Main task skeleton designs

From my format research I have designed my own front cover, contents page, and double page spread for my music magazine, I will take these designs and apply them when actually making my magazine.

For my front cover I have taken a more basic design to go on, this will give me more room to do slight adjustments to it better fits my genre. I am planning to do a pop art theme which will include me editing my own photos to apply the theme so I am able to create a house theme. By editing photos it will give the magazine a more realistic look; which may draw in the reader more as it is not fake. I am also planning to put pain splashes across the design as a watermark, this will help to consolidate the house style.

My contents page will contain 3 images, each linked to a main story, it will also contain my main pop art image, this will need to be basic image as it will contain a lot of text over laying it. I don't want all the attention to be on the image as that defeats the point of having a contents page. I am using the same shapes and a similar set up to my front cover, solidifying my house theme, which will also be reinforced with colours and fonts when I design my magazine properly.

The double page will contain mainly a photo as this is what will grab the readers attention initially. I will link the photo to the front cover by using an image from the same photo shoot but from different perspectives which will also include another person. Including a quote makes the article slightly more personal which means the reader may connect more to it; it also brings down the intensity of the photo.

Main task - format research

As I am starting to design my music magazine but to do so I must do some more format research. I have chosen a rock magazine as that was one of my possible genres for my own design. This is similar to my previous work that I did over summer as preparation for my preliminary; other than the fact that I have not only analysed the front over but also the contents page and a double page spread.

This cover is designed to only appeal to a small section of people as it is not at all generic, it is only rock music orientated meaning it will only intrigue people who specifically like the genre. This is good because the magazine can then go to the extreme as they know all true fans will purchase it meaning they are sure they will be appealing to a percentage of people. 

   

The contents page is spread across a double page rater than a single one, this may appeal to some readers as the information isn't crowded in one place meaning it is easier to locate. There isn't really a need for it to be spread as the information could easily fit on one page but as the image takes up most of the first place this is not an option, this isn't necessary as there is a main image on the front cover.

The double page in this magazine I believe was very successful as the techniques used will greatly benefit the views this page will get. The text is small and compact which may intimidate the reader slightly but other than that i feel like i can take some ideas from this.






Although I have decided to not go with the rock genre I think that the research I have done will help me either way, I will still need to alter certain aspects to fit the different audiences but I am confident that I can use this information to design my own magazine pages to a high standard.

I have also done some individual covers that I have analysed of the pop genre, these will further my knowledge and I will be able to combine what I have found in order to create my own design to a higher standard.

In my opinion i do not think that this is a very successful magazine cover, I find this because it is very complicated and there is no where that can be specifically focused on and this may be intimidating to the reader which will sway them away from buying it. I will not be taking many ideas from this magazine as although it is a very well known brand it is still not very appealing, therefore will be looking at this as a 'what not to do'

This magazine cover is very successful as everything is clearly laid out and it has a very structured feel yet is still very comfortable. it has a harsh feel to it but that is toned down slightly with the colours as they are not very vibrant meaning they are fairly soft yet are still contrasting. Because it is a special issue it may attract extra attention, I may take this idea into consideration and take a special issue so I can adapt my ideas to a more specific target.