DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD.

To create my double page spread I first had to choose the images I wanted, I took three images of my singer posing 'Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil'. This was a typical saying and image used within the hippie era, therefore I thought was appropriate to use within the double page spread.

I then cropped the images and modified them using the feather tool. I placed the images along the left hand side on top of eachother to allign the double page spread.  All the images used connote a singer who is laid back and tries to keep alive the old hippie era through her fashion sense, her type of music and her general lifestyle and outlook on life. I wanted my singer to be a comnplete opposite to the typical musical sensation who's head grows with the fame they recieve and eventually ends up in rehab and then in some reality tv show as an attempt of a 'come back'. I wanted my singer to be down to earth (literally!) and someone for the reader of the magazine to look up to.

I then chose two more images to allign the page as a border on the right hand side of the page. I chose a image of the singer laying down in the grass and an image of the singer sitting on a fence holding the guitar. I used the lasso tool to draw around the figures I then used the eraser tool to discard the bits I didn't want and to neaten it up. I flipped both images horizontally to fit the page.

Next I added text to start off the interview. I wrote the singers name, 'Dakota Shine' in a large size font to capture the readers attention, I used different fonts on both words to add spontinaity and create a more appealing read. Then I introduced the interview in a purple font and also ended in the same colour. My feature is a question and answer piece ranging from questions about her recent tour with a band called 'The Etons' to her fashion sense and musical flaws. The questions connect to my text on the front cover 'Flowers|fashion|flaws' Flowers being the name of her new album, her fashion sense and her musical flaws. The queastion and answers are in a pink/blue colour scheme, similar to the colours used on the front cover for the article features to promote the continuity and link all pages together.

I then added quotes from different sections of the article in bold, hot pink font in varied fonts in different places of the double page spread to make it more appealing to the eye. I feel using bright colours agaisnt the crisp white background creates a contrast and looks appealing to read. Lastly I added a shape across the bottom to allign the page with the number 5 to the left. I also added a shape with text promoting the singers new album. 

CONTENTS PAGE.

Firstly I started researching various magazine contents pages to get inspiration and ideas from. The majority of the magazines have the features on the right hand side of the page in a colomn. I have discovered that most of the magazines feature many images on the contents page to promote what would feature inside. The title of 'contents' features on the right with the issue number underneath. This contents page is taken from Kerrang, the colours used mirror each heading, making it more eye appealing. All the numbers are bold and on a larger scale font which makes them stand out and is easy for the reader to follow. The bold text contrasts with the light coloured background, again, making it appealing to the eye.

I created a rough plan to follow on paper which included a rough outline of what my contents page would contain. I am going to take the inspiration from the magazines I looked at and have the contents and issue number across the top. I felt using many images on the contents page worked well with the magazines and would capture the readers attention, therefore I have decided to include five images, two larger scaled ones and three smaller ones. I will also the page number in which the image will feature close to each image so the reader can directly discover the page they want to go to. The two larger images will be of two male singers. The smaller images will be of my main feature singer in which I will try and attempt to create a polaroid effect and then overlap the images to allign the page and draw the readers eye downwards towards this main feature. I will list my contents of 'features' and 'regulars' down the right hand side of the page as this will be easy to follow for the reader and will appear clearly.

To first create my contents page, I had to decide on which images I would use.

I first picked out this picture, which I took along the same time as I took the pictures of the main feature singer, 'Dakota Shine'.
He will also feautre as a singer who is set to go on tour soon. The images connote an image of a laid back singer who cares about his style and image.

I cropped the image so it looks like he is standing to the left and the brick wall is to the right. I enhanced the brightness and the saturation of the image.

I then chose this image which I took for a previous media project. I cropped the image and used the boy with the guitar to be another feature inside my magazine. I placed the picture on the bottom left hand corner of the page. I think the image relates the magazine as the the union jack guitar belt connects well with the hippie theme, as they were very traditional. The boy also has a laid back style emphasising the laid back music my magazine promotes.

The last images I used were of the main feauture singer. I used the scale tool on Photoshop to decrease the size of the images, I then increased the canvas size to make the images look like polaroid shots. I overlapped the images and laid them in a diagonally downwards allignment to draw the readers eye downwards to the page number and text about the main feature written across the bottom of the page (next image). I made the background colour grey using the bucket tool, which alligned where I would be adding text.

I then added text across the header of the page 'contents' I used the same font and colour as I used for the title of the magazine on the front cover; this was to show continuity and link the pages together. I then added a sub-heading next to this to show the issue number, as many of the magazines I had researched included this. I then added page numbers next to the images so the reader could easily get to the main features, I made the font black for a bold effect. Next I added the list of 'features' and 'regulars' on the right hand side of the page. I used a different colour and font size for the page numbers to draw the attention to where each article would be featured in the magazine. Lastly I added a shape and picture across the bottom of the page with a large font to advertise the main feature in the double page spread.

FRONT COVER.

I firstly started to research a few music magazine covers in order to acquire some inspiration. The one which most appealed to me and the type of magazine I wanted to create was Clash magazine. At a general overview the front cover is quite simple, not overcrowded with information, featuring just a few items that are included inside the magazine. The colour of the title reflect the colour of the main feature, they are both white and the smaller texts on either side of the main image are also this colour. This brings the cover together, without making it look too messy and mis-matched. I like the way the artists name is in large font in the centre and the bottom of the magazine.

I designed a rough draft to follow. I am going to have one main image to cover my whole page. I want to have a centre allignment, therefore I will have my title in the top centre of the page and the singers name in the centre bottom like what Clash have created on their front cover, with the image of the singer also on the centre and text either side of the image. I will keep the colours in the same scheme that is on the dress in the image. I willl have a small heading across the top of the page reading 'number one hippie and folk music mgazine' I will also include a barcode with the issue number and date in the left hand corner of the page.

To start creating my front cover, I first had to pick the background image. I had a variety of shots to chose from, but decided on this one:

I took this shot in Phisoberry Park in Sawbridgeworth, where I had my friend dressed up like a 'Hippie'. She wore a paisley printed mazi dress with wellington boots and a floral shirt to create a festival look. She wore minimal make-up to steer away from the glamour obsessed 'pop' industry, and I used props such as the quitar to show that she is a singer-songwriter, and a bunch of old flowers placed in the shrubbery. She is in centre of the shot as I wanted her to be the main feature on the magazine cover and the allingment of the front cover to be central, it also emphasises taht she is a solo artist. I edited the picture using photoshop to create a more professional looking shot. I altered the hue and saturation of the shot and then altered the brightness of the picture. I cropped a small section of the image and placed it as my background for the front cover. I think the way I have adapted the image would appeal to both men and women. The natural surrounding of the image and the acoustic guitar connotes the natural, laid back style of music the magazine promotes.

I then added text to the cover. I added the title of the magazine, 'DAZE' in a colour I picked from the dress of the singer using the colour opicker icon in Photoshop. I used the font 'Book Antiqua'. The font has a mild use of serif's which connote tradition, and although my magazine is far from the traditional, everyday music, it follows the tradition of 'Hippies' who follow a certain type of culture. The word 'daze' connotes the relaxed image I wanted to portray for the singer and the magazine. The title of the magazine is alligned in the centre to follow the eye of the reader down the page to the singer and then to her name, 'DAKOTA SHINE' I used the same font as the title to keep the allignment flow. I used a bigger font size for her surname as the word 'shine' connotes a cheery image, emphasising the style of the magazine. I then added the three words below the singers name 'flowers | fashion | flaws' as three subjects that would be talked aboiut within the interview in the double page spread. Allitaration and the power of three was used to capture the attention of the reader. I also added text to the top border, above the title of the magazine 'number one hippie & faulk music magazine' as many of the magazines I have researched include some sort of top border with text and also it introduces the type of genre to the reader. I wanted my magaine to have the bear minimum amount of text on the front cover as I wanted to keep with the natural and laid back style of the magazine, therefore I added just two inducements on either side of the main image. One is to win a guitar signed by Eric Clapton- a major influence in the style of msuic my magazine promotes, and the other is to win backstage tickets at a festival. Both inducements are to encourage the reader to purchase the magazine.

This is my final product of the front cover of my music magazine:

I have added background colour to the inducemnets, using the shape icon, I used the colours on the dress, a blue and a pink for the colours. I then added the final touches: I made a barcode on paint and pasted it onto the front cover, I rotated it and scale dit down to fit the bottom, left hand side of the magazine. I then added text 'issue 32- April 2011' to show the frequency of the magazine being monthly and the issue number.

Practice Shots

I did some practice shots of the person I will use for my magazine and picked a few that I liked. I did some close ups as an idea for my front cover. I chose this one as the one I liked the most. I used my friend as the new 'singer'. Before shooting I styled her to the 'hippie' look. Her skin was already quite pale, minimal make up was added, I messed her hair a little and added a headband to emphasise the Hippie, natuaral look. I used a close up shot to portray all of this. She is also holding a cigarette in her hand near to her mouth as a prop to also influence the hippie look, however I do not think I will be able to use this shot due to the cigarette as it can evoke unintended messages.
I also did some shots of her with the guitar which could possibly be used in the double page spread. This shot is a medium close up with the main focus being her playing the guitar. She is looking away from camera, looking down at the guitar which evokes a singer who is passionate about her music and what she writes. The background is subtle, however you can slightly see flowers and leaves and branches behind her emphasising the natural look.

  This shot also the singer with her guitar shows her looking away from camera in a 'thinking' look. Due to her being a singer-songwriter it could connote her thinking of new lyrics for a new song. The background in this shot is more obvious with the black flowers being very bold, contrasting with the colours in the rest of the image. This image could also be used inside the double page spread.

IDEAS..

Our coursework task is to create a front cover and double spread of a music magazine. I want my genre of music to be 'Hippie' this includes influences from the 60s from bands such as The Beatles, The Who and Eric Clapton.
The magazine would be produced as a monthly issue with a price of around £2.50. Due to the frequency of the magazine the price would need to be a bit higher as there will be a lot more information and inducements then there would be in a weekly magazine, therefore the price would have to match the quality and quantity of the magazine.
The next thing I would have to consider within my magazine is it's audience profile. The age of the audience would be from a young adult (16) right up to someone in their late 30s, due to the new up coming 'Hippie' bands. However my magazine could also appeal to the older generation to reminisce on their own Hippie days, as the magazine will also cover influences from this generation. The type of people that would read this magazine would be free spirits who like going to festivals and listening to alternative genres of music and are interested in new singers and bands.
The style of my magazine will be very natural, using floral prints and stereotypical hippie prints, including greens, nudes and patterns.The style of the front cover will be the new singer or band as the centre with the title of the magazine slightly above the image. There will be bare minimum in regards to sub headings as this will reflect the natural 'Hippie'style throughout the magazine. I have yet to decide on a name for my magazine, however I think I may call it 'Daze' but I am open to ideas at the moment.
The inducements within magazine will be competitions for festivalswhere the reader can win VIP tickets and backstage passes as well as the chance to meet the new up coming singer/band on the front cover every month.
The images I will use will be of the new singer, for the front cover I'm thinking of having the singer laying on the grass with her guitar next to her, she will be wearing a long maxi dress with a headband to emphasise the hippie look. The images within the double page spread will be shots of the singer on her own as well as with her guitar.
So far these are all my ideas for my front cover and two page spread for my music magazine. They may change during the production of my magazine, but all changes will be justified.