Final product and evaluation

Below are the pictures of my finished front cover, contents page and double page spread, and a prezi evaluating my final product:









Here is some of the feedback regarding my finished product:

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.