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This is another double page spread of a magazine which features my favorite band The Arctic Monkeys.

 

Here the main image is at the top and it spreads across both pages, displaying the dominance of the arctic monkeys as the main feature in this page. The background appears to be a typical British estate which might be giving some context to the article. The band members are also in direct mode of address which is another typical convention

 

The band is blocked so that one member is stood at the front, ho is also the only one folding his arms and wearing sunglasses demonstrating that he is the leader.

 

The headline is quite small, possibly because the image speaks for itself. It is also white which allows it to stand out amongst the black in the image. The font used is quite serious and professional, so it links to the image of the band.

 

The text appears at the bottom and links to the image above it. The text is quite simplistic, black text over a white background and it is structured like a typical magazine article.

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This is a double page spread of a rock music magazine featuring Kasabian.

 

On the left we see that the page is dominated by an image of the band members which is a typical convention who are casually strolling through a street and a low camera angle is used making them look more powerful as a famous band.

 

 There is also blocking in the image which establishes who the leader of the band is.

 

The colors used are fairly bland, grey white and of course a lot of black especially in the clothing which then links to the black headline and the text but there is also some green which gives the page a bit of life.

 

The leader is also wearing a red flower, which in combination with the blocking makes him distinctly separate from the other band members.

 

The heading is in a big bold and professional font, another typical convention, and this spreads across both pages emphasizing kasabian as the main feature.

 

A secondary image is also used which links to the text around it and there is a quote box overlapping part of it once again to show that they link. This text also stands out because of its colors and draws the reader's attention to the secondary image.

 

Finally the text is structured like a typical magazine article like most others with a quote at the start that acts as an introduction to the rest of the text. 

 

 

 

 

drafting and planning, school cover pt.3

This is the complete version of the draft of my school magazine front cover.

 

To finalize the cover I added more typical yet vital conventions. First I added a main cover line which is my name because I am the main cover star on the magazine and this instantly tells the readers who is the main feature because this cover line is the biggest, boldest and it overlaps the image.

 

I then put in anchorage text, which entices the readers to read the main article because its an introduction to the main story, it tells them what its about but doesn't give away any details so they are intrigued to find out more and therefore they read the main article.

 

For both of these I used a font called 'freshman' which complies with the idea of a new student starting a new stage of his educational career. I also used red and white for this text because this complies with the color scheme of the masthead and of course the school itself.

 

After this I implemented two more cover lines and I made these distinctly separate by using white boxes. This makes them look like sub-headings so the readers read what's in the boxes first and so they instantly find out the rest of the content inside the magazine. If they are interested by the sub heading they'll read what's underneath which gives a little more information, but again this acts like an introduction so the readers want to find out more details about the story and therefore go to read the main article. These boxes also compliment the masthead which is also in red and outlined by a white box.

drafting and planning, school cover pt.2

Here I implement a masthead that I created, which is in a big and formal font because the school is a professional place and it instantly tells the readers what magazine this is. This also complies with the left-third rule as when it is sacked readers can see the beginning of the masthead and recognize the magazine instantly.

I altered the medium close up so that it overlaps the masthead. This is a typical convention that I've noticed in magazines I have analysed and I've used it here to communicate that the main cover star is the most important thing on the front cover because they are the main feature within the magazine.

I also added two more typical conventions, a standard barcode and the dateline at the top which are much less important than the masthead and the text (which I implement later) which is why they are black and smaller.

drafting and planning, school cover pt.1

This is the drafting of a magazine front cover for the preliminary task using what I have learnt from my magazine analysis and previous drafting (NME front cover).

I started with two basic images, I used an image of the school entrance for the background, which tells the readers that the magazine is focused on the school and complies with the theme which I bring in later about entering a new school beginning.

The second image is the medium close up of me trying to present myself as a typical sixth form student which is important because the main cover line, which I introduce later, refers to me as a new sixth form student and that is what the main feature is all about.

The size of the image takes up nearly half the page which communicates to the readers instantly who the main cover star is and that the magazine is focused on him.

 

 

drafting and planning, NME cover

This is a draft of an NME magazine front cover that I created in lesson. It includes many of the typical conventions that I have analyzed in my research like a masthead, barcode, cover star, cover lines, anchorage text, the date and the NME selling line.

I also used what I have learnt in my research by selecting an appropriate font and an appropriate color scheme that complies with the style of an nme magazine.

I chose a font called 'keep calm' which reflects its simple but serious appearance and this complies with most of the fonts in the magazine covers I have analyzed as well as the image of Reznor who appears calm but also serious and of course it relates to the anchorage text 'keep calm - he's back for more'.

All of the text I implemented was either black, red or white because this complies with the NME colour scheme established by it's masthead. These colours have connotations of danger and are generally dark and serious colours and so these comply with both the serious facial expression of Reznor and his black attire as well as the serious style of NME. This is typical of most serious, mainstream music magazines as most cover stars try and portray a dangerous and intimidating image 

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In this contents page there are multiple images which are sized to their importance, 'take that' are on the front cover so their image is the largest implying their article is the most important and the one most people will want to read about whilst the rest are mixed. This suggests they're not as important but they help support the main article in conveying a sense that there is a lot of content within the magazine. Each image is accompanied by a number which instantly communicates to the readers where they have to turn to read about each feature without them having to read anything making it as simple as possible.

 

The main image of take that Is the same as the one on the front cover but at a different angle so that they aren't in direct mode of address. This loss of interaction between the reader and the band could imply that to read about the band and re-connect to them then they must turn to the page where the article is because that's where they truly are.

 

Surrounding the images on the sides of the contents page are sub headings sectioned off into more manageable chunks of information making it easier for the readers. These different sub headings are made distinct by the thin red lines acting as dividers so its clear to the readers which section is which. Each sub heading is also marked by a number, similar to the images, which once again allows for quick and easy navigation to what the reader wants to read about in the magazine.

 

Overall the approach on the design of this cotents page is very basic shown by the fact that there are simple divided sub headings and clear images which aren't over crowded by text, there are no pugs, screamers or puffs to distract the readers which ultimately creates a clear and simplistic page purely made for its purpose to navigate the readers though the magazine.