After my last front page designs, where I used my chosen image to experiment with different layouts of the key features of the magazine. Although I have kept my chosen design, with the title positioned at the bottom of the page and the banner at the top, I have decided to look at the text layout to gain a clearer understanding of how I want my final front page to appear.
This design clearly shows the banner positioned along the top, as decided in my previous designs. I have used a symbol to show the ending of the banner as I have previously seen this done in other music magazines which is an effective design feature and an easy way to create symmetry. I will have text running along the top of the banner, such as possible competitions as I have also seen this in other music magazines such as 'KERRANG' where this is a prominent feature as shown in my general research. I am going to position the date, issue number and price as I previously stated in the top right hand corner as although the price is normally placed by the bar code, I felt this made the bottom left hand corner too cramped. The use of one single line of text is used in all four of my designs and is something I am certain of. In this design the text on the left hand side is positioned down the side of the artist although I am unsure whether I like the idea of the text cutting into the artist's head, as intended here. The slogan is positioned under the title, and is something all the design have, again suggesting I will be certainly be positioning this here. The text by the top right hand corner is box like and I do not particularly like this as I feel it is too regimented and chunky. The main heading, which I plan on positioning above the title is shown to be in one long line, which is simple, yet I am not sure if this will attract the readers attention and simply fade into the other text. Due to this I will not be using this design of text as I feel this, along with the chunky positioning of the text in the upper right will look too 'boxy' and not as fluent as text positioned around the artist's body.
This design, unlike the others, uses the idea of a sticker, as shown in other music magazines in my general research. Although I like this feature and think it is an effective way of showing information, I am unsure whether I would want to use this on my own magazine. The use of the sticker overlapping the artist distracts from the image and the primary focus of the guitar and the idea of live music, which my magazine is trying to portray. I do not believe the sticker is suited here and I am unsure where else I could position it with this image without appearing to distract from the music element. Seeing as I am trying to achieve a 'full' looking page, I believe the position of the text in the upper right corner, shown in two lines, does not fill the space enough and instead would be better suited wrapped around the artist's head, therefore making use of the space. Due to this, and the use of the sticker, I will not be using this design although I do like the idea of the subheading text, which is placed above the title, being positioned in two sections. Although this is not necessarily clear on this design I will consider using this in my other designs.
This design uses the same design with the banner, issue, date and price and title position as my previous designs showed. The text on the upper right hand side is wrapped more around the artist's head and does not look as rigid as the other design and therefore chunky. This design uses the same design idea with the subheading, where the text is placed in two sections which is adds interest. I like this design the best as all the text is wrapped somewhat around the picture and does not overlap. There is also nothing obstructing or distracting the image, which I am trying to ensure is the main focus with the musical instrument and the microphone, therefore fitting the 'music' requirement for the magazine.
In conclusion, I will most probably use the final design idea when creating my music magazine front cover as I feel that this design represents the professional looking layout which each magazine needs and this template will hopefully appeal to my target audience.
