Music Magazine.

Our task is to create a front cover, double page spread, and content page for a music magazine. I will be researching current magazines to inspire me, I will be looking into unique theme/era's that I could base my magazine upon. I will research current bands/singers to again inspire me through my development.

Audience.

If I could categorise my magazine cover, I would say that because of the professional looking images, and the sophisticated layout and colouring that the magazine would be in the B/A group of people, which would be higher class, families with a higher income, therefore the magazine would be for a Private School. 
However, it would also be welcome for any school that is looking for a way to inform parents of what is happening in the school but hopefully written in an interactive way to ensure that they were given every opportunity to participate and ' have their say', so it could also apply to a new school with new ideas and enthusiastic parents.

Magazine Cover.

Out of the three images to choose from for my main image on my magazine, I decided to choose my favourite image of the two female pupils, one in focus, with the other blurred behind, as I thought this was the most professional looking image for my magazine cover. I added the row of montage of additional images at the bottom of the page, which took a while to make the images even, but came out effectively. The masthead was the most difficult stage, as I wanted to make the ''V'' the largest letter, but I had to keep  the rest of the font big enough to stand out, and to fit it horizontally across the page, which was very time consuming, as I had to keep changing fonts, until I managed to find the right one. I was then having difficulty in deciding whereabouts the catch phrase should be placed, as originally it was placed before the masthead, but it did not look right as it was stealing the limelight from the masthead which should be the most important heading, so I moved the phrase to be placed underneath. Deciding on the font style was quite difficult, as for the masthead it had to again, be a style that would fit across the page, but it still had to be bold and big which took a while to find, also to give the masthead a 3D effect i added a slight shadow, which brings out this effect, to help make it stand out. The catch phrase was quite easy as all I had to do was change the font to "Italic Script", to add the sophisticated style. When i looked back at my researched current School Magazines, i noticed some had a small date/year at the top, which i thought would work perfectly on the top right side of my cover, ''December 2010.'' I found creating a colour scheme for my masthead was fairly easy, as I already had decided that the colour was either to be dark green, or a dark red/maroon, as my magazine was going to look quite sophisticated, i need sophisticated colours to match, but i soon noticed that the uniform was dark green so I decided on the colour dark red/maroon, as it stood out and contrasted nicely with the dark green I then decided that plain black was my best option for the catch phrase and the date/year as i feel that if any more colours were added, it would steal away the limelight from the masthead.

Montage of Pictures.

Once I had discovered what my main focus image was going to be for my front cover, I was now able to add additional images to the cover to convey what else was included inside the magazine. Looking back at my research on current School Magazines, I got a lot of inspiration from three of the covers that included Montages, for example, 'Castle School - Contact.' As i had imagined that the two female pupils were to hold the main focus, and to take up most of the magazine, I had decided to create a row of five images that i had spare, as i edited them slightly just in case i was going to include a montage right at the bottom of the page, like a 'Film Strip', to add additional images. Also i decided on creating a row instead of a scattered effect, as i wanted to keep to the sophisticated/formal approach. 

Editing Pictures.

As earlier on in my stages of developing my own School Magazine, I had mentioned that I was sharing a camera with another student in my media class, so we decided to meet up during the christmas half term to edit the pictures that we had taken. We used photoshop software  to create professional looking images for our covers. We will use completely different images for each of our covers, however our edits will be similar as we both liked the idea of the blurred effect in the background, but we went our separate ways after this stage of the process. Here are a few images that I spent a long period of time editing.

As i was taking this picture above, I was experimenting with different angles, and positions to see which angle gave the best blurred effect that I was hoping for. I asked the two pupils to face inwards and asked them to just carry on what they were doing, and to pretend I wasn't there, as I wanted the concentration image for my cover. As there was a lot of art work on the table, I experimented by lowering the camera, onto the table, tilting it slightly upwards to create a depth of field effect. The only part of the image that I have edited, is blurring everything around the two pupils, and I contrasted the 'Santa hat' to make it stand out, against the blurred surroundings.

I love this image and feel very proud with the affect that I have created, I remember thinking how can I create a 'Vignette', to get a hole effect. I was looking around the classroom, when I picked up a piece of blue paper, and rolled it into a 'Tunnel' shape, and with the help from another student I placed the camera lens through the tunnelled paper, and created this effect. I edited around the areas that needed to match the blue colouring. I also like the actual photograph, as there is a nice balance between the pupils and the teacher. I like how naturally the pupils are looking up at their teacher while he is explaining. I also really like the blue tools in the background, which creates a nice contrast to the yellow lighting. This  looks like a professional School Magazine image and gives a looking through the window type image into the classroom!

 

This is my favourite image. As I took this picture, I again lowered the camera to be the same level as the table, and slightly titled it upwards, so that the piece of art work in front would naturally blur, to focus on the two pupils. When I came to edit this image, my aim was to make the first female pupil really stand out, whilst the other smiling pupil I slightly blurred into the background, which is similar to my final flat plan draft image which I managed to do on photoshop by slightly blurring everything surrounding the focused pupil. I also contrasted the image to make it more sophisticated.

Final Flat Plan.

After looking through my research on current School Magazines and summarising my concept drawings, I concluded that a lot of my ideas for the images had one focused pupil and one pupil blurred in the background. I read through my comments and noticed that I had repeated several times the effects that I really wanted. So, keeping with the idea of two pupils, I decided to create the image of two female students, one focused, and one blurred, concentrating on their work. I found that the masthead would not work at the top, as it would block out a lot of the large image, so I experimented and eventually designed the masthead to overlap the image in the centre of the page, also ensuring that I kept the catch phrase underneath. As previously I had said I liked one large letter in the masthead, I kept with that idea, as shown throughout my research and planning, I have mentioned all along that I loved the idea of a montage of pictures, so I decided to include them and felt that they really worked at the bottom of the page. After researching 'Private School' magazines, I have really grown fond of the sophisticated bold colour scheme of dark greens/reds. So I decided that my masthead would be a maroon/dark red colour.

Layout Plans

After researching the eight current school magazines, they were invaluable with helping to to create my own magazine cover as I was able to pull out key points that I felt were important for my own front cover layout.  I wanted the designs to be very rough as they were only concepts so I thought it would be beneficial to hand draw the plans in a black felt tip.  It ensured that I kept the designs simple and focussed and allowed me to analyse visually if they stood out.

                                            

          
  

When designing this plan I wanted the layout to be very structured, and sophisticated. The masthead "VIEWPOINT" would overlap the large, centred image of two pupils. Under the masthead I decided to create a catch phrase, ''HAVE YOUR SAY..." to help back up the masthead, and to create a purpose for the magazine, which will be primarily aimed for parents to have their say through articles in the magazine. The line in the middle of the page, creates diversity between the images. Below I have designed a montage of scattered images, which would be block photos for visual additional information about what else would be included in the magazine. Also the bullet points alongside will back up the images. As I designed this cover to be quite sophisticated, I would create a colour pallet of sophisticated colours, for example, dark green/maroon/dark red.

I wanted to experiment with different designs for the cover and also using quite a busy composition, as you can see from the layout above. The masthead letters are sort of scattered, one in front of the other, to create a 'Busy feel', but after designing the masthead, I have decided that it is quite difficult to read the title, so it would not be a good option. Again the masthead and catch phrase would overlap the image of  two pupils celebrating their achievements. I still like the idea of additional visuals at the bottom of the page, possibly a 'semicircle' effect, a bit like a 'Film strip' effect. Again I have included the writing at the bottom to back up the images. As this cover does not look that formal, my colour palette would be of simple, bright colours, for example bright red/yellow/bright green.

Again, I decided to create another cover with a busy composition, as you can see from the sectored layout, masthead, image, speech bubbles, and a montage of images at the bottom. I used careful placement of lines to help divide the page up. I have always liked the idea of having one large letter in the masthead, so I decided to create a large ''V'' to help make the masthead stand out. The large image, again would be of two pupils celebrating their achievements. On this plan, I decided to experiment with some animated designs, ''Speech bubbles'', which then would back up the catch phrase, ''HAVE YOUR SAY...". I kept drawing a montage of images, so I guess in my final design, I will included some sort of a montage. On this cover the colours would be bright and bold, for example bright red/yellow/bright green.

The Title.

Before I could design my Layout Plans, I had to firstly come up with a good title for my magazine cover. It had to be a good, original title which was quite a difficult task, so I decided to ask family, friends, and other parents if they had any idea's for a new magazine title that could give me inspiration to create my own. After asking around and absorbing their ideas, I thought of four titles:-

1) SCHOOL'S OUT!

2) SMILE

3)VIEWPOINT

4)MAGNIFIED

 I was having difficulty in deciding which one to choose, so I decided to put it to a 'Public Vote' ! 
 The vote was to be taken by 'PARENTS'  only,as they would be my target audience that usually read school magazines. After I counted up the votes, the title that gained the most points was 'VIEWPOINT', so I decided to go with the public vote, and use this title for the cover of my magazine.

Picture Taking.

As our whole class were limited with camera's, me and another student in my media class, decided to share one camera and visit classrooms to see if we could take any pictures whilst the students and teachers were working, as we both wanted images of students concentrating on their work, as in my research a lot of the current magazines had images of students working. We asked permission from teachers and students if we could take a few snaps. We visited a lot of different classrooms, and took turns in taking pictures. I was experimenting with angles and positions, as in my head i was picturing one focused image, with another student blurred behind, so i asked two year 8's if i could position them in an angle and asked them to carry on what they were doing ( which was painting ) so i could take some pictures to then edit afterwards. We then carried on visiting every subject, as in my head i was also picturing a small montage of pictures, so i needed to get as much pictures as possible in the space of a double lesson.

Researching Current School Magazines.

When researching, i came across this school magazine, named ''The Loyolite.'' I really like the simplicity of the graphology, as the magazine only includes a title, an image, and the year. The colour palette is very monochromatic, with a black masthead, different shades of grey in the background, and includes very faint colouring. The masthead font is written in 'Italic Script', which conveys a formal and sophisticated approach to the magazine, which suggests that the cover is from a private school magazine. The downfall of the magazine is that the masthead is not eye catching, and when i first saw this cover i had to really look closely as i could not read it that well, because of the style of font. Even though i like the simple layout, it does create a boring feel to the magazine as there are no images which include bright, eye catching colours, and the lighting is quite dull. When i first looked at the cover, my eyes immediately drew to the bold, three dimensional ''2007'', which was good for me to discover, as i now know to make my masthead be immediately eye catching for the audience. 

When i first looked at this magazine, the use of a 'fiery red', and an 'emerald green' really grabbed  my attention straight away, which has made me realise how the use of colour is so important on magazines. I really like the idea of a large image, with the masthead on top of the main image, and additional information down below. I liked the editing of a zoomed focus image of a student concentrating, with another student slightly blurred in the back ground to focus on the student working. The use of captions is to back up what the image is showing, which is a good technique. The use of mise en scene, expensive science equipment, and smart uniform with tie, conveys a high educated private school. The image of a focused male, backs up the additional information below about 'Boys-only classes.'

 I really love the graphology and colour scheming on this magazine. When i first saw this cover i immediately thought how clever the use of editing parts of the image in 'Black&White', and the other parts in colour. Also the use of 'Black&white colouring conveys a sophisticated look to the cover. The school is obviously a 'sports' school, as all the events that the magazine is conveying are sport related. The magazine has a very positive feel, as most of the images are 'Supersmiley.' I also really like the layout, a montage of neatly squared different sport events, which again relates back to the sophisticated look. The masthead is not hugely big, but is still eye catching from the uses of yellows and whites on the dark background. I like the cheesy catch phrase at the bottom, its simple and rememberable, which is something that i would like to you when i come to making my magazine cover. 

                                                           

This magazine cover immediately expresses quite a busy composition, as there is one large image, with three other images sort of scattered like a staircase overlapping the main image. The bright mix of colours are very eye catching and bold, which is a good technique to quickly engage the audience. I thought the masthead of the cover is very clever, and has a slight element of humour which, also conveys that this magazine is not sophisticated. The colour palette for the masthead matches the theme of 'grapes' as the colour is dark purple.  The large image is showing that the students have got involved with lot of different events, which is a positive view for parents to see, and read about. Again the caption below is backing up the image, ''Celebrating Achievements.'' Also the colour is white to stand out from the busy background. The cover includes the name of the school, with the school colour  green, black and maroon surrounding the name, almost like a logo. 

Even though this school is not private, the magazine cover does look very neat and sophisticated, which i really like. I love the difference of the magazine, as it does not include one main picture like the others, it conveys a montage of different events that have occurred during the year. I also really like the faded effect, almost ghostly white background that surrounds the masthead. Even though the masthead is not a bright, eye catching colour, the blue/greyish colour stands out from the white. I also like the fact that the blue font is the colour of the castle uniform, which i thought was a very clever logo scheme. The masthead is written in a simple, 'Ariel' font which blends in nicely to the busy composition of the montage of images. The ''September 2009'' is written quite big which shows its importance to the magazine. Beside the date/year, in a very tiny font included the school website, which shows that its not that important, but its their for additional information. 

This cover immediately is conveying a 'Private School' magazine, as first of all the 'Dark Green' is a very sophisticated colour, which helps to make the light shade of the yellow/cream masthead stand out. The caption below the title is written in 'Italic Scrip' which is a very elegant style of font. The centre image looks extremely elegant, as the mise en scene has an older attractive student holding a very expensive paint palette, in the middle of painting a very talented piece of art, which again shows higher education. Again i like the way the magazine has a large main focus image, with other students slightly blurred in the background. At the bottom of the page there is a line of 'Dark Green' to match the colour surrounding the masthead, with separated information about what else can be found inside the magazine, again the font is written in'Italic Script' to add sophistication to the cover. At the bottom right of the page, there is a small, white slightly fainted caption backing up what the picture is showing. I have also noticed that the uniform is dark green to the match the colour scheming of the magazine. The bright colours of the painting creates a nice contrast to the cover, as the colours of the fonts and the colour that is surrounding the writing are quite dull.

This magazine is obviously a cross between either a Private School or even a Boarding School, due to the formal graphology of the cover, and the well presented images. The layout of the cover looks extremely neat, and sophisticated, with a clever technique of three images used as one whole picture, placed horizontally at the top of the page. As the image is the largest the eye is naturally drawn towards it when you first look at the magazine. I like how the images are not just of students, and has a balance of Teachers and Students, but specifically on this cover I would swap the images and have the students at the top, as the teachers are looking the most important, when it should be the other way round. The masthead is not very eye catching, but again the yellow/cream font stands out from the dark green background. The simplicity of the magazine matches the formal, well educated school, as you can see from the mise en scene, as the teachers look almost like they are part of the Royal Family, as they are very smartly dressed, and the students look well equipped. I like how the font is very central, as they eye immediately looks at the middle of the page. 

This magazine, again looks like it belongs to either a Private School, or a Boarding School due to its formal, simple layout. The font, again is very central, which matches the neatness of the cover, also the large masthead is clear, and is underlined in a serif typeface, which helps to make the text stand out from the rest, which i feel is very important on a magazine. The ''2009'' is large again to show its importance to the cover. There is only one large centred image of students of all ages line up from the smallest-Tallest-Smallest, which i think coordinates really well with magazine. Behind the students is massive white building, which shows that the school is definitely well educated, and well equipped. The lighting brings a very positive feel to the cover, as it looks like its from natural sunlight, which contrasts nicely to the mint green background of the cover. The mise en scene is very professional looking, as the uniform the students are wearing is very sophisticated, and includes elements of red, which again contrasts nicely with the mint green background. Even though there is only one picture, again i like the simplicity of the design.

Preliminary Task

For my Preliminary Task, I have decided to focus my project of designing a front cover magazine  on a new concept for a school.  For this I will be researching and annotating eight current school magazines including Marlwoods, 'Grapevine'.  This research will enable me to gather ideas and techniques to ensure my own school magazine cover will be innovative and interesting to entice the reader to want to discover what is inside.