Q magazine double page spread analysis

Here I have analysed a double page spread from 'Q' magazine.

 

 

Headline:

The headline is located on the right hand side at the bottom, the font is very large, therefore highlighting it's importance. The font style is serif and very bold and modern, this means that it can suit lots of different colours added to it; in this case red and white are used to provide colour contrast and the red highlights the vital word "ginger" which adds a humerus effect.

 

Stand:

In this article the stand (to introduce the article) is located under the headline, this guides the reader and provides a brief explanation of the article to the reader. Again, a white font is used to contrast the fairly dark image

 

Main image:

The main image acts as the focal point and the background, it's quite a dark image and adds a moody/sultry effect. The model/artist is anchored to the article which is about him. He is making no form of direct address and is looking away from the camera, this links to the alternative genre of this particular magazine as it's quite dark and moody. The mise-en-scene in the image is a guitar, to show what instrument he plays, and the landscape of London, referring to the fact that he is a British artist.

 

The text:

The text is in columns so it's easier to read, at the start of the article an illuminated/bold letter is used to guide the reader where to start reading. In the middle of the text is a fact file of the artist, this breaks up the otherwise formal text and makes it more interesting.

Q magazine contents analysis

Here I have analysed the contents page of 'Q' magazine.

 

Main image

 

The main image is the largest and the most prominent, it overlaps the headline, hence it is important and stands out from the rest of the images. It shows the band 'Kings of Leon' and has the puff 'cover story' overlayed on top, this is anchored to the image to the article number and title to the left. The audience can recognise it's importance as the lead singer is looking directly at the camera, this is a form of direct address and creates a connection between the audience and the artist

 

 

Secondary images

 

The secondary images are obviously smaller because the articles are not the main features, yet they have enough relevance to deserve an image. The image at the bottom is photoshoped so their is no background, hence making the image stand out, this is reinforced by the text wrapping round the image. The other secondary image at the top of the page is a smaller full band view of the arctic monkeys, again the lead singer is applying a direct form of address as He is looking directly a the camera.

 

Colour scheme

 

Their is a specific color scheme on this contents page, red and black are used for the text and headline to provide colour contrast. For the puffs, a bright yellow is used to highlight it and make it stand out, bright accent colours such as blue and pink are used to emphasise the different subheading sectors.

 

Layout

 

The text is collumised to make it easier to read, and boxouts in white and cream are used to break up the different sections. Black lines are added to separate the most important  'q' review section from the rest for easy navigation.

 

Fonts 

The fonts used are sans serif to reduce the level of formality, they are bold and easy to read, this improves audience access. The text is in capitals/bold if the article is more important or if it's a subheading. The 'Q; logo is in serif to keep the tradition, it is kept this way through the magazine to create continuity.

Photoshoot final moodboard

Yup, youve guessed it, another moodboard created on fireworks. I collected most of the images from polyvore to create a suitable board depicting props/shots/costumes and makeup for my shoot. I will have this to hand on my shoot to clearly see the poses I want my model Imogen to do.

How I made my Masthead

 

 

Here is a quick step by step guide on how I made my masthead, I might change it later but so far I am pretty happy with it. I created it on Adobe fireworks as it easier to add, manipulate and move different layers. It took me a few attempts to get it perfect and I did have difficulty removing the white areas.

 First I started off with a custom black canvas with the size of 595 pixels in width and 98 pixels in height. The size is a perfect rectangular shape for a masthead to be located at the top of the cover.

I added the font, 'blackout sunrise' with my chosen name, however the edges are hite, messy and blurred.

Using the brush tool I filled in the gaps in black to create a more refined edge.

As you can See the edges look neater, but still slightly blurred for a 'ghost' effect, this makes the magazine different from others

 

 To link to the genre, I used the brush tool to add black squiggles to represent Amp/Guitar wire with a coil, this obviously makes a direct link to the alternative/rock genre.

 I made the squiggles move through each letter to link them together for a sense of continuity.

so here is the finished masthead, I might change it to my previous pink or blue idea, or I might remove the wire coils depending on the feedback from my draft



Extra plan questions

Obviously, because I'm an idiot, I forgot to answer some questions for my pitch, so here is a quick 'preso' from reelapp.com  showing some of my extra ideas. Its a useful tool as you can vote up or down if you think the slides are good or not, thus giving me feedback, this isn't really relevant for this post but I want to test different software other than slideshare.

Magazine cover layouts

I have created layouts on fireworks using a simple black and white colour scheme, to make it easy to see where I want to put things, I might change them for the 'final cut', but overall I am pleased with the design.

 For my first idea I have kept the masthead at the top so the eyeline instantly draws to it, my secondary infomation is located around the main image so it has chance to shine through. The headline will be on the left as I want the image to be the most noticable, however I will use a  big font. I will use a spilt glitter effect in the bottom right hand corner to  add an interesting element to the cover, obviously I will take the photo of the glitter myself to avoid copyright issues,

For my second design, I have kept it more simple by ommitting the 'glitter', element and adding some informative secondary images in the shape of a flower (a bit like the use on company magazine). I will rearange the text layout and swap the location of the headline with the 'puff' section.

Music Magazine pitch

Lets just say, for now, i'm pitching this magazine to Alan Sugar, I need to promote its unique features and say why it will fill a gap in the market.

Magazine photoshoot board

I created a board on pintrest, showing my final ideas for poses, hair and makeup for my shoot.




Follow Erin Harper's board magazine photo shoot on Pinterest.

I have decided on using either a guitar or ukulele as props to reflect the magazines genre, I have also decided on using red balloons as a prop to add color. The location will be outside to give the shoot a more relaxed natural feel with softer lighting. Makeup wise I am going to use simple dark eye makeup with a strong lip colour for contrast, in terms of hair; a simple side braid will give an alternative messy feel .

Magazine layout board

Here i have used Pinterest to build a board containing layout ideas for my contents, cover ad double page spread. I want something relatively quirky where the image layout is unusual and the font sizes change Follow Erin Harper's board magazine layout ideas on Pinterest.