Music Magazine

Progress Log

The first thing I created was the masthead. This is because it is the main part of any house style. I tried different variations with both Arial Black and Eras Bold fonts and opted for the later. I also created the tagline, which is just in a simple text box. The articles placed in at the minute are just

placeholders as I have not decided where to place my cover lines yet. The background colour is also probably going to change before my final design.

I added the main coverlines on to the cover. I don’t expect these to change before my final version. I also added a grunge effect to the BASE 2 text by using brushes and a motion blur onto the

background. I also straightened the BASE text, instead of being italicised. Finally, I added a green splat behind the word ‘THIRD’ to give it more of a grungy image.

I decided to change the masthead to a more retro-style which makes the magazine look more authoritive (more like a newspaper). I just moved the two objects so they are side-by-side and also

removed the motion blur, as it made the masthead look too busy and cluttered. It also leaves a more suitable room for the main image and (in my honest opinion) is a far better use of the space on the

page.

My front cover hasn’t changed since last time. Instead, I have focused on the contents page. The text is all on a slant to make it seem more edgy. I also added the ‘Letter from the Editor’ section, which

has it’s own box. This gives the editor authority by being separated from the rest. I plan on putting a picture in that box also, to personify ‘the Editor’. I have also added the logo in the bottom to follow

convention. Finally, the title of the contents page is informal, and quite chatty. This creates a friendly image for the magazine.

I made a layout for the items in the contents page.

I inserted more of the articles into the contents page.

Equipment Complications

During the photo stages of production, there were multiple problems with acquiring equipment...

• The school’s music department wouldn’t allow me access to any guitars or amps due to recent vandalism in the practice rooms

• A trip to a local music store (Musical World) got cancelled at last minute due to the member of staff who authorised the photos being taken ill on the day of the visit

This meant I had to rethink the focus of my magazine, main cover image and double page spread. Thanks to a friend of mine stepping in at the last minute, I decided to change the focus to an artist interview feature on both the cover and double page spread.

Sadly, most of the pictures taken for the amp photoshoot within school had to be removed from the magazine for this, so was unnecessary.

I continued work on the cover at home during the holiday, so am currently using the latest version of Photoshop (CS4). I inserted the most suitable picture of Jodie in the cover and placed it behind the

text. I changed the colour of some of the text so it didn’t bleed into the image too much. I also changed the placement of the coverlines so it didn’t overlap the important parts of the image.

Finally, I added the barcode onto the front to make it look official and the first draft of my cover is finished.

I moved back on to the double page spread. Firstly, I changed the colour scheme and headline to match the new double page spread article. I then added the advert on the left. The picture was one

from my first photoshoot, and I picked it due to it’s energy which shines through. The text is all conventional of an advert in this type of magazine so promotes authenticity.

I copied my article into the document and formatted it using text wrapping and splitting it up in to columns for the second page. I then added images of Jodie playing the guitar to back up the music-

centric focus of the magazine which is slightly lacking within the article due to being an article of musical innovation.

I then added an album review of the album mentioned in the article to the bottom of the second page. I feel as though it seems a bit out of the blue at the present stage, however might look better once I

have added a fake cover art to it.

I added the black background to the album review which fits in with the house style to create continuity throughout the magazine. It is previously seen on the first page of the article and the front

cover.

In a seperate document, I made a fake album cover for the album review section. I used the vector drawing tools to create the basic shapes of the circles and rainbow, and used brushes to create the clouds, dots and bird flying. I am not too keen on the placement of the J.M.R. text, however I tried

different placements of the text and none of them seemed to look right.

When I put the album art into the double page spread, it looked slightly out of place. To aid this, I lightened the background and outer glow on the ALBUM REVIEW text. I also rotated it around so it fits with the house style as seen

on the contents page.

Finally, I added in the page number and “ARTIST INTERVIEW” text. This makes it look more like an official magazine by fitting in with the genre conventions I found in my research.

I begun work on my contents page again. Firstly, I moved the ‘Letter from the Editor’ section upwards. This allows room for the subscription notice and production company credits. I added the BASE 2

logo on to the contents page… which I may remove at a later date. I thought it would add more corporate image to the magazine, whereas it looks a bit rude and obtrusive there due to its big bold font. I also added the final main article and started work on including the ‘regular articles’ section.

I added the ’SUBSCRIBE NOW’ box to fit in with genre conventions. Instead of the box being a large, obtrusive black box again, I turned down the opacity of the box to create a grey colour. I plan on continuing this step-down from black with the next box which will contain the production details.

This is my finalised contents page. I centred the ‘Letter’ text section to stop it looking like too much space is wasted and added ‘the Boring bit’ section. This is the credits section, however was given that

title due to the magazine’s rebellious image. I also finished the contents list.

I also finalised my front cover. I used the brush tool to fill in some colours which were distorted due to the size of the image, changed the coverlines and moved them around to create a better flow for the

order of them. The intimate coverline also anchors the image, as it is placed over the bed in the image.

FINAL DESIGNSCover, Contents and Article