Final Product

These are my final versions of the front cover, contents page and double page spread for my magazine "Vengeance":-

Font

When choosing the font for my magazine I wanted three different styles. One that would stand out for the masthead, another for subtitles such as the contents page, and then one for the main body of text e.g. for the captions and interview.

Here is what I decide to use:

Above on the left is the font I have used for the title. It is consistence throughout the magazine. I choose this font "Viner Hand ITC" because the style of it is quite edgy and it's looks like what you would find on a rock magazine. On the right is the version I have created using Adobe Photoshop that I have used in my magazine. I choose red to be the main body colour because it stands out against the pale background that I have used on my front cover. I also added a outer shadow to create depth for the writing and also an inner shadow to add an outline to the writing. I choose to create the style in this way because the actual name "Vengeance" is evocative and loaded with sub-text therefore the red lettering and hard edge spiky style reflects the imagery of the word.

 The font above is an example of the font that I have used as the headers and the information for on the front cover. I choose this style "Poplar Std" because of the block writing that makes it look bold and

as it is in block lettering it contrasts with the titles edgy writing. I have also used this for sub-headings including the main subtitle on the front page, "ANDREW YELL", and for the subtitles "Contents Page", "Regulars" and "Features" that are included on the contents page. These really stand out and grab the readers attention so that they want to know more about the topics in the magazine. An example of a magazine that use similar text for their subtitles is Big Cheese. They use this to highlight the key topics of the magazine.

This font is what I have used for all the information I have included in my magazine such as the interview and the contents page listing. I choose the style "Arial for Autograph" because it is simple and easy to read in long blocks of text. Magazines such as Kerrang! often use simple text for their writing including the interviews that they have in their magazines.

Plan for Double Page Spread

This is my plan for my double page spread. I have blocked it out on Photoshop to show the general idea of the layout of the page.

Plan for Contents Page

This is my plan for my contents page. Using Photoshop I have created this to show the layout of my contents page.

Plan for Front Page

This is my plan for my front page. I have used Photoshop to show an idea of the layout I wish to create.

Double Page spread - Big Cheese.

To broaden my understanding of double page spread articles I am going to also analyse one from the other magazine I am using for my research, Big Cheese.

This is a typical layout that Big Cheese use in their magazines; this one features 30 Seconds To Mars. They have one large image that takes up three quarters of the page on the left. The bottom is slightly obscured by white and red text which introduces the article to the reader and lets them know what they will be reading about. Below this is large writing which is placed to look like the title of the article but is actually a quote from the lead singer Jared Leto.

The article itself has been placed in a black box on the right hand side of the double page and has been slightly blended into the image so that the line that divides the image from the text isn't as prominent as a solid black line. This helps the page flow together and look as one part instead of two pieces. They have chosen the colour of the box to be black because the image is dark so the black  also helps the page to flow. The image also looks unnatural as they have enhanced the saturation of the colours.At the top of the column there is a white rectangular shaped patch coming in from the right that looks as though it has been torn from the black box. This indicates the name of the band that the article is about. Below in the rest of the black box is the interview itself written in white writing to contrast the black background. The article is split into several paragraphs to make it easier for the audience to read.

Big Cheese typically use this set up for a lot of their double page spread articles that they include in their magazines. However sometimes they flip the order of the page; image on the right, article on the left. They also sometimes have more than one column of text depending on the length of the article that they have written.
This is a really effective approach to a double page spread and I like how the image and the text box blends together. When designing the double page spread for my magazine I will most likely include some aspects of this example.

Double Page Spread - Kerrang!

For my coursework I need to include a double page spread article. To show my knowledge and understanding of what double page spread articles are I am going to analyse some. I will start with Kerrang!, which is one of the magazines I am taking my ideas from.

This is an example of a typical double page spread article that you would find in Kerrang! magazine. They have chosen to have a large image that takes up almost three quarters of the whole double page. This is a medium shot of the band My Chemical Romance in quite stereotypical poses which show that they are indeed a band. As this image dominates the rest of the page it reflects the attitude of the band.

On the left side of the double page is two black columns which includes the interview with My Chemical Romance in white writing. They have choose to have the background of the article black so that it stands out against the colour of the background for the rest of the page. White writing in this contrast the black and makes reading the interview easier for the audience.

At the bottom of the second column are red lines which split these couple of sentences from the rest of the interview. This is done to grab the attention of the reader to tell them that the second part of this interview is in next weeks issue. At the top of the two column is a quote that tells the reader a little something about the interview before they read it.

A small black box next to the bottom right corner of the second column names the band from left to right.

Kerrang! typically use this set up for most of their double page spread articles that they include in their magazines. Sometimes flipping the order so that the image is on the left with the interview on the right.

I think this is a very effective set up and will use this when I design the layout for my double page.