Music Magazine: Contents Page Detailed Research

I have decided to base my photoshoot on the staging of concerts. I believe this links well to my front page image of a performer on stage. I am planning to capture the colours and the audience in a concert scenario.

 I am going to use this image for inspiration as I like the more romantic look of the blue and the smoke. I am considering using smoke for my DPS so I will keep this in mind for that shoot even if I do not use that effect on my contents page. I also like the full shot of the lights which are positioned at the bottom of the stage. I will try and incorporate this into the shoot.

I like this image as it clearly shows the audience and the lights of the stage. I would have to angle the shot differently to try and capture this. I like the confetti which is falling into the crowd but I would not personally use this in my photoshoot as I feel it would be difficult to capture this moment. I am going to aim to capture some of the audience in the shoot to show that there is a live element to the shoot.

I am aiming to try and recreate this image with the artist on stage yet not the main focus which is instead on the bright lighting and stage. I like the purple and red strobe lighting which I think adds colour to the image. The effect of the audience at the bottom of the page is also something which I am trying to achieve. I would, however, try and capture the use of red light to ensure it corresponded to my colour theme which is red, white and black.

This image is a zoomed out shot of the whole set. I like the idea of using a wide shot with all the set shown as I think it will add colour to the contents page. I also like the fact that there are big screens on either side of this image which I beleive creates strong symmetry. 

Music Magazine: Contents Page Titles

I have created my contents page front with my front cover font in mind. I used InDesign again and used similar fonts to my front cover. I used a selection of fonts which all had a similar look: the thick font with a more modern look to compliment my front page title.

I chose to use the same font which I used on the front cover. I decided to use the same colour scheme which I had used on the front cover. I experimented with the red, black and white. I liked the look of the red but this, along with my title, used too much red. 

I decided to use a thick white outline, instead of the red which had been previously used, for my contents page title. Just for design purposes, placed a black fill behind the font to see what the title would look like. I filled the inner font in black to make it appear to be just a white outline as I had previously done with the front page title.  

 I decided on the a black font with a thick white line. When this is placed on my black background of the page, this will appear very striking. 

Music Magazine: Contents Page Specific Research

I have decided I am going to use the "BILLBOARD" magazine layout for the contents page. Due to this, I have chosen more focused images using the same layout for the contents page and I will use these specific images as my template for my own design. 

This is the original layout which I analysed and decided I would like to use to inspire my own design. I have also found other similar "BILLBOARD" contents page layouts which all follow the same design pattern.

All of these layouts have the contents page bar running down the left hand side of the page. To avoid the pages appearing too similar as I am only using this design for inspiration as I will not be using the multiple coloured numbers although I do like this feature but I am sticking to my rule of three colours to keep the page fluent and co-ordinated. All of these designs have kept the key images with one main image placed underneath. Although some of these pages also have additional images, I will still be sticking to the three images on the left hand side, one large one spread over the page and two smaller ones above and therefore will not be having three columns of writing as I will not be using three images. Instead I will only have two, to create symmetry as I am only using two images. I like the last image as there is a dark section of the page, where the main picture stretches out over three quarters of the page which obeys the rule of thirds. I am planning to use this in my own contents page. I am planning on using the red and white font, as I had previously done on my front page, on this section to add some colour which has been done in the last image with the yellow and white. I also like the idea of using a section underneath the main image, here they have titled the section 'Home Front'. I will instead use this section to add a 'Review' and 'In Every Issue' section as I have previously seen in my general research. This layout also has their magazine title/logo featured on the contents page and I will also be using this feature and placing it above the contents page bar. I am also planning on using a coloured line to seperate the contents page bar and the images as the BILLBOARD magazine has done as I believe this ensures the page looks clear and concise, especially with the large amount of text which can appear messy.

Music Magazine: Contents Page General Research

I have looked at a few music magazine contents pages to try and gain an insight into what my contents page may look like. I am going to use similar layouts to these contents pages and then use more specific research in order for my shoot to go ahead. 

Music Magazine: Finalised Front Page

Music Magazine: Front Page Draft

I decided to use the chosen image as I feel it corresponded to my research well and by featuring the guitar and the microphone ring in colour on a black and white image allows the music element to stand out. I was adamant that I wanted there to be this feature on the front page instead of a 'posed' model which did not necessarily reflect the music element of the magazine. I decided to use a red, black and white colour scheme in my front page which I will continue to use on my contents page and double page spread. I used the same font throughout the page and stuck to only two fonts, not including the title. I will continue to use these fonts throughout the music magazine.  I like the overall look of the page, however, I need to edit the page so that there are no 'orphans', where single words are alone, to ensure good design is achieved.

Music Magazine: Front Page Implementation

Music magazine implementation front page from HGASMedia