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Today I used my reasearch to produce three layout mock ups for a double page spread. I asked people which one they prefered and got feedback. From these results I chose the design I am going to base my first draft on.
Compared to the front cover and contents pages, I found creating this to a more professional standard quite easy. I decided that my spread was going to be an interview of the person on the front cover. I’m going to make clear in the contents page that this is an exclusive interview. I’d noticed in some double page spreads, the photo takes up a whole page and a bit of the second page. I really liked the continuety of this and used it in my first design. For my second design I placed a photo in the middle and had the interview framing it, however when I looked at it as two pages the way the pages would fold would cut out vital parts of the image. The third design was based on the Kerrang! spread I’d annotated. I used more pictures than in the other layouts, but this ended up looking too busy and amateur. I’ve decided to use the first design because I like the placement of the image and simplicity of it.
This is the design I’m going to base my double page spread on:
I finished researching double page spreads today. I’ve come to a conclusion that these are the guidelines I should follow when making my own double page spread:
- 1/3 text and 2/3 image works well.
- Use language to reflect the genre of the magazine and the lifestyle associated with it.
- Use a striking image.
- Show consistency e.g fonts
- Quotes from the article grab peoples attention
- Comical photos work well.
- Naughty words also entice readers
Kerrang
Issue: No 1182 October 2007
Pages: 26 – 27
Images: There are six photographs of the interviewee, Ville Valo, four are monochrome whilst the other two in colour. They are various sizes including the one big one in the middle.
Good: The photos seem quite comical especially when paired with their captions. They show the guy having a good time at his interview. The photos are mainly medium close ups and focus on a variety of facial expressions. There is also clear pictures of his tattoos this reflects his rock status and going by the stereotype his dark clothing and tattoos show he’s into alternative culture.
Bad: I think the small colour photo should be in black and white because it looks odd.
Colours: The colours used in this spread are; light green, dark green, black, white and colour photos.
Good: I like the simplicity of the colour scheme especially the difference in greens. I also like the black and white photos because they don’t take priority and make the page busy.
Language:
Good: The word ’sex’ in big letters at the top really grabs your attention because it’s a naughty word and it makes you curious. It’s also quite personal to be reading about someone’s sex life, making the interview look like an interesting read. There are also other ‘naughty’ words like ‘jail’ and talk about breaking the law. All the questions seem to be very nosey and not particularly positive. They ask about his ‘biggest lie’ and ‘the worst thing an ex-girlfriend as done’. There are also lots of swear words which make the guy seem like he doesn’t care what people think.
Bad: The language is quite simple, however this is suitable for the magazines target audience.
Text:
Good: I really like the font used for the big quote on the first page. It’s different and stands out. The rest of the article is generally consistent with it’s font and just changes the size and colours of the words.
Bad: I think the text advertising the interviewee’s up coming tour could be a bit bigger and bolder to make it stand out.
Layout:
Good: I prefer the layout of this to the spread in NME. I like how the photos break up the text and the space makes it easier to read. I also like how the quote spreads across some photos and stands out.
NME
Issue: 10 January 2009
Pages: 12 – 13
Images: There is one image which takes up a page and a half. There are three young males on a bed. Two are smoking and one is reading.
Good: The boys look scruffy and like they live a hardcore rock and roll lifestyle. Their image is a reflection of the type of music they produce. The photo is quite light due to the white background and bed sheets. White is usually associated with purity and anglicism which in this case shows juxta position as the boys are far from angelic.
Colours: Colours used in this spread are; black, white, purple, pink, blue and a colour photograph.
Good: There is only little splashes of colour which is good as with the photograph it would be too overpowering.
Bad: I think it would look better if there was maybe some colourful quotes within the main body of text.
Language:
Good: Before even getting to the interview there’s the words ‘Lock up your daughters-it’s the Big Apple’s coolest party boys’. From this we now know they are from New York, like to party and are popular with the girls. I also get the impression this spread is aimed more at girls by showing their bad boy persona. The opening line, ‘Last night, it would appear, was a long one’, gives the impression that the band had been partying the night before and you can imagine that’s probably what their nights usually consist of. There new video is described as ’sex-and-booze-filled’ which portrays the band as bad boys which makes them appealing. The room the band are staying in is a typical boys room and with ‘bottles, cigarette packs’ and ‘dirty socks’ they seem like they have been having a good time. This could be the kind of lifestyle young people aspire to and again would be appealing to them. There is a lot of comedy in the article which I like.
Text:
Good: There is consistency with the fonts.
Bad: The interview has got so much text. There is no space and it’s really hard to read. Unless you were really into this band people would probably not bother reading through it all.
Layout:
Good: I like how big the picture is and how the article is all in one place and not all over the place. I also like the quote it test barriers by making a point of saying they’re white guys making disco music, like it’s unheard of.
Bad: Needs more space amongst the text.
In preparation for my magazine I created 3 contents page mock ups. I used different approaches for all of them and then showed them to 10 people for feedback and to see which they prefered. Again I showed them both colour and black and white versions so that when looking at the layouts they weren’t distracted by the colours.
These are my covers:
Cover 1
Cover 2
Cover 3
This is a pie chart showing the results of my poll:
Feedback:
Contents page 1:
- Like the header and subscription part.
- It’s too standard.
- The stripes are good.
- Would be really good if the photos were laid out like the in the second design.
Contents page 2:
- Don’t like the ‘on the cover’ and ‘exclusive’ bits.
- More interesting and exciting.
- Professional looking.
- The layout of the photos is good.
- Like the layout as a whole.
- Would be good if it had the subscription bit from design 1.
Contents page 3:
- Too much space.
- It’s different.
- Is too plain.
- Grabs your attention more than the other designs.
50% of the people i spoke to liked the second design. This was mainly because they liked the layout especially the arrangement of the images. I want to base my contents page around this design, but also include a subscription part and some sort of detail in the header.
I’ve finished looking at existing contents pages in the media. I’ve listed things that the music magazines had in common and what I think I need to do to produce a successful magazine.
- It shouldn’t use too many colours or the page will look too busy, but too much space doesn’t look good either.
- Funny captions are good.
- Subheadings help break up the page and make it easier for the reader.
- Images look good on the page.
- Use bold and bright colours to make specific articles stand out.
- Keep descriptors short and sweet so that the reader doesn’t feel overwhelmed.
- Index of band and artists looks good.
NME
Issue: 10 January 2009
Number of contents pages: 1
Editor’s letter: No
Images: There is one photograph of a young male and four smaller images of magazine covers and spreads.
Good: There is a lot of colours and a fancy border so minimal images prevents the page being too busy. The photo of Tom Clarke relates to the article and it’s also obvious that the two front covers correspond with the subscription offer.
Bad: There are two pictures that are so small you can’t see what they are and I don’t have a clue why they’re there are what they’re about.
Colours: Colours used on this page are; black, red, pink, purple, white, yellow, green, blue, turquoise and colour images.
Good: All the colours make this page look really fun and the magazine looks like it’s going to be packed with stuff. There is a lot of red and black used which is the same as the magazines logo. ‘Rock The Vote’ stands out because the colours are more pastel then used on the rest of the page.
Bad: There is a lot of pink and purple which could be stereotyped as girlie. The actual contents of the magazine doesn’t particularly jump out.
Language:
Good: There are questions used making the magazine seem more personal e.g. ‘How did you do on our bumper brain-burster?’ it also shows alliteration creating a fun atmosphere. There isn’t too much writing which is good because you want to be able to find what you want without reading essays. I really like the band index. It consists of all the bands which appear in the magazine and is in alphabetical order making it simple to find a specific band.
Text:
Good: The fonts are pretty much all the same, but this is necessary considering all the colours used and shows continuity. I like how text is broken up and sub headings made clear by using bigger, bolder font or alternating colours.
Bad: There’s a little too much text especially in the band index which could be intimidating.
Layout:
Good: The page is separated by boxes and dotted lines. The masthead is has a completely black background which makes it stand out and the words on it contrast. The main body of text is all tidy and aligned to the left and ‘Rock The Vote’ is centered making it all easy to read. I like how some of the images and graphics spill over the dotted lines which could represent ‘crossing the line’ and breaking rules.
Using the results from my questionairre and my findings from my front cover research I put together three mock ups. They were mainly to figure out a layout for my front cover and I used images from the internet aswell as ‘Zoeee’ as my magazine title (these won’t be on my real front cover, but were added to help get a better feel for the cover).
The front covers were very different and I really liked the first two though I found the third a bit ammature looking. I did a survey asking 10 people which cover they prefered and why. There was a clear result and I was really happy with the feedback I got because this meant people could also tell me how I could improve the covers.
This is the front cover I’m going to be basing the layout of my magazine cover on:
Mojo
Issue: May 2007
Number of contents pages: 2
Editor’s letter: No
Images: One taking up the background of the first page, two photos of bands, three illustrations (including album covers) and three of contributors.
Good: The photograph on the first page is very effective. Straight away you know it’s the contents of a music magazine as the man has a guitar in his hand. The guitar is wrapped in brown paper and string which shows comedy, but also immaturity. The image looks quite old which is a representation of the period of music in this magazine. The photos in the contributors section break it up so the page doesn’t look to heavy.
Bad: The photos on the second page all merge together and all the colours make it difficult to look at as single pictures.
Colours: The colours used in the contents pages are; red, black, white, gold and colour photos.
Good: There is less colours used in this then previous magazines, but the magazine still looks really busy. The colours are also very close to the colours used in the logo.
Bad: I think the red and gold clash with some of the graphics especially the Arctic Monkeys one.
Language:
G00d: This magazine uses more intellectual language and is well suited for its target market. It also has humour where it uses scottish words, ‘och aye from him!’ to talk about the article on The Proclaimers, however I don’t know what that even means proving more so that this magazine has a more specific target audience.
Bad: I think there’s a little too much writing in the contributors section. I’m not particularly interested in reading their whole life story.
Text:
Good: The font seems to be more or less the same, yet variety is shown by using different colours and sizes for different parts and sub headings.
Bad: I think they could use a more interesting and fun font for the contributors section.
Layout:
Good: I really like the first page. It’s simple and effective and the articles stand out.
Bad: I don’t like how the second page is on the other side, I didn’t even realise it was there and if I was to judge the magazine by its first page I’d think it only had six articles.
Using the results from my questionnaire and my findings from my research I produced a layout mock ups of front covers. I created three very different covers and asked 10 people which was there favourite and why. I showed my peers both a colour and a black and white version because I felt the black and white would make it easier to focus on the layout.
These are the covers:
Cover 1
Cover 2
Cover 3
This is a graph showing the results of my poll:
Feedback:
Cover 1:
- The photo alignment was good.
- Looks busy and like there’s a lot going on in the magazine.
- The layouts good especially the text across the main image.
- Like how the articles frame the main image.
- Good for a rock magazine.
Cover 2:
-Like the effect in the header.
- Don’t like the cut off at the bottom.
- Good for an indie magazine.
Cover 3:
- Too randomly spaced out.
- Too many box outs.
- It’s different.
- Look very amateur compared to the other two.
Taking my poll results and feedback into consideration, I’ve come to the conclusion to base my front cover around my first design, but I would like to incorporate the effect in design 2 into my magazine some how.
