Creating my double page spread

This was the image I started off with when making my double page spread:

I opened it up in an A3 Photoshop document and placed it over one half of the page. I then made a green border around the entire page using the "stroke" tool, so as to tie in with the green colour scheme of the photo, which gave this result:

I wasn't happy with it, as the image looked detatched from the rest of the page, so I did some research into double page spreads and found that images on them usually tend to be cut out and layered onto a different background (such as the first image below) or are simply cut around so that they overlap onto the text side of the page (such as in the second image below:


In order to achieve this look myself, I got rid of the page border and used the "magnetic lasso" tool to cut around the edges on the right-hand side of the image:

I then smoothed the edges using the "blur" tool.
However, the contrast between the grey and white backgrounds still didn't look right, so, repeating an effect that I used for the contents page in my preliminary task, I used the "smudge" tool and the "colour mixer" tool to smudge the top of the grey background around the other half of the page, so that it resembled a kind of border made by a paintbrush. The artistic connotations this held fitted in well with the creative and original nature of the singer featured, which is accentuated by the interview I did (see previous post):

The next step was to insert the article itself; I put it into columns and highlighted the answers in italics so that it would more resemble an interview:

Next, I added headings (using fonts from www.dafont.com) and a pull-quote, the font of which I kept quite simple, as I didn't want the page to appear too busy by using too many different eye-catching fonts. I had initially thought about naming my double page spread artist after one the origins of the model's real name (Ella Doshi), or by using an anagram of it. Unfortunately, neither the anagrams or the origins of the name sounded fitting, so I did some additional research into band and artist names, and finally decided to call my double page spread artist "Ella Doshi" after the model, as I found that many existing artists such as Laura Marling and Kate Nash opt to stick with their own names for their music career:


However, the font for the pull-quote didn't seem to tie in with the rest of the page, so I found another font from www.dafont.com which resembled a typewriter font; I didn't want to have too many distracting fonts all on one page, but this one was basic yet looked good. I wanted to create the effect of bits of paper simply having been stuck onto the page so as to tie in with the artistic feel of it, so I "printscreened" the text off www.dafont.com instead of downloading it. This left a white box around the text, which I then pasted onto my double page spread.
Finally, I used the airbrush "eraser" tool to slightly blur the contours of the font, in order to give the impression that it had been intentionally pasted onto the page:

Interview for double page spread

Here is the interview that will feature in my double page spread. Instead of writing an interview myself, I simply wrote the questions and interviewed a friend, who gave spontaneous and improvised answers; this made the interview seem much more genuine than if it had been pre-planned:

Underground: Hi there Ella, how are you?
Ella: I’m great thanks, I’m having such an amazing time!

U: How does it feel to suddenly get all this recognition?
E: It’s such an incredible experience, I can’t describe it...I’m still finding it difficult to believe it’s all happening!

U:You have very original lyrics - where do you take your inspiration from?
E: One thing that always inspires me is toilet graffiti. It’s deep, in a weird kind of way, and it’s different, it’s a way of expressing myself through the confined emotions of others.

U: So do they have any underlying meanings?
E: Don’t be a drop-out, try to express yourself and your feelings - they are your true beauty.

U: One of the first things people notice when they see you live is your artistic style. Do you have any major style influences?
E: I wouldn’t say I have any main style icons but I love anything unique and individual. Charity shops and vintage markets are the best place to look for that kind of thing, I love knowing I’m wearing something that has a history.

U: Are you happy with the reaction to your live shows?
E: Absolutely, but I don’t really appreciate people throwing their pants at me...! No really, I’m delighted, it’s just such an amazing feeling knowing that it’s you everyone is clapping and cheering for. Everyone’s been really supportive so far, and I’ve had great reactions from the crowds.

U: Have you any plans for playing any acoustic gigs?
E: I’ve been thinking about doing a small acoustic tour sometime next year actually, it’s not official yet, but it’s something I’d love to do.

U: Have you had any particularly challenging moments?
E: Getting into a leather catsuit! I performed in it once, it was boiling!

U: Sounds it! So, what’s the next single going to be?
E: I Found God In The Bottom Of My Shoe. I took inspiration from country music for this one - my dad has a collection of hundreds of old country vinyls, it’s basically the music I grew up with. I wrote it when I was having a bit of a nostalgic moment!
Ella’s album Melodrama will be released on 27th May.

Creating my contents page

I initially struggled when creating my contents page, and it was the part of my magazine that I had to research the most, as the layout was difficult to achieve without it looking amateur. My first attempt at creating a contents page was made before I had thoroughly researched contents pages in existing music magazines, meaning that, as a result, it looked empty, unexciting and unprofessional. One of the main issues I had was the layout of the photos; all of the photos I used were personal photos I had taken at concerts, but I struggled in knowing where to put them on the page:


At this point I had collected in the results from my second survey, and did some additional research; I noticed that in most contents pages including several images, the images tend to be parallel and evenly spaced out, so I attempted to emulate this on my own contents page, which made a great improvement:



Another problem was the fact that my contents column didn't include many articles, and didn't take up much space on the page; it also looked quite amateur. After researching contents pages in existing music magazines, I found out that they the articles are usually divided into sections so that they were more accessible, so I added a few more articles to my contents, which added more variety, and then divided each article into categories:


I then added a border using the "stroke" tool.

I also put all the page numbers at the beginning of each article name (as is done in most magazines) to make the contents column clearer.
Next, I made a new subscribe box, again using the "stroke" tool to make a border and a font from www.dafont.com, and included in it a reference to downloading the magazine online, a form of cross-media convergence that is common for magazines today. I then used the "stroke" tool to make a border around it:


Finally, I put page numbers onto the corners of the images, so as to make their relevant articles more accessible, and made a red bar along the top by using the "rectangular marquee" and the "fill" tools; this not only filled in the blank space, but made the contents page considerably more eye-catching:

Creating my front cover

For my front cover, I started off with this photo:


I then opened it up in Photoshop, increased the saturation of the photo to make it more striking, and erased the background using the "background eraser" tool:


Next, I pasted the cut out version onto a new Photoshop document, and stretched the photo so the model appeared taller and to make the photo more in proportion with the page. I then went went over the edges of the image with the "magnetic lasso" tool and the "eraser tool" to make sure I had deleted all of the background, before going over the edges with the "blur" and "smudge" tools to blend the image into the background and smooth all edges:


I then used the "spot healing brush" tool to get rid of any imperfections on the photo, added the masthead and strapline (using fonts from www.dafont.com) and added borders with the "stroke" tool:


I chose the strapline "Your Number One Source For New Music" as if fitted in well with the genre of music magazine that I was making (featuring new up and coming indie bands)and with the title "Underground."

At this point I noticed that the figure's face in the main image and focal point was quite dark, so I followed an online tutorial explaining how to fix it. I then used the "lasso" tool to make a selection of the figure's face and neck, and adjusted the curves of that selection:



I made a final adjustment to the face by using the "dodge" tool on the left eye to whiten it further, making it colour coordinated with the background, and giving the impression that the figure was 'looking' out of the page:


Finally, I added sell-lines along the bottom and right-hand side of the page using a font from www.dafont.com and the "horizontal type" tool on Photoshop, as well as inserting a barcode (which I got off the internet)and price:


Although £3.20 was the average result regarding price, from my first survey, this was based on music magazines with slightly more content; using this price/content ratio, I therefore calculated that my magazine should be priced at £2.20.

Photos from photoshoot

On Thursday I did a photoshoot for what will hopefully be my front cover, contents page or double-page spread, using one of my friends as my model and a music practice room as my location. I've tried to abide by the rule of thirds, as well as attempting to combine creativity and originality into my photos through my use of colour coordination and props.

This was the camera I used, a Sony Cybershot.


This image would a good image to go alongside a featured article in the contents page; as it is a close-up, the full effect of the image could still be able to be appreciated even if it was of a smaller scale. It would also be effective as a double-page spread image, but as it is not a portrait image it would need to be edited using Photoshop to fit in with the portrait measurements of the page.


This image would be extremely effective if it was used as the front cover; this is the photo that follows the guideline in my mock-up, and simultaneously creates a striking, eye-catching appearence by abiding by the rule of thirds, having the figure look directly at the camera, and through the colour coordinating props, such as the jacket and the apple. The idea of the model wearing a hat takes inspiration from key figures in independent rock music such as Pete Doherty, and would help to reinforce the indie-rock genre of my magazine so that potential buyers are aware of its target audience. The image abides by the rule of thirds, leaving sufficient space for headings, subheadings, quotes and possibly additional photos of a smaller scale. If this was to be the cover image, I would get rid of all shadows using Photoshop, or even completely white-out the background in order for the image to stand out more. I would also increase the saturation of the image, so that the colours appear more vivid and striking.


This photo would be an effective image for a double page spread, as it is colour-coordinated and makes use of props such as the apples and mug to give it a casual yet creative feel. The white of the piano keys is quite central and eye-catching against the other colours, and the piano has quite an old, rustic look to it, providing the photo with a warm colour, making it more appealing to look at in contrast to the neutral wall behind, which would also act as a good area to insert quotations or subheadings. The photo abides by the rule of thirds, with the figure positioned to the right of the image, looking directly at the camera in order to create a false "relationship" with the viewer so as to draw attention to the photo. The guitar is leaning on the piano at a jaunty angle, which reinforces the casual, fun appearence of the overall image.

Second survey results and overall follow-up of feedback

Regarding the name of my magazine, I have followed the feedback from my first market research survey and have gone with the name "Underground" as it was one of the most popular name choices. I thought this name also fitted in well with the indie genre of the magazine, as the term "underground" has connotations with things that aren't out in the open or well known, and is often used to describe new and unknown indie artists. This also fits in with the results of my second survey which concerned the contents of my music magazine; the results were as follows:

1.In a music magazine's contents page, what do you find the most effective?
-A collage of lots of different images, surrounded by bold text and the contents in a column down one side - 88.9% of votes
- A single striking image on an uncluttered background with the contents in a column down one side - 11.1% of votes

2. What do you most look for in a music magazine?
-Interviews - 44% of votes
-Gig reviews - 22% of votes
-Information about new bands - 33% of votes
-Album reviews - 33% of votes

In a music magazine, what type of images to you prefer?
-Small, discreet images that don't distract from the text - 11.1% of votes
-Large, striking images that take up the same amount of room as the text or more - 66.7% of votes
-Images of the band/artist posing - 33.3% of votes
-Images of the band/artist performing - 33.3% of votes

Regarding my double-page spread, the option of "information about new artists" was quite popular, as was "interviews," so I've decided to make my double-page spread consist of an interview with a new up-and-coming artist, as is common in indie magazines such as NME. As the option of "album reviews" was also quite popular, and "gig reviews" only had one less vote, I am going to include these two articles in my contents page.
In answer to the question "In a music magazine what type of images do you prefer?", "large, striking images that take up the same amount of text or more" was the most popular, so I have decided that my double-page spread will consist of an image taking up one page, with the relevant article on the other page. Concerning the subject of the image, "images of the band/artist posing" and "images of the band/artist performing" were equally popular, so I am going to use a photo of an artist posing for my double-page spread, and photos of bands performing for my contents page. In terms of the layout of photos on my contents page, "a collage of lots of images surrounded by bold text with the contents in a column down one side" was much more popular than having "a single striking image," so I am going to use several personal images instead of just one. To give me inspiration for this, I have researched other music magazine's contents pages, such as Kerrang and Q:


In Kerrang, the images are symmetrical and all have borders, with the contents to the right, creating an eye-catching contents page whilst appearing tidy and uncluttered despite the fact that every area of the page is filled with text or images. Furthermore, a shadow effect has been put on the images, which makes them stand out.


In Q, the images do not have borders and overlap to create a more "collage" effect. Each image is not as easily identifiable as in Kerrang, but the contents page does look quirky and original, which would make it appealing to its target audience. Again, the contents page is on the right.

In following up this feedback, I will be fulfilling my target audience's expectations, while making my magazine look appealing to the public to ensure that more people are tempted to buy it.

Mock-up of my magazine

Here are the mock-ups/recce shots of my front cover, contents page and double page spread.



This is the mock-up of what will be my magazine front cover; I'm hoping to achieve a cover that will look striking and stand out, which will be contributed to by the image itself and the fact that I aim to not over-clutter the page. However, as you can see from the mock-up I will still include the eye-catching information regarding the contents of the magazine, such as headlines, pictures and quotations so as to grab people's attention. I have yet to do the photoshoot for my magazine, but I will try to stick to the guideline of the picture on the left (which abides by the rule of thirds) in which the figure is in a casual position that still resembles a "pose."

The props I will require are firstly a guitar, which somebody has already agreed to lend me, and secondly an apple which will match the colour of the model's coat.



So far, I envisage that the contents page will be quite simple so that it will appear striking, and all the information will be easily accessible. At this stage I can't be certain about the exact layout or what it will include, but I have made a survey regarding this, as well as the contents and layout of my double-page spread.



The layout of the double page spread will consist of a page featuring an article on the right-hand side, and a picture relating to the article on the left-hand side, with a quotation from the article to the side of the image. This is often the traditional layout of double page spreads, which will help mine to look as professional as possible. Again, I will decide on the exact contents and layout of my double page spread, such as what type of article to include, once I have made and received feedback from a survey regarding this.

Front cover and props brainstorm

Following the feedback from my market research (where it proved to be the second most popular genre) and my own personal preferences, I have decided to make an Indie-rock music magazine. My principal idea for the front cover and/or the double page spread is to incorporate various shades of green, as it is an eye-catching colour that connotes nature, youthfulness and freshness, as well as a sense of innocence, themes that could be continued throughout the contents page and double page spread. To make the cover even more striking, a black and white version of the main image against a white background with the shades of green picked out using Photoshop would make it stand out. I intend to create an original, quirky and "indie" (independent) style for my magazine; for example one of the props in my main cover image will be a bright green apple. After researching other front covers and photos from articles from NME magazine on http://www.nme.com/, I have found that the use of unusual props adds to the overall effect of the image:


Here, Robert Smith from The Cure is pictured sitting in a golf buggy; the contrast of the Robert's gothic style with the stereotypically civilised sport of golf creates humour, and is an effective method of making the image look original, different, and stand out.



In this photo, the black and white colour scheme adds a moody and "cold" feel to the image, which is contrasted with Thom Yorke from Radiohead's sunglasses and ice-cream, which are both in the semantic field of summer, which is when the photo was taken and is intended to demonstrate; this also adds a humorous tone and a light-hearted vibe.


This image features James Allan from Glasvegas, and was taken near Christmas. The addition of the sparkler emphasises the celebratory feel of the season, while at the same time making the image stand out and appear more powerful.

I hope to recreate the style of these images through my use of props, in order to make my magazine as original and eye-catching as possible.

All images (aside from the collage at the top) are taken from www.nme.com and were all taken by Andy Willsher.

Shot list

I have done a lot of planning into the composition of my front cover and double-page spread, as it is vital in helping to catch people's attention. For the front cover, am I torn between using a central close-up (such as in the first image below) and a mid-shot that abides by the rule of thirds (such as in the second image). Both would be effective, as the close-up would be the central focal point of the cover, but the mid-shot abiding my the rule of thirds would be equally eye-catching as it would meet the natural eye line. When I do my photoshoot, I will therefore take several photos of these two different types of shot, so as to decide which would be better.






For my double page spread I have decided to abide by the rule of thirds, as, in double page spreads such as the one below, this provides a very effective, stiking contrast with the text of the article itself. However, as I am also undecided in whether to use a close-up or a mid-shot, I will, again, take several photos of each of these types of shots before I decide which looks the most effective.

Second market research survey

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

The purpose of this survey is to find out exactly what my target audience want from a music magazine, concerning my contents page and double-page spread. I will try to stick to the feedback as closely as possible in order to meet my audience's expectations and demands.

Feedback from market research

Here is the feedback I have collected from my market research survey:

1. What is the most you would be prepared to pay for a good music magazine?
Answer: 30.8% of people voted for "£3.00."

2. Which name do you prefer for a music magazine?
Answer: The most popular names were "Switchback," "Underground," "Neon" and "Infinity" which all recieved 30.8% of votes.

3. Which music magazine do you usually tend to buy?
Answer: "Kerrang" was the most popular with 38.5% of votes, while "NME" was the second most popular with 30.8% of votes.

4. Which music genre do you prefer?
Answer: "Rock" was the most popular with 53.8% of votes, while "Indie" was the second most popular with 38.5% of votes.

Doing this market research will help me when planning the genre, audience, price and name of my music magazine, and I will bear this feedback in mind when writing further blog posts.

Moodboard

As a way of researching the front cover of my magazine, I have made a moodboard of other music magazine covers so as to inspire me. Furthermore, the process of putting together different magazine covers featuring artists of different genres has also shown me that, although the genre of music might be different, the overall layout of a music magazine cover generally remains the same, but falls into two different categories; "busy" magazine covers usually feature a central image surrounded by text, often featuring bold, bright colours against a dark background; this can be said for the magazine covers featuring The Last Shadow Puppets and Foo Fighters. In contrast to this, some magazine covers are more sparse, featuring a simple, striking image against an uncluttered background. The image often features an artist in an eye-catching pose, or with unusual props; this can be said for the Q magazine featuring Lily Allen, and the Mojo magazine featuring White Stripes. Both layouts are equally eye-catching, but use different methods to achieve effectiveness.
Another interesting point that I drew from this was the way in which several of the covers reflected the genre and personality of the featured artist; both covers featuring Jimi Hendrix, for example, included the exaggerated loopy writing typical of the 1960s, evidently mimicking the psychedelic style and influence of that era, which Jimi Hendrix was well known for. The same can be said for the cover featuring the heavy metal band Slipnot - their outfit and style is gothic and horror film influenced, something which is a stereotypical influence for heavy metal bands; the photoshoot for the cover was evidently planned to demonstrate and encourage this stereotype, with members of the band wearing gothic masks and viking-style (another heavy metal influence) helmets. This method of exaggerating the stereotype of an artist makes the magazine look orginal, which could encourage its target audience to buy it.

I will try to relate to this research when planning my front cover, as I want it to look as eye-catching and original as possible so as to stand out from other music magazines that could appeal to my target audience.

IPC Media research

The target audience of a magazine is of essential importance, and something that needs to be thought about and decided upon in the early stages of making a magazine. To help me decide upon the target audience of my own magazine, I have done research into IPC media, a publishing company which produces over 60 iconic magazine brands, reaching two thirds of UK women and 42% of UK men, while its websites collectively reach over 14 million users every month. It is divided into five divisions; IPC Advertising, its online magazine portfolio, Marketforce, the UK's leading newstrade sales and distributing company which successfully markets 23% of the total magazine category, IPC Inspire, the men's division, IPC Connect, the mass market women's division, and IPC Southbank, the upmarket women's division. The company focuses on three core target audiences:

• IPC Inspire, the men's division, which comprises of leisure brands such as Country Life, Horse and Hound and Rugby World, as well as lifestyle brands such as NME and Mousebreaker. It has an overall portfolio of 38 brands which cover a huge spectrum of interests.
  

• IPC Connect, the mass market women's division, which comprises of iconic women's weekly magazines such as Look, Chat and Now, as well as TV entertainment brands such as What's On TV and TVTimes. Its magazines are read by 53% of women.

• IPC Southbank, the upmarket women's division, which focuses on the two key markets of women's fashion and lifestyle, and women's home interest. It comprises of luxury fashion brands such as Marie Claire and InStyle, lifestyle brands such as Women&Home and Essentials, and home interest brands such as Housetohome and Ideal Home. It is home to some of the most iconic brands in publishing.
  

Market research - interview with Mark Flowers from the BBC's "Human Planet"

A while ago I wrote to Mark Flowers, who directs, produces and films for BBC documenteries such as Human Planet. As I myself am interested in that industry, and also hope to improve my photography skills, I asked him several questions regarding this. The following are relevant to my photoshoot and will help me to prepare:

1. What is the secret to the 'perfect' photograph?
I guess I look for an image which tells a story, it makes the viewer question what is going on, what is happening, it arrests you; I think this should come first and then beauty and composition later, but that is because I am more interested in storytelling than pretty pictures. A good photo/moving image in my mind should do both, personally I prioritise the former.

2. What preperations are needed before going to 'shoot?'
1) Having a clear brief - knowing what you are going to film/photgraph, thinking through the story/image you hope to capture
2) Knowing how predictable the subject/event will be
3) Preferably a recce has been done, so we have knowledge of what to expect, we have met the human characters involved, and done common sense analysis of animal behaviour etc - I do what I call is an investment payoff rating - I make an assessment of how likely we are to be successful and invest accordingly in terms of time, money and equipment
4) Thorough risk assessment is done and written up, this is cirulated to everyone involved
5) If at all tricky we use the BBC editotrial guidelines and internal departments like Editorial Policy or the High Risk team to help us prepare
6) Sometimes specialist training is needed
7) We analayse which equipment is most appropriate
8) We try to hire in the best and most appropriate talent suited for the particular job
9) I write a bullet point "plan" for the shoot, I then often draw a storyboard, I show this to my bosses/clients before we shoot
10) I often host briefing meetings so that everyone involved knows clearly what we hoping to achieve, we discuss how to tackle the problems
11) I cross my fingers and hope it will all go to plan.

Although I won't be photographing anything with a high risk assessment, it is still something to bear in mind for future photoshoots. The advice he gave me about recce shots and thorough planning was extremely useful, so I will make sure to plan thoroughly beforehand.

Useful Youtube videos for using Photoshop

As I will be extensively using Photoshop throughout my coursework, I have watched several useful videos on Youtube to give me a better guide for using it.

Five top features of Photoshop CS5:



PatchMatch tool:



Spot healing and filling tool:

Preliminary task

My preliminary task is the front cover and contents page of a school magazine. I have called it "The Student Voice" as this suggests that the magazine is something truly designed for and written for students, and connotes youth; at the top of the cover is a megaphone, which is positioned to look as though it's hanging down from the title and ties in with the name "Voice." I have stuck to a colour scheme of black, white, red and green to coordinate with the "models'" clothes and the white background, and I have tried to incorporate humour and originality into my headlines and contents page in order to encourage people to buy the magazine. The main focus of the front cover is the photo of the two people who are looking directly at the camera (to create a false "relationship" with the audience to catch their attention, and therefore encourage them to buy it). The photo abides by the rule of thirds as it is positioned to the left of the cover; this allows people to focus on it better as it meets the natural eye line. The cover is not crammed full of headlines, but has three evenly spaced headlines so that it still manages not to look like an empty page. There is also a box across the bottom of the page which sticks to the colour scheme and features some of the main headlines. In the contents page, the word "Contents" is written in a fun, loopy font suggesting that the contents of the magazine will also be quite fun and not to be taken too seriously. There are also several edited photos in bright colours surrounding the contents, which are related to the articles written in the contents page.
There are several things I would do to improve my preliminary task; firstly, I would include more images and quotes in the contents page, and make the subheading "All inside this issue!" smaller, so that the page wasn't cluttered, but looked less empty than it does at the moment. I would also feather and refine the edges of the images I have layered onto the background a bit further, as, at the moment, they are a bit messy and don't look very professional; it is obvious that they have been placed on the background, as the transition between the background and the edges of the images isn't smooth and blended in.

Music magazine marketing research

I have made a survey in order for people to give me feedback about what they want in a magazine, which I have also posted on Facebook. I will make another more in depth survey concerning the contents of the magazine once I have received feedback from this one, which is more general research towards what type of music magazine I am going to be making, and what it will be called.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Analysis of Q magazine

Q is a monthly music magazine, first published in the UK in 1986. It was primarily aimed at older music buyers, who were buying CD's at a time when they were still a new technology; again, as with LOOK magazine, the gap in the market had been assessed and researched. It is published by Bauer Media Group and is edited by Paul Rees.

The cover of Q magazine is quite striking simply because of the bold red, black and white colour scheme and the large central image, in which the subject is, as in LOOK magazine, looking directly at the camera to create a kind of false "relationship" with the reader. The magazine's title (which is also the logo and masthead) is quite eye-catching, yet at the same time simple, being merely a single white letter "Q" against a red background which allows it to stand out. Furthermore, the title is easy to remember and recognise. The magazine's slogan "Discover Great Music," informs the reader as to what the magazine is about, and is written under the title so that people who see the magazine can immediately become aware of this. The thing that takes up the most space on the cover is the central image, which is surrounded by headlines and captions as well as the main headline which is written in a big, bold font underneath the image. However, despite the fact that the cover is packed full of writing, it does not appear cluttered, as each bit of text is evenly spaced out, enclosing the image, and in a font and colour which still allows it to stand out. The central image is heavily airbrushed and there is a "reflection" in the man, Liam Gallagher's, sunglasses which has very obviously been edited in; despite this obvious editing, it has been employed to good effect, making the image look striking and stand out. It does not follow the rule of thirds as it is a portrait image, which still allows attention to be drawn to it, especially as Liam has a very serious and intense expression on his face.

Magazine research - analysis of LOOK

In order to help give me inspiration in making my own magazine, I'm doing a bit of research into other magazines, such as LOOK. LOOK is a weekly British fashion magazine aimed at young women aged from around early teens to late twenties. It focuses mainly on fashion at affordable prices as well as including articles on real life stories and celebrities, particularly in concern to their outfits and fashion statements. It is priced at £1.60 and is the first weekly high-street fashion magazine for women, meaning that its launchers must have thoroughly researched the gap in the market, and the desire for constant updates on fashion in today's consumer society; consequently, this led to its launch in 2007 being the most successful magazine launch for 17 years. It is published by Tammi Iley and is edited by Ali Hall.
The front cover is very eye-catching, in bright, coordinating colours. It can automatically be identified as a woman's magazine, due to the pink and white colour scheme traditionally associated with women, in particular young women. These colours might also be contrasting each other; the "innocence" of the white, which comes across as more serious and business-like, in comparison to the fiery pink, its binary opposite, which is complemented with words such as "red hot" and "sexy" and is perhaps a suggestion that this magazine addresses the more vivacious side of women; this could be an indication that the magazine is an 'escape' from school, college, work, and the everyday stresses of life. This is amplified further in the headline "Man Drama," which is written in capitals so that it stands out; this is a classic example of a form of gossip that magazines publish in order to make the readers feel less pressured by the worries and stresses of their own lives, as the lives of celebrities are made to appear far worse by the use of exaggerations and strong words such as "drama" and "dangerous."
The main focus of the cover is the photo of Lady Gaga, who is looking directly at the camera; this creates a kind of false 'relationship' with the reader, helping to advertise itself. The photo abides by the rule of thirds, drawing the eye to it more as it is falls under the natural eye line.
The cover is not packed full of headlines, but there are boxes along the bottom and left-hand side featuring some of the contents of the magazine, alluring a person to buy the magazine so as to read the rest of it. The features in the boxes are entirely fashion related, but are complemented with the sub-headings "high street trends the celebs love!" (which reinforces the stereotype of women being obsessed with celebrities and includes the colloquial abbreviation "celebs" in order to appear less formal, and perhaps more in touch with celebrities in this use of an informal term) and "sexy" (which supports the common view that women are obsessed with looking good). However, there is another box in the top right-hand corner featuring another celebrity related headline, to insure that people are aware that it is a balanced fashion and celebrity related magazine.