Practice Photo Edit

I have taken this photo to edit as it is similar to the kind of image I want to use.

I have decided to put it into black and white (pressing ctrl+shift+u) as some of the colours are distracting and it would look more artistic and moody which are key components of the indie genre.

Then I took care of the person in the background as I would in a final image by using the clone stamp tool to grab the bush texture from the left of the image and paint it over the top of the person. I then used the clone stamp tool again to make the tree look more natural.

Some details of the photo are still distracting from the model so I created a new layer, filled it with a faded dark blue and changed the blending mode to lighten. This dulled the distracting elements and gave the image a more stylised look which I liked.

This is how I will edit the majority if not all of my final images.

What's Next?

Contents Page Dev 1

I first made a guide layout so that I could make sure everything was precise and in-line. I left a 1cm margin around the bottom and sides as a gutter so the reader doesn't feel too overwhelmed. I left a 2cm margin at the top as I knew I wanted some sort of text to go here such as 'Track Contents' and put a guide in between this margin so I knew if the text was perfectly centred. I then filled areas of the grid with different coloured rectangle tools to mark out the different entries. I knew I needed a mix of images and text from my research into other contents pages such as NME and so the smaller boxes will be for the text and the larger for images.

I then took my Masthead logo, shrank it down to the average readable font size- 12 and coloured it white to contrast with my charcoal grey background. I used the same font as the logo to type the word Contents with the text tool in the same size and colour and put this alongside. I then created a separate text tool and typed the issue number and date as this is important info especially for collectors. I put this in 2 different weights but still in the same font to distinguish between not only the issue and date, but also from the other text on the page which would mostly be Ultra weight.

I used the text tool to create titles for my image sections, still in the Alright Sans font. The titles are ultra weight and 24px and the smaller description text is 12px and medium weight to keep a neat ratio and so it doesn't look too big and overpowering on the page. The images of the named people will go behind this text. I will add page numbers when I work out a way for them to look good. The blank boxes will most likely be for text.

Magazine Logo Development

I have taken the advice of my survey and am using Alright Sans in the Ultra weight as my title font. But it looked a bit generic and a strong logo is usually a recognisable shape so I decided to use the photoshop warp tool to get an interesting shape.

I selected wave as it looked best and negatively distorted the text the least. This wave shape variant will only be used for the name of the magazine, normal title text will have no warp. I will use it on my contents page and maybe double page spread.

Masthead Font Survey Result

After showing the class this list of fonts, here is the general consensus:

Number 1 was considered unpleasing on the eye because the bottoms of the letters are not flat.

Number 2 was said to look 'rocky' and messy.

Number 3 was generally well received.

Number 4 was not bold enough and would have trouble standing out.

Number 5 was well received.

Number 6 was too retro and looked almost like a ransom note which doesn't suit the somewhat laidback feel of the magazine.

Number 7 was too round but generally liked,

Number 8 was way too futuristic for the indie genre and already looked dated.

Given these results, I am considering using font 5.

Masthead Logo

I have put together a list of fonts that I think would suit the masthead of the magazine and I will ask people in the class which they prefer. They are thick so that they stand out. I personally prefer number 5 as it is thick enough to stand out but is also simple and timeless unlike the more modern looking or retro options.

Style Models

NME

Little White Lies

I have selected a combination of NME and Little White Lies as the basis for the aesthetic of my magazine, I would like a mix of the sleek professionalism of NME and the slightly organic quirkiness of the Little White Lies. I may create this by having neatly set out pages but with bright colours and fun image editing techniques such as halftone and colour overlays. Although I am using sections of these magazines for reference, I will of course have to alter them to suit the genre and feel of my magazine.

Double Page Spread Flat Plan

Contents Page Flat Plan

Front Cover Flat Plan 2

Front Cover Flat Plan 1

Reader Profile

Magazine Pitch

Questionnaire Analysis

From the questionnaire I have learnt that my main audience should probably be something like 16-20 year olds as this is the majority and as I fall within this age range I can make the themes and aesthetic of the magazine appropriate.

I have also found out that the ratio of males to females is roughly equal so I could try to include features aimed toward each however it would be more inclusive to those who identify otherwise if I were to just make everything gender neutral.

As the most people noted Katy Perry or similar as their favourite artists, this suggests that more edgier artists would be most suited to the audience.

As the average reader only buys music magazines, each issue may have to be lengthy to tide them over the whole month.

The least favourite feature amongst my survey audience was adverts, so these will be the least abundant feature in my magazine. It will rely heavily on interviews and reviews as these were the most favourite.

As it is not important to my survey audience that the cover model(s) is conventionally attractive, this means I will feature ordinary people. This may also increase the 'personal identity' gratification of my magazine.

I think my magazine would cost £2.50 as this is a enough to keep the magazine running without losing customers due to a high price.