This time I do really like the monochrome effect

of these two photographs. As front covers, I'm

not so keen (going for a more standard look) but

 as images in my magazine, I think photos like these 

would be really effective. The black and white effect

emphasizes the old man's wrinkles and the cigarette

in his mouth gives him a classic look.

The younger boy is surrounded by skin. They look

like hands and legs and feet which all blend together

but the strip of his hair and eye is what captures your attention.

I will take this idea on board.  

I like both of these covers, not for the monochrome

effect but for the layout. The cover on the left features

 a four column grid system including faces and text. 

I like this style a lot. The cover next to it features

a two column grid system though they are slanted.

This time, there are only faces and no text which I

think is effective, though for my initial, standard

magazine, I'd definitely include text.    

As well as looking out for layouts and grid

references, I've been keeping my eye out for cool 

text ideas. This is interesting! Reminds me of 

child-book stories where the first letter of a chapter

is large and decorated. I might take that idea into

mind for my festival page. 

I thought these were good

examples for an introduction

to an interview or biography.

Both are very abstract and 

'out there'

but I think they are eye

catching and interesting too.

I love this two page spread. There's no text but a

person could get a lot from these images.

Both of these woman are different in race, 

but with the burst of colour surrounding them,

this simple difference goes unnoticed. 

This is a really cool front cover. The way the boy's 

out of focus, fuzzy and blends into the background

is simple but different.

I like the way the boy is slightly off centre and the text

covers him up, leaving two spaces beside him left

to the imagination.

These covers caught my eye. I think it's the brief, 

sharp, random phrases which are presented largely

on the front page. The top right's cover is shocking as well,

adding 'heroin' into the shopping list. 

Although the bottom two are in a foreign language, 

the layout of their text is enough to inspire interest.

The top three covers all show the figure looking

over their left shoulders - obviously a popular pose.

I think it does look sophisticated and I may use this pose. 

The bottom six shots are far more abstract in 

their design. They are obviously older than the top

three as they look drawn. 

Wow. This is a really inspirational front and back cover.

The monochrome tones of the simplistic cover would

definitely catch my eye in a crowd of others.

I like the way the image takes over the entire background.

I think it's peculiar how the man's face blurs away

on the back cover - but this makes it interesting.

I'm going to take some time now to look for some inspirational front covers, contents pages and different spreads. I'm going to be looking out for different grid systems and hopefully will discover my own 'house style' which works well with the magazine I have chosen to design. 

...back to the music magazine

My Contents Page

I'm quite proud of my school contents page. From researching the different layouts earlier on, I thought that i'd go with the more classic formal layout, however; I went with the interesting layout. I think, because my magazine was a 'Sixth Form Special', (and only teenagers were expected to read) the page should have been more funky and eye catching.

I used the 'magic wand' tool on photoshop and cut out the two figures with the camera. I left the original colours of the hall way etc but altered the fonts and background to a bold contrast of black and white. I included the same colour of pink in parts of my text to maintain a sense of continuity which I think really worked. I used the 'regulars' and 'features' idea from the previous magazine cover which I think works well with my youthful theme.

If I was able to do my contents page again, I think I would be a bit braver and try a completely different and unusual layout. I would have done this by using new tools on photoshop and by researching some really abstract magazines. Again, like the front cover, I may take this idea on board with the music magazine.

My Front Cover

This is my magazine cover for the preliminary task given. I went around my school taking photographs and decided that my best shots were of sixth formers. The thought of a 'Sixth Form Special' came to mind and I think the medium shot of the two boys and one girl would inspire curiosity in buyers.

I thought about the school colours (red, white and grey) a lot, but decided to go with something new to spark up the magazine and create something different. I altered the school crest and intergrated it onto Will's shirt (far right).

If I were able to do the front cover again, I would probably use a different medium shot. I have been looking through many magazines and I think some of the most successful and eye catching covers are the ones where there is a dramatic close up. I might think about this when doing my music magazine cover.

I like this type of contents page. I like the simplistic photograph in the background, it makes the information stand out. 

I like the headings, 'features' and 'regulars'. It divides up the page, making all aspects interesting. 

This is great inspiration for a music magazine, though for a school magazine, I think I'd choose a smarter look. 

I like this contents page. I think it's informative, clear and easy to read. 

The colours all match and they are consistent.

All the page numbers are easy to see and a person could flick to what they're interested in with no hesitation. 

I think there should be some photographs or pictures to make the page a little bit more interesting to the readers. 

To be honest, I don't really like this contents page very much. For me, there is too much going on.

I don't like the way the colours of the font and the photograph clash.

I do like the way they have put the headings in different colours and have made them bolder than the following text though.