Analysis:
I created this magazine with the intentions of having a magazine that appealed to a teen audience, encompassing aspects from the music industry as well as a gossip magazine, aimed at those aged 16+. VIBE is similar in this way as there is always a main image with an article inside the magazine relating to the main image, as well as sub articles about other celebrities which are advertised on the front cover. This means that the needs of those interested in music as well as those interests in gossip involved in the music industry are satisfied. Additionally I also took inspiration from other magazines in order to create a cover that I was happy with.
Within the magazine I have used numerous layout conventions such as a mast head, a skyline, multiple cover lines and a main cover line.
The font that I decided to use was Myriad Pro Black Condensed Italic. I used this font because it is a strong modern font which represents what the magazine aims to be too. Furthermore, the masthead is in black with a red background, which I chose because they are contrasting colours that stand out and make the masthead 'pop'. Additionally, because of the positioning of the red, it has provided a 3D effect. I have chosen to use sans serif because it still looks clear due to the effects that have been added, the text still looks clear. Additionally, due to the fact that the music industry as well as a gossip magazine is about growing up as well as many other things, not having serif adds a more natural, free element to the text, relating to not being contained or regimented.
The skyline I chose to have in capitals and in black. This is because I wanted the skyline to stand out but still be subtle enough not to throw off the readers attention. It also relates to the subject main article.
The cover lines that I decided to use all have a similar effect to them in the sense that they all have a gradient overlay. However, they all have a different colour that they fade to. This is because it makes it easier for the audience to differentiate between the different articles.
The main cover line stands out the most due to having a Satin effect which gives it a glossy look. This is effective because it creates an attention draw to the main cover line so that the audience know what the main article of the magazine is.
The Calvin Harris and Taylor Swift picture in the left third is a broken image. This has connotations that they have broken up which links to the cover line above it where it confirms this. The buzz word of "Exclusive" is effective because it draws the reader in and catches their attention.
Improvements:
- Spacing of the text could be improved
- Looking at the camera to show confidence
- 3d effect in masthead a little out of proportion
- More images at the sides to show other articles
Final Image
This was my starting point. there were a few issues I had to fix including the brightness of the picture which was very dark as well as cropping out features that I didn't want.
Then i started with the masthead, Myriad Pro Black Condensed Italic and originally I was simply going to leave it red because it would contrast with my trousers and the dim background to be a feature that caught the readers attention…
…however I decided against that and by mistake, the black and the red didn't match up which created the 3D effect that I have now. I liked this, so decided to keep it.
After this I added some general information such as a date line just under the masthead, to make the magazine look authentic.
Next came the barcode which was just taken from the internet. Originally I wasn't going to have a barcode seeing as my inspiration magazine, 'VIBE', doesn't use a barcode on their front, however I added it so that I could showcase that I am able to use pictures and edit them on photoshop.
Next I added a picture of singer, Rita Ora, seeing as I'm making this a music gossip magazine. This is how I intent to cater for the needs of a variety of stakeholders of the music industry by providing them with information about a variety of artists as well as the main article.
Then I added a broken picture of singer, Taylor Swift, and music producer Calvin Harris. I 'broke' the picture by using the lasso select tool to cut the image then rotated and repositioned the picture to show that they have broken up. I did this because this is information involved in the music industry and is current information seeing as they had just broken up, according to my magazine. this is to show that Nation is a magazine involving the top current trends in the music industry as well as the latest information of the most cutting-edge celebrities.
After I added a cover line to relate the the broken image to give more detail as to what the article was about. I edited the text using a gradient overlay at 45˚ making the top left black to match the masthead and the bottom right blue. As well as calm, Blue has connotations of sadness and seeing as the is is a couple that have broken up, blue seemed like the appropriate colour to use.
I did the same with the cover line under the image of Rita Ora and used the same effects. This time i used purple in the bottom right. This is because I wanted readers to be able to differentiate between the articles as well as being able to have their attention caught by the text. Purple has connotations of royalty and bright purple has a connotations of fun and 'pop' and seeing as the article is about how Rita Ora is loving her job at the X Factor, it fits well with the theme.
Next I added a cover line advertising the latest music which for a music magazine is very important in terms of getting customers to want to buy the magazine.
Following that, I added another cover which linked with the main image...
Which was then followed by adding a main cover line. I did this by adding a gradient overlay and a satin effect so that the text would match the theme of the others in terms of design however it would stand out from the rest.
Finally I added a skyline at to add more information to the main article and intrigue the audience.
