Initial Ideas for my Magazine

Today I began thinking about the genre of my music magazine.I decided on hip-hop and R&B, and decided that my target audience would be 15-24.

Evaluation

Evaluation

For my college magazine, I wanted to achieve a look that didn’t appear to ‘amateur’ and something that appealed to students. I wanted to do this by using a proper image that was taken on a plain background, so that it is suitable for a front cover, etc.

I think my colour scheme is good as it contrasts with the colour of the folder that she is holding. I think that I did fairly well in designing my college magazine, as this is the first real thing that I designed on Photoshop and not InDesign. I think that the image I used on my front cover was taken at a good angle (mid-shot). The person I used is looking directly into the camera and smiling, which makes it appear similar to a college magazine. There are simple colours used on this magazine, with only 2 colours being used (purple and white.)
I think that the text I used was suitable, as it was simple and nothing too fancy, and it did not distract from the cover star of the magazine.

However, I believe that there are some things that I could have improved on.

·        I could have made the image slightly brighter, so that the cover didn’t appear quite so bland.

·        I could have also included some more things on the cover to make it somewhat more appealing, for example, I could have advertised things such as competitions, etc. I could have included a puff, which could have added a slight splash of colour to the front cover of my magazine.

·        I could have also included some other cover-lines, ones that are more fun and appealing to students.

However, I do believe that the magazine cover I created was of quite a good standard, as I had very little experience in creating things on photoshop.

College Magazine Cover

This is the college magazine I designed. I did it using photoshop, which I learned to use a few days ago.
I used a mid-shot of a student that I took myself, and matched the colour scheme with her clothes and folder; purple to match the folder and white to match the background and her shirt.
I included the date on top of the barcode, so it is similar to that of a real magazine.
I made the masthead bold and fairly bright so that it stands out, and I made the cover-lines both white AND purple, so that they contrast with each other, and so that the whole magazine isn't too plain.
I decided not to make the cover of my magazine too 'busy' as it may distract from the main image of the student, which I want to be the main focus of the cover. In the bottom right hand corner of the page I included a link to the school's website. I felt that this was appropriate as it is a college magazine.
The cover-lines I included were education related, such as Revision Tips, Exam Guide and Resources, which fit with the college theme of the magazine. I did have some trouble with the sizing of the text and being able to fit it all in without it looking slightly cramped but I just downsized the text to make it fit in.
The main coverline I used was 'Top 10 Tips For Success'. I used this as I thought about what would appeal to me and other students, and this seemed right as everybody wants to succeed. I made the barcode fairly small so that it is not the main focus of the cover.
I am happy with the finished product and thought I did quite well designing my first magazine using photoshop, as I was not very familiar with using photoshop to design things until recently.

College Magazine

This is a rough draft of my college magazine. I found this picture of a student online and I will be using a student from Leyton on the cover of my magazine.
This is just a rough draft of what I will be designing. I chose a colour scheme to include in my draft, and I used blue to match her jeans, and green as it coordinates well with the blue. When I design my real magazine it will most likely have a different colour scheme, depending on the picture I use.

Today I went out and found a student to use on the cover of my college magazine. I got her to hold a book so it looks like quite a conventional image that would be used on the cover of a college magazine. I took it against a white background so that it is suitable for a front cover.

Cover Page XXL

This is the cover of XXL that I am analyzing, It features a close up shot of the artists' (in this case, Future) face.
The color scheme is white, red and black.
The masthead is covering the top of the image of the artist, but this does not distract from the image of the artist himself. The text is white as it is bold and stands out against the red of the image. This was done to catch the eye of the reader. The coverlines are also white, like the title, however these are done in a smaller font so that they do not attract too much attention from the main focus of the cover.
a gutter has been used in order to keep everything in line.
The price is next to the barcode and is in small print so it is not an important factor of the magazine.
The font remains simple and consistent throughout the cover, with coverlines being kept to one side, giving the cover a tidier, neater look.

XXL was first released in 1997, and was published by Harris Publications. It featured Jay Z on the cover. XXL also releases an annual Top 10 Freshman List, which features up and coming rappers.


Future is looking directly into the camera with a fierce and bold expression, perhaps showcasing his stamina and his place in the music industry, perhaps showing that he is confident and that he is here to stay. He has hints of black in his clothing which co-ordinate with the color scheme,
The cover is pretty much very simple, with the image of Future being fairly big, but the rest of the cover being quite simple, perhaps highlighting the fact that he is a very big face in the music industry, and that he is a straightforward person.

From what you can see of his clothing, it resembles that of a stereotypical pimp. It also resembles 1980s hip hop/rap culture and clothing, perhaps symbolising that he aims to be an iconic face in the industry. The genre of the magazine is made clear to be hip hop and rap, as indicated by the coverlines and main image.

photoshop practice

This is the product of my first time using Photoshop. I learned how to use rulers and layers, and also how to erase and layer text. I learned how to place an image and stretch it without it being pixelated. I also learned how to insert and edit the text and its colour.