Elle's music magazine: May 2016

Tuesday, 3 May 2016

Final cut

Final Cut

This is the FINAL CUT of my music magazine ‘UNDISCOVERED’.

Elle

lana del rey spread comparison

Lana Del Rey Comparison of Double Page Spread

My double page spread is conventional to my indie genre, I took inspiration from Lana Del Rey and this spread of her, I used this as a style model for my own magazine and I tried to replicate her style. I feel like I have done this well as the articles look almost identical.

Elle

Class feedback

Class Feedback

I printed out a copy of the way my magazine looked in order to get some feedback from the class showing what they liked and what they disliked about my magazine. i felt like this was helpful as my target audience is young adults, therefore getting opinions from young adults was the best way to ensure I was designing my magazine well to reach my target audience.

Elle

Rough Cut Contents Page

Final Rough Cut Contents Page

I have made a lot of changes to the layout of my contents page, I have added clearer lines between the stories, I have included more images and have changed the size and colour of the plug.

Elle

Rough Cut Double Page Spread

Final Rough Cut Changes

I have added a more relevant image to my double page spread, with it having a connection with the story. I have added the drop Capital and a brand in the magazine as well as a page number.

Elle

Rough Cut Front Cover

Final Rough Cut Changes

I have changed the font of the mast head and added an explanation above the heading. I have changed the fonts of all the stories on the front cover to make them stand out.

Elle

Rough cut feedback final

Rough cut feedback

This is the final rough cut of my music magazine 'UNDISCOVERED'

After showing my rough cut to the class and asking for feedback I have had various comments on what they like and improvements that need to be made.

Some of the features that people liked and commented on for my front cover were; my photography, the name I have chosen for my magazine and the aligned text for the featured articles.

Some improvements that I was given for my front cover were; the font style and colour and that I have not yet added a price.

Some features that people liked and commented on for my contents page were; the numbers I used on my featured images, the photographs I've used and the variance in photography.

Some improvements that I was given for my contents page were; font variation, it needs a more defined colour scheme and my arrangement could be neater and more organised.

Some features that people liked and commented on for my double page spread were; my photograph works well with my story and my headline, my colour scheme works well together and my use of fonts.

Some improvements that I was given for my double page spread were; the need for a caption on my photograph, too much white space on the article page and I need to add a break out quote.

I think my feedback is helpful as it is all constructive criticism that will aid me in making my magazine the best it can be as well as being readable and accessible to a wide range of people. I am going to take my feedback on board and use it to the best of my ability while adhering to my genre conventions.

I had many comments about the range of font and colours of the font I've used in my magazine so far, however this is my rough cut not my final draft so I have not yet played around with font variation. My main focus up until now was to get key features such as the main images and stories sorted and in place before paying attention to detail. I plan to vary my font and change my masthead on my cover page to a more suitable font and size. The font is the main improvement I have to make so that will be priority over the next few days.

Elle

Improvements made after peer and self assesment (double page spread)

Improvements after peer/self assessment

This is my second rough cut of my double page spread that I have printed and I asked the class to write some comments on the back of my sheet so I could improve. I made some changes to the spread using the feedback I was given from the class in order to make my magazine more conventional and appealing to the eye. I then printed out a copy for myself to analyse and note improvements on to get my contents page to the best standard it can be. I played around with the colours of the title. I also added various images to the bottom of the spread to fill the white space and give the article more of a fuller look. I also added a drop[ capital and a break out quote to make it look more professional.

Elle

Improvements made after peer and self assesment (contents)

Improvements after self/peer assessment

This is my second rough cut of my contents page that I have printed and asked the class to write some comments on the back of my sheet so I could improve. I made some changes to the page using the feedback I was given from the class in order to make my magazine accessible to my target audience of young adults. I then printed out a copy for myself to analyse and note improvements on to get my contents page to the best standard it can be. I mainly started by drawing black lines that I then added to make the layout clearer and shifting them so they were in the correct proportion to everything else on the page ensuring they were the same distance apart from the image/text box on either side of them. I also altered images in size and distance from the black separator lines and the bleed line at the side of the page to ensure the distance was even.

This is my contents page that I sent around to my class:

This is my contents page after making the changes from the class and improving myself:

Elle

Improvements made after peer and self assesment (cover)

Improvements made after peer/self assessment

This is my second rough cut of my magazine cover that I sent around the class asking for feedback. As previously mentioned I received a number of comments mainly relating back to the fonts used, which had not yet been altered to suit the image of my magazine anyway. After taking the comments into consideration I made changes based on the feedback resulting in another rough cut design. I then printed out my newly made rough cut design and assessed it myself jotting improvements I could make just to give me visual aid while I was working on the computer.

This is my second rough cut that the class gave me feedback on:

This is the rough cut after improvements based on self and peer assessment:

Elle

Self Assesment

Self Assessment

I printed out a copy of my front cover, my contents page and my double page spread. I then chose to read through and analyse what I wanted to change throughout my magazine on a hard copy so i knew exactly what to do on the computer, I could then follow my notes and make the specific changes based on my own comments and comments made by other people after sending a hard copy around the class for improvements, to make my magazine more accessible to my target audience of young adults.

These are the hard copies I printed with some notes on them:

I am going to make the changes I have noted as well as more changes if I feel necessary while I am doing current improvements. The main thing I aim to change is the font used for my title; I don’t feel like it works with the image and also doesn't show a very strong brand image.
Elle

Rough Cut feedback forms

Rough Cut Feedback Forms

I have had some feedback from some peers in the class and this is what they said about my music magazine so far:

Rough Cut

This is my rough cut of magazine:

Elle

New double page spread story

Double page spread story (new) official

This is the article as it stands with the image i have chosen for my double page spread.

Indie pop sensation group Forget me not have officially split. Lead singer Juniper Grey has broken from the band on a high note announcing a solo career and her first solo album. Word has been going around she has been thinking of a solo career for a while but was devastated after the split she needed a break to get back on her feet and then create her own personal sound. The 23 year old singer stated she was desperate to get back to doing what she loved and keeping up with her many fans that supported her every move throughout her journey. She tweeted ‘I LOVE my fans they are so loyal and supportive through everything I do, I don’t know what I would do without each and every one of you. Thank you’

Dwelling on the past was not an option for Juniper, she took three months away from the music industry to write music and focus on herself, this included a trip to Bora Bora, with her actor boyfriend Zack Martin, in July. The star was spotted sun bathing on a quiet beach on the beautiful island. Nothing like a bit of ‘me- time’ am I right? Upon returning from her holiday she headed straight back into the studio and recorded a number of original songs which have been released on her new album ‘independence’. The singer’s new album is riding high in the charts selling over 1 million copies worldwide in a matter of weeks. Take that Lana Del Rey!

We have word the release of yet another new album will take place mid-2016. Keep checking our website to find out more details.

Elle

Final Front cover image

Final front cover image

After narrowing down the photographs I had of Neave and Eden I have decided to use Eden as my main model. The photos of Eden reflect my character of ‘Juniper Grey’ more than the photos of Neave.

This is the photograph of Eden I have used for my cover:

I have decided to use this photo as I feel it plays on the princess theme I am trying to replicate from the Lana Del Rey double page spread I analysed. I used the flower to imitate the floral theme that she frequently uses in her photo shoots. The daffodil used in the shot conducts an earthy, nature theme while at the same time constructs a feminine and pretty image. The flower is aimed to signature nature and the natural things in life to portray to the audience that even though Juniper is globally famous and has her head in the clouds, she is not losing touch with the smaller things in life that are often taken for granted. Showing the sense that the music industry will not change her and she will still remain the same girl she always has been. As well as this the yellow signifies happiness and because it is a bright colour it ties in with having a bright future, the yellow daffodil was the best flower of choice for my image specifically for this reason.

Elle

Final image choice for double page spread

After narrowing down my photographs I have decided that this image of Eden is the one I am going to use as the main image for my double page spread.

I am using this photograph because I feel like it represents my article well and reflects the title. The title of the article itself combined with the picture I have chosen to use foreshadows my story. This is an advantage for the reader as it will intrigue the audience and is a story the reader will want to read because it is well-presented showing an insight at what is yet to come. If the reader feels like the story will be interesting, and the visual aid used on the double page spread itself is bold and eye catching then it is more likely to be viewed and enjoyed by the audience.

Elle

Choosing my front cover image

I hadn’t fully decided on who to use for my front cover image. I took the photos I wanted of both Neave and Eden and got the to do various poses as well as the same poses as each other, I had an idea of the kind of photo I wanted however I wasn’t sure who’s image filled the shoes of my superstar solo character Juniper Grey. I had Neave and Eden pose with a daffodil against the same background as I knew I wanted a flower themed image to depict the artists name ‘Juniper’ and her former band ‘Forget me not’. After narrowing down a lot of the photos I had taken, I picked my favourite ones of Neave and my favourite ones of Eden, I then had a decision to make between both of my models. Which one did I feel suited the image of my solo, girl power, indie pop star?

After reviewing my story of Juniper Grey I have decided to choose Eden to be my front cover model. Her image suits more the same as Juniper Grey; she has the ideal stature and her demeanour states girl power. It didn’t take me very long to make this decision after scrolling through my photos as I almost immediately knew who was the best model to fit my Artist, therefore I didn’t feel like I would need to create a survey or questionnaire on this.

These are the images I was deciding upon after choosing Eden to be the front cover model:

Elle

Double page spread photo shoot Eden

Photo shoot of Eden for double page spread

Today I took some more photos of my model Eden who is posing as singer 'Juniper Grey'. She has recently split from her band and is going solo. Here is just a few of the many photos from the shoot:

Elle

Double page spread image choice

For my double page spread I decided to feature Eden, the model I used for my front cover as it is conventional to feature a double page spread of the artist featured on the cover. On the photo shoot I took a number of photos of Eden, each trying to display a Lana Del Rey cheeky but girly feel to them as well as getting them to represent my story. After going through all of my photos i have narrowed them down to four that I feel could represent the article.

These are the four photographs I have narrowed down too.

Elle

Sunday, 1 May 2016

New double page spread article

After changing my mind on my double page spread i have decdied to use a singer Juniper Grey who has recently split up from her band and began a solo career. Here is a first draft of the article I've written.

Indie pop sensation group Forget me not have officially split. Lead singer Juniper Grey has broken from the band on a high note announcing a solo career and her first solo album. Word has been going around she has been thinking of a solo career for a while but was devastated after the split she needed a break to get back on her feet and then create her own personal sound. The 23 year old singer stated she was desperate to get back to doing what she loved and keeping up with her many fans that supported her every move throughout her journey. She tweeted ‘I LOVE my fans they are so loyal and supportive through everything I do, I don’t know what I would do without each and every one of you. Thank you’

Dwelling on the past was not an option for Juniper, she took three months away from the music industry to write music and focus on herself, this included a trip to Bora Bora, with her actor boyfriend Zack Martin, in July. The star was spotted sun bathing on a quiet beach on the beautiful island. Nothing like a bit of ‘me- time’ am I right? Upon returning from her holiday she headed straight back into the studio and recorded a number of original songs which have been released on her new album ‘independence’. The singer’s new album is riding high in the charts selling over 1million copies worldwide in a matter of weeks. Take that Lana Del Rey!

We have word the release of yet another new album will take place mid-2016. Keep checking our website to find out more details.

Elle

Double page spread mind change

I have decided to change my double page spread story from Jason Perry, into my front cover featured artist Juniper Grey. After reviewing some of the magazines I have analysed I have realised it is more conventional to have my double page spread on my front cover Musician. As well as this the photos I had taken of Jason Perry I didn’t feel fit on my page to construct the layout I wanted. As a result of this I decided to change my featured Artist and take new photos for the page.

Elle