Double Page Spread Research

Double Page Spread Research

Before creating my own double page spread for my magazine, I researched others to look at the typical components and styles. These are some of the examples I found and what I did and did not like about each...

 I particularly like that the background of these magazines is white and the text is black because it stands out well and is legible, important for the article. On the second example, the background image is not actually white, demonstrating that one does not need to refrain from using full images. They have put a white background in their text box so that they maintain the legibility as well as using an interesting image. All of these use a black, white and red house style, which I really like; the black and white make it appropriate  to the house style to use black text on the white. I like that they use one vivid colour to brighten up the page as it looks more interesting. Furthermore, this works with the model who has red hair as this really exaggerates the house style. This shows how an image can actually compliment the house style as well as the other way around. Where as red would not be appropriate for my own house style, I will be using purple in sections of my double page spread to make it stand out more. Another thing which these double page spreads have in common is that they sue a watermark. I have decided to also do this on my own because I think that it can fill negative space well whilst not intruding on the text for my article. I will reduce the opacity on a purple colour so that my house style shines through this whilst not being too vibrant that the attention is taken away from my image. I also like the way that the image spreads across both pages to clearly link them however in my own version I think that I will have the main image on one page and use my headline to connect the two, having this covering the two pages. I have chosen to do this because it allows me to have negative space where my text will be. Although, I do not want the second page containing the article to look too 'wordy' therefore I will be placing one column of text on the first page and the other two on the second.


Each of these double page spreads is black and white, again making it more suitable to use a plain background with a contrasting font colour-the best is black and white because the text stands out more. I particularly like the way that the image on each covers both pages; it makes a clear link between the two. However, I will not be doing this in my own because I want the focus to be on the image on the first page. I will be linking the two pages by having one column of text on the first and following these on to the second. I like that the image of Adele is a close up of the face as this makes the article look more approachable and relevant to readers as they can see the face. Although, I also like the photograph on the 'American Gothic' page because the background looks edgy and intriguing whilst the face and action can still be seen clearly. I love the drop caps as this really makes the pieces look professional; I will be using this on my own work. Furthermore, I particularly like the font of 'Gothic' as it looks like graffiti or hand-written, again making the article seem more light-hearted and approachable.



I like the fact that this double page spread features more than one image, but it is still clear which is the main one. I think that it adds diversity and there is more likely to be something for all audiences. however, on deliberation, I decided not to use more than one image on my double page spread; my article is rather long so that takes up quite a lot of room. Moreover, I want to leave space for a big headline which stands out therefore, by using more than one image, they will be too small to see clearly and to make an impact. Furthermore, I think that they would make my pages look cluttered and the more professional examples I have seen tend to only use one. As a result I will be including a clear, medium close-up so that the audience feels like it is clean and exclusive-looking. 

The main thing that stands out for me with this double page spread is clearly the image and use of lines. Surprisingly, I like it because it separates the columns for the article out nicely and creates a focal point on each of the different faces. I also admire that the lines are different colours; this allows for a more diverse house style. Additionally, the band members are wearing all black against the black background. As a result, the faces-arguably the most important part of a photograph-really stand out in contrast. The negative space allows a lot of room for the article and the black is perfect for writing on in white.

I think that this is my favourite example of a double page spread as it features many of the aspects I would like to include in my own work such as the watermark, pop of colour and model picture on the first page. I love that they have used three columns of text as the article looks prominent whilst not detracting from the main image. Moreover, the drop cap looks fancy and perhaps hints that their target audience is women due to its curly style. The photographer was clearly on a level with the model which hints that the article is quite relatable because the person featured seems more approachable. If the photograph was a low or high angle example, the model would look more important and not relatable so this works well to encourage readers.

Front Cover Research and Brand Exploration

 

Mastheads

Mastheads

I used the website 'Dafont' when creating my masthead where I explored a range of different fonts, both suitable for my context and not.
Firstly, I decided that the name of my magazine would be 'REVOLUTION' (which I later changed) however I thought that when I was testing which fonts I liked most, I would type the name of my magazine to also make sure that it suited the word itself. Furthermore, I thought that I may replayed the 'E' with a '3' in order to make my title more unique and edgy to reflect the Indie style.

  The thing I liked most about this font was that it was American-styled as this looks interesting and appealing to the eye whilst linking to the fact that many music artists are American. This font was chunky therefore it would be legible from a distance away, important for a magazine. Additionally, I liked that there was a scratched effect on it because it almost looks like scratched vinyl, again linking to the Indie genre. One problem that may arise is that some of the letters such as 'V' and 'U' are faded slightly too much therefore if I placed my model's head over one of these, the title may not be so easily recognised as 'R3VOLUTION.'

Particularly, I like that this font is white with black rounded squares for the background as the contrast allows the title to really stand out. Furthermore, the font is chunky and will again be able to be read from afar so that the title stands out on the page. I love that the letters are not faded like in the previous font, but are scratched which looks edgy and appropriate for a music magazine. I also liked the idea of this font being on a license plate for my masthead, which would allow me to incorporate the '3' in replacement of the 'E'. However, I think that this may take a little too much attention away from my main image and perhaps take up more room than I would have liked.

 Again, this font is chunky, allowing it to stand out on the page and not get muddled into the rest of the text, making it clear as the masthead. Although the thing I like about this font more than some others is that it is darker; there is less white invading into the pigment. This makes it stand out more as a large font appealing to the eye. I also loved that the bottom of this font looked a little like a city sky-line because this linked to a possible front cover image of mine. This was a photograph of my band against a brick wall, which would have tied in nicely with this edgy font. However, this font was a little too ordinary because it was very uniform typography like stencils which juxtaposed the edgy style to Indie. Furthermore, I still liked the idea of each letter being separated in a box.

I did not like this font AT ALL because it was too loopy. Consequently, it was not easily legible and as a result, completely inappropriate for a masthead. the lettering was also too thin meaning that it would not stand out enough regardless.

The advantages of using this font would be that it is possible the chunkiest font, meaning that it would really stand out on my front cover. The black colour is also solid, emphasising this. I love that the white parts suggest where the light hits the word, giving it a 3D aspect. However, I think that it looked too much like a candy logo to represent the edgy side to Indie music. Also, it was a little too plain and boring to be used on the front cover therefore I decided against using this masthead.

Eventually, I changed the name of my magazine to 'HIJACKED' and in that case, the font would be extremely appropriate because it links to a glitch on a computer screen, reflecting the idea of something being altered and 'HIJACKED'.' I did really like this font however I thought that there were more interesting choices that were not just one plain block colour, despite the fact that this would make it stand out indefinitely.

This masthead actually reminded me of the font used for the film title, "Top Gun." I loved that the lines at each edge of the masthead framed it nicely which allowed easy differentiation as to where the masthead ends and the rest of the front cover starts. They also look like piano tiles, again linking to music. In addition, I loved that there were words written within the letters in a contrasting colour; it looked original and interesting without taking attention away from the main word...the title. On the other hand, the lettering was too thin and I preferred chunkier designs which would stand out more. Therefore I decided against this choice.

Originally, no matter what font I used for my masthead, I was going to add an image of a vinyl record to replace the 'O' in order to link with the edgy Indie music and Indie fans. Therefore, I loved that the 'O' in this masthead created this impression; the images of vinyl records may not have blended in with the rest of the font like this one does. Although, I did think that this was also slightly boring for an interesting music magazine front cover there is no unique background to the letters such as with the boxed edges in others. I did not use this font but I do like that it is very bold and stands out. Also, the lines of white mimic the look of rays of light, which would have again added depth to my page.

This is the font I ultimately decided to go with; each letter is bold, making the masthead stand out. Moreover, I loved that the lettering was both white and black because this created a great contrast and let the word stand out. The thing that I liked most was that each letter was separated with a square shape around it and these had different patterns whilst not taking attention away from the font itself. I think that this looked edgy and appropriate for an Indie music magazine.

 I designed my masthead in this way because my house style colours were shades of pink and purple. Therefore, I chose these bright colours in order to help my title stand out. I also chose to change the colours of the boxes behind the letters so that they contrasted more with the colour of each letter. For example, the black colour of 'A' and 'K' helped them to not look so boring and stand out against the background. The different colour backdrop for each letter really helped me when creating my front cover because nothing on the image could interfere with my masthead due to me controlling what was behind each letter. I think that the name was also better for my masthead because it was shorter in length, meaning that each letter could be increased in size to fill the width of the page. I think the masthead was a good size to be legible from  afar.

Ultimately I decided against the latter masthead because it made my page look too busy with many colours in the background image also. Due to this, I opted for a monochrome masthead which stood out more, fit my house style tighter and was easily legible against my image. I have still echoed a graffiti-style to appeal to my edgy target audience but the block black background makes the text easier to read and bolder-just like my target audience.

Double Page Spread Flat Plan

Double Page Spread

Once again, my section header is placed at an angle to add depth and interest to my product. Moreover, it fills space without looking cramped. I think that on an angle, the magazine and text will look more modern and appealing to the target audience of teenagers. If everything on my page was straight and orderly, it would not look interesting or fun.
On the other hand, my flash is straight but I chose to do this in order to create a contrast between this and my section header. This contrast makes each piece of text stand out more. Also, there is space surrounding the flash which means that it is clear and will not get lost in the other bodies of text.
I did not like the look of the sidebar on the other page on this double-page spread, and it is yet to be determined whether I will actually use this is my final product, but I liked the way I positioned it here. I chose t have the model looking as though they are leaning up against it, which once again makes the product seem more interesting while also adding some unique depth and realism into the piece.
My feature article photo is going to be spread across both pages in order to clearly connect the two together and add depth. Furthermore, I had an idea that the model should be sat with one knee up and only the other leg should flow onto the next page; this will not take up much room for the article text but will create a nice border for the article to sit around.
My headlines and quotes are going to be bigger than the section header so that they stand out massively on the page and readers' eyes are drawn to them. Furthermore, I have placed each section at different angles so that they overlap each other, creating the illusion that they have been scattered on the page. The different angles also aid the depths of the page.
My pull quote is clearly visible in between the two columns of text which not only breaks up the large amounts of small text, but also has a border which makes it more eye-catching. The pull-quote will be interesting therefore readers would be more likely to read the rest of the article framing this section.
I was going to use only one main image so that the page did not look too cramped and that eyes were drawn to the feature image more. Although, I felt that this would look too sparse and that there would look like too much text for people to read if there weren't images to break this up. Therefore, next to my headlines and quotes I placed a graphic feature which will included an image with a caption, perhaps linking to the text in the headline. This will add more interest to the page.
I chose to make my article look structurally pleasant on the page and decided for the sizes of the columns to ascend throughout the pages. A large amount of text deters readers therefore starting with a little seems approachable. furthermore, by the time they get to the last, longest column, they will continue reading; they are interested in the article itself. On the page, I think that this looks like a volume logo, which links to music and youth. Therefore, the article links to the context of my magazine as well as the teenage target audience.

Contents Page Flat Plan

Contents Page

I decided to put my section header on an angle; it looks more interesting this way and stands out on the page more. Also, I chose to make the issue and date line much smaller so that they don't detract from my section header in any way.
I also began by placing the subscription banner as a strip along the bottom of the page but it does not need that much room and ate into the space I had for the more prominent images. Therefore, I placed it underneath the navigation panel; I did not need the full length of the page for this area to fill the gap.
At first, I tried top place my signed editorial section at the bottom of the page but I found that this got in the way of the important photographs and I definitely wanted the feature article section to be in the first two thirds so that people read them first. As a result, I moved it next to my section header as this will grab most of the attention nevertheless and I did not need the full width of the page for  "CONTENTS." I am pleased with its position now as it does not get mixed up in the contents itself so is not confusing. Furthermore, I included an image of the front cover in this editorial as I noticed that many professional products did this and it was clear that it was part of the same issue.
My navigation panel is found in the last third of the page; this is where the less interesting text is; it is more important for the feature articles to stand out than the regular ones. I have decided to separate these out with section headers so that is it clear and easy to follow. Although, I have not given the titles "FEATURES" and "REGULARS" because this is very unprofessional and it is clear due to the features having more photos and the larger width of the page.
I placed the main feature photo at the top of its section so it is prominent on the page, in addition to it being the biggest attraction. Overlapping the bottom of the image, I decided that I should place my pull-quote here so that it is clear to which article the text refers to whilst also filling unnecessary gaps in the image.
Moreover, I chose to incorporate six other images in a uniformed structure underneath, but still in the features section, so that:the page is pleasing to the eye; I can include a wider variety of images that look interesting and are structured uniformly because a lot of the surrounding area is quite busy and I do not want to create the illusion that it is too cramped. By arranging them in this way, it looks more precise and manageable.

Front Cover Flat Plan

 Flat Plans

I have began preparation for my music magazine production therefore I have researched examples of each style of pages. After looking into these, I have created my own flat plans as a guide to follow when I come to put these pages together on InDesign and Photoshop.

Front Cover

I chose to place my selling line at the top of the page; when a person reads they start from the top and seen as my page will be busy-but not too much-with different headlines and images that will catch their eyes, I want them to read what else will be in the magazine that will interest them. Consequently, they may be more likely to buy the product.
My main cover line is going to be the biggest in order to portray that it is the most important on the page. I will also lay it over the photo to enhance this however I found out during my research that many magazines make this larger than the masthead. I do not like this; it is unclear which is the masthead. By placing halfway down the page, this will be obvious. I may also place it at an angle to look more intriguing but I will not be placing ANYTHING over the face of the model as this is the focal point.
I also put a puff right next to this so that whilst they read the interesting headlines appearing in the issue, they will be encouraged further with an offer of some kind.
I have placed the majority of the text, for example cover lines and kickers, on the first third of the page as this is where people begin reading so they are more likely to actually read what these say. Furthermore, I have surrounded the main cover line with them so that the magazine looks like it is full of content whilst not deteriorating from the most important.
My plug and flash are right near the barcode; these are extras included in the magazine which makes it more worthwhile to buy therefore when people come to notice the price of the product, it will seem like a better deal for everything included.
My masthead will be slightly covered by the feature article photo to emphasise the importance of the image as well as to look more professional. Many magazines do this and it looks extremely interesting however I will make sure that my title can still be read easily; it is also important that readers know what the product is called. If I overlapped the photo with the title, it detracts from the image which I do not want; this will draw people in and catch their eyes.
I have lined the last third with 4 images placed at scattered angles so that they look more interesting and slightly like photo negatives; I think this captures the sense of Indie music being rugged. Furthermore, people will read the cover lines as well as being drawn to the images so everything will be seen.