Inspiration: 1883 Magazine

 

 

 

1883 Magazine is a magazine which has a really simple layout in the front cover. I really like the layout as it looks really rofessional and it isnt too busy so its good to look at.

Its alos quite quirky which would link well to my magazine music genre

Also, the magazine title quite short and snappy like mine and I like the way they have displayed the title. I think it would be quite cool to test the title layout on my magazine to see if I could come up with something like 1883.

 

Inspiration: ID Magazine

ID Magazine is a music magazine which I could use as inspiration for my cover.

The colours that have been used on the magazines make the covers look really creative and interesting which is how I would like my magazine to look.

Also, the title i-D is verticle on every magazine and they show continuity throught the fact that the left eye is either closed or hidden in the images. I need to convery this type of continuity throughout my project on the cover, contents and double page spread.

I also like the colourful covers as it makes them stand out in shops and makes them look interesting for the reader to read. I want my magazine to be colourful as I think it would appeal to my target readers.

Inspiration: K MAG

 

K MAG is a culture magazine about film, music, fashion and arts.

This can be used as inspiration for my magazine beacuse I like the simplicity of the layout and covers. I like the large title because its very striking. I think this style could look quite cool on the front of my magazine.

I also like the bright colours which they have used on the cover because it makes the cover look really exciting and eye catching for the reader. The simple layout and bright colours look really good together which I think would be good to test on my magazine.

Feedback: First Draft

Class Simple Draft Feedback

My peers commented on this version of my magazine

They said that they liked the simplicity of the project and that the black and white and blue colour scheme worked well as it was eye catching and was effective to the reader. Also, on the cover page it was recommended that I made the 'IF' bigger than the 'MAGAZINE' section to make it seem more important and adding more emphasis to the title. They also said that they liked the font which I used throughout as it makes it more of a logo and therefore something which the reader will be able to relate to easily, however they said that on the contents page the word 'CONTENTS' was a bit big and took the readers attention away from the rest of the things on the page. They also thought that there was a lot of white space which detracted attention away from the text is the most important thing. The front page looked good in their opinion and they thought that the main image was good and eye catching. One peer said that the lighting looked deliberate coming through the window and that it reflected the folk genre well and another said that the font which I have used is clear for the reader to read. One thing which they said was that the barcode was a bit too big and is a distraction on the page which I agree with. They thought that the double page spread was layed out well and that it was spaced clearly so it was easy for the reader to read and understand. They thought that the font I used stands out well, however they thought that I should experiment with the colour of the header.

Class Colour Draft Feedback

My peers also commented on this version of my magazine

They said that they liked the overall 'natural' style of the magazine and said that the model suited the genre well because of her appearance and her relaxed style. They also said that the colour scheme linked well to the genre and style which I was going for in my magazine. On the cover, comments were been made about the colours of the text which gets lost within the image which I agree with so I know that I need to change the layout and colours of the cover. On the contents page they said that the models pose looked really similar to the pose she was in on the front cover. Another person said that the record in the corner looks like the play/pause buttons in the corner of 'The Fly' magazine which looked really good and interesting however there is too much going on making it diffocult to focus on on thing because it is so busy. The double page spread got the same comments regarding the models pose as it doesn't vary much and the same with the facial expression. However they did like the use of black text on white background as it makes it really clear for the reader to read the article. Also, they liked how the title overlaps onto both pages and that it looked good overall, they believed that the images would look more authentic if the model had a prop such as a guitar.

Questionnaire

I made a questionnaire for other people aside from my class mates to answer about my magazine so that I could get their opinions about what is good on the magazine and what I need to change to make it better.

1. Do you like the title of the magazine? Explain why:

Yes as it is short and catchy

Yes but you should add emphasis to the name (remove indie folk magazine from underneath the 'IF')

Yes as it looks and sounds professional

Yes because it is short, cathcy and professional

Yes as it looks professional and similar to other magazine titles

2. Do they like the image used on the cover? Explain why:

Yes, could be clearer but it is artistic and makes the model look good

Yes the model looks good but it is a bit grainy. A better quality image would improve the whole page and look of the magazine cover

Yes it is bright and eye catching

Yes but it is slightly unclear, however the model looks really good

Yes as it links well to the genre

3. Do you like the cover layout?

Yes because most colours work but the grey on the title is a bit boring

Yes but the eye isn't drawn to the artist, instead it is drawn to the font on the right which is ytoo big and doesn't stand out as it blends into the image. The barcode is also a bit too big and need to get rid of the 'indie folk magazine' as the repetition of the word magazine is a bit strange. A lot of the writing is a bit 'word processed' for the genre you are going for

It is good but some of the writing is difficult to read because of the image placement

Yes however some of the colours don't stand out because of the image placement

Yes because the title is in the right place which looks professional and the colours refelct the style you have gone for however some of the text is difficult to read becaise of the size and colour of the image. Also there is no date or issue number.

4. What would you change? Explain why:

Alter the colour and the font of the information on the left so that it stands out more

Font and colour- too many fonts and too many different font colours to make it easy for the reader to read. Brighter colours would make it stand out more in the shops

Colour of some of the text for clarity

The big barcode doesn't look too great and too many fonts and boring colours. If it was brighter it would be more appealing to the reader. Also a smoother font to make it not look too 'word processd' as it si a bit blocky, funky and techno-ey for the genre you are going for. Add emphasis to the 'CHLOE' bit of text and make everything punchier to avoid full sentences. The quote could be used as a strap line at the top or bottom of the page which would look really good

The writing down the side is the worng colours- make it brighter or move the image so that it is easier to read.

5. Do you like the contents layout? Explain why:

Yes it works well, however it is quite busy and it is hard to focus on one thing as it looks quite listy

It is a bit busy and the block font doesn't go with the genre. It is possibly a bit too listy and the dark blue isn't very reflective of your genre

Yes the idea is good. Quite busy but the highlighted text make it clear to read

Yes, a creative way of doing a contents page

Yes, very eye catching. The colour scheme is very complimentary however there isn't a clear link to the contents and the cover or double page spread.

6. Do you like the image used on the contents page? Explain why:

Yes because it links to the theme, style and genre and it is at an interesting position on the page. Follows the theme as it links back to the cover

Yes the model looks really good and is at an interesting place on the page

Yes, a bit similar to the image on the cover though and is a bit grainy but the colour is very interesting

Yes, very similar to the one on the cover and it is good that she is on the left. She looks happy which is good. Like the facial expression. A little bit grainy, a better quality would improve the overall page

7. What would you change on the contents page? Explain why:

It is too busy, take some of the list sections off and it is too sentency. If it was a bit more punchy it would be better for the reader. The colour scheme is quite harsh which doesn't link too well to the style and genre of your magazine

The amount of texts on the page making it crowded. The size of the 'IF MAGAZINE' and to make it more vintagey

Could be a bit brighter rather than darker and make it less busy as it is difficult to focus on anything

Really like it because of the list look so nothing, the quality of the image perhaps

8. Do you like the image on the double page spread? Explain why:

Yes because it shows the whole model and has an interesting background. The staircase works because it is a more intimate setting in an interview with just the model

Yes it it wasnt so grainy it would be really good because the background is interesting

Yes the artist looks really pretty

It needs to be better quality but the background works really well on this page

Yes the staircase looks good and the pose/facial expression looks natural and casual and isn't awkward to look at

9. Do you like the layout of the double page spread? Explain why:

Yes, 2 columns looks professional and the image is filling the page and shows the whole setting

Yes the font looks a bit word processed which wasn't the vintage style which you were going for. The colours are good and it looks natural. Having it in 2 columns is good as it reads like a proper article

Yes because it looks professional

Yes there is the perfect amount of white space

It is good but the block writing could have been broken up

a bit, I like the image on the left hand side because it shows the whole image and the setting is good

10. What would you change about the double page spread? Explain why:

Put the questions in bold to show it more clearly as it is more professional

Add more colours to the background so that the theme from previous pages continues and break up the writing so it isn't so harsh to look at

Put the questions into bold for clarity

The title font so that it has a clearer link to the previous pages, make the questions into bold and add a "51" page number. Put about the album at the end of the article

Teacher Feedback

Mr Nicolle

The colours on the cover dont really work as well as they could. Because the colours on the image are fairly dark, they grey text fades into the image and makes it difficult to read. The colour palett overall gives a fairly dark look overall. which could link better to your gebre. Folk tends to be quite an upbeat style of music and the colours used on the cover and thorughout the magazine should reflect that. Also, the title needs to be bigger, magazine is on there twice so getting rid of one of those would be better and making the 'IF' stand out more would be a lot better. Also grey for the title is a big washed out so a brighter colour would be more appropriate. If the name was bigger then the artist could be slightly more to the left which would make the layout seem more professional. Using the quote at the top of the page is good, however it could be made into more of a strap line wither across the top of the bottom of the page making it seem like a logo in the style of Kerrang magazine. The quote would also be better if definitely was spelt correctly! The model you have chosen reflects the genre well because of her natural look (make up, hair, etc) however the costume could link to it slightly better. Re-photographing in a better oufit that links more appropriately to the genre would be better. Also, the image quality isn't very good and so using a better camera would mean that the magazine would look more professional overall. You wanted to take photographs outside however I think that for the cover they should be taken against the white background at school as it would make it seem more authentic. On the cover the text is too sentency. In order to make it seem more like a real magazine the text used needs to be more punchy to have more of an impact on the reader when they first look at the magazine. Also, the magazine is focused mainly on the artis so need to make the artist seem to be the main feature on the cover either done by removing or decreasing the size of the other text or making the artists name bigger and brighter than everythig else on the page except from the name of the magazine. The text beneath the magazine name fades into the image which is down to the size of the text and the image placement. The colour scheme needs to change slightly and needs to include brighter colours which would mean that it would stand out and be clearer to read. The images could be better. The staircase works on the double page spread because the interview is fairly intimate and so that setting really works. On the cover and contents I think a better place to take the pictures would be infront of the whote screen so that more focus is on the artist rather than the setting. Practice taking some images outside as well as in front if the screen to see which is better and then go with that. A variety in poses and facial expressions would also be better and props would be good as it would make it look more authentic. Also the barcode and various bits of text are too big, making it smaller would improve the overall look of the magazine. On the contents page, again the image of the staircase doesn't link brilliantly and I think the reason for using the dark coloured block text was to cover up the image. Also, although it is good to use a colour for the block text as it makes it more interesting to look at and more entertaining for the reader to read, the dark navy is really quite harsh and doesnt link with the genre very well. Also, using the list format on the contents makes it quite formal which is exaggerated by the use of full sentences. This needs to be more punchy, however the font which is used is clear to read which is good. There is a lot of text on the contents one after the other is really busy and makes it hard for the reader to focus on one thing on the page. Also, the feature artist hasn't been made to look like a feature as the information about them is in the same font as the othe rtext and the size is the same. The word 'CONTENTS' at the top of the page could be bigger and would have more impact on the reader. The colours used don't have a big link to the cover however it is brighter and more eye catching to the reader. The dark blue is harsh and doesn't reflect the genre too well however it is good to have colour. The 'IF magazine' text at the top of the page could be moved to the bottom so it would stand out and the font is the same on the cover giving good continuity. On the double page spread the black on white works well and the title in one line across two pages looks good. The oramge/pink colour doesn't really link to the cover and contents but works well on the double page spread. The image using the staircase works because of the intimate environment and it is all about her, however the image quality needs to be improved. Adding more page numbers would look better and more professional rather than going up in twos. Overall it is good but to get a top mark improvements need to be made.


Mr Ford

Feedback from Mr Ford showed what things I needed to change in order to make the product better. Things such as:

Cover

• Spelling mistakes
• Changing colours
• Removing text
• Better quality images
• Changing fonts

Contents

• Making it less busy
• Poor quality images
• Changing font sizes
• Moving text

Double Page Spread

 

• Font
• Font sizes
• Font colurs
• Poor quality image
• Bold for questions

 

Self Review: 1st Draft

After completeing my first draft, I have realised what I need to change when making my real magazine.
 

Front Cover
 

What went well: I think that the font looks quite good. The font of the band names down the left hand side of the page beneath the title looks quite flowing which is what I wanted, however I also like the block writing because it is easy to read, especially the white font colour over the top of the black jacket of the picture.
 

How to improve: I like the way the title looks. The IF indie folk magazine MAGAZINE bit. To improve this I would probably make it bigger and so it is a lot more attention grabbing. I would also change the colour which would make it more eye catching in the shops. The images aren't the best quality and for my final magazine I will use proper equipment which will make it look better and will make the whole magazine look more professional. The style of the artist isn't particularly what I wanted, however the hair and natural make up is as I think that it links well with the folk section of the genre. I dont like the colours of the text because I think that it is difficult to read in some areas (such as the band names on the left side of the page.
 

Contents:

What went well: I like the idea of using text in boxes as it make sit clearer to read and has a scrap book effect. I like the font at the bottom in the 'FOLLOW US ON TWITTER' section because I think this will be appealing to the audience as they are generally interested in social media.

How to improve: The colour of the page should either be white or a different colour that doesnt look like I have accidentally changed the colour and done a really bad job. I think this is the impression that it gives and also makes the page look unprofessional. This teamed with the poor quality images makes the page look really bad.

Double page spread:

What went well: I think that the colours look a lot better on this page as opposed to the other page colours. I also like the font used on the page header as it was the style that I was looking for when I was doing my planning.

How to improve: I don't think that the style of the page looks the same as the others meaning that the whole project doesn't look as though it all belongs together. Again, the images aren't great quality which makes the page look quite unprofessional.

 

Draft Magazine: Simple

 

 

Draft Magazine

Draft Article

         Having already had a large chart success and a highly anticipated debut album due for release next month, it’s no wonder that Chloe Roberts is the ultimate acoustic artist. After winning the best new comer at the folk awards, Chloe’s success is growing day by day. Pre-interview, we expect a loud, confident young woman with her head in the clouds, however when we meet her in a small cafe in East London she couldn’t be more down to earth. There’s no way you could tell that this girl from a small village on the outskirts of Brighton is currently on a tour across the country and has an every growing online following. It’s truly incredible how level headed she is...

So Chloe, we hear your tour is going really well. Are you enjoying life on the road?

Life on tour is so much fun! It’s going really well and although it’s only small venues the crowds that come along are massive and it’s so amazing to see. When I first started making music I didn’t think that this amount of success would come and so for people to pay money to watch me do what I love doing is incredible. I love my job; it doesn’t actually feel like a job, it’s more of a dream.

What made you want a career in music?

Growing up in Falmer [village near Brighton] music was a huge part of my life. I remember getting a guitar for my 7^th birthday and the love grew from there. It was my favourite thing to do, I would sit for hours strumming away and writing songs. It was my escape from stresses of school and things like that. I didn’t enjoy school but I enjoyed music. I understood it so I knew from an early age that it was the direction I wanted to take.

You have a debut album coming out in a few weeks, what influenced you to write the album?

I listen to indie folk music which is my genre. I love the freedom I have when writing; it makes the process much more adventurous than anyone would think. I grew up listening to the genre and have been writing songs for years which made me want to do the album even more. The past three years have been a complete blur; from getting signed to writing it to recording and now all the promotional work. It’s crazy!

 

How would you describe the album?

It’s very folky. I wanted to stick with a relaxed sound as I’m a very chilled person. I don’t get stressed a lot, even with all of this promotional work and the tour and everything that comes along with it I stay quite calm. I’m an acoustic artist, it’s just me and the guitar and so the vibe of the album goes with my sound. Also, I’m quite a shy person. I was never loud at school and so it’s nice to listen to relaxing music and I just hope it appeals to lots of others!

What was it like winning best new comer at the folk awards?

It was fantastic! I didn’t expect to win anything because the style of my music is so relaxed and is nothing special so it was amazing. I’ve been working on this album for a really long time and have always wanted a career in music so the recognition makes it all seem worth it. Sometimes at my gigs, fans come up to me and tell me that I have inspired them which is the ultimate compliment. I’m so happy with my career at the moment and to know that people feel motivated by my music makes it even more fulfilling.

As well as music, fashion is a huge part of your life. Tell us about that...

I love fashion. Music is number one in my life but fashion is only just behind. I remember getting my first part time job as a waitress and thinking of all the things which I was going to save up for and buy. All of these things would all go out the window the moment I walked into Topshop though! [laughs] I’d spend every single penny that I had on CDs or clothes. One of the perks of being “famous”- I hate that word- is that brands send me things for free! I love it. I always make the effort to look my best. It makes me feel better about myself if I look good and I find fashion a great way to express myself.

What are your plans for 2013?

Well the album is coming out so a lot of promotional work! I’m going to carry on and finish the tour which is really exciting as I love it. I need to take a few weeks off to go home to see my mum and dad and chill for a bit. I’ve still not got my head around this! Everything has happened and I’ve worked up to this but I don’t know what to do next! I have some festivals lined up which will be really exciting. Performing gives me such a buzz and I can’t wait for this year!

 

This is only a draft and is not necessarily how I want my article to appear. I don't really like the idea of showing the questions, I would rather have paragraphs relating and using quotations from the artist as I think that would be a slightly more professional way of presenting it. My magazine would be quite high end and in high end fashion magazines (such as Elle and Vogue) present interviews in this way.

Magazine Mock Up

 

I have done a mock up for how my draft magazine will look because I want everything to look good and to do that I need to plan. Knowing the fonts/styles/colours etc will make it easier for me to create the magazine as I will know where everything should go and how it should look. Doing this will also help me realise how my model will need to look in order to fit the look of the magazine.

I have done the cover, contents and double page spread which are all the components of the magazine which I will be making a draft of. Doing this has helped me think of what types of things that I need to include within my magazine and where they should go.

 

 

Mark Scheme

Research and Planning – mark criteria

Level 3         12–15 marks

- Planning and research evidence will be  complete;

- There is proficient research into similar products and a potential target audience; 

- There is proficient organisation of actors, locations, costumes or props;

- There is proficient work on shotlists, layouts, drafting, scripting or storyboarding;

- There is a good level of care in the presentation of the research and planning;

- Time management is good.

Level 4                  16–20 marks

- Planning and research evidence will be complete and detailed;

- There is excellent research into similar products and a potential target audience;

- There is excellent organisation of actors, locations, costumes or props;

- There is excellent work on shotlists, layouts, drafting, scripting or storyboarding;

- There is an excellent level of care in the presentation of the research and planning;

- Time management is excellent

Mood Boards

Mood Board 1- Made to look very vintage giving the idea of the style of my magazine. Props such as old fashioned trunks, casettes and things such as flowers (if not outside!) I've also includeed patterns which i would like to include somewhere in my magazine, wither as a backgrpund or as patterned text.

Mood Board 2- Clothes made to look quite edgy which could make my artist seem a bit more on trend rather than just 'folky'. The simple make up on the bottom right image would look interesting on my model and would link well to the genre of my magazine as well as the look that I am goung for which is quite natural.

 

Mood Board 3- This is a very vintage style showing outfits, patterns, hair styles as well as props which could be used in the photo shoot. I have also used two images of indle artist Florence Welch from band Florence and the Machine who is known for having a very indie/vintage style which is how I want my artist to look

 

Mood Board 4- This has been made to look very vintage as well. I like the outfits at the top of the page (tshirts with shapes cut out of the material) because it makes the photo seem relaxed and the person in the photo look relaxed as well. This is vital otherwise the reader may feel awkward looking at the pictures if the artist looks uncomfortable. I've also shown a lot of outdoor photographs which is the style I want to use.

 

 

Mood Board 5- This moodboard shows some slightly edgier styles which I think would look good on my cover. There is some black and white images which I also think would be interesting to copy and use in my magazine as it would look quite unique. I also like the hair styles on these pictures, the hair up (top left) looks quite natural which is how I want my cover star to look and I also like the flowers in the hair (bottom right) or the hat (bottom middle) as I think this would fit well with my genre.

 

Mood Board 6- Again these are more edgy which I like. The lace and leather aren't necessarily fitting with my genre, however I would like to use this kind of style somewhere in my magazine (this could be on another artist featured in my contents page). Most of these pictures have been taken outside which is something I would like to do.

Mood Board 7- These images show a lot of high waisted clothing which I think looks really good and I would like to use this style on my artist. I think that the style would gp quite well with the indie part of my genre. I alos like the poses they are using as it looks quite natural which is important to consider when taking pictures of my artist.

 

Mood Board 8- These photos are taken outside which I think looks quirky and would fit my genre really well. It would look natural which is how I want my artist to look. The vintage styles shown on the mood board also reflect how I want my artist to look.

 

 

Mood Board 9- I like the styles of the jumpers and skirts on this moodboard because i want to take images putside, however the seasons make it slightly more difficult. Having the jumper would be more fitting for the time of year. I like the lace tops and the flowing skirts that have also been shown and I would like to have this kind of style shown on my magazine. The pictures are very light/bright which is how I want my images to look as it is quite natural and would look interesting for my cover artist.

 

 

I have done mood boards to show the vintage style of my magazine. On the moodboards I have shown outfits which I think would be suitable for my artist on the cover and double page spread of my magazine. The styling will be important for this because the costume will need to reflect the image of the artist which I'm trying to convey as well as the image of the magazine. The styling will need to represent the genre (eg: indie folk artists won't dress the same as punk artists) and go with the whole view of the magazine.

Most of the imgaes used show the models wearing vintage style clothing which will influence the styling of my magazine. However, I would like my artist to have a bit of an edge which is why I have included certain images (such as women wearing leather jackets and skirts, etc). There are more vintage styled clothes and I have also used quite a few pictures of indie folk icon Florence Welch from band Florence and the machine. She wears a lot of vintage clothes and looks classy which is what I want my artist to look like.

On the mood boards there are a lot of images used showing people outside which is the idea that I want to use when photographing my artist. Photographs in outdoor areas are often used when showing indie folk artists such as Noah and the Whale and Ellie Goulding.