Contents Construction

To ensure I gave an in depth description on the creation of my contents page, I decided to make a video tutorial showing how I created the various elements on my contents page, I trust it is fairly easy to understand and will be a bit more interesting and clearer than just repeated writing next to screenshots.

Front Page & Contents

Well here it is, my finished front cover & contents pages. Along with my typed step by step explanation of the processes I have undergone to get to this stage, I shall shortly be uploading a youtube video I will make showing how I constructed the various elements of my coursework. The magazine will be a monthly publication, reiterated by my choice of 100 pages, a fair amount for a monthly publication, especially at the price I am selling it at. Although this may seem a low price to pay, you will see by my allocation of page numbers that I plan to have many advertisements, providing funding for the magazine. I am happy with what I have created and feel that it could work within a modern day, social environment.

Contents Research

Here is the contents page taken from an issue of the popular R&B magazine VIBE. I have chosen to review this as it will allow me to gain a widespread view on all the various aspects and components seen in a variety of magazines.


With VIBE having a majority based male readership, having a sparingly dressed woman is seen as a common convention of a magazine with mainly male circulation and readership (take Nuts or Loaded as extreme examples!) The woman is making a V shape with her legs, showing a continuous relevance from the pictures to the publication. Her facial expression also gives out a look of seductivity, once again referring to the mainly male readership. In terms of composition, the picture shows the closest similarity to a long shot as it allows her whole body to be seen. The woman in question is showing off her body in the shot almost with knowledge of her appearance however, to ensure sales are made without conscientious men with wives/girlfriends or just a disposition to see this kind of picture in a magazine crude or dangerous to buy, it is laid out in a stylistic manner, almost looking business like to ensure it is not perceived as being 'smutty'. 


Colour Scheme has obviously been considered and the consistency of black white and grey's is used effectively in bringing a classy look to the publication's contents page, looking crisp, clean and unaltered, this is translated also in the models clothing, matching in with the magazines coherent colour scheme for this issue. The commonly seen layout of music magazines is not used within VIBE which adds interest into the magazine from an outsiders perspective. The various features are clearly seen and labelled and the reader is in no confusion as to whether they are on the correct page. I personally dislike the layout of the Contents text however with an edgy US based magazine, this works well with the house style.

Here is a contents page from an issue of Kerrang. This is more similar to the stereotypical conventional layout surrounding music magazine contents pages. It features many pictures with a 'This Week' List to help readers navigate the various elements within this week's issue. It also involves a note from the chief editor. This is inserted to create a link between the creation of the magazine to the reader, creating a link of communication and ensuring a personal touch is given to the consumer. It could be argued the layout of the magazines contents page allows readers the opportunity to navigate from the main story, to the top stories, to other features. This is done with one large picture dominating the page with smaller pictures surrounding it and then a bar of the remaining stories such as album reviews and band news. A quote is inserted in the top right hand side of the page below the contents box. It is from a member of a well known band and installs a sense of humour into the magazine, providing a witty response, an insult towards another band, conjuring up intrigue within the readers perspective as to whether this is light hearted joking or whether there malice intended. Sub Headings are used to break up the remaining stories, taking on such titles as news, gigs, features. I like the use of the box surrounding the contents text and feel it provides a distinguished Masthead for the page whilst clearly signifying what the page is. The yellow on black colour scheme is a repeated sight within Kerrang magazine as it intends to match with the Masthead on the front cover. The colours are clearly readable and provide contrast with many plain black and white based publications although you would expect nothing less within a rock magazine with such a high reputation. 


As other magazines take fairly the same aspects from the two magazines above this evidence allows me to gain a real opinion on the construction of a contents page and I will hope to take elements from both as well as incorporating new idea's to ensure my magazine remains modern and to provide relevance to my chosen genre.

Contents Ideas

For my contents planning I have decided to use prezi. This is because it provided me with a simple user interface with a professional looking product. The presentation below is what I created:

contents on Prezi

Front Page Construction

Introducing, (drum roll) my original picture! Okay, so maybe it's not great, although the clarity of the image is more than adequate for my front page. Referring back to my second flat plan, you can see the similarities with the pose of the model, along with his clothing and the introduction of headphones which showed up when undertaking my clothing/model research. The following screen grabs show the stages I underwent in the creation of my front cover. You will see the difference between this image and the one which appears on the front cover.

In this image I have adjusted the brightness and contrast levels of the image, this is to increase the clarity and to ensure the subject of the magazine's front cover is shown as being the centre of attention. I changed the brightness and contrast levels by opening the image section on the top left hand side of Photoshop and then selecting adjustments, I then proceeded to change the brightness and contrast levels to produce the picture you see here. It differentiates my model with the background, showing a clearer, more tonal balanced picture.

I came across this tool in my spare time whilst attempting to correct earlier black and white pictures. It is the vibrance tool and it has done wonders for my picture, allowing the skin tone of the model to brought out from the more saturated shades from before. I changed the vibrancy by once again going into image, then adjustments, then vibrance. The process seen beside the picture allowed me to change vibrancy levels to bring out colours such as the skin tone & the metallic clip on the clipboard.

This was the stage when I decided to incorporate my colour scheme into the picture by using cyan and blue midtones. I did this by going into images (I can see a repeated trend occuring here...) then into adjustments, and colour balance in which i adjusted the cyan and blue midtones of the picture to create the blue haze seen in the stage.

God Bless Photoshop and it's spot healing brush! Making average looking people look presentable since CS2. Maybe thats overexaggerating a bit, it does however make my picture look far more professional. This is found on the left hand side and holding down over the healing brush is where it is found. It just makes it look a lot smoother and is a welcome addition to the picture.

The difference between this and the previous stage is slightly on the obvious side. Notice the big banner on top of the page. This is my magazine title. It was created by first using the rectangle tool to create a black rectangle. I then duplicated the layer and put a colour overlay onto the shape to change it to white. Once this had been achieved, I used the text tool to type out the DUBLE TAKE title using Turnpike font. With the two separate layers for each of the words,  I put an outer glow over the words. This was to match the colour scheme.

The next major change you can see beside is that the background colour has changed from being a light colour mainly white based with a blue shadow to being a dark green based background. I did this by first using the polygonal selection tool to cut around my model from the background, then I proceeded into duplicating the layer, followed by inverting the selection from surrounding the model to the background. I then opened variations and selected the "more cyan" and "more green". I then went into filters and selected the Accented Edges filter whilst sharpening the images and increasing the contrast. This allowed me to get the darker background. You may also notice I have put the magazines price on the page, issue number and the website I have created for the website. I think this increases the realism of the magazine

This shows my main cover line, the one associated with the picture on the front cover, of my persona, Mote Kontrol. I used the text tool to create it and inserted a black outer glow to bring out the text from the background image. The following images show the process in which I changed the Dubstep font appearance to look slightly more science related..

I did this by creating a new layer, selecting the brush tool and creating circles around the text to look like bubbles. I then proceeded the change the brush size to ensure the bubbles looked realistic ie: not all bubbles are the same size. I then added a drop shadow, a green inner glow to match the title and a bevel to create the impression of the bubbles being over the text.

This shows me attempting to show the Gemini artist box to go behind the picture of my model. I did this by inserting a layer mask over the box, then using the eraser tool, I erased the left hand side of the box, giving the impression of the box going behind the artist. Although I spent time on doing this, at a later stage I decided against it, thinking that 4 artists looked too cramped on the front cover.

Using the rectangle shape tool, I created a box on the top right hand corner of the page. I then duplicated the layer to create 4 boxes. They started as being all black, I then used a colour overlay to change two of them to white. I then used the text tool to write my artists names into the boxes, ensuring the necessary proportions were used.

This was followed by inserting a white outer glow onto both of the black boxes. I decided against using 4 names as I felt that it took too much of the space of the front cover up, space I could use for another cover line. With the one white box I used a black outer glow to define the box from the background.  

UPDATE

After coming dangerously close to my set deadline for my front page I decided that I would infact change around some of the elements of the magazine and contradict my previous plans to ensure that the magazine firstly fit into the common conventions of magazines whilst also allowing my layout to look more aesthetically pleasing and in doing this, ensuring that the subject appearing on the front cover of the magazine is clearly known and labelled. To show the changes I have made, I decided to create a short presentation using screen grabs to show the steps I undertook.
Front Page Construction

Flat Plans

The stages of my magazine
flat planning!

When we found out the assignment we would have to undertake for our coursework, all that time ago, we were told to think about the layout of music magazines and to record initial ideas. I was one of the minority which actually designed ideas for this magazine in my spare time (okay, so maybe I had a bit too much spare time on my hands) and then created a flat plan for the front cover, which can be seen below. Recently we were asked to create flat plans for our music magazines for both the front cover as well as the contents. Since my first original layout and planned ideas, I have obviously put a lot more thought into it and gained some valuable feedback to influence decisions. I thought it would be interesting to blog the development since my initial planning and show how I am planning to go forth on the creation of both my magazines front cover as well as the contents.

The memories of excitement of finally starting media coursework whilst making this flat plan (how wrong my excitement was)! In all honesty, this was what my initial idea for the front cover was, be it slightly basic, however I thought I should blog it as it will show how my ideas advanced. As you can see the title design has change massively and there are many differences from my current work, however there are some similarities. The artists name "Mote Control" I decided to alter slightly but keep it as "Mote Kontrol". I have also incorporated the list of artists which I was going to use but reduced the size to allow for more coverlines. Finally, I am planning on using the circular almost sticker like graphic to advertise a competition in my magazines front cover. It is clear planning has influenced my work.

Colour! Well, not a lot, but it at least shows what colour scheme I was thinking of using. Green was the main colour as it goes well with black and white, colours I was hoping to base my magazine around before researching and finding out the vast majority of music magazines have never featured a black background on their front covers. This dented my ideas somewhat, however was made slightly irrelevant when I changed the style of my music magazine soon after. As you can see the pose of the person was to hold a record at eyeline however, when changing my front cover idea, I decided against this and am instead hoping to use the pictures I have taken of this pose in my contents page.

Well, this is a bit different. This is what I am planning on using to create my front cover. As you can see I took parts of my original flat plan such as the list of artists on the right hand side of the page. I also have kept the name and sticker graphic. The model has changed to being a scientist, in a lab coat, with the Dre.Beats round his neck to keep the tie with music and to keep the persona relevant. 


The contents page which was peer assessed (see Peer Assessment post) was not what I had wanted to continue using. It was created more out of lack of time than for my preference of design. I decided I would create a detailed flat plan for a contents page for my magazine. As you can see, it is fairly simple, ensuring I have vast amounts of detail which is clearly displayed in a simple layout. There is a main photo dominating the page for which I am undecided over as of this point. I have also inserted a "find your favourite artist" list. This is commonly seen in music magazines and will fit in well with the three column layout I am proposing. There will be two columns for the stories, this being that it is a weekly publication instead of a monthly, meaning a lower number of stories and fewer pages. I have also decided to put a QR Code in the bottom left hand corner, this, once again, is commonly seen in modern music magazines and would fit well into the space left by the columns in the contents page. I am finally going to insert a subscription sticker over my secondary picture, being one of the pictures I took when planning for my old layout, placing it next to an album cover which I will create to put into the middle column in the contents.

Peer Assessment

We have just engaged in the process of peer assessing each others work. We each assessed 3 other peoples work. The undertaking allowed me to both give constructive criticism aswell as giving me some clever ideas for my magazine I had not previously thought of doing. My feedback was mostly positive however I did receive some feedback which informed me of some areas in which I could improve the various features on the cover. The full list is below:

There was a suggestion that I should change the shades of green on the title as they were "very similar". Although I appreciate the feedback and this persons viewpoint, it is made slightly irrelevant due to the fact that this was the point of using the same glow colour around the title, this obviously being to create a coherant house style.


There was a positive where it was stated that the Mote Kontrol font suited the genre, which I agree with, the black outer glow gives an almost misty look, reinforcing the impression of darkness surrounding the Dubstep genre.

A comment was made that the bubbles surrounding the word Dubstep in the Mote Kontrol coverline were disliked by a single person, I will need to get more opinions on this although the vast majority of opinions on the design so far have been positive. 

The next point written down was that there was a good layout of the front page, although quite a lot of the features are unfinished,via was nice to find out that the overall organisation of my work was pleasing to the eye. This will allow me to continue my work knowing that the overall layout and design of the front page is aesthetically clear.


An interesting point was put across that the title of the magazine "Duble Take" was not easily recognisable. It was specified that the spelling was the key issue, evidently meaning that the spelling of Duble was not understood by one of my peers. Although I understand that the person had trouble deducing what the title said, to change the name to the correct spelling would take out the significance of the title and may cause confusion as to what genre the magazine is written about.

Another constructive point was the font used for the word "Dubstep" in the cover line was not coherent with the rest of the front cover. I shall take on board this point and am planning on changing the font on my finished piece of coursework.

It was noted that my contents page was coming along well, I can't believe I'm going to say this but I disagreed, I felt it lacked organisation and had no artistic merit whatsoever. This may have been partly based on the lack of components on the page however, I will take from this comment that I have picked a strong colour scheme which I will continue to use in the process of creating my contents page.

In addition to the previous point another one of my peers stated that there was a "strong house style" with a good colour choice. This reiterates what one of my other classmates had said about the contents pages overall development. Along with the added note made that the contents page was "beginning to look good"

The final point made was that "more stuff on the front page" or to put it a bit more clearly that there was too much space on my front page, now I don't mean to use the term "state the obvious" maliciously but seeing as my work is unfinished as of this point, it would be sensible to assume that more features need to be added and I am planning to do so momentarily.


Overall I feel I have gained some good critical feedback on my work, highlighting some key points I will consider on changing, some which I disagree with and gain further opinions on, and some which have been spotted which I shall immediately fix. The compliments given allow me to see what works well and what aesthetics can be used on my double page spread. The assessment has allowed me to both gain ideas from my peers and to further my progress on the development of my work.

Tertiary Pictures

At this point I started to wonder if I could just take one picture which I was happy with, it's true when they say you are your own worst critic. I decided to look back at my research to see if there was anything I could add. Whilst trying to take a picture I started to focus on Dubstep more to see if I could spot anything I might be able to use when taking my THIRD lot of pictures! I decided there and then I wanted my model to have an identity, a persona if you will. I went down two routes taking two different groups of pictures under the following styles:

Street

 


Science

 



I decided I liked the science angle as it really creates a persona for the artist. It will help make the front cover believable as various other music magazines regularly use a creative scene to promote their magazines. Here you can see the likes of Eminem involved in this process of imitating a persona. He is modelling in a comic like piece of a fictional character called "The Punisher". This is the idea which I will follow for 'Mote Kontrol' as this would not be his normal outlook and is purely for magazine purposes.


Here is an issue of the magazine VIBE showing RnB artist 'Usher' with a US Army fighter jet. He is dressed in a fighter pilot's uniform and is teamed with the quote of "There is no competition" Indicating the persona is showing similarities to a fighter pilot confident and determined, key attributes associated with this profession. Likewise with my intended tagline being "Rewriting the Formula for Dubstep", my scientist persona would blend well and would spark interest amongst my audience.

Secondary Pictures

After taking my test shots and gaining feedback from my teacher and peers, I decided to take pictures which I felt I could actually use on my front cover. I used a different model which I thought would be more suitable for the genre of music I am trying to portray.

After briefing my model on the genre & style of the magazine, I started taking pictures for my front cover. The following pictures were my first idea of a pose to use. I soon discovered that the pictures perhaps wouldn't work for a front cover and instead could be used in my contents page. This is due to the fact that the model is not looking at the camera.



This was a step in the right direction. The model is looking at the camera and creates a connection between the artist and the reader. All the pictures were taking using a saturated effect (MonoChrome). Although I like the effect, It may be more sensible to insert it after taking the pictures in colour, allowing me to change various parts of the pictures before hand.


Here is a screen grab of all my pictures that I thought I could have used for my front cover. These were filtered down from 200 however, after reflecting on what I am trying to create and what I want my magazine to look like, I decided I would take some more with better lighting and relating more to the genre of music.

First Photos/Initial Ideas

Shortly after I was given the task of taking my photos for my magazine, I decided that before I started to take pictures which I believed would work for my final piece, I would attempt some different poses in some test shots. This would give me a clear indication of what worked and what didn't work whilst also giving me the option of gaining feedback from my peers who listen to Dubstep. One night I asked my friend to help me take some test shots and the following is what I collately managed to put together:

 I first started with a pose relating to the design I drew up earlier. I made a few alteration (the hood up on the jacket is one example). When I took these pictures it was raining which to many may seem a disadvantage however it allowed me to see if my idea of taking the picture in dark light would work, it also provided a nice almost blur like effect on this picture which I took of the model under a street light. I really like this effect and as a picture, it works well however I felt it would not be appropriate for a magazine front cover or for use in the contents.

This picture is closer to my original idea. It is the same pose but I used a flash to remove any glare or haze which is shown in the background. I originally thought I could use this picture outright however looking back at my research on various other music magazines, a long shot is rarely used and when it is, it rarely looks effective. I concluded from this that I should be focusing more on Medium/Close-Up shots more for a front page.

This is a move in the right direction as it is more of a medium shot. It focuses more on the facial expression of the model and less on any features or props which may be involved, which is ultimately what I will have to do. The repeated use of the hooded jacket is backed up by my clothing research however as I continuously saw it more I disliked it more and more. As my research suggested that leather jackets may be more suitable, I decided that I would try and use a leather jacket within my main photos.
 
I really like this picture, it is not the typical medium shot seen on so many front covers, it doesn't even show the models facial expression and instead, he is posed in a crucifix position, seen vividly in the foreground. The reason it stands out so vividly is that the background of the sky and houses are contrasting shades of colour. As it is not your typical music magazine cover, I don't think I will use it for my front cover and instead will opt to retake some photos in medium shots and with better lighting. I shall incorporate more of my research within my main set of pictures.