Music Magazine: Front Page Layout Designs Revisited

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.

Music Magazine: Front Page Photo Manipulation

Music magazine front page photo man from HGASMedia

Music Magazine: Front Page Layout Designs

Using my image, I have experimented with different layouts for my front page. I have used the features I will use on my front cover to design the layout of the front page.  

I have decided to use the second design as a basis of my front cover as I feel this is slightly more interesting with the title placed at the bottom, although this is not supported by my research, and the banner placed at the bottom of the page, providing symmetry. 

Music Magazine: Front Page Model Research

The artist used in my first images are front man, Andy Brown from the Pop/Rock band, Lawson. They are a new, up and coming band, which reflects the feeling of my magazine. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawson_(band)

Music Magazine: Front Page Photo Shoot

After looking at my research I decided to try and take some images at a concert. I have decided that although some are unusable for obvious reasons such as lighting, distance issues and positioning, there are a couple which could be used for the music magazine when edited. 

I took a selection of photos, although due to the time space of the concert there was not as many as I would have personally liked. I have selected the best photos out of the shoot as ones that I would possibly use for my music magazine. 

 

Music Magazine: Front Page Title Implementation

Now that I have decided on my magazine name, 'Inside' and also looked at some magazine fonts to gain inspiration, I must create my own font that will add interest and suit my magazine. I will use numerous fonts to experiment, through trial and error, in order to choose a suitable font appropriate for my magazine.

I began by selecting multiple fonts through InDesign to gather an idea of the multiple fonts which I could use when creating my title. I experimented with many different types of fonts, including serif and sans serif. I used mainly lowercase to begin with although I quickly established that I preferred the use of uppercase letters in my title. I originally used the colour black as this was clear and easy to see the difference in fonts. I selected my favourite fonts to take forward and experiment with.  

I narrowed my font selection down to a few designs and decided to add some  colour. I selected two fonts which had a smoother, sleeker finish compared to one which appeared to have a more jagged edge. I experimented with multiple colours, changing the fill colour and the outline. I decided I liked the darker colours such as the pink, red, blue and black. I decided to use the more 'messy' font to see what this would look like in the pink with a bold outline. I liked the idea of using a thick outline although I was unsure whether I wanted to use this font.
 

I compared the jagged font to a font which I also believed had potential as I liked the use of uppercase letters in the design. The first font is too messy and does not look like it would be used on a music magazine and therefore I decided against using it as my magazine font. The second font is a lot sleeker and looks professional. I could see this font being used on a music magazine. I decided to experiment with this font and change the height and spacing of the font. I changed the sizing of the 'in', making it smaller than the rest of the word. I created a noticeable difference in size without looking too awkward and disjointed. I decided to select this design but change the colour from pink to red and black, which I had previously liked when experimenting with other fonts.



I decided to use the font, 'Woodchuck' but I changed the outline to a bright red and the outline weight to 3pt. I changed the font fill to black as I believed both these colours were striking and would stand out from the page, therefore attracting the readers attention. The font has a quirky appearance, with the inside of the letters adding a more modern, informal look which relates well to the 'news/gossip/ element which the name was based on. This design reflects the magazine in a positive light, conveying the nature of the magazine, which is a effective marketing technique and the role of the magazine title. I am pleased with my design choice and will be incorporating it into the front page design.

Music Magazine: Front Page Font Research

I have decided to name my magazine "Inside" to reflect the gossip element of the magazine. I have been researching some fonts to help influence my final design of the magazine font. 

This font has a simplistic approach which I like and would try and incorporate into the title of the music magazine. I like the vibrant colour of the title as well. I will keep this simplistic idea in mind when designing my own title.

This title is probably better matched to the type of title I want to achieve. I like the thick black line around the text which makes it stand out. Again, I like the red center although I am unsure whether I would keep this in the center when designing the title of the music magazine.