Final magazine product mockup

Final products

Evaluation - Question 1

Evaluation - Question 2

Evaluation - Question 3

Evaluation - Question 4

Evaluation - Question 5

What did you do to attract/address your audience?

Evaluation - Question 6

Evaluation - Question 7

Development of the final double page spread

This is the base image which went through post-processing in Photoshop CC 2017 prior to the making of this double page spread, effects such as monochrome gradient maps, brightness/contrast adjustments and others were applied to achieve this effect.

This is stage 1 of the development process, where the title of the article was added. Two sans serif fonts were used (Bebas Neue and Hard Rock Kids) in order to achieve an appropriate aesthetic; different typefaces of the fonts were used to illustrate the contrast between pop and rock genres.

This is stage 2 of the development process, consisting of a change of fonts. Due to the previous font being slightly illegible, I decided to change it to a font with a similar theme but more legible - leaving me with a new font.

This is stage 3 of the developmental process. Albeit very small, a black rectangle was added behind the white text in order to create differentiation between the text and the background.

This is stage 4 of the developmental process. In this stage, two aspects of page furniture were added to construct the overall look of the double page spread. These are the subheading, folio and slug respectively.

This is stage 5 of the developmental process. In this stage, the article was added in a white variant of Helvetica Neue with a hard drop shadow behind it in order to make it visible against the background. As you can see, spacing was made for the drop caps.

This is stage 6, which involved the insertion of the drop caps - both in rectangles with a strong serif font.

This is a screenshot showing the process involving sharpening the image in order to make it stand out more. To do this, an Unsharp Mask was used in order to bring out the finer details within the image.

This is a screenshot of the process involving adjusting the levels of the image. Just like the contents page, Photoshop's levels algorithms were used in order to add contrast between the darker and lighter shades.

However, I didn't feel the algorithm chosen was appropriate for the main image thus I changed it to another in order to bring the highlights down slightly.

A subtle brightness adjustment was made to the main image.

In order to expand the conventional repertoire of featured page furniture, I decided to add in a pull quote - with accented words in the vivid-most colour in the image which happened to be the red of the chair.

As you can see in the screenshot, there are some inappropriate gaps in the text which spoils the alignment. Guidelines were also used in order to maintain equal spacing and sizing of the paragraph.

This is the finished result, as you can see the alignment has been fixed and the drop cap has been resized - improving the alignment of the text.

In addition, the inequalities regarding the other paragraphs were fixed as well - meaning that any oversized or undersized paragraphs were resized to be equal as seen on the final product.

Development of final contents page

This is the first stage of development of my final contents page. As you can see, the model has been placed on the A4 canvas on the left, with the text on the right. A brush stroke was used to highlight the headings within the contents.

This is stage 2 of development. As you can see, this stage sees more progress in the construction of the contents page. All articles and page numbers are added, and aligned accordingly.

The is stage 3 of development. As you can see, more drop shadows were added behind the page numbers in order to them to match the articles and their descriptions.

This is stage 4 of development. As you can see, all necessary drop shadows have been added and a portion of the masthead has been added in the top right corner.

This is stage 5 of development. As you can see, the masthead has been completed and changed from white to black for better visibility against the background. In addition, an additional spotlight article has been added next to the model.

This is stage 6 of development. As you can see, an editors letter has been added at the bottom of the page in order to add to the featured contents page conventions. 

After close examination, I spotted mishaps around the render. As you can see, there are some unwanted pixels present around the model's head. Using the soft brush tool and masking, this was fixed and thus making the render look more professional.

After some peer feedback, it became apparent that the shadow of the model was on the wrong side to the light positioning. This was easily fixed using the drop shadow layer style.

After some observation, it was clear that the yellow tinge of light source did not fit with the background. In order to fix this, I adjusted the saturation of the yellow on the image in order to remove the yellow light - making it more neutral.

Next, I decided to adjust the levels of the image using Photoshop's algorithms in order to make the image look more realistic against the background.

As you can see, the model looks more natural and fits the background much more compared to previously in the earlier stages. The model is lighter and less yellow, with more contrasting depth.

Finally, I decided the improve the lighting more using the Lasso tool and Dodge tool respectively. Using the Lasso tool, I selected the highlighted area of his face and ran over it with the Dodge tool in order to bring out the lighting slightly.

In the final stage, I added some finishing components to the contents page and made some improvements in the text. Social network information was added, along with an additional picture and caption. In terms of improvements, drop shadows were added to the web address and editor's letter. The cover line and page number next to the main image underwent an enlargement to increase prominence.

Mock up double page spreads

Made on Adobe Fireworks CS3

All three above were made in Adobe Photoshop CC 2017

Analysis of a real double page spread

Page furniture of a Double Page Spread

Crosshead

These are the different crossheads over various double page spreads. Two are from Kerrang! and one is from Q Magazine. After some research, it is clear that crossheads are used as subheadings for questions or statements.

Drop Cap

These are the different examples of drop caps over various double page spreads. Two are taken from Q Magazine and one from Kerrang! magazine. A drop cap is a large capitalised letter which is normally bigger than the rest of the text of the article. Drop caps are used to start a body of text, particularly when its a new subject.

Info bar

These are different examples of info bars found across different music magazines. From left to right: Kerrang!, Billboard and Q Magazine. After looking at various examples, it is clear that info bars include additional information that is relevant to the article.

 Pull Quotes

These are various examples of pull quotes found across different music magazines. Two are from Kerrang!, two are from Q Magazine and one is from Total Guitar. After looking at these examples, it is clear that pull quotes are a significant quote from an article - made to stand out to the reader.


Folio and Slug

These are examples of Folio and Slugs, found in different music magazines of all genres. One is from Q Magazine, one is from Billboard, one is from Kerrang! and one is from NME. After some research, it is clear that folios and slugs are small bodies of text containing the page number, issue date and name of the magazine.

Double Page Spread Layout Sketches

Double page spread article draft

Media Studies Double Page Spread Draft

Title: Pop’s (New) Own Worst Enemy

Pull Quote: “After an explosion like this, I’ll be the boy of the summer”

Louie Reeson was ‘just a city boy’ not too long ago, before being thrown into the ring of fame and giving us a visit in our Chiswick HQ. After some ‘dirty’ little secrets, we’ve learned all there is to know about the Birmingham-born guitarist and his rise to fame.Friday afternoon at the VibratoPress offices, and the ordinary pre-weekend prep was being performed (chatting about Saturday’s match, discussing sleep patterns – you know, the usual). It was unbeknownst to us that a rising star was bound to fall into the palm of our hands, until we heard our receptionist call up to say we had pop’s (new) worst enemy to come and chat. Louie Reeson had been near our offices longer than expected, after he relocated to neighbouring Hammersmith to soak in the famous festival radiation from Hyde Park. Whilst being from Birmingham, he walks the streets of London whilst embracing the feel of the city – much like a local. Meaning he takes the tube or walks, much like any other Londoner (with no sight of any wealth whatsoever). “It allows me to still be myself and blend in with the general public, whilst still keeping a mental note that I’m famous and (one day), I’ll be recognised by passers-by”, said Reeson after we questioned his choice of transport. It is clear that the soon-to-be rock star has fully acclimatised to the feel of the nation’s sprawling capital, even if he is 122 miles from home.
We asked Reeson about his past, and how he came about the idea of being Rock’s next big thing. He told us it originated from his passion for music from a young age, and his tuition in the art of the guitar and piano from his teenage years. “I was fascinated by Crazy Train’s (the Ozzy Osbourne classic) amazing guitar riff and several others by the many gods of rock, and I just had to learn these riffs I had admired for so many years.”, explained Reeson. He later added that he felt “one with the guitar” after he mastered the guitar, and said that “[a music career] just clicked and felt right for me”. He stayed long enough for us to continue to “interview” him (not that he was particularly happy about that) on his upbringing and his stairway to ‘heaven’. Reeson expanded on his Birmingham origins and his school life, saying that he believed it was ‘a helpful guidance’ even though he later added that his musical ‘aspirations’ were greater. “[My peers] referred to me as a “teenage dirtbag” (yes, as in the Wheatus song) because of how my priorities were and, even though I didn’t find the name offensive, I still managed to balance both education and my musical aspirations in unison.”, he explains. “It’s almost unfathomable how I managed to get where I am today, I honestly had no idea 5 years ago.” Reeson believes that it was his motivation and consistent drive that got him a place in today’s Rock scene, saying that his music teachings taught him ‘the ups and downs, whilst teaching [him] that determination can indeed get you anywhere you want’. “Following my recent and upcoming success, I’d like to think of myself as the new ‘Mr. Brightside’ (yes, the Killers song) and I like to thank my family, friends and my music teacher.”, adds Reeson. “This can give me an opportunity to get my music out there, and to broadcast my positive subliminal messages in my songs – allows me to connect with the audience, ya know?”

Mock up contents page (with own photos)

Music magazine contents page mock-ups (in progress)