Time management update

This week I have been working on the design work of my contents page and editing the photo for my front cover by taking off the background. The photo took a while and so I'm slightly behind on my design work but I will aim to complete this by the end of the week and if not I can do some more work at home to ensure I am up-to-date. I have done the general layout and colours for the contents page but I still need to confirm the article descriptions and add the photos. 

Design work in progress- contents page

Positives of my work:

• The layout looks like a contents page
• I have used fonts from the front cover which creates a sense of continuity
• I have organised the pages into sections which is a convention of contents pages
• The colours are also those used on my front cover which creates a sense of continuity and brand identity

Improvements to be made:

• I need to add more article descriptions
• The language may need to be more informal to suit my target audience
• Change the pointing of some of the articles to create interest
• I need to add the photos and the page number/ contact information on the bottom 

Design work in progress

Positives of my work:

• Having edited the language of the coverlines, they now sound more appropriate for the pop sub-genre.  
• The new use of colour makes the front cover look more interesting and again more in convention with the sub-genre.
• Having added another coverline the issue now looks to have more content which is a necessity of front covers to get the readers attention.
• It still looks like a front cover

Areas to improve:

• A main image needs to be added- this will be done once I have done the photo shoot

Time Management Update

This week I have been doing the design or my front cover; which is nearly completed bar the main image. For this to be done  I am doing a photo shoot at the weekend so I can get the photos I need. Then once I have edited them they can be added to my front cover. So whilst I am not currently up-to-date on my bog I simply need to get the photos done to be so, which won't take long. Next week I will be starting my contents page design.

Front cover design work in progression

Positives of my work so far..

• Looks like a front cover layout
• I have used a variety of different fonts and pointing
• I have generally used an appropriate register and language for my slightly older but still youthful audience. In particular the second coverline language could be too formal.

 Improvements to be done...

• Currently I am unsure whether the colour pallete is appropriate for the pop subgenre, although my target audience are slightly older and so it doesn't want to be too bright. Also the main image will connote to pop and so make it clearer what sub genre it is.
• Some of the font could be made smaller so I have space for coverlines
• Add a main image

Photography inspiration- clothes and props

Mood board of appropriate clothes/style for my models

I may need to source some music instruments as props

The clothes I think my models should wear are those popular in modern culture, but still appear glamorous and fashionable. This is because I want the models to directly relate to my target audience and they aren't going to have the money to buy designer dresses. The use of accessories will be fairly minimal except for possible some jewellery like necklaces or a watch  for the boys. The only props I will use will be musical instruments like a guitar or a microphone. 

Photography inspiration- where?

From my research of images in similar style magazines to my own I have noticed that some of them (in particular the front cover) generally have plain coloured or white backgrounds. Therefore I will try to incorporate convention by using plain walls to create the background for some of my images. However, to create visual interest and have some variety I'd also like some shots with more natural backgrounds like trees or  grass. I think the combination of the two will create an interesting mix of shots and backgrounds.

Photography inspiration- who?

Because my magazine is primarily aimed at girls aged between 16-24 I think having models for my photos of a similar age would be most appropriate. The reason for this is that I want the magazine to feel quite young which connotes to modern and new. However, from my research I have also discovered the images aren't limited to those similar to the target audience but also include young males and perhaps some older artists as well (<35), although only if they're well known and popular with the target audience. 

Rachel Harris
17 years old and really loves pop music therefore she accurately represents my typical target audience. Also her sense of style is very feminine which is quite typical of pop culture and so she would fit in well with my sub genre.

Lydia Richards
Again 17 years old which fits within the age range of my target audience.Her style is less girly than Rachel's and more unique. I think having people with different styles in my magazine would highlight to my audience that this magazine is for a range of different tastes and also appear more unique.

Sam Thomas
He is 19 years old and a stereotypical male, who fits into my age range. Because he is a similar age to my intended audience images of him would make the audience feel the magazine relates to them. Also because he is male it would add variety to my images. 

Time Management

At the moment I seem to be fairly up to date with my blog. But by the end of the week I nedd to complete all my photography posts and I will also continue with my front cover development which I started on Tuesday.

Photography inspriation

I would use this sort of image for the main image on my double page spread. I have chosen to take inspiration from Ed Sheeran because he is an artist popular with my target audience and so appropriate for my magazine and also he reflects the music genre.

Key elements of this shot:

• Live not posed
• Camera angle is taken from below eye level 
• The overall image is fairly colourful and bright
• There is a bright light behind the artist's head but very little in the background
• Use of props, he has a guitar and microphone

 
I would like to use a similar sort of image for my front cover. From my research I have found out that magazines similar to my genre generally have posed medium close ups of a popular artist on the front cover. This shows the artist as being the hook to make people buy the magazine. 

Key elements of this shot:

• This is posed
• The model isn't looking directly at the camera but into the distance making the shot appear more sophisticated and artistic
• The colour isn't that bright, however I 'd prefer my picture to be more colourful to draw attention
•  Natural landscape which is blurred in the background which I could use for some of my other photos. Another possibility is a plain background like in a studio which is more common within the sub-genre.
• Minimal use of props or accessories- all about the model

The image of Little Mix is an example of a more conventional pop magazine photo because of the white background and bright clothes. In particular I like the positioning of the singers and could use a similar set up in one of my photos.  

DPS mock up

Front cover and contents page mock up

Time management

In regards to my action plan posted on my blog, I'm very nearly up to date. I have done all of the work required so far I simply need to post the mock ups and pitch feedback on my blog. My next targets are: front cover photo shoot and the start of my front cover design work.

Typeography definitions

What does serif mean?
Serif is a font type in which there are extra short lines stemming from the top and bottom of each letter.


E.g. Times- abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
      

Style Sheet