Unit 51 Page Layout and Design

Production Commentary

Slide 1: Design Programmes

I only used Adobe Photoshop for both my front cover and double page spread. I did use a variety of different tools to erase the background of my original images as they did not meet the genre conventions. I used the clone tool, quick selection tool and the magic wand tool. I then used the eraser to get rid of any unwanted flaws.

Slide 2: FORMATSI have researched other magazines to come up wit an idea of how to lay out my own magazine. I looked at a mixture of film and music magazines, Empire, Vibe and Q. Although vibe isn’t the genre my magazine is I did get some inspiration on the lay out of the font cover. For example scaled the masthead straight across the top of the page unlike he magazine Q. I also placed the barcode and main article in the weak fallow area just like Q have on this front cover.

Slide 3: Conventions & Visual LanguageI used a bold and dark text for the masthead for it to stand out, I also used a variety of fonts for the cover lines to ensure everything looked slightly different to catch reader attention. Band names ae spread across the front page which will interest the reader and make them want to read he magazine to find out about all the different stories about the popular / new bands.

I took the Guttenberg Principle into consideration when positioning everything on the front cover. I placed the masthead across the top of the front cover so it stands out. This is because the left top corner is the primary optical area and the masthead will catch the readers attention straight away. I positioned the image directly in the centre so the axis of orientation draws the attention to the image. The model is the main focus of he magazine so it is important that she stands out from everything else on the page. The strong fallow area is where the masthead ends and I placed a small sticker like cover line. In the terminal area I placed another cover line about the popular band Arctic Monkeys , this will intrigue the readers. Finally in the weak fallow area I placed the barcode, date, price and also the badge flash, model credit and lead article. This is because this is the last place the reader will look.

For my double page the image and head line are on the top of the left page, he drop cap appears underneath with the kicker. My article is a interview so I used subheadings as the questions. The body text starts from the left page and fills up the whole of the right. I also added 1 pull quote on he left page to add something different to the page. There are gutters splitting up the text thought out both pages. I only used 4 basic colours throughout he whole of the magazine, white for the background, black for the masthead and the lead article (front cover) and the interviewee (double page spread). Red was used for the boxes for he cover lines (front cover) and the subheadings (double page spread). The yellow was used for the badge flash (front cover) and the headline, pull quote. The colours white and black contrast very well and is popular with a lo of magazines. These colours ae usually use to balance out any other colours on the page. Red is mainly used on rock magazines and my magazine is indie / rock so it fits well with the genre. This colour is also very eye catching and will attract the readers eye when placed on the magazine well. Yellow is a very cheerful colour that is associated with freshness, joy and is used to highlight the important things. This is the reason I used some yellow to attract attention to the main article on the front cover.

STRONG FALLOW AREA

PRIMARY OPTICAL AREA

WEAK FALLOW AREA

TERMINAL AREA

AXIS OF ORIENTATION

MASTHEAD

BARCODE / DATE / PRICE

BADGE FLASH

PULL QUOTE / LEAD ARTICLE

COVER LINES

MAIN IMAGE

HEADLINEPULL QUOTE

KICKER

DROP CAP

GUTTERS BODY TEXT

SUBHEADINGS

AudienceThe target audience my magazine is aimed a is both genders but mostly females between the age of 16 and 30. From C1 (lower middle class) and lower on the social demographic table.

My target audience meets he needs of m target audience by having interviews of new, but well known bands. The language used in my magazine is very informal which is makes I a lot easier for my target audience to read and understand. There are a few cover lines that also would anchor the reader, for example the well known Leeds festival headliners and news in a popular ban Arctic Monkeys.