Media Coursework
Caitlyn Clynes Y7145
Chosen brief:
The front page, contents, and double page spread of a new music magazine.
Initial Ideas:
Front Cover...
For my magazine I want to create a logo which is very large and has a very block-like font so it is easily read. I will place this up at the top left-hand corner of the page so it is the first thing that the audience sees. The logo will likely be placed behind the head of the model, but still far enough out that it is readable. This is to show that I am confident in my magazines popularity that it is clearly recognisable without seeing the entire logo.
The extra pieces that magazines usually have, such as barcodes and prices, will be placed in the bottom right hand corner as they are the least important, however they will also be in the foreground as they may need to be easily found when it comes to a magazines purchase. As this is the standard for magazines, it will help the consumers know where to look.
The main image of my cover will be in the centre and take up a large amount of space within the cover. There will be little to no text covering it and the model will be placed in front of a plain background so that the audience is not distracted from the model themselves.
The layout of my magazine will be fairly standard, with the main article in the bottom left corner partially across the image, and then the rest of the space around the edges will be filled with stories in smaller font that do not encroach on the photo at all.
I plan on having coverlines of artists relating to the rock genre. These may include reviews of albums, interviews, and concert information, etc.
I also wish to include a banner which explains the extra things the magazine would contain, such as competitions and prizes.
I wish to include a different font for the main story, so that it stands out from the rest of the magazine.
Contents...
My contents page will be clearly organised, with the logo of the magazine at the top of the page.
The stories with their respective page numbers will be included underneath the logo so that they are the next thing the audience sees, and will be neat so that their order is clear.
There will be images between the text so that the audience will be able to easily spot the story they are most interested in, and the image will also be numbered with its respective page number.
There will be a smaller block of text with a border to seperate it from the main article alongside the stories. This will likely include some other information such as important concert dates, or something simpler like "our favourite artists of the week".
Underneath all of this will be another seperate box with a blockier, and brighter font that will draw attention to itself. This will include prize raffles and competitions, etc, that the audience can participate in.
Double Page Spread...
The layout of my double page spread will be one large image that takes up the page, and the text will take up the other page as to keep the magazine neat and easy to read.
The heading and subheadings will be placed on the image page in a large font that is a different font from the rest of the text. They will also be a contrasting colour from the image so that they are clearly read and stand out to draw attention to themselves.
The name of the artist will be placed within the main body of text itself, as the image should gather enough attention on its own. The name of the artist however will be in a slightly larger and bolder text within the article, so that anyone who would not know the artist would then be able to easily learn the name.
I will include an interesting quote from the article larger than every other piece of text directly in the middle of the article, so that if the audience is unsure of whether or not to read an article they could read the quote and have a clearer opinion and be convinced to read it.
If there is space in the image, I may decide to include a faded block text of the artists name so that anyone looking at the image will spot it and understand who the artist is. This will inform the audience without removing attention from the image, and still gives the idea that the audience should know who the artist is.
The main body of text will be in columns so that the magazines layout looks more professional.
There will be small upper and lower borders to seperate the main body of text from page numbers and smaller headings on the page.
Important information will be included in a highlight colour rather than black so that it stands out.
Logo...
Taking inspiration from other magazine logos, I have decided that my magazines logo will be the name of the magazine itself rather than a logo seperate from the name of the magazine.
The logo will be mainly black or white with one highlight colour so that the colours can be easily changed while remaining recognisable, that way if I were to create other issues of the magazine I would be able to change the colours to fit the theme.
The font for the logo will be as blocky as possible so it is easily read, and likely to be a sans serif font so that there are not little extra tails on letters that may make it more difficult to read.
