Magazine Double Page Spread Plan

Below is my hand drawn magazine double page spread plan. It is important for me that when designing my double page spread that there is a good balance of images and text because I don't want my target audience to get bored. Therefore I plan to include at least 5 images along the left hand side of the double page spread in addition to the main image which will also be the background of the double page spread. I have decided to split the double page spread in half so that when folded the main body text doesn't become difficult to read. I plan to use 2 pull quotes on my double page spread; the first being positioned below the headline and the other being positioned in the middle of the main body text. I plan for the pull quotes to have quite a large font size so that they stand out on the page and will make people want to read the article to find out the quotes context. I plan for the model in the main image on the double page spread to be looking to the right as if she is looking at the article/interview. In the top right hand corner of the double page spread I plan to put the magazines logo/masthead (Phoenix), this will help to create fluency within my magazine and reinforce the brand, hopefully making people remember it.

Magazine Contents Page Plan

Below is my hand drawn magazine contents page plan. I sketched out the different sections that I would like to have included on the contents pages, this was to help split the page up clearly so that my target audience could easily navigate around the page. I plan to include at least 2 different images on my contents page so that they is more of an equal ratio of picture:text. In the bottom right hand corner I want to include a small advertisement of the social media sites that the magazine uses; using the sites logo/icon to add more images to the image and colour to the page. Whilst not drawn to scale on my plan, I want the masthead of “Contents” page to take up just over half of the top of the contents page. This is to make it obvious what this page is within the magazine and to highlight its importance. Underneath this I plan to use a pug to again write the issue number and the website of the music magazine. I also plan to use headings/sections to divide up the articles within my magazine. This will help in creating a contents page which is easy to navigate around.

Contents Page Inspiration

For contents page inspiration I have been inspired from the design and layout of both the NME and Q contents pages. NME and Q contents pages follow a very different style however there are elements that I like from each of the contents pages. Below are two examples of an NME and Q contents page that I inspired me to come up with my own ideas for my contents page.

On this contents page I like the overall layout/structure of this contents page because it isn't clustered/busy which makes it easy to navigate around. I also like how the important information has been written in red font; this puts emphasis on the words making them stand out against the rest of the text. I also like that the main image of the contents page is a big size because it enables us to clearly see them image in a good amount of detail.

I also like the overall layout/structure of this contents page because it follows a simple layout which makes it easy to navigate around. I like that the main image has a page number (unlike on NME) so that you can easily find the article related to the image. I also like that the magazine has spilt its articles up into different sections and headings so that the certain articles come under a specific section.

I will try to incorporate similar elements/features on my magazine contents page because I think it will help to make it looks ascetically pleasing therefore making it successful.

Magazine Front Cover Plan

Below is my hand drawn magazine front cover plan. I sketched out an outline of a person, so that I could position the cover-lines around the main image. I plan to have the main cover-line, slightly covering the image of the model to help suggest that the two are linked. The main cover-line will be the largest font on the page (expect for the masthead). I want to use red font to highlight keywords on my magazine front cover such as “and” “exclusive” and “plus” this is to emphasis these words making them stand out and suggesting that there is even more in the magazine. I plan to use a strap line at either the top or the bottom of my magazine front cover- I sketched it on in both places to see what would look better. I prefer the strap line being located at the bottom of the magazine front cover because it is less distracting. On my magazine front cover plan I came up with a few potential cover-lines that I could use. Most of which include the names of bands which come under the Indie Rock genre. If I use these cover-lines I plan to use the bands official logo/font to advertise them. However I will make sure that it follows my colour scheme. Underneath the masthead I plan to use a pug to write the date, issue number and the website of the music magazine.

Magazine Front Cover Inspiration

After researching and looking at Indie Rock music magazines I have noticed that most of them, such as NME and Q use plain coloured backgrounds like black or white which helps to draw more attention to the main image and cover-lines. Therefore I am going to use this as inspiration, and use a plain coloured background for my main images. This will also be appropriate for my chosen colour scheme of red, black and white.

When designing my music magazine front cover I am going to use the NME magazine front covers (the ones before they became a lifestyle magazine) as my main source of inspiration. This is because I have been largely inspired by NME whilst thinking about what I want my magazine to look like and the content that I want it to contain. Below are some of the NME magazine front covers that I like and have given me inspiration for my own ideas.

I like that on both of these covers the colour scheme is black, red and white. I like that different words are written in different colour to emphasis specific words. I also like the fact that the cover-lines frame the main image and that the main cover-line slightly covers the main image to show that it is linked and is the most important article. I also like the simplicity of the background on the main image and how they related to the colour scheme of the magazine front cover. I will try to incorporate similar elements/features on my magazine front cover because I think it will help to make it looks ascetically pleasing therefore making it successful.

Social Media Responses: Potential Fonts

I decided to find out what font was most popular amongst my target audience. I used Google hangouts and instant messaging to send the image of the 4 fonts to people within my target audience. Before I sent the image, I asked them to respond with which font they thought would best suit and indie rock masthead and why they thought this. These were the responses that I received:

These social media responses show that my target audience prefers the first two fonts which are called "Metal Lord" and "Should've known" on DaFont.com I personally believe that the first font would suit a rock or metal music magazine more than and indie rock one however my target audience is keen on that font. However the second font is equally as popular. Overall I think that the second font is more appropriate for the Indie Rock genre because it doesn't follow the similar style of the Iron Maiden font which is a heavy metal band. Therefore I am going to use the second font for my masthead however I will use photoshop to manipulate the text to adjust it slightly.

Potential Fonts

I decided that |I want to use a font for my masthead that is reflective of the genre of my music magazine (Indie Rock). I visited the website “DaFont.com” to look for potential fonts or for inspiration for me to design my own font. I found a variety of different font styles that I liked and thought would be appropriate for my aim. I believe that the fonts that I choose are eye-catching and professional but still reflect and suit my genre. Below are the four fonts which caught my attention on the website:

I am undecided on what font I should use for my masthead. I like all of them but I believe the first font doesn't really suit the Indie Rock genre and instead suits the Heavy Metal genre more because it is similar to the font that Iron Maiden uses. Therefore I am going to send this picture of the four fonts to different people within my target audience to find out what font they think suits the Indie Rock genre more and then ask why they think this.