Change of Masthead

Upon starting to create my magazine front cover, I came across a problem with my masthead. As it had come from a picture, it looked grainy when enlarged, and had a white line around the edge that was difficult to get rid of. As well as this, the black colour didn't go very well with my front cover, as it almost blended into it, and was not particularly visible. Below is a screenshot of how it looked.

 This is not the look that I wanted to achieve with my magazine, as I wanted a clean, clear look. As it didn't reflect my original idea for my magazine, I decided to change it, to a masthead that was still neutral, however a lighter colour in order to be more obvious.

A screenshot of my new masthead is shown below:

This masthead better reflects the orginal image I had in mind of my magazine, as it looks simple and neutral, yet it is stands out. I also added a drop-shadow in order to make it stand out even further, and make the magazine generally more enticing for the reader.

Planning the Interview- Feature Article

 

Feature Article Planning

 

The article will start with a breif introduction, telling the reader a short bit about the brand new artist 'Lola Roberts', and how overnight she sprang into the music industry. It will introduce her to the reader, so that they can get a feel of the tone for the rest of the article.

 

I will then have an interview, in which I will ask the following questions, and also write in the answers from Lola...

 

What was the first song you ever wrote & what inspired it?

What got you into music to start with? How old were you?

If you could pick any band to be in at any point in time, what would it be?

Have you always enjoyed music?

How does it feel being in the spotlight so suddenly? Weirdest thing about it?

Do you play any instruments?

Something for the readers…. Do you have any hidden talents?

If you hadn’t gotten into singing, what would you be doing?

What is your current favourite song, not by you?!

Your new album ‘raindrops on roses’, is all amazing! But what is your favourite song from it, and why?

Do you have any loves other than music?

Finally, I will end the article with a breif conclusion, saying things like 'I'm sad my time with Lola is over, but I have a feeling that Lyrics will be speaking to her again soon'. This will end the article on a note that will make the readers want to read on and therefore would get them to keep buying the magazine.

The article will be generally very laid back, in order to keep people engaged when reading it, yet it will be informative, so that it is interesting enough for people to buy the next issue.

Photoshop Practice

Practice Photoshop Pictures

Below shows some before and after example pictures that I found on the internet, the before being how it was originally, and the after being after I photo shopped it. I did this so that when it comes to doing this with my magazine, I will be more familiar with the software, and it will overall make it look more professional. 

                                                    Before                                     After

I have done things such as change the colour levels, to bring out the red in hair, change the contrast to put focus on the main part of the image, use the blur tool to take focus away from the background of an image, and use the burn tool to bring out the dark colours on a guitar.

Feature Article- Mock Up (Drawn)

Feature Article Mock Up

Below is a very rough version of my feature article, it contains two main pictures currently that I may add to when creating my final version. It only shows the very basic elements that I want in my final feature article, however it gives me a good idea of the design and layout. Below I have explained some of my choices for these elements.

In this mock up, I have decided to include one large picture of Lola Roberts, and I have used one small one, however will probably use more than this in the final version, to make it look a bit more eye-catching. The photos will be photo shopped to bring out the colour and make them really stand out. The large photo will show a very country-like background, and will be the main focus of the page, however I have decided to also use a fair amount of text, so that it looks balanced, and not too full of photos, or of text.

I have put the title 'Lyrics' in the top left of the double page spread, so that it isn't the main focus, I will add text onto the end of it that says 'meets... Lola Roberts', so that it tells the reader what the article is about. I don't want this text to be too obvious, as the pictures are supposed to be the main focus of the page, however I still want it to be informative, and easy for the reader to see and read. 

For the text, I have put an introduction paragraph that will explain a bit about Lola, and set the tone of the whole article. After which, I will have a Q&A with Lola,  asking about her new album, what it is like to suddenly be famous, about her writing her own songs, and what inspired her first one. I will also put a conclusion at the end, with a similar tone to the introduction that will address the reader, and make them feel a part of the interview. 

Overall, I have tried to make it look simplistic, yet professional, this will draw the reader's attention, because it is easy to look at and read by not being too overcrowded, yet still being informative and colourful through the pictures. 

Photoshoot Ideas

Photoshoot Plan

Below, I have created a more in depth plan of what I will do for my photoshoot. It includes what props I will use, the location of my photoshoot, why I have chosen the model I did, and it also includes a mood board of makeup, clothes and hair ideas.

Front Cover:

On my front cover, the picture will take up most, if not all of the page, the image of the artist will be of her outside, looking relaxed and  comfortable. I will put writing over some of the picture, so I need to make sure that there is space to do this.

I will also photograph a set of other people to be my extra band that is on the front page, as well as a small picture of myself for the 'Editor's Note!'


Contents Page:

On the contents page, I will have very few photos, I will have a photo of Lola Roberts, which will be a different one than is on the front cover, as well as a photo of a guitar for the competition. The photo of Lola Roberts will be of her inside, looking very natural, as though she doesn't even know she is being photographed.


Feature Article:

As my feature article will take up two pages, I will have a few different pictures of Lola Roberts that will either be in the centre of the double page spread, or they will take up the whole space, and I will put text over them. There will be a variety of different pictures of her on the feature article, which I will photoshop to bring out maximum colour, and make it look very eye catching.

Props:
- Guitar
- Flower Headband

My props are minimal, so that none of the pictures are too overcrowded, and it shows the artist's style, and keeps it simple.


Location:

The location of my photoshoot will be in a village called brightwalton, it has lots of fields and cottages, which is the type of rural setting I want my model to be pitured in. A small area from brightwalton is pictured to the right, which shows some of the cottages, where I may take my model, as it represents her style well, being very rural, yet pretty.



Why did I choose Charlotte to be 'Lola Roberts?':
I chose Charlotte to be my model, because she is the right sort of age, and has the right look to be a singer. She looks young and has a type of look that can be easily styled to look how I want her too. She has blonde hair, which is what I imagined Lola Roberts to have, and overall she fits the part very well.

Makeup and Hair ideas:
This mood board is half makeup, and half hair ideas for what Charlotte will look like when being photographed, I want her makeup to look very  natural, but still elegant, and her hair to be curly, yet slightly messy to give it a rough look.

Clothing Ideas:
This mood board shows clothing and shoe ideas. I want her clothing to be feminine and girly, however with a slight edge with the converse and a leather jacket. This will bring across well the personality of my artist by combining the two styles.

Contents Page- Mock Up (Drawn)

Contents Page Mock Up

Below is a drawn mock up of my contents page, it is currently very rough. This mock up shows the main parts that will come across in my final contents page, and below I have explained some of my choices for these elements.

I have chosen to make the word 'Contents', fairly large so that it is obvious what the purpose of the page is. On my final contents page I would like the word 'Lyrics' to be slightly smaller, so as to make the 'Contents' more obvious. I am not sure yet of the colours of this contents page, but I am thinking of 'Contents' either being blue, red, or perhaps a deep purple. 

I have chosen to make the image of the feature artist large, and to use a different picture than is on the front cover, because it will make the reader think that there is more to see of this artist, and that the article will perhaps have even more pictures, and more information than they were expecting. The page number in the bottom right of this picture will also be large, because it will ensure that the reader knows what page to go to. I will ensure that all page numbers are distinct and clear for the reader, so that they know where to go if looking for a particular article, and will make it easier to read in general. 

I have included a section with other 'New Artists', because I feel that it will get the reader wanting to know what new things are happening, wanting to keep updated, and be the first to know about new artists and new releases. As well as this, I have included existing artists, that most people know of, such as 'The Script', or 'Katy Perry', because it feels slightly familiar to the readers, and that they do already know of at least some of the artists they are reading about. 

There is also a section on the contents page called 'on the cover', so that if the reader has bought the magazine because of what they saw on the front cover, they will easily be able to find those articles in the magazine, and not have to spend too long looking through to find them. The 'Competition', is there to get the reader interested in buying the magazine more often, and perhaps entering the competition on a weekly basis.  The 'Get In Touch', at the bottom of the page is to do with entering the competition, sending any suggestions they have for the magazine, and generally making them feel involved in the magazine. 

The house style of the magazine, being a soft, indie but professional type look, will be carried on in the contents page, through using neutral colours, and similar, or even the same fonts that were used on the front cover.

Front Page- Mock Up (Drawn)

Front Cover Mock Up

Below is a very rough copy of what my front cover will look like, I have drawn it out, to show the main elements of my front page, and below I have explained some of my choices for these elements.

I have kept my front cover fairly simple, however have still used elements that will entice the reader to look inside the magazine. 

I have chosen to make my magazine £2.99, (as shown above the barcode), because from my questionnaire results, the £2 to £3 bracket was the only bracket that both girls and boys would be willing to pay.

The masthead is quite large, however not so large that it distracts from the main image, it is still bold, and in the top left corner so that it catches the reader's eye, as the top left corner is generally where people look first. It is not overlapped by the image, so that it can still be seen, and that it will get people to remember the brand.

The text under the masthead is small, but the reader's eye will drift to it after looking at the masthead, so it will still be noticed. It is small so that the message the slogan is portraying can be subtle and not too 'in your face'.

The main focus of the front page will be a picture of 'Lola Roberts', the feature artist. The image will be of her in a very rural setting, perhaps with a guitar, and with flowers, and very relaxed, feminine clothing. I have included a quote from her feature article because it makes the reader interested, and makes them feel invested in her, and therefore want to continue reading the magazine. Also, her name will be in large text, so that the name is obvious, and it will be in a very soft, feminine font, such as; 'Lola Roberts', so as to attract the female audience, and not be too overwhelming when looking at the front cover. Rather than the picture only taking up part of the front cover, I am thinking of making it to cover the whole page, and put other text over the top of it.

The articles advertised on the left side of the cover also draw in the reader, giving them snippets of text from the articles, and making them wanting to continue reading them, and to find out more what it is about. I have included a competition as one of the advertisements because it makes people reading the front cover want to get involved. As the competition will be to do with music, e.g. winning a guitar, or tickets to a concert, it will attract the right target audience and even if they buy the magazine initially for the competition, they may continue buying it after that, as it addresses them well, with articles that they would like. 

There is also an advertisement for another artist, as if the reader may not be interested in the feature artist, they will be able to see that there are other artists in the magazine that they would be interested in, making them more likely to buy it. 

The house style of the front cover will be fairly soft colours, and it will generally be a very relaxed yet professional look.