotes a pretty, young, blonde female which will appeal to both the target and secondary audience meaning it will appeal to a wider range of individuals ad fulfil its purpose of drawing people to the page and to the article it is representing. I edited out the background of this image on photoshop as in my opinion it makes the photo look more professional and fit better with the layout of the page (the text wrap around the image)The secondary image is an image of the artist Nicole Sherzinger who is widely known and is successful within the music industry. I took this photo at a concert I attended don London called The Summertime Ball which means that as planned i have managed to still make all of the photos featured on my magazine to be origin and my own. I still believe this photo is of a good quality even though it was taken at a concert and is appropriate to use in the magazine. I also like the representation of the artist as she is stereotypically doing her job and looking as if she is enjoying doing so connoting happiness and excitement and as he image was taken as a low angle image this also connotes the artists importance and power.

However there are improvements which could be made to this draft. For example, i could add a page number at the bottom right hand corner of the page, the main image could also use a little more editing around the outside of the subject as the edges are a bit harsh.

Camera shots and angles

High and low key images

First draft of my magazine double page spread

This is the first draft I have created for my double page spread. I created the page using a fairly basic colour scheme as it will be easy on the audiences eyes and make the actual article easy to read. I also believe this colour scheme makes the page look professional and white mature looking.

Layout

I have chose a fairly conventional layout for my double page spread as I believe this will make the article easy to understand and navigate round.  Using a full single page for the main image and another for the article. The layout I used on this page is very similar to that on the initial flat plan.I included a section at the bottom right corner of the page to include the magazines online website and social network sites which will involve the audience more with the magazine. I also allocated a section at the bottom left of the spread to place a promotion poster for the artists new album which I believe will make this page look unique and original.

Text

I used easy to read fonts making it easy for my audience to understand the article. I chose to make the more important text larger and in different fonts to connote its importance and to stand out to the reader in different ways, such as the. The language I used in the article was fairly simple and based at a lower lever so that it would be easy for my target audience to read. Within the text I chose to right about a topic that I believe the target audience would be interested in (the new break out artist Kai) as if the article wasn't interesting the audience would not want  to read it and effectively not want to buy the magazine.

Images

I only used two images on this double page spread and them both being located on the same page. I chose to use a large main image with the subject looking directly into the camera lens therefore looking and making a connection with the audience, I chose to do this as I believe this will attract the audience to the page and to the article. I also used an image of the artists new album as this will back up the text and give the audience a better idea of what is being talked about with a physical visual. 

Front cover final draft

After taking into account the feedback i received from my lecturers and classmates I made some of the advice id been given and incorporated it into the design.

I found that i had numerous comments about my font choices saying that i should vary them to make the cover look more interesting and entertaining for the audience. You can see I made changes on the subheadings in that I made the font bolder and changed the font style. I also changed the font style when mentioning other artists around the page such as One Direction and Rihanna to there own logo and certified style which will be notice and be more appealing to the target audience. I changed the heading so that the font was larger to allow it to stand out more as the main article. And the sell lines I changed to a different font so that it would match the heading. I added a quote from the interview between the heading and sell line to give the reader a further insight into what the article is going to be about and intrigue them with that it says. I changed the font on the masthead after various comments about the font being too thin and not doing its complete justice at the top of the page by blending into the background. I therefore made the text thicker and bolder to allow it to stand out to the audience and amongst all of the other features on the page.

I noticed that the puff overwhelmed the page and made it look too clustered, therefore to solve this problem I made the puff smaller, there was also a lot of spare space around the edges and made the text look smaller than what it was. By dong this it also helped the look of the layout as before it overlapped a lot of other features and looked squished in the left side third however now there is more space around the outside of the puff making it look neat and more professional.

As I changed the thickness of the mast head it also allowed more space to place the date within the letter 'E' making it more noticeable with the contrast between the white and black. 

By placing the masthead at the top of the page on full display to the audience it initially displays the brand identity of the magazine, backed up by the various other features on the cover which connote the music genre pop by the artists features and the main image.

Contents page flat plan

I created this flat plan of my contents page after reviewing all of my research on successful music magazines which are currently doing well on the market. I cooperated some of my findings into my own contents page.

I used the conventional looking title for the page as in my opinion it makes the page look professional and tidy. It also helps make the page easier to use for the audience as they can see straight away what the page is going to be about. I will put the title in a large bold font which will assist it in fulfilling its purpose of standing out to the audience and attracting them to the page.

I have incorporated my research from Rolling Stones magazine with the use of the bar of cover line images and corresponding page numbers in the corner of the image as I believe this would be an effective feature and will be successful in making the main articles stand out to the audience and help them navigate to the appropriate pages. The use of these various images will also attract the target audience to the page an will appeal to them as they are quite young they may not be very highly educated which means the images will give tem an instant idea on what the article is going to be about.

I have also selected an appropriate location for the body text as it is in a conventional location on the right hand side of the page so that the audience will be firstly attracted to the images then move their eyes left to look at the text.

I included a competition at the bottom of the page as this will allow the audience to feel more involved with the magazine and with the artist in which the competition involves. I added a sub image to this section to back up the text and to help assist the text in attracting the audience to the section and to the competition.

Double page spread flat plan

 

This is the flat plan of my double page spread I created after concluding my research and helping incorporate it into my own.

 

I have included various features which will attract my audience such as a large main image which takes up a full single page, I chose to do this as I believe it will attract the audience to the page and to the article. I believe this will be a valuable feature to add to the page as from doing my research I found that most successful music magazines which are currently on the market use this method which means it is proven to work.

 

I also used poll quotes which are text that is set in a larger font so that it will stand out too the audience. They are an interesting quote from that article which could either use humour, shock or sadness to trigger and emotion from the audience and will entice them into reading the entire article.

 

I will also use an interesting quote from the interview for the headline of the article as this will give the reader a quick insight into what the article is going to be about and at the same time persuade them to read the article. The headline is backed up by the tag line which will give the reader a further insight into what is going to be talked about in the interview. This could help make the audience want to read the article as after reading these two conventions they might be made curious and want to know more.

 

I also chose to use a drop cap at the start of the article as I noticed that a vary of existing music magazines uses this feature. This will appeal to the audience as it will stand out on the page which will allow them to know where the article begins, it will also make the page look more attractive and interesting wit the use of a different font and an abnormal size compared to the rest of the article.

 

I have also included a section at the end of the article which includes social network links. This will be appealing to the target audience as they are young therefore they are likely to have an account with these sites therefore feel more involved with the magazine. This will also be a good way to advertise the magazine as the friends or followers depending on the sight will also be able to see the links that their friends have been accessing.

 



End of research

Facial expressions

Peer + teacher assessment

To carry out my peer assessment I asked my classmates to fill in one thing thy thought was good about my magazine front cover and one thing hey thought i could improve on. In return i also made comments on theirs to help them improve and also to get some further ideas for my own.

By doing this I found out what i could co to improve the cover. For instance after reviewing he comments I received I will now consider using different fonts as I believe this would be an effective change on the front cover making it more attractive and appealing for the target audience. It also helped my as when I looked at the covers other students had made and making comments on them I found what I liked and got some inspiration on how I could improve my own work.

This is the assessment my lecturers filled in for me in order to improve my front cover. This assessment was carried out by printing off my from cover and giving it to my lecturer to mark and give me some advice on how to improve.

As a result of doing this assessment I have been able to see how i can progress with this cover from a professionals point of view. I also found that both my lecturers and classmates noticed quite a few aspects of my magazine which i can improve in common such as the font variation and the headline lacking boldness which wouldn't attract the audience. 

Photo editing with Photoshop

This is the original photo for the main image for my magazine front cover, I then used various tools on the photo editing program Adobe Photoshop to improve he look and quality of the image. I firstly used the eraser tools to edit out the unwanted background, starting with the 'Magic eraser tool' to remove the majority of the background. I then used the standard 'Eraser tool' to manually remove the left over edges around the subject manually by using the mouse to drag the curser around the appropriate edges and give the image a smother looking edge. However this proved to be difficult when editing around the subjects hair style as it is put in a messy bun with a lot of stray hairs. 

Once the background was fully removed I then copied the layer so that if i made any further mistakes i had a back up and would nit have to start again. The next thing went on to edit and remove some of her imperfections and blemishes by using the 'Spot healing brush tool' which removed an freckles or unwanted marks on her skin. I also used this tool to remove some of the minor creases on the subjects clothing but used the 'Patch tool' to smooth them out further.

I then brightened up the image by clicking on 'Image' at the top of the tool bar then I hovered over Adjustments and clicked on brightness and contrast. I then improv the brightness by 15% to make the colours stand out more within the image and to improve the overall look of the front cover and helping it attract he audience more. This also helped to brighten up some of the dark shadowy parts of the image to make the image more high key and suit its purpose on the cover.

This is the complete edited image which i will be using on my front cover.