This is my first draft for the cover of my magazine. Making this draft has made me realise how much effort is needed to create a cover.
I decided not to use the photos i took for backgrounds as part of the recce blog post. This is because i felt as though it was generic and unoriginal. Instead i have chosen an image of New York skyscrapers and then edited my model onto the cover. I liked the idea of editing one image onto another to create a whole new one, there's so much variety and choice with pictures you can create. However i found that the process of cutting my model out was long and tricky, i struggled to 'cut out' the edges so that they looked smooth rather then untidy against the background. I don't think i will use a city scape background for my final cover as it's hard to relate to the genre and distracts from the model.
Taking photos has given me an idea of the image i want to portray on the cover of my magazine. I've decided that i don't want to do my final photos on school grounds, as i think they are plain and uninteresting.
I wanted my cover to have a friendly,upbeat feel. I think i have achieved this through the colour scheme i have used. Pinks,oranges and mint relate to 'ice cream colours', which has connotations of summer and therefore music festivals. Although, as i have chosen a female model and feminine colours, i don't this magazine would appeal to a male audience. I want to use darker colours throughout my second draft so that i can compare what looks best for my final piece. I have realised its important to consider the colour scheme when choosing the cover photo. I noticed this when applying text to the image thats my background on my cover, its hard for the text to stand out when the colours in the background aren't consistant. In addition i chose colours that worked well with the clothing of my model so that they didnt clash and a professional feel remained.
When deciding on the model for my cover i had to consider what would appeal to my target audience. In the focus groups they mentioned wanting to see someone they idolise on the cover. I decided to pick an attractive girl to pose as a singer.
A possibility to win things was another thing mentioned by my focus group. I decided to make this a feature on my cover so it appealed to the audience and persuade them to purchase the magazine.
I decided on the name 'Indique' so that the words 'Indie' and 'Unique' were combined. This highlights the connotations of Indie music, a different style that stands out.
When doing the second draft of my cover i think the structure and style will improve alot. I'm going to reinvent the colour scheme and take a different route with the cover.
Well done, Holly - this is an improvement. I like the colour scheme, although you could mention your target audience's sex - It looks like you're appealing more to women / teenage girls with the colour, model selection and fonts, so make sure you mention this.
ReplyDeleteI like the reasoning behind your name. but try experimenting with masthead sizes and maybe a logod strapline. See me for some help with what I mean.
Also - as I've posted on other blogs - the word of the week is equidistant. Think about spacing between text boxes, their contents and the edges of pages / areas. Look at the text in the Sammy Ray box to see what I mean. There's far more empty colour on the right hand side than the left. That's usually a design no-no.
Be careful too, about the zig-zag text effect. Think about how the eye scans a page. It's best (usually) if it's straight down and, usually, the western world reads from left to right.
Think about how someone would read your text and where the eye would go, ie from centre, to right to left, to bottom right... Try it for yourself. Get a copy of your page and ask someone who's not seen it to write down all the things they see in the order they notice them.
It'll give you an idea about what your focal points of the magazine is - intentional or otherwise.