Construction of double-page spread

When constructing my double page spread the first was to simple split the page in half. The reason i did this was because I needed something to help me decide the layout of this page having the page split in half helped me to decide what size the text and images should be because I needed it to be the right size so that both half aren’t' to cramped or empty.

The next step was to create the heading and the tag line for the main article. This was because for the heading I had to make it so that it could be used to show that this is a specific section of the magazine (inspired by metal hammers all access) which is why I called it 'latest, rock, headlines) since that heading could be used for various different articles/purpose. What I also did was to have the text font be the same as the one used in the front page because the double page spread was what the front page was advertising the most, having the same shows the reader instantly that this section is the main section of my magazine.

The next step was to type up the article (which in this case was an interview I conducted) and align it so that it spaced together well and left enough room for all the other parts of this page but also, but I also had to make sure that the text font was so small that people could read it clearly, so I looked back at kerrang and metal hammer and saw that they used a font around 14pts. I also made a small red box and the right had side of the page. The purpose of this was to be ready for including the many images of the artist to show more of him rather than just the single background image (again I got this from metal hammer since they did a similar thing in their double-page spread and the effect made the page a really fun read since people could see more of what the band they were featuring did in their spare time which mainly consisted of funny images).

The next step was to get a background that was similar to my front page and that it could fit the size of the double page spread without it looking obviously stretched. The reason for this was the same reason for the masthead and tag line since I want to show consistency throughout my magazine as well as making it easy to relate this page to the front page showing that this page is the main focus of the magazine.

The final step was to include the images for my background and red box. The background again had to fit the page without seeming too stretched and also had to be one of the better shots I had taken since this is what the readers will see first or be drawn towards and by having a high quality image it should impress them and want to read more into the magazine. The other images are as high in quality but their purpose is merely for entertainment so quality wasn't that big of a factor plus they weren't the main focus of the magazine meaning that they didn't have as much importance as the background image.

Construction of my contents page

When constructing my contents page the first thing I had to was to make the size A4 international because it is the typical size used in most magazines. The first proper step to creating this was to split the page in half and make one half of the background white and the other half black. This is because on the white side of the page would be the contents and one the black side it would a small article basically advertising the double-page spread.

The next step was to decide what the articles in my magazines should be and what order they should be placed in. This necessary in order to make my magazine look more professional and realistic because even though the double-page spread would be only page would the only page in the contents I would actually complete i need to make it like a proper contents page and include the articles necessary. When choosing the articles it was more of a general knowledge thing and didn't require much thought or effort but it still needed to link in to my theme as well as the artist's I would feature.

The next step was to include a button than ran down the middle of the page (again inspired by metal hammer). This was to make the split in the page more identify able so it was easier for the readers to notice than there was contents on half and article on the other. The button was also used as another form of advertisement because that is what button in magazines do and having it in the middle of the page really draws the reader’s attention to it.

The next step was to include small descriptions underneath each contents heading. This was because I had to make sure the readers knew what each page is and what they can aspect from it so if the reader wants a particular article the description will help him/her to find it.

The final steps were creating the mini-article and add all the images onto the contents page. The images were simply used to ether fill the empty space of give the reader’s and general understanding of a certain article which is also why I included captions next to each and related it to a specific page. The mini-article was basically a quick summary of the new artist i was featuring (e.g. who he is and why he's all of a sudden so famous) and persuading the reader to visit the full article to find out more.

Construction of my front page

When creating my front page the first thing I did was to open the page as A4 international size (same as the one used in various magazines). The first step was to create all the text (specifically my masthead and subtitles) using both the deafult text featured and the text i got from dafont.com in order to make the text stick out and that it fits with the theme of my magazine

The next step was to Photoshop one of the photos taken so that i removed him from the natural background so that he could become part of the background i was going to apply I used the magnetic lasso tool to do this but I also used the circle shape tool to highlight certain areas and also remove them (particularly smaller ones). I also added lightning effects to my front page (inspired by metal hammers fire effect), this was done by taking an image of lightning a photo shopping specific section into the front page in order to make the magazine seem more dramatic and the effect works well with the music that my magazine features.

The next step was to decide which background to use since my magazine was based around rock/heavy metal music I wanted a background that really contributed towards that them. I wanted something that jumped out at the reader and was very bold; it also had to very dramatic and powerful as well. Eventually I found a background that looked like an explosion which really went well with the theme of my magazine.

The final step was to change the colour of the background because the original colour didn't work well with the images and text because it completely over shadowed them and I also had add other effects to the images like a drop showed to make them seem joined into the background rather than being out of place and unusual.

Evaluation

This is a link to my evaluation on Prezi. The evaluation is done using slides from my powerpoint and the purpose of it is to answer the evaluation questions as well as giving evidence of what has been done through out the course.

Media Evaluation on Prezi

Completed double-page spread

This is my completed version of my double page spread. This was done using Photoshop so that I could create the layout and edit all the text, images, and colours used in the contents and front page to make it look as professional also possible. This double page follows my original idea almost perfectly but does have few changes made. First of all the background is ray of light or explosion instead of just a blank background or one with the mise-en-scene used in original photograph because when I applied the new background it looked a lot better and blended well with the text and images and contrasted well with the backgrounds used in the contents and front page.

Plus the heading used to show that the double page spread was in a specific section of the magazine was changed (this technique has been used in various other magazines like metal hammers ‘all accesses’). This is because the original idea was meet with extremely negative feedback from me and other people (worse than that of my masthead), this is mainly due to the fact that the colour scheme used seemed very out of place and didn’t contrast well with the overall theme of the magazine plus no other font was used in the magazine which showed a lack of consistency. So in the end I used the same font used in my masthead for the front page and contents page since it fit will with the magazine layout and showed consistency throughout the magazine.   

Completed front page

This is the completed version of my front page. This was done using Photoshop so that I could create the layout and edit all the text, images, and colours used in the contents page to make it look as professional also possible. This Front page follows my original idea rather closely but has fewer changes made. First of all the background is ray of light or explosion instead of just a blank background because when I applied the new background it looked a lot better and blended well with the text and images, plus the masthead is different since response to my original masthead was meet with negative feedback from myself and others, so instead of making one word be inside of a letter I just did both words separately and personally I thought I turned out better. Also the main image isn’t as big as the one used in my flat plan, I did this because I wanted to include more text on the page without making it seemed too crowded.   

Completed contents page

This is the completed version of my contents page. This was done using Photoshop so that I could create the layout and edit all the text, images, and colours used in the contents page to make it look as professional also possible. This contents page follows my original idea rather closely but has fewer images but more text and the headings are different colours than the ones used in the original plan. Though it didn't follow the plan completely I personally think it turned out better since the finished version didn't seemed nearly as crowded as the original and the colour scheme used was also a lot better.