Draft evaluation

http://prezi.com/gzugbqqcmmm6/music-magazine/

Final Front Cover

Final Contents Page

Final Double Page Spread

Preliminary Task

Task:

At the begging of this project we were asked to design a front cover and contents page for a school magazine. Since looking back on this task i can see that i have improved at lot since then.

Front cover:

I think the colour scheme used is good as it is bright, eye catching, and fits in well with the theme of a school. The image used is good as it is eye catching and promoting the school, however due to the image having a busy background it has shown that it is hard to read the text. I think having the school logo is a good idea as its brand identity, it's also is promoting the school and makes the page appealing. Overall i feel when comparing this front cover to my music magazine one, that it has improved a lot more for many reason s such as; The image is good as its eye-catching and promotes the artist, but at the same time it still allows the text to be seen easily and clearly. There are a variety of different fonts used which all go well together and convey the genre of music the magazine specialises in. It carries a lot more information which will draw in the reader and get there attention, The fonts also vary in colour and size to emphasise a word.

Contents page:

As you can see i have used the same colour scheme for the contents page as with the front cover, this is good as it brings the two pages together and shows the house style of the magazine. The works 'contents' is written in the same position, colour and font as the word 'edgy' on the front cover , this is also linking the two pages. The contents page features the same image that is used for the front cover to inform the reader more about the article. The page numbers are clearly laid out and easy to read, which will help the reader to find what they want. An additional image is used which makes the page more interesting. However when comparing it to the contents page for my music magazine i can see a lot of room for improvement. The reasons for my music magazine contents page being more successful is for the following reasons. It has the name of the magazine at the top of the page in the same position, the same font and the colour, this is similar to the school magazine, however the reason for it working better on the music magazine is because of the text direct underneath saying 'this week' this is addressing the reader and showing them that the magazine has current and up to date news. The page has a larger image of artist that is featured on the front cover which links the two pages, and two smaller images which still show a quirky and edgy look to convey and show the genre of the music. This contents page holds a lot more information which informs the reader and makes the page interesting. The fonts are the same on the front cover to create the house style of the magazine and to represent and convey the genre. This is also true with the variety of colours, sizes and different effects.

Conclusion:

Overall i have found that by doing the preliminary task it has allowed me to see how i have improved, and I have found the task very useful during the process of the making of my music magazine.

Feedback From Target Market

Feedback from male aged 20:

I really like the front cover. The colours that are used work well because I think these particular colours will appeal to target market for the magazine. The black and white background works we with the red and black fonts as they contrast well with each other making the text clear and easy to read. The red I think is practically good colour as it symbolizes danger, which fits in well with the genre of music. All three colours help link the whole page together and show the house style of the magazine. The fonts on the front cover all work well together even though they are slightly different; but still convey the house style of the magazine. The main cover line about the artist stands out from the other items on the page due to the colour and size however it doesn’t dominate or over power the page. I like how certain words such as ‘shocking’ and ‘win’ are in the colour red and the rest of the text is black to make them standout and link the text with the colour that is used for the name of the magazine, again this links the whole page together. Overall I feel this magazine front cover is very successful and works really well. If I were to add any suggestions for improvements I would say to make the main image slightly lighter to make him standout. But fantastic and would definitely pick it up off the shelf.

The contents page is also very successful. I can see a vast improvement from your first draft to the one your currently working on for you final. I like the fact that the name of the magazine is carried onto this page linking the two pages together. I also like the ‘this weeks’ as I think it shows that the magazine offers current and up to date news. I like the overall layout of the page as there is a lot of information, which is good as it is informing the reader but the way its laid out it doesn’t looked to cramped. I like the fact that there is more that one image on this page as it breaks up all the text. With the images I like the fact that the larger one is of the main story shown on the front cover to link in the two pages and guide the reader. I also like the fact that the same fonts have been used to link the two pages together and to show the house style of the magazine. The subscribe box in the bottom left hand corner works well as it makes the page eye catching and the information standouts out as the black boxes stands out from the white background. The white background is a good colour choice as its simple so the text is the main focus of the page. The page numbers on the left hand side are good as its clear and easy to read which means it is useful information for the reader. On the right hand side I like the information on the charts as its interesting additional information that isn’t normally found on a contents page, therefore this makes this page, and the magazine unique.

I think the double page spread is a really good page of the magazine and is a great success. The image of the artist is great as it’s in the same style (black and white) as the images on the two previous pages, therefore this is showing the reader it’s the main article of the magazine, and making the flow of the magazine as it’s the same style. The writing that goes across the image is clever, as it doesn’t subtract attention away from the image due to its position, however it stands out and makes the image eye catching. With this text the fonts that are used are seen throughout the rest of the two pages, linking them all together. I like the fact that all the questions are written in red as it breaks the text up and helps the reader to find where the questions are. The text is also broken up by several other images and makes the page eye catching and interesting for the reader. I like the fact that in the bottom right hand corner is an insight to what’s on the next page, this makes the reader want to move forward in reading on in the magazine.

Overall I think all three of the pages are great and I would most definitely buy this magazine. I can see that you have made a lot of improvements on ach page since your first draft, and really like the final outcome.

Double Page Spread Construction

7th Draft:

For this draft i only changed one thing since the previous draft. I moved the text that is across the image to the bottom of the image, and think it works a lot better as the image is more clear and easy to see. Overall this has been my best draft and now for my final i will be adding small amounts of detail to make it better.

6th draft:

After changing the angle of the pictures on my fifth draft i decided to make on up right and the other one at an Angle. This works well as its showing a variety of different skills, and makes the page appealing. I thought carefully about which image i would alter the angle. And went with the one i did as when i angled it the text still worked well around the image, and works well with the rest of the page. Overall i am pleased with this draft and i can only see small things that need to be changed to make it better.

5th draft:

For my fifth draft i concentrated on the images as i feel they are an important part of the double page spread as they make the text spilt up to make it easier and more enjoyable for the reader. I changed the 2 smaller images to vertical rather than at an angle, and sore that it then allowed the text to fit around the image better, however i do like the images at an angle as it give a quirky effect which fits in with the genre and style of the magazine. I added a pull quote to the text, to gain split it up and make the page more interesting and appealing to the reader.

4th draft:

As you can see i haven't changed a lot on this draft when comparing it to the previous draft, however i have changed and added a few things. I added a pug in the middle of the text to break the text up and to draw in the reader. I moved around the images slightly to see if they worked better in these positions as i feel it is important to get them in the correct positions to each other , so there are equally spread apart to break up the text. However since changing the positions of the pictures it has altered the text, therefore it has moved it down, so the text has been cut off therefore in the next draft i shall insure that all the text is correctly fitted onto the two pages. Overall i think this draft is good and is improving.

3rd draft:

For my 3rd design i changed the layout of the page. I made the image smaller to allow the text to feed onto two pages, i feel this has improved the page as is has spread out the text so it doesn't look as much. I changed the font style and prefer it much more. The red writing is clear, stands out and fits the genre of music a lot better than the previous draft. I stared off the article with a drop caps to show and inform the reader as to where the article starts. I changed the position of the two images and tilted them to make the make look interesting. I added additional information with the same font as the text of the image to link the two pages with the rest of the magazine as this font also appears on the front cover and contents page. I added 2 more images to break up the text and making the page more appealing. I added an arrow to show the reader where to turn to, this informs them and again links the pages as the arrow is on the contents page. Overall i like this design and think each time it is improving. I will now stick to this layout but alter the page and make a few changes to improve it.

2nd draft:

For my second draft i looked at editing the text around the image as i feel in the first draft it didn't work. I got rid of the exclusive text at the top of the page and moved the text down to the bottom of the image. I think this looks better than the previous drafts as you can see the image more clearly. I looked at the Danny D and changed the font style to make it stand out, however I'm not to keen on the font style. The smaller text is good as it is clear and standouts out against the image, making it clear and easy for the reader to read. The text is split into three equal columns to page the page look professional and makes it easy for the reader to follow. I have placed 2 photos in the text area to break it up and make it more appealing. Overall i like this draft for my double page spread however i feel it can be improved a lot.

1st draft:

For my first draft of my double page spread i firstly wrote the article and then i went on to my planning stage for my magazine and looked at my page layouts. When starting to construct my magazine i stuck to my chosen layout, however i changed the page of where the image was as i felt it was more effective on the left hand side rather than the right. I created text saying 'exclusive' to show the reader its the same article featured on the front cover as its in the same text and in the same font style and colour, which also creates the house style and genre of the magazine. The text around the image fits around his face to promote him as an artist. The text is in 3 equal columns which looks good on the page as its clear and easy to follow for the viewer. I added to pictures that are around the text. These two images make the text side of the page more interesting to look at as it breaks up the text.

After having created drafts for both my front cover and contents page i decided to start constructing my double page spread.

Contents Page Construction

6th draft:

For this draft i have changed more since the previous draft. I took away the pug in the top right hand corner as i felt it was to close to the title making the page look messy and unclear. I therefore had to move the date and prefer the new location of it, as its more discreat and blends in , which is what i wanted as it's not as important as other piece of information such as tey page numbers. I changed the positioning of the text for the main image as i felt it didnt work well at the bottom of the picutre, therefore i moved it to fit around him. This is better as it makes the image standout, promoting the artitis and the text has become more clear. I decided to make the subscribe box smaller as i felt in previous draft that it took up a lot of space. Due to making this smaller i decided to add in additonal information. I took the text used in the front cover and added the page number so it would be a useful piece on information for this page. This was good inforamtion to add in as it creates the house style of the magazine as its linking the two pages. I added another pug to the page to create more formal inforation for the veiwer. Another thing i changed in this draft was the font style and size for the text that says ' this weeks top 10' the reason for changing the font style was to follow the same fonts throughout the magazine, and as an improvement on my front page i changed the font as i felt it represented and conveyed the genre of music, therefore i changed the font on this page to showe the house style and to create the flow of the magazine. Overall i think has benn the most succseful draft out of my contentse pages.

5th draft:

Again for my 5th draft i have chagned alot, i have only altered a few things at a time to ensure each time the drafts are improving. I have changed the background of the box's that are used for the headings. They used to be black but i have changed them to the background of the front cover to creat the flow of the magazine. By changing this it has also made the page more eye catching and appealing, making the reader intrested. Overall i like this design but still feel there are changes to be made to improve it.

4th draft:

For my fourth draft i kept most of the layout the same but i added a pug towards the top of the page to add additional information. However i feel its to close to the main text, so the text at the top doesnt standout. So on my next draft i will ensure that the information is spaced correctly to ensure that each bit of inforamtion stand outs. Overall i think the design is okay however i still feel there is to much information on the page.

3rd draft:
For my third draft i kpet to the white background and didnt try any other combonations as i think the white works well. I add a sub-heading to the page numbers as this would make it easier for the reader to follow and making the page layout clear. I changed the font size for the picture caption as i felt it was too small and didnt standout, now i have made it better i think it has improved it. I added other information to fill the blank spaces however i feel that there is now to much and has become unclear. Overall this draft has gone well however there are still improvements to be made.

2nd draft:

For my second draft i decided to change the background colour to white rather than having the grey background. After changing it to white i prefer it. This is because i felt the grey was to dark therefore the text didn't stand out and was hard to read. I kept the position of the name the same and the text underneath. I didn't change them as i feel they work well in this position as there clear, and make the page eye catching. I changed the colour tone of the writing for how to subscribe as its a different colour to the name therefore they don't go and it doesn't follow the house style colours. Overall i haven't changed a lot on this design as i was mainly concentrating on getting the background correct, therefore i will make more improvements on my next draft.

1st draft:

After having done many drafts for my front cover i decided to start creating my contents page. I looked at my planning stage in order to see the layouts i had planned to use for the contents page, however i found when constructing i very quickly started to change these ideas as i felt they worked better. I started off by making the background graduated with a light grey fading into a white. I chose these colours as i feel they work well with the front cover, creating the house style and the colours fit in well with the genre of music. I kept the name of the magazine in the same position, top left hand corner, so it would be constant and make the magazine flow. I placed the 'this week' directly under it and made the font colour black, this is clear, easy to read and standout. On the left hand column is the whats on the different pages and the numbers, this is clear and easy to read which is good as it will enable the reader to find what they want easily. On the opposite side is the, this weeks top 10 list, i think this part of the contents page is good as it stands out and is eye catching, with the red and black text. The main picture i feel is good, as it promotes the artist and is showing the reader its the same story as on the front, linking the two pages, creating the flow of the magazine. However i feel that the image doesn't standout against the background enough as the image is in black and white , therefore it isn't eye catching and standout. In the bottom right hand corner is the information on how to subscribe for the magazine, this is good as its against a black box with white and red writing so it stands out. However the box is quite large and therefore takes away the attention from other key information. The 2 smaller images on the right hand side work really well. They are a good size as they are clear and easy to see, they make the page more attractive by adding colour. In the bottom right hand corner is a red arrow that holds information about the next page, this is good as it encourages the reader to turn the page and carry on reading the magazine, it also makes the page appealing and attractive. Overall i think this is a good fist draft for my contents page, however i can see a lot more room for improvements in oder for me to produce a high quality contents page for my magazine.

After having constructing my front cover for the magazine i decided to start drafting my contents pages.

Front Cover Construction

6th draft:

For my sixth draft i kept a lot of it the same as the previous draft, however i have altered a few things to improve it. I kept the name of the magazine the same size, the same font and in the same position. I kept it the same as i feel it works well with the main image, is clear to read and standouts out. I kept the text the same and the box size the same at the top of the page however i changed the font style as i feel i stands out better and fits better with the genre of music, therefore i also changed the font style for the pugs so they would match and create the house style of the magazine. I changed the style of of the '100' as i feel it works better as it conveys the genre of the magazine and makes it more eye cathing. I also changed the box colour that has the word 'shocking' in it as i feel it goes better with the background colour and the rest of the content on the page. I changed the word 'shocking' by making it red and having a white outline, this has improved the text as it stand outs. I changed the text of one of my cover lines by creating an effect on the word 'the horrors'. This makes the text interesting and standout, making the reader drawn in to the text. I kept the larger red writing across the image as i feel its clear and stands out, as the font is clear, large and the red standouts out against the black and white background, however i did change the smaller text underneath to black and changed it the the same font as the other text, to create the flow of the magazine and i feel the black writing looks more professional and goes better with the rest of the content with the magazine. Overall i like this draft the best out of all of them. I feel it works the best all together and like the positioning of each item. I will look into altering a few things to improve it for my final draft.

5th draft:

For this draft i kept the name and the text at the top of the page the same. This is because i feel these work well as there clear, work well with the picture and each other. However i changed the postioning of the issue number, and do not like the new postion as i fell its to close to the name of the magazine so people may read this before the name. I decided again to change the arrangement of the cover lines. I feel this time they look a lot better as they work well around the main image, making him the main focus and promoting him as an artist. I moved the pugs back to the same positions as to the previous drafts. I changed the angle of the bar code, and i feel it works better thid way. I like the cover line at the bottom of the page as i think it makes the text intrerstin and therefore stands out. Each time i feel the drafts are getting better and improving.

4th Draft:

For my fourth draft for the front cover i kept the name of the magazine in the same position and the same size, i did this as its clear, easy to read and fits well with the image. I changed the black box at the top of page, by making it smaller and changing the text, i feel this works a lot better as it makes the name standout more as it isn't as large and prominent to the page, The text style and size also works better as its clear and easy to read. I looked at changing the layout of my cover lines to see whether they worked better in different positions, i think the pug at the top of the page is to close to the name of the magazine, therefore the name no longer stands out. I moved the text in the black box that was on the previous drafts, to the side of the page as a cover line. It works better in this position however i feel that the pug worked better in that position as it fitted around the image best. I kept the text over the image the same, as i feel this works well, but i did change the smaller writing ,however i don't think it works as well as its not as bold so doesn't standout. Overall i feel my drafts are improving each time, however there are still changes to be made.

3rd Draft:

For my third design i kept the design of the name the same as i fell it works well with the image ,the genre of music, its clear, simple and easy to read. I have slightly altered the size of the black text box at the top of the page to make it less big and less dominate to the page, however i still don't like it. I changed the cover line on the right hand side and now i much prefer it, as its more subtle but it still standouts out and it fits around the image well, as well as the text on the left hand side. I kept the bar code and price in the same place and the two pugs as i feel that they work well in these positions as they are clear, standout out and fit around the main image, keeping it in focus. Overall i feel these drafts are progressively getting better and each time are improving.

2nd draft:

After creating and analysing my first draft i decided to create my second draft, and look at the areas that needed to be improved from my fist construction. I firstly started off by completely changing the font style of my name as i felt in the previous draft it was unclear. I now feel since i have changed it that it has become more clear and now standouts. I decided to keep the black box at the top of the page as i felt it might be less overpowering now the style has changed, however i still feel its to large and needs to be made smaller. On the previous one i felt the text was boring and therefore didn't standout, so i created a design which made the text standout, however i don't like it. I feel it is to large and spread out so the image is no longer the main subject of the page. I kept the text across the image the same but change the angle of the lower-case writing to mirror the larger text. I feel this works better as it looks more together and is therefore more clear for the viewer to read. I changed the positioning of the bar code and the price to the opposite side as i felt the pug needed to be moved lower down so its further away from the text, to make them both standout. Overall i fell this draft is an improvement from my first draft,however i feel that there are still improvements to be made.

1st draft:

I have started off by creating a first draft of my front cover. I looked at my planning stage to see the page layout i had designed for the front cover. When i started to create this design on Serif i straight away stared to alter the design as i could see different features worked better in different places. I feel this design has both bad and good elements to it. I feel that the design of the name is unclear and therefore doesn't standout. At the top of the page is a black box with text to draw in the viewer, however i feel that its to large and therefore over powers the name of the magazine. I think the Cover lines don't standout due to the size of the text and the font. The word 'shocking' is boxed in a white text box, however i feel it doesn't work as it doesn't fit around the image, so the male doesn't standout. I think the text in the centre going across the image is good as it standouts is clear and easy to read. The red links in the name of the magazine, bringing it all together. The bar code and the price are good as they are small and in the corner so don't take up to much space but are clear and easy to see. The two pugs are good as they make the magazine appealing as they standout against the background and the rest of the text. Overall i think this is a good first design but there are a lot of elements to be changed in order to improve the magazine.

As you can see i have started to begin my construction for my magazine. I have decided to start the construction of my front cover as this is the first page of the magazine, followed by the contents page and double page spread.

Straker

There's some good work here though I'm not sure if your interview is too wordy for a magazine - the amont of close text could be off-putting

Straker

I like this, it's clear and pretty effective

Dolby

Some good drafting here, you use a range of techniques which is good but the layout is a little confusing; make sure the size of the fonts reflects the importance of what you are saying and that the overall structure makes it easy for the reader to follow which is the purpose of a contents. Keep up all your hard work.

Dolby

Well done Chloe, lots of work here, the drafting shows you are changing fonts and layouts slightly, consider the mark scheme and look at how you can demonstrate the skills well.

Straker

Get constructing now so we can see the results of all that planning

How Planning Will Inform My Construction

Overall i have found the planning of my magazine very useful. I firstly stared off my planning with a mind map which allowed me o see the areas i needed to plan. I split it into 5 main heading , where i then created sub-headins showing my ideas about the specific topic. This made my work efficient and showed me exactly what i needed to do.

I felt a good place to start was the name of the magazine. I came up with a variety of different ideas and concluded with the name. Pipeline. I chose this name as i feel its eye-catching, easy to remember and has a meaning to it. After deciding on the name i looked at different designs i could use to create the name. I came up with a number of different styles, i liked all the styles i came up with as i feel they conveyed the genre of music, where bold, eye-catching and clearly showed it was the brand of the magazine.

Another area i planned was the layouts of the 3 separate pages, the front cover, contents page and double page spread. I felt it was important to design a template of the layout as the layout is important for all three pages. For each one i designed 3 as this would give me a verity of options and i could chose the best one. For the front cover i have decided upon the 1st one because i feel this will be the most clear and will also be eye-catching. For the contents page i have decided on the 1st design as i feel it will be clear to look at as its set into colums. This layout is also the best option as the main image that is featured on the front cover is large and near the centre therefore it will be seen first, making the page appealing. For the double page spread i have chosen the 1st option. This is because i feel that having the main image on one page will make it eyecatching and intresting, it will also appeal to my target audiance as their will be less writing and clearly layed out into 3 equal columns.

I looked at colour schemes for the front cover of my magazine. I looked at 4 different colour schemes, two were a band of colour across the top and the other two were filled with colour. I like all of the colour schemes and will decided upon one once i have decided on whether i use the whole image taken of the male model or just the figure of the male model.

Another area i considered was the fonts i will be using throughout the 3 pages. All of the fonts i looked at were good as they fitted well together and fit with the genre of music, however the ones that i have picked for the general font, the headings and sub-headings, all work well together, are bold, easy and clear to read.

My final area of planning was the images. I took a variety of different images that would allow me to pick out a sleeted few images to edit and improve to make more eye-catching and standout. I looked at images for the front cover, contents page and double page spread. I fell all of the images are good and convey the genre of music promote the artist.

After doing the planning I now feel ready to begin the construction of my music magazine.

Analysis Of Images

As part of my planning i decided it was important to look at the main images i would use for the front cover, contents page and the double page spread. I felt this was an important area to plan as i feel the images will make the magazine eye-catching and standout from other leading brands, therefore it is important to get them correct. When thinking about the images i thought about the person i would use, how they would stand, their clothing, the pose they would do and the background. I chose to use a male model as this was the most popular choice of gender from my second questionnaire. I also chose this male as i feel he conveys the style/ genre of music. I decided to take some images against a plain background and other images against a brick wall to show the gene of music as its quite and edgy look, and will also make the picture eye-catching and standout. I styled him in a basic top and jeans to convey him as a new and upcoming artist, with styled messy hair, to show his edgy look.

I took a Verity of different images as this would allow me to pick out the best ones. For the front cover i made sure that each shot was a mid-shot so that it would show the artists clearly to promote them and to make the front cover eye-catching. I also looked at closer up images for the contents page as it needs to promote the artist for the article. Whereas for the double page spread i took images that were slightly less close up to fully show of the artist and will go best with the page layout.

Once i was happy with all of my images i had taken i uploaded them at looked through and picked out a selected few that were appropriate for the front cover, contents page and double page spread. For the front cover i picked out my favourite one and edited them on photoshop. I changed some into black and white and others i changed the exsposure to create different effects, to make the images eye-catching and standout. I did the same for the contents page, and the double page spread, however with the double page spread i could decide on a specific image so i edited two styles and wll later on decide when i being the construction of the magazine.

For the front page i considered making the background transparent instead of having the bricks as i felt that the front cover may be more eye-catching with a coloured background rather than just a whole image. Therefore i created two drafts of the front cover to see what i preferred.

When looking at both of the images with the different backgrounds, i like both, and have decided that when i begin to construct the from cover of my magazine i will create one with each and see which one looks best with all the other additions for example the name, the cover lines, ect.

Double Page Spread Images

Contents Page Images

Front Cover Images

Fonts

As you can see i have looked at different styles of fonts for the general font, the headings and sub-headings. I felt this was an important area to plan as text is essential in a magazine therefore it needs to be correct. When looking at my font styles i like all of them as they are all simple, clear and easy to read. My favourite font style for the general font is the 3rd option. This is because i think its simple and easy to read, it also fits with the genre of music and will not standout against the subheadings and the headings, therefore it won't draw away attention from the main focus's. For the sub-headings the best option for me is the first one, this is because the font is unique therefore it fits in with the genre of music my magazine specialises in, its bold, eye-catching and its visually dynamic so it makes the magazine appealing and attractive. Finally for the heading i have chosen the 1st option as i fell this one fits in best with the other two styles, therefore linking in all the text, its also good as its clear and easy to read.

Colour Schemes

Another element i chose to look into for my planning of the magazine was colour schemes. When thinking about the colour for the front cover of the magazine i decided on colours that went with the genre of music my magazine fitted. I firstly looked at just a strip of colour across the top of the page as the rest of the page would be filled with the main image, for this style i looked at a bright red and a navy colour. Both of these colours fit to the genre of music are eye-catching and will standout from other leading magazine. I also looked at two designs that would fill the whole page with colour. for the first colour scene i went with dark blue/grey colour as this fits in with the gene, and for the second colour scheme i went for a graduated colour grey. With this effect i felt it was different and therefore eye-catching.

Overall i haven't yet decided on a colour scheme as i feel i need to plan my main photograph before i chose the colour.