At long last all the trials and tribulations are at an end and production of my music magazine is complete! It's been a bit of a rough ride but that's not really a problem now because the worst of it's over (thankfully!). Now I can focus on evaluating my product and gathering audience feedback, without having to worry about finding the right font or colour or positioning etc.
First up is [Drumroll].... the Cover!
I think I've done pretty well as when I made a start on coursework I didnt have any skills whatsoever on Photoshop or even on Indesign, I feel I've come along way from that as I feel my front cover is pretty good, however I dont think it is anywhere near as good as it could be. Personally I feel I could've made it better. In retrospect I think I could've made the Masthead look a little more interesting e.g putting an outline or a sort of rimmed effect on it so that then the top of the magazine cover doesnt look as plain as I personally feel it looks like. On the other hand I am very much pleased by the layout of the text which is on the cover, also another thing I like about my cover is that the image that I used uses a direct Mode of Address, which jumps out at the reader and draws in their interest in the magazine. Also I've used a strapline at the bottom of the magazine which gives names of other artists featured in the magazine. This instantly gives the reader an idea of what's inside by simply looking at the cover, sparking curiosity in their minds as to why those particular artists have been mentioned and also causing the reader to think "why're they featured in the magazine?". In order to make my cover look professional I've used a Barcode, Price and Issue number. I used lots of different fonts, to try and keep the magazine cover looking fun, interesting and attractive and informal however I've not used so many that it makes my front cover look disorganized; I kept it to a limited number of fonts of which then create a Housestyle of fonts. A Housestyle of fonts which I have not only stuck to on the cover but also on the Contents Page and also my Feature Article.
What's Next? [Drumroll] Ah sì the contents page!
Hmm.. well I don't think I can grin and bare this as I would with anything else because to be completely frank.... I'm not the least bit pleased with the end result of my contents page; It looks a little too plain for a contents page, I feel there's nothing which makes it even remotely interesting. However I think this my be because the font in which the contents is written is a little... Boring. I think if given another chance I could most definitely improve this. However saying that there is one aspect of my contents page which I am actually happy with; my Editor's note. I'm happy with this part of my contents page as it sounds like an authentic Editor's note and also on reading this it would set off a chain of questions within the reader's mind, questions which can only be answered by the reader buying the magazine and reading it; it's quite quirky and give a little hint as to what kind of stuff reader's will find in this particular issue of the magazine. One of the reasons why I don't particularly like my contents page is because I feel it doesnt fit in with the cover of my magazine & the Feature Article. I think if i'd have kept the theme of my double page spread on my contents page it would look much more appealing and better and i think it's actually fit in with the rest of my pages. However I do like the two images I've used on my contents page, both my models are looking directly at the reader thus making them stand out.
Next on the list is [Drumroll]..... The Feature Article (F.A)!
I'm really quite fond of my Double Page Spread as I think it looks quite professional due to the consistent colour scheme. I like that when creating my article I didnt use a picture that was too big as I didnt want my double page spread dominated by a picture. I also Like how my model is posed in the picture as I feel it reflects her personality to the reader and also as she is looking directly at the camera; she holds the reader's gaze, on seeing her picture it may spark interest within them as to why she is the subject of the main article. Another reason why I like my F.A is because it sounds like a piece of real journalism; I put in an introductory paragraph so that those rreading the magazine for the first time would be acquainted with Mizz D and also so that it doesnt come across as rigid as I didnt want to simply jump straight to the interview. I decided to use red text grabs as i've associated the red with MIzz D s I've written her name in red and also because it stands out relly well against the background of my F.A.
