Final Design of Music Magazine Contents Page

Contents Page Research

After completing my Front cover I started upon the task ofbeginning to research and gather inspiration for my own contents page for my music magazine, CLASH.

Despite not being aware of what magazine this is actually from. This contents page immediately caught my eye as its one of the most unique I've come across. Its unusually bare. This may attract a specific kind of reader as it has a fashionable element to it. However something which may look effective but very uneasy to easily read in the size of font used. Perhaps on a real life scale it may appear otherwise but from what I can see the font is far too small and as a contents page is key to a success of a magazine as it educates the reader into what the magazine contains it may defer potential customers from purchasing the magazine.

On a positive note however, the picture is very effective giving off a sense of simplicity revolving the whole contents page around a celebrity shown. This in my opinion makes the contents page seem very upscale. The contrasting small font and large dominant picture draws away the readers attention from the contents information of what the magazine actually contains and leads the focus onto the celebrity featured.

Another contents page I came across that caught my immediate attention is this NME contents page. NME like many other magazines continue throughout their magazine a very similar color scheme and font. This incorporates a very professional feel. The color scheme works evidently very well as they are contrasting colors which enables the text to stand out very easily.

The main headings are emphasized well by putting them in bold with a black background contrasting with the smaller text below. A definate unique factor in this magazine (even though its been cropped out by my poor editing) is the band index. This enables consumers to find out what pages their favored bands are featured in. So far throughout my research I have not come across this feature. This adds an element of uniqueness and individuality to NME. I would love to come up with something new and different to incorporate into my own contents page.

Here is a contents page from the globally recognized 'Q' magazine. The primary photo used here I find very effective as all 4 members of the picture are staring directly at is which automatically draws the reader in making us feel involved.

The color scheme used here is very common as its very similar to the one used above in NME. It's very simple yet effective. The plain black and white with a dash of red works very well and demonstrates that Q doesn't need lots of fancy editing as such as the contents is enough. All of the space used on the page is taken up and used yet again very effectively. When creating my contents page I would most definitely keep this contents page in mind as it has a lot of positive aspects to it which I could incorporate into my own contents page.

Brief Evaluation of Front Cover

On the post below is the completed version of my Music Magazine Front Cover.

Several things inspired me while creating my front cover. One of which was a black and white effect with magazine front covers I came across doing my research. I have made various adjustments from my previous design including editing my chosen picture very differently, including making the editing more subtle by just simply using the black and white tool and not changing the contrast drastically keeping a simple edge to my front cover.

I chose to have a dark color scheme to my magazine as it fits with the 'rock/individual' style that I wanted my magazine to have. Originally I wasn't going to put any color into my front cover but once reviewing it all simply in black and white I chosen to add only one more color into my color scheme, red. I chose red because I thought it was vibrant and signifies power and dominance. The color scheme I feel wouldn't appeal to a young, teenage girl, girly audience as it has a more mature simple color scheme which would appeal to a reader who Isn't interested so much in the material aspects of a magazine, just the content. I feel that the color scheme used on my front cover strongly compliment each other and the theme of the magazine.

The image I decided to use as a front cover was very important and key to the theme of the magazine. I decided to choose this particular image as I feel that it is a very flattering image involving aspects of what a typical 'CLASH' reader may enjoy.

The setting is very important as my photo shoot wasn't set in a very mainstream and typical setting as such. It was set on a quiet city bench at night surrounded by litter of cigarettes and alcohol. Not encouraged by CLASH by all means but perhaps consumers of those objects. This would appeal to a reader as I can imagine a CLASH reader to be very laid back and not at all materialistic.

I felt that I could afford to not add loads of text onto my front cover as I feel the primary picture dominates the page enough and more text would simply 'clutter' up the front cover and would loose its professional element.

I used the word 'exclusive' on numerous occasions presented on my front cover as I felt that It would appeal to a reader because It demonstrates that the contents in the magazine wouldn't be available from any other competitors magazine's. This front cover I feel would strongly appeal to my target audience intended.

Final Design of Music Magazine Front Cover

Photos for my Magazine Cover/Contents

Black and White Magazine Reasearch

I knew as I got further to the stage of starting a new front cover that I knew still for definite I wanted my primary background photo to be in Black and White. So I decided to gather various different magazine front covers that use the Black and White edit, that works very well.

VIBE MAGAZINE - I love the use of colour used in VIBES magazine as T.I's comeback into the music industry cover. The covers use of black and white with red features signifies victory and excitement. This works well with the topic of the cover story. The artist on the cover T.I is a globally recognised artist who hasn't had been in the public eye for a large amount of time, having him on their magazine cover would ensure a vast audience.
V MAGAZINE - Features another global phenomenon, Beyonce. Using her as the primary focus of the front cover adds to the sex appeal of the magazine and would ensure a larger proportion of male consumers. Also using a famous icon allows magazine editors to use as little choice of words as they want as the image itself will employ more of an audience. Using bright red as the logo of the magazine shows the authority, power and influence of the magazine, this tries to show consumers that the V Magazine is dominant.

COMPLEX magazine - Also features a dominant icon which again allows the editors to use more bland colours and little font. This portrays the image that the magazine company are trying to portray that they don't need to have loads of information and advertisement on the front cover in order to successfully sell their magazine. Complex magazine looks very subtle and more intellectual than VIBE ect because its not bright and bubbly ect.

I admire Black and White magazine front covers as I think it brings an element of class and sophistication to the table. Also Black and White creates a clear contrast of any colour featured on the front which could bring emphasis to any other points you want in colour with the black and white primary background photograph.

First attempt of my a Music Magazine Front Cover

This was my first attempt at my music magazine front cover. After a discussion with my Media Studies teacher we decided that the magazine wasn't looking and going in the right direction that It wanted too.

One of the changes made in the new cover is:
> Title - I wasn't 100% satisfied with my title choice, after more concideration I decided on CLASH as revolver seemed very grungy and unpositive which isn't something I wanted my audience to pick up on.
>I feel my primary background photo that I chosen to feature wasn't the best choice as I feel that various different editing techniques could of been used to give the photo a very different edge. I plan to use more subtle editing with my next chosen background.

Mise-en-scene of my Model and Photos

This is concerning the the design and arrangement of my magazine front cover and contents page. When preparing all the designs for my make up and clothing for my model, I had to take into serious consideration all aspects of what type of magazine I'm trying to create.
When practicing the make up on my model I decided to keep the face of my model very pale and very dark grungy eyes as I knew I'd be editing my photos into black and white. This added the effect of contrast to my photographs and added to the grungy feel of the front cover. Also I believe the messy, unkempt and not brushed hair gives off a image of carelessness which may be seen as attractive to the audience of CLASH.
I applied red lipstick onto my model which in my opinion signifies a vivid and intriguing character but also adds a sense of 'sex appeal' which may attract more of a male audience.

The clothing choice of my model was decided by researching various different looks and soon realised I had all the costume needed to take my photos.

The ripped black baggy jumper signifies a dark grudge look that we are trying to portray. Also the big over sized dirty jacket signifies that the model doesn't mind what she looks like, and doesn't over think fashion. This may come across on the type of audience that reads CLASH as I would say stereotypically they wouldn't be fashion orientated.
The chosen setting for my primary photographs that I took I decided upon because it was a very typical setting in a village with streetlights surrounded and nothing but a bench. I wanted my photos to consist of my model drinking and smoking while playing a guitar on her own at nighttime. This seemed like the perfect location. Makes the music shown in CLASH to be very unique and simple.

Media Pack

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