Double Page Spread Progress

I had two different ideas for a double page spread and I was unsure of what idea I wanted to choose. The first idea I had was a concert review from a concert I went to over the holidays. I took some photos and would choose my favourite ones to use in the double page spread. The other idea I had was to have an interview with the star of the cover. Since the cover of my magazine featured an interview with a singer, I thought it would make sense to do the interview as the double page spread.

Concert Review

This is the other idea I had for a double page spread. I thought about using my favourite pictures and using them in a concert review. I made the title larger than the other text on the page to make it stand out, and I also made the review introduction text red. Again, to make the different text stand out. 

Cover Model Interview

This is one idea I had for my double page spread. I chose to have the questions and responses from the interviewer in red text and the singers answers in yellow text. I also made the title and the article introduction/description a larger font size than the questions and answers so that it stands out more as it is more important. There are still a few changes I will make to this cover. For example, I will probably need to retake the photos when I am wearing different clothes as it is very unlikely that a model wears the same clothes throughout a magazine or photo shoot. I feel as if this idea is better than the concert review so I will develop this into the final double page spread.

This is the finished double page spread. I have rearranged the pictures, retaken some pictures and edited the text. I wanted to rearrange the page to try and fit two pictures into each side of the page. I wanted to do this so that the smaller image in the first draft didn't look to out of placed or squashed. I also changed the clothing I was wearing for one of the images as it is very unlikely that a model would wear the same clothes throughout a whole magazine. Finally, I have made some of the text bolder and larger. I did this as I found that the text may have been to hard to read, so hopefully it is easier to read now. Finally, I made some adjustments to the text, I added some quotes to break up the text, changed the masthead so that it wasn't just "Bad Boy Boaty - Exclusive Interview" and made it so that it doesn't directly give away what the interview is, that is put in the article description. I wanted to use profanity in the interview as I think that is the language that my target audience would use.

Contents Page Progress

The left hand picture is a draft I had made. Before this I had all of my text aligned in the middle with pictures scattered around the sides. After looking at my research, I found that the text is usually separated into clear sections with clearly visible divisions and categories. I think the first draft I made is good, but I thought that I could do better and make it so that the text was in two separate columns. So I made the right hand picture. I think the right hand picture turned out better than the first draft. There are clearly two separated sections with a good spread of pictures throughout the contents page. Also, I changed the text colour to make the text stand out from the background, but I will try and keep the same colour scheme throughout the cover, contents page and double page spread. Finally, for the page numbers, I wanted to have the letter P (short for page number) larger than the page number. Then I needed to get the sizes right to make them fit neatly on the page.

Double Page Spread and Contents Page Photo Shoot

This is a Prezi I have made about the different pictures I have taken for my magazine contents page and double page spread.

Front Cover Progress

This is a Prezi I have made on the progress of my front cover. I have a first draft, a mid-point and the final cover and have analysed all the different parts of the magazine cover and why I have used them.

Front Cover Feedback

I have asked the following questions to get feedback for my magazine cover and the following answers are the results of what people said.

What would you say is bad about my magazine cover?

- The text in the puff needs to be easier to read.

- Maybe use a different shape for the puff.

- Although the price is clear, it could be made bolder to stand out more.

- Make the bold words stand out more.
- Make edition number and date clearer or bigger.
- Make taglines stand out more
- Since the title colour is black, it is hard to read letter going over the models hair. For example: the R might look like a B
- There is a black background behind the text and in the bottom right hand corner, it conflicts with the models jacket.
- There not be enough writing or text in some places.

What are some good points about my magazine cover?

- Laid out and organised well.

- The font is easy to read against the background.

- Good colour scheme.
- Nice title and use of alliteration in "Bad Boy Boaty". Makes it sound catchy.
- Different use of fonts.
- The price is clear.
- Good use of different colours
- Nice overhead title.
- Title stands out
- Title font looks good.
- Attractive to look at.
- Good image.
- Like the spaciousness of the cover.
- The model clearly stands out.

Double Page Spread Research

Q Magazine Double Page Spread

The clothing that Jay Z is wearing could be seen as representative of the genre of music which he creates and sings, rap. He is wearing a chain, what looks to be a plain black T-shirt and black sunglasses. All of these items could be associated with rap music. Also, the page is 50% text and 50% image. I personally don't think that is a great idea as, although there will need to be a lot of text, too much text in one place can put people off reading it. Also, it seems like the colour scheme includes red as the image is shaded red on the left hand side and there is a big, bold J in the middle of the text page. The J draws the attention of the reader and the letter J would have been chosen as it is the first letter of Jay Z's name and you usually see in articles that the first letter of the article is usually made bold. The colour red would have been red as the main  colour of Q magazine is also red, so the colour scheme is continuous throughout the magazine.

Rolling Stone Magazine Double Page Spread

The page is split unevenly as the picture is larger than the text. There may not be enough text on this particular double page spread, but I think that having a larger picture is a good thing as it looks more evenly spread out. Continuing, the title of the double page spread has been made bold, black and quite large. Because of this, the title stands out against the background and draws the readers attention. There is also what may be the magazine title or edition as it says "women who rock 2012". Finally, since the colour scheme is black and white, the picture of the model draws the readers attention, not only because of the size of the image but because there is no other competing colours on the double page spread. This makes the picture of the model the main feature of the double page spread.

Kerrang Magazine Double Page Spread

For this double page spread, the different pieces of text are clearly separated by the question being asked being in a different colour, pink, than the answer. Again, there is less text compared to the image. Finally, there are 2 different boxes in the top right hand corner of the magazine and the bottom left hand corner. The box in the bottom left hand corner is a quote from the interview as it reads "I'm not one for advice, I'm one for mistakes" and the box in the top right hand corner may be the bands name so that the reader can easily see what the double page spread/interview is about. I have looked at other images of the double page spread online and the text in the top right corner box says "The Pretty Reckless", so I assume it is the band or singers name.

Billboard Magazine Double Page Spread

Finally, this double page spread also has different sections of text separated, but instead of a different font colour showing the different separations, some of the text is made bold. There is more text compared to the image, but unlike the other double page spreads, I think that the text still looks quite evenly spread and nicely laid out. This may also be because there is text either side of the image and the text isn't all on one side of the magazine. I like the look of this double page spread and I may take inspiration from it when I make my own.

Mojo Magazine Double Page Spread

In my opinion, I think that this double page spread look good. The image and the text fits neatly on the page and is quite unlike most other magazine double page spreads. However, it shares features with the other double page spreads as it has the text separated into clearly divided columns and there are also quotes and other bits of text which stand fill in the wasted space.

After looking at these double page spreads, I have an idea of what I will do for my double page spread. I will try and do an interview with the main model of my magazine cover, Bad Boy Boaty. I will try and lay it out in the same way as the Billboard and Kerrang magazines have been. I quite like the idea of the text being like separate boxes, but I think I may struggle to organise it neatly as well as the pictures. The Mojo magzine double page spread also appeals to me. I think it is different and the text and the image all fits neatly on the page.

Contents Page Research

This is a Prezi that I have made about other magazine contents pages. I have looked at Q magazine, Kerrang! and Four Four Two contents pages to see the different features and layouts used in preparation for the production of my contents page.

Front Cover Photo shoot

This is a Prezi that I made about the photos I took and may use on my front cover. I had a couple of ideas regarding the pictures and these are how the pictures turned out. I have explained the positives and the negatives of the pictures.

Front Cover Photo Shoot Planning (photo ideas)

Picture Planning

One idea I have for one of the central image is me and two of my friends standing either shoulder to shoulder or with our arms over each others to show that we are a rock band. However, three people may be to many people for a front cover. I may also try to use a guitar as a prop since it is a music magazine.

Another picture I may try and take would be a picture of me smoking either a real or a fake cigarette. I would do this to show that is a rock magazine and that it may live up to the conventions of a rock magazine. I could use a straight on angle with my head looking slightly downwards with my eyes looking up at the camera while lighting the cigarette or I could use a photo that has me looking sideways away from the camera while blowing out cigarette smoke.

I could also take a picture of my friend playing a guitar or the drums as another image. He plays the guitar and the drums as a hobby so it would probably look natural and it would further show that it is a music magazine.

I will try taking photos from different angles to see which one I feel looks best and best suits a rock magazine. I will look at different rock magazines to see how these different angle shots look.

Front Cover Photo shoot Planning (angles and magazine analysis)

Different angles and shots

Low angle - although the magazine cover below isn't a music magazine, it is a good example of a low angle shot. I think that low angle shots make the person being photographed look more dominant and assertive.

Straight on - Straight on shots make the magazine look like it is directly aimed at the audience or reader. The magazine below is a straight on mid-shot. The person being photographed is looking directly at the camera and is also pointing at the camera, making it seem as if he is pointing at the audience.

High angle - high angle shots make it seem as if the person, or people in the magazine cover below, are looking up at the audience or reader. The magazine below gives quite a happy and joyous. However, this may be because of the colour scheme used, which is bright blue and yellow. If they were darker and the people being photographed weren't happy, it would give a different feel, for example it may feel quite dark.

I have done some research into different magazine covers and the different type of shots they have used. I then comment on them saying how I think they will suit my magazine.

Front Cover plan and First Draft

This is a mock cover I made for the final front cover. I will use the results from my questionnaire to design the front cover. For example, one of the main colours would be blue as the participants of the questionnaire voted for blue as one of their favourite colours. Also, I would try and include a CD as a freebie along with the magazine. This is because the results from the questionnaire said the thing people like most on a magazine is a free CD. Finally, the music magazine genre will be rock music/alternative rock music as the results from the questionnaire suggest that this was the most likes genre.


This is the mock up of the front cover I ended up making. Since it is only a mock up/draft, there isn't too much detail. The mock up has given me a good idea of how I want my magazine to look. I think that the font I have chosen suits the genre of the music magazine. I will try and use these font styles throughout the front cover, contents page and double page spread. The font wasn't one that was suggested by the results of the questionnaire, I have used a different font than what was included in the questionnaire for the masthead and titles on the front cover, but I have used the font Blippo light sf for the smaller text. I have done this because most other magazines do this and also it helps make the titles stand out. I will probably do this in the contents page and possibly the double page spread. I was initially going to have the masthead in the middle of the page, but after looking at some other rock magazines and also some other types of magazines in general, most of the mastheads are at the top of the front page. This may be because when they are being sold in a shop, they will have other magazines in front of them, so the masthead would be covered if it was placed in the middle. I also know that I want the central image to either overlap or fall behind the masthead. Although the results from my questionnaire show that the participants favourite colour is blue, I think that with the font I have chosen to use, blue doesn't suit the font and black looks better, I may have to try and include a blue colour scheme somewhere else in the front cover, contents page or double page spread.

This is another draft I have done but added some pictures. These may not be the final pictures as I am struggling to organise them neatly and can't get them the way I would like. Also, I need to have a better background where I can use one font colour. Continuing, the size and dimensions of the images are wrong and I am unsure about how to fix this. From the previous draft, I have a good idea of what I want my magazine cover to look like, but I feel like I am struggling to achieve this. There are also some things I need to edit.

Target Audience Questionnaire and Results

This is a Prezi that I have made about the questionnaire I have designed to see what would appeal to my target audience. I have handed this questionnaire out to 10 different people and the results may affect some of the features of my magazine cover and pages. For example, things like the colour scheme, price, artists and bands mentioned and also the font styles used could be determined by the results of the questionnaire. However, I may have to go against some of the popular results to get the magazine how I want it and the way I think looks good.

Magazine Moodboard

This is a mood board I made about the genre of music I will use for my magazine. the genre is alternative/indie rock. I used fonts that I liked and thought may go well on an alternative/indie rock magazine, band logos, albums and magazine mastheads related to the rock genre.

This is a spider diagram I made in class. The spider diagram is of bands and singers I listen to and the larger the size of the band means the more I listen to them.

My First Media Post

Hello and welcome to my first A level media studies blog post. The main task of the project is to make a music magazine cover a contents page and a two page spread for the magazine. Also, the additional work and planning needs to be recorded in a blog, this blog! I am excited and am looking forward to working on this blog. So far, I love media studies and can't wait to get started with this project. In this blog I will talk about the different tasks completed over the course. Some of the parts involved are planning, the main task itself and the evaluation.

Thanks, Luke B