LO4: Evaluation

I have been asked to create a Sheffield based magazine. The name of my magazine is Unplugged, this links to the type of magazine (indie rock music) but also to the gossip/information about the bands in the magazine. I edited my masthead from a masthead from dafont.com, I changed the colour and added a cord like underline as I wanted it to fit with the conventions of an indie music magazine.

Here the font after I added the cord underline, this was to link to music and being plugged-in. I added this cord by using the rectangle tool, to add the point to the end I removed part of the rectangle on either side.

Here I changed the colour of the text and cord using the paint bucket tool, this was so when I applied the black background it would stand out and create a contrast. I also used this as it fits with the conventions of indie magazines as they mainly use black/white mastheads.

My magazine consists of a front page, a contents page and a double page spreads. For my front cover have feature a solo female artist, I wanted to feature a female artist on the front to attract a more female audience, this is because most of the indie rock magazines on the market are based around males. My artist to be dressed in a dark top, denim skirt and ripped tights, this is to connote the rock lifestyle and relate to the audience. These clothes would relate to the audience because it most of the audience would wear clothes like these, also this relates to Denis McQuail’s theory (1972) as this states the audience form a personal identity based on what the artist is wearing. For my female artist created a star persona to fit in with the indie-rock theme, I wanted her to look like artists such as Marina and The Diamonds, Lana Del Rey or St. Vincent. I took my photograph against a plain white background in deep depth of field, this is so the artist stands out and is the main focus, I also took the photograph at a medium close up, this is because I wanted her to be clearly visible to the audience. When editing my I used a black and white filter, this was to produce a dark and moody persona to fit with the indie genre.

first the photograph was going to be lightly edited with cool and vibrancy filters, this was so she looked pure, beautiful and more likeable but when assembling the magazine she looked too innocent and clean to be part of a indie magazine. I changed the photograph to have a harsh black and white filter to give it a more edgy feel.

 I used the brightness and contrast tools to deepen up the photograph so that when i added the B&W filter it didn't was her out, this is important as she needed to be seen and recognised by the audience 

 

 i used the B&W filter and then adjusted the levels, this again was to deepen the photograph but also to take out any grey tones left as it could wash her out. this is what gave her the intense look on my front cover. 

I used a female artist to reach out to a primarily female audience aged 16-21 because not that many indie rock magazines target this type of audience, this makes the artist an ideal self/partner to the audience. Anchored to this photograph of my female artist I have her name “Electra Rose” along with “Exclusive”  and “up and coming star” this makes the reader want to buy my magazine as they feel like they are getting exclusive/secret insight on this artist.On my front cover the font is a san serif and bold, I also wanted to keep the colour on the masthead as black and white, this is because a lot of the indie rock magazines I have looked at they use black and white for this, as well I think the black in the font draws more attention to the main cover image. My masthead has the name of my magazine (Unplugged). On my front cover to have additional cover line which will day “new female artists”, I created these artists based on the audience (16-21 females) and type of music they are interested in (indie rock), I have include this section as most indie magazines do not feature female artists. I have artist’s names such as “Siena” “Phoenix” “Leonie” and “Vix Kelly”, this is displayed in a pink box with black text, this makes it stand out against the rest of the front cover. On the front cover I also included graphics to show giveaways/competition, this is to attract the audience and make them want to read my magazine, the giveaway includes a free tickets to Electra gig.The house style for my front cover is pink, black, yellow and white. I tried target both male and female audience (although mainly females) I do this by using colours such as black and pink which shows the audience that this magazine is aimed at both male and female, this is because blue/black is stereotypically for boys and pink is stereotypically for girls.  Although my magazine to targets a more female audience, it can still target males as well, this is to widen my audience.

 I used Electra Rose on my contents page aswell. Initially I was going to have a boy band on the contents page, although I changed this as I wanted this to be a primarily female based magazine to reach a female audience. The Housestyle colours are the same as the front cover, throughout the magazine will be kept the same on my contents page, this reaches out to more of a younger female target audience but also creates a brand throughout my magazine. I included a big image of the Electra, this photograph was taken outside in natural lighting, she is sat on a wall looking directly into the camera, this was taken at a medium close up, this is to create emotion with the audience which makes the audience want to read more. Alongside the headline of each article included a small description of it, this again draws the reader in as they see a variety of artists featured. Also by the small description of the articles I included page numbers, this is because this provides easy navigation around the magazine for the audience.

I first introduced Electra Rose with a title page. Across both pages is a photograph of her, this photograph is taken at a wide close up, this was so she was seen and recognisable to the audience as her face was clear. I took the photograph at a shallow depth of field against a plain wall, this was so all of the focus was on her. In the white space on the right hand side of her I put her name ‘Electra Rose’, this was so the reader knew her name, this was anchored to the photograph. Underneath her name was ‘an exclusive interview covering all things Electra!’, this explains what the article is about. 

i used the text tool to create the coverlines here, i filled them with black and outlined them with blue, this was to stick with housestyle colours. i used two different fonts for 'Electra Rose' this was to make her look delicate and to create a contrast in her name. 



I used colours of blue throughout both this page and the dps, this links to her name being Electra, this name his connotations of bright, electric, energy which I felt the colour I used conveyed. I used the same colours and fonts throughout so that it created a brand for the artist and the magazine.

My first dps is on the female artist, this is to open the market for indie rock for girls as it attracts more of a female audience. My female artist is called “Electra Rose”, I choose this name as “Electra” has connotations of brilliant and bright, also it has connotations of lights and stars which could tell the audience how big of a star she will me, therefor showing her as an ideal self/partner.  There is a big image of her on the left page, she is sat on a wall, posed facing the camera, this is so she is recognisable to the audience, and also this connotes emotion to the audience and helps them connect with her. She will be dressed in the same clothes as on the front cover, this is so she is recognisable to the audience. My pull quote for this article is “Electra is Electric!”.



i used this text to look like neon lights/wires, this was to again reinforce her name, here i was editing her name to make it bigger and bolder. i decided to take the word 'electric' across both pages to link the photograph to it. 




 I want to keep with the housestyle by using colours of white, blue and black, this links to her name and matches her clothes, I used this on both the title page and the DPS, this was to create a  brand. The questions I used have a peer-to-peer mode of address, this fits in with the stereotype about female conversations and makes the conversation more relatable to the audience.

LO4: Final product

LO4: Exporting final magazine pages

When exporting my photographs to use on my pages I ensured to export them as JPEG's, this was so they were lossless and high quality for editing/printing.




To create and export my magazine I used Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign, these application are used in the industry but graphic designers etc. to create/edit pages by using layers which makes my project look more professional. Also when exporting my product will be high quality and lossless.

When exporting my final front cover I used a tiff, this is because it produces high quality lossless printing. For my contents page and DPS I have exported them as a PDF, this is because it is high quality lossless as well as having ease of sending to the printer, this is often used in the industry.

 I want my magazine to be distributed in local businesses and shops, this is because my magazine is locally based and by placing it in these areas it means that local people will see it and could go to the local gigs I will be advertising. I want my magazine to be placed in train stations (Sheffield train station) as there will be a wide range of people passing through which widens my audience. Also I want to place it in local events areas such as The Leadmill, this because these areas are more likely to sponsor me to advertise them, this will increase my revenue stream. furthermore I want to distribute my magazine in local music shops such as 'Music Junkee' and 'Real time music' this is because we both have the same audience and as my magazine is a music magazine it can be read by music lovers. I exported all my pages this way so they would print in high quality lossless, this is so they can be printed in high quality and distributed in music shops,cafes, music venues and public transport areas to reach my audience.

This is how i organised my versions. this is important so i could go back to earlier versions of my pages if i changed something i didn't like or i gained negative feedback so i had to change something.  This can also be used to show the client my progression

LO4: Review of assets

This is my masthead. I used the colours black and white for this as a lot of other indie magazines did this, this is to not to distract from the main cover image/ main cover line. I created a cord-like line to underline my text, I think this is a strength as it links to music. The word 'Unplugged' also links to music, this is used to connote that my magazine is about all the new music gossip.
To improve this I could used different colours and detail to make it look like a cord as the audience may not understand.

This is my graphic to put on the front cover. I think the pink border stands out against the front cover and keeps with the housestyle. I think a strength of this is the bold text as it catches the readers attention, although I feel the white is harsh and so that could be darkened to blend better.

 I created these boxes and banners for my contents page. I used these banners to separate out the different sections, I think a strength of them is that they add colour to the page and stick with house style colours. I think to improve on then I could have added a border around them to make them stand out more.
I think the boxes used for the numbers are effective as it clearly shows the number so it is easy for the reader to see.

This is my banner for my main coverline 'Electra Rose'. I made this with separate boxes for each letter, this was to make it look cut up and rough, this could be used to connote the life of Electra as broken, this is a strength as it creates both meaning and spectacle. To deepen the meaning further I could have used significantly different sized squares to make it more obvious.

This is the borders i used for my DPS, i created this by using the rectangle tool and then filling it in with  blue, next i duplicated this 4 times to go around the page. I put this on the create a consistent housestyle and design throughout the title page and DPS. I think keeping the design consistent is a strength as it creates brand. Although the border isn't that detailed with deep meaning which is a weakness.

This is a text box i created on my DPS for, i did this by using the rectangle tool and created a border. I think this looks quite professional and is similar to boxes i have looked at in NME and Q.

To create this i used the text tool with ostrichsans font, i think filled it with blue with a black outline, this was to stick with the houstyle colours but also make it standout and readable to the reader. i think it is a strength that i used this colour as it creates a brand throughout these pages.

LO4: Evidence of editing

Original photograph:

During editing:

Final edit:

original photograph:

During editing:

Final edited draft:

This photograph was taken at close up wide shot, this was so the audience could connect with the artist and recognise her so if they see her in the future they will know who she is. i used a cooling filter on her to compliment her with the blue/black dress on and against the white background, this reflects her as an ideal self/partner. 

Original photograph:

Final edited draft:

 

 

Original photograph: 

 Final edited draft:

 

 The model is wearing a dark top, denim skirt and ripped/fishnet tights, this makes her relatable to the audience as they would wear clothes like this. By adding a cooling filter onto the photograph it fits with the indie genre as from photographs i have looked at most of them use cooling, black and white or sepia filters.

 I used a sans serif font not only to stand out but to also give it a modern feel to attract a slightly younger audience. i made the masthead black/white to stick to conventions of an indie magazine as magazines such as NME and Kerrang use black/white mastheads.



LO4: Version controls

This is how i organised my versions. this is important so i could go back to earlier versions of my pages if i changed something i didn't like or i gained negative feedback so i had to change something.  This can also be used to show the client my progression








Front cover V1:

V2:

V3:

V4:

I changed the filter on this photograph to fit with indie magazine conventions more as the B&W makes the photograph look more grunge. 

First DPS V1:

First DPS V2:

First DPS V3: 

First DPS V4:

First DPS V5: 

First DPS V6:

I changed the photograph to make Electra look cooler and appeal more to the audience as an ideal self/partner. I also changed the layout to fit more with the conventions of a magazine

First DPS V7:

First DPS V8:

First Title page V1:

First Title page V2:

First Title page V3:

First Title page V4: 

I decided to add a blue colour to reflect her name 'Electra'

First Title page V5: 

First Title V6: