Double page spread- making

Conventions of a double page spread: 

• Main image of the band/artist
• Main article in columns
• Pull quotes
• Other pictures of the band/artist
• Main title of the article
• Page numbers in the bottom corners
• Name of the author of the article and the photographer of the image
• Stand first
• Drop cap

To start my double page spread, I had to change the size of the canvas to an A3size. This will allow me to be able to have two sides to the pages, as there are two pages instead of one.

Next I have inserted the image that I am wanting to use, and I have gotten rid of the background, the same way that I did in my front cover image.

To make the image fully blend into the background, I blurred the outside of the image to make it look as if he was actually in the background. This makes it look less stand out-ish from the background and makes the whole image in the double page spread look better. 

I felt like the background of the double page spread looking sort of boring, so I added in a checker-board image to the background. I set the opacity to 16% to make it appear not too strong to take away from the main image and the article. This allows the background to have a more stylish look to it rather than just a plain background. 

To add in the text for the article, I saved the Photoshop file as a image and then put it onto a Publisher in a file. This lets me type in my article and put it into columns. This will also help me when I am adding in the pull quote as the article will form around the quote, which makes it look even and appealing. 

Second Contents page draft

Since doing the first draft of my contents page, I have changed some things to make the page look more realistic or to just make the whole aesthetic of the page look better.

To start, I changed the pull quote that is from the main feature article. I did this because the previous quote didn't quite match with the feature article, so I changed this to make them all match and to make it more realistic. I also made the box more yellow to make it stand out more against the photo. 

I changed the colour of the box above the main feature image from yellow to red. This is because it went along with the colours on the front cover better, and allowed for the text to stand out more. I have also changed the font and colour of the Contents title so it can add more yellow into the page, instead of it all being grey and red. 

For the headers for the contents page, I made the text for the words 'News', 'Reviews' and 'Exclusives' a bit larger and a darker red so they were more readable and stood out more. 

In the left bottom hand corner of the page, I have added in social media addresses into the page. This is so people who wanted to get in touch with my magazine through the internet would know how to do so through the magazine itself. 

Contents page- making

When I started my contents page, I had to make an A4 canvas to work on. I changed the colour of the background to a light grey, so that it would match with the background in the front cover. The first thing that I did was add in a picture of the artist on the main cover. I made this the largest image to be sure that the readers would know that it is the front cover article. I had added a pull quote from the article to help draw in the readers, and above the image I added in the masthead, and a 'Contents' title for the page. 

On the left hand side, I added in a band index. This includes all of the bands talked about in the magazine, with their page numbers. Underneath that I have added a letter from the editor, and I have also put a layout with titles for the other articles.

I have decided that I wanted to add little arrows next to the articles that are on the front cover. This will further show the reader where the items that are on the front cover are if that is what they are interested in.

To add the text over the arrow, I just used the text option and typed it over the arrow.

To add the black rectangle to make it stand out more, I just used the rectangle box, and placed it over the text and arrow. I then changed the colour of the box to black to allow you to see the text on it. 

I didn't want the box to stand out too much, so I changed the opacity of it so it wouldn't be too overbearing. 

I've made some changes to the contents page, I have added in the red colour. I have done this to match it to my contents page, as I have added the red colour in there. 

I have decided to add the album covers into the Reviews section of my contents page. I like this because the readers can recognise the albums, and go to that page because they want to read that specific article. To do this, I just merged the image into a layer on the contents page, and adjusted the size to fit into the contents page section that it is supposed to be in. 

I have added in the bottom left hand corner a subscription box. I used the first two drafts of my front cover as the 'previous magazine issues' to make it look like a real magazine. To make the subscription box, I drew a rectangle with the Rectangle tool. 

I then opened up my first drafts of my cover page, and resized them to make them smaller to fit into my contents page. I did this by using the Rectangular Marquee Tool to make a rectangle around the image, and then Free Transformed it. This allowed me to make the image the size that I wanted it to be to fit in the contents page. 

Once I added the image into the contents page, I resized it again and rotated it using Free Transform under the Rectangular Marquee tool. When I had resized it how I wanted it to be, I then applied the transformation. 

To finish this, I moved the image exactly where I wanted to be. 

To finish this whole subscription box, I need to add the very first draft into it, the same way I added this one in. To finish it, I will add some text telling the readers how to subscribe. 

Front Cover final draft

I have made many changes to my front cover throughout the whole making process. I have had three different front covers as I was making them and changing them.

First draft:

Second draft: 

Third draft: 

With my third draft, I changed the main image. I did this because the image I chose before didn't show much of his torso, and because it was such a close up shot, I couldn't fit so many feature stories onto the cover because the image took up too much space. So in the third draft, I changed the image. I changed the masthead from the first draft to the one that I used in the second and third draft because I felt like this font and colour stood out more to the reader and they would be able to tell what magazine it was. In the third draft, I added in a plug, and I also added in the issue number and date. I also added in a 'boom' image to make the '2015 Year of rock' feature story stand out more. I also moved around the main feature story quote and artist name to the middle of the page and but box/outline around it. This helps the reader know that that is the main feature story, and since it is in the middle of the page, it helps them look straight at the story. 

With the plug, I made it bright yellow. I did this because the people who might potentially buy my product might pick it up because their eye catches the yellow plug. This might entice them to buy my product as they will notice it, and then read it, wanting to win the 2 tickets, making them purchase and read my product. 

Changes to front cover

After making my first draft of my front cover, I decided that I thought I could make a more efficient and better front cover than I had made. So I changed the fonts and added more colour to the front cover (yellow and red) that my previous front cover didn't have.

Before: 

After: (still working on it) 

I have changed the masthead font from Breamcatcher to Birch STD and changed the colour from black to a yellow. I did this to ensure that there would be more attention drawn to the masthead, allowing readers to know what magazine it is. I have also made the font larger, and placed it behind the main image to make the main cover image stand out more.

I have changed the colour scheme from black, grey and white to black/grey, yellow and a light red. I have done this to allow more colour to make it look like a proper magazine with colour to make it stand out amongst others. 

I have also made the other text on the front cover more easily readable by changing it and making it larger. I have also made some of the feature stories in yellow font as this allows them to stand out more. 

UPDATE: 
I have changed the cover image of my magazine. The previous picture I was using was a bit too much of a close up, and I have changed the image to allow more of his torso to be seen.

I wanted to place my masthead behind the head of the person in the main cover image. To do this, I needed to remove the background from the image, so that I can place the masthead behind him. To do this I needed to use the Magic Wand tool to get rid of the background. I then clicked on the background of the image, and deleted it. This allowed the background layer to be seen through, which I can change the colour of this using the Paint Bucket tool.

After I added the masthead and all of the feature stories and other features of a magazine, my newest front cover looks like this. I have added text for the feature stories, and I have used the Shapes button (custom shape tool) to make the little pin at the bottom and the explosion shape where 2015 is. I think the 2015 in the explosion shape really makes it stand out so the readers will look at it. I might go back and change the size of the main feature story to make it stand out a bit more, I might put it in the middle of the page rather than on the bottom. 

UPDATE: 

This is my final front cover. I have only changed a few bits on the final cover from the previous draft, but I think the changes I have made really make the magazine look realistic, and make some features of the magazine stand out more. I have also added in a plug in the final front cover, as I was missing it in the previous draft. 

First Draft

               

Magazine images

These are some of the main images that I was considering using for my main cover image. 

This may be a good picture to use as this is conventional medium shot which is normally used in other magazine cover images. This shows off the person, and shows the costume that they are wearing. He is wearing a beanie and a shirt, which goes with my genre.