Final Double Page Spread

Peer Audience Feedback

COVER

For my cover I have received a lot of positive feedback, which I will take into account when designing my final piece. Firstly I have been praised a lot for my successful use of colour palette. The blue/back/white ‘draw attention’ immediately and the boldness of the masthead has the same effect as well which is something I should definitely take into account when designing my final piece. On the other hand there are aspects that I can improve on my cover. For example I should ‘consider moving the text body’ and also make the image fit better so it is a higher resolution. Doing this would insure the magazine has a more professional, sharp look which is important.

CONTENTS

My contents page was what I was most happy with in my draft; I put the most detail into the layout in this page to make a conventional complete look. I received a lot of positive feedback about the ‘style and layout’ of the page, looking ‘very professional’ and a lot of text. However I was advised to use a web address to make the magazine appear more authentic, this is good feedback because a lot of magazine use this feature to attract a bigger online following as well. Along with this I was advised to change information in the text, some of it was false information, which isn’t useful.

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

I feel there is room for a lot of improvement on my double page spread so I was intrigued to see the improvements I was suggested along with the positives. A positive of the pages where that the image looks good with the blue/white/black colour palette again and it ‘creates continuity’ along with this the bold lines I have used under the title ‘The Everything’ is good because it grabs the readers attention well. Some negatives in my double page spread where that the article and text was crammed in because of the sizing of my picture, this has made me think that I need to use a portrait image so it fits better and allows more room for text to look professional. Along with this I have left a lot of free space on the magazine that could be filled with useful information, however I want to keep the page looking minimalistic.

Overall I am happy with my feedback I have received for both positives and improvements which is important for me to take into account.

Final Draft Double Page Spread

This is my final draft for my double page spread. I like the colour scheme I have used because the black and white allow the blue to stand out drastically which adds focus to pull quotes well. I have also underlined the title of the pages in black, this makes the title seem more professional which is what I intended. The overall lay out is quite conventional, it is usual for a magazine to use an image with text by the side of it, however my image hasn’t fitted how I intended which was a shame. I like the use of my subheading because it introduces the article well which is what is often seen in magazines.

I really like the image I have used the black and white is affective because it keeps the overall look simplistic, for my main cover I might think about having colour, but low contrast/brightness to keep it simplistic/neat. I will try to get this kind of shot in a portrait view, this will allow me to fill the whole half side of the page more accurately.

I like the use of pull quotes because they break the text up and make the read of the article more interesting, for example a huge pile of text can be quite hard and boring to read. Along with this the colour palette has worked well for pull quotes, this is because it has allowed them to significantly stand out in the article well.

I used Helvetica font, this font is sharp and easy to read, however I will probably test different fonts for my final piece to find a specific one that suits my magazine precisely. I made my title bold so people can instantly see the name of the band clearly and have a better understanding of what it is about, the sub heading adds to this as well.

For my final piece I will make a lot of improvements, for example I will definitely put a lot more focus into the sizing of my image and the amount of text I use, during this draft I didn’t put full effort into getting the right sized image to fit the page perfect, therefore the page can be seen to look pretty unprofessional, I would like my photo to cover half to page fully, if not 2/3 but still leaving enough space for a decent amount of text for my article. Furthermore I will make sure all of the article text boxes used are level and the same width, this will allow for the professional look to be enhanced.

Magazine Drafts

DRAFT COVER

DRAFT CONTENTS

DRAFT DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

These are a few mock drafts for each of my pages. I haven't used my own photos for these drafts because i want to get an idea of the style of the image i use and how it contrasts/compliments my overall layout. I am not completely happy with any of these because they are drafts and ideas. For my final pieces i would want to change these a lot and put more effort in to give a sharp and professional look.

Double Spread Analysis - SPIN

SPIN double page spread cover has a similar conventional layout to NME; this includes a large image taking up roughly 2/3 of the page and the rest left for text. The image used is interesting, it is a close up of Florence, which allows the audience to recognise that she seems to look happy, her hair is clearly blown back and it seems to look like an in action shot. Because the photo is a close up there is a lot to identify and it adds a sense of importance. The image is black and white, which can suggest that there is something being hidden, her true colours aren’t showing.

The whole magazine is in black and white, this is a simplistic look is affective. “Florence and the machine” is wrote in big font, not only because it’s the title of the article but also it is the name of the band, therefore it needs to draw attention to readers so they know who it is. The artist of the year box positioned above the title can make the reader want to go into more depth and find out why etc. There isn’t a huge amount of text used in the spread; this allows more focus on the image itself. Along with this the font seems to be simplistic in the interview, however the writing beneath the title has a feminine touch to it, this correlates well with Florence because obviously she is female.

The kicker is interesting because it is unique. The use of columns give it a magazine feel, on the other hand the black and white can emphasise more of a newspaper feel. 

Double Page Spread - NME

This double page spread by NME involves an unconventional colour scheme, it still consists on the three colour scheme however there are aspects in the image which break this. The colour scheme is used creatively by highlighting key information for the reader in blue, This is so it stands out in contrast to other text. The title “the vaccines” is in block capitals and has a significantally bigger font compared to the other texts, this is so the people reading know the artists immediately when opening the page.

Conventional columns have been used to give it that magazine feel. To take up more room in the text they have used a pull quote in a significantly bigger font, using the colour blue linking in with the colour scheme which looks proffesional. This allows us to get an interperate of the interveiw for people that briefly read through. Kickers have also been used to add to the magazine feel, these letters which start the beginning of each sentence have been coloured in blue, this links again with the colour scheme allowing the magazine to keep a professional look.

The image which is portrayed in the magazine takes up around 2/3 of both pages, this is a large image which draws a lot of attention to the reader. The image includes the four band members of the vaccines which are all breaking the fourth wall by looking into the camera, this can make the reader feel like they are more involved in the magazine which is a useful affect. The image used is also very interesting, this is because the band members arent just stood in a line, they are in specific positions, this could allow the audience to note the importance of each member, for example Justin Young  is positioned at the front which draws more interest to him. All of their facial expressions are serious which links well with the type of music they produce. Along with this the background is quite dirty, like old paper which can be seen to foreshadow their type of music. The vaccines are in simplistic clothing which doesn’t reveal any branding names, the rolled up shirt of Justin can show their kind of style well, so can other clothing items seen in the background.

The overall layout of the magazine is pretty conventional for NME with a main image taking up two thirds of the page. I like this kind of design because I find it interesting, it allows close detail and depth in the image and enough zoom for a valid amount of text.

Double Page Spread Analysis - NME

NME have gone for an unconventional look in this specific double page spread, instead of using the standard colour palettes consisting of black red and white they have gone for an overall darker look, including colours purple and black, this suggests the personality of the band, as their new album has been “death obsessed” and they are a “dark-hearted trio”.

The overall look of the double page spread is a layout that we come across a lot; this consists of a big image taking up usually half, or more of the page. The image in this specific double page spread takes up around 2/3 of the page, it is a long shot of the White Lies, the lightening used in the photo makes the image look dark and dull, it doesn’t reveal anything intriguing about the band. However this allows the page to have a more simplistic look which is very affective. In the image the audience can notice that a lot of their body is hidden in shadows to suggest that there could be something that they don’t know about this band. Along with this the lightening can suggest that although they are hidden, they want to be in the spotlight and they want to be a big, powerful well-known band.

The font used in this magazine is very simplistic and easy to read, this is good because it avoids confusion for the reader. We are instantly exposed to a huge title which is taking up around 1/3 of the left hand page; it is known as a pull quote from a previous interview saying “we want kings of leon’s career”. The font is very clear and bold and it is underlined to emphasise the importance of it.  The pull quote is very optimistic and can be seen as arrogant considering the success of Kings of Leon’s.  The type up at the bottom is in New Times Roman, this is just a standard conventional font. In the text main words are also in purple instead of the black, this goes with the colour scheme and allows more focus on specific words like ‘White Lies’ and makes it look professional. The layout of the font is a lot neat and professional; they have used the conventional columns and have used a little sub paragraph, which looks neat.