Evaulation

Microsoft power point evaluation(1)

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Final Magazine Designs

Photoshoot for Main Image

 These photos are from my first photoshoot, the above image was my favourite from the series however because of the composition it wasn't right for the magazine cover.

 This was another photo I would have liked to use however there is not enough length and the arms would be in the wrong place within the composition of the front cover.

 For the second photo shoot I made the hat more prominant as I knew at this point it would be an important element of the front cover. I also did the eye make-up differently, the 'eye lashes' on the eye lids are more subtle and the eyebrows are less obvious.

 I moved the hat to the other side of the head so that the arm would be in the right position when I imported in into my magazine.

This is the photo I chose for the main image, the arm is correctly positioned correctly above the gradient effect, the whole width of the body can be visible on the front page, and there is enough height to fill the page.

The editing process involved changing the brightness and colour levels as the photo is quite yellow intensive and needs to be lite more. After adjusting it, I duplicated the layer and changed the top layer to back and white. Then I erased the hat to make it completely coloured and used the opacity tool to fade the rest of the image.

Screen Shots

The red squares represent images and text to be imported. The red box above the masthead is for the skyline, the two red boxes below are fore images. In my original plan there was another image bottom right, but as the background has detail there I will wait to see how I could change the design when I have my photography finished.

The slogo has not been aligned with the masthead as by keeping it to the left it makes the page seem wider, I also used a different font from the masthead as I wanted to seperate the two from eachother.

The background's of both pages match, this will be an important house style, it incoparates the colours I will use in the front page images and is striking to fit the USP.

I have put in more red squares to show possible image layout, and removed them in the front page. This is because I am now working on text for this page, I have written a preliminary left third and about to do image captions. I have also put in preliminary page numbers in the contents.

The front cover had developed a fair amount since the last screen shot, the contents page has not had any work done. I have decided to have only the main image on the front cover with a small amount of writing, the colours used will be black and white with two red areas; the hat in the main image and the text box for the left third. The red text box in the left hand corner started as a pure red box (like the ones in the contents page) and I reduced the opacity of it to make it less harsh but still contain the text. The text box and it's title 'dying arts' are coloured red to match the hat I will use in my photoshoot. I have also moved the bar code down the make more space for the main image to be visible.

I've put some text into the contents page listings, mostly notes for me use when writing the final magazine listings. I've also added a price above the bar code in Pounds and Euros.

The big change here is the addition of the main image, I took around 30 photos and chose the best 5 to import. I then tried each image to see which looked best within the magazine. I chose the image above because it allowed the gradient tool effect to be visible, the torso acts as a background to the textbox and her head slightly overlaps the title. I considered all these factors when taking my photographs as I knew I would need the right hand corner empty but something filling the space above it.

For the main image I've adjusted the colour balance and brightness as the photo was quite yellow. I then duplicated the layer and changed it to black and white.

Another change is the colour of the text in the red text box, the text wasn't very visible against the background colour so I tried to find a colour which would stand out against both the black, and white backgrounds.

Here I have changed the contents page design dramatically, I have decided that the backgrounds weren't working so I've taken the red box from the front page and made it the background feature throughout the magazine. I duplicated the main image and erased all but the hat, then I made the main image more dull and understated thus so the hat now stands out more; this is important as red/pink is the house style for my magazine.

 Here I have started work on my double page spread. I've written in my interview and aligned it into the page using the rulers tool. I have experimented with borders and boxes for the DPS.

I have chosen to continue the theme of red boxes into my DPS and contents page, whilst keeping the background colour near-white (the front page is tinted pink).

My front cover is in its final stages now. I have resized the main image to be bigger, and dimmed it a lot more to make the hat more prominant. I have re-arranged the bar code, skyline and mast head by putting the skyline along the base, the bar code in the top right hand corner and the logo (and slogo) higher up. The main image still overlaps the masthead except it goes under the slogo and over the logo this time. I am also now thinking about page numbers (as seen in the lower right hand corners of the DPS and contents page).

At this stage I have taken my photos of my band and are importing them into the DPS. I am editing the backgrounds out of the photos and deciding what background to use once there are in my DPS. From my initial photoshoot idea I used two of the ideas; the slash costume and guitar smashing into pillows. I decided not to do the Kiss make-up as it wouldn't have looked right in contrast to the other photos and I also decided that the guitar on fire simply wasn't plausable as the fire wouldn't be visible enough until it became too dangerous.

One small change I have made is add lines onto the border in the DPS using the gradient tool. I have made the page number Gill Sans MT font, the same font as some of the other text, and size 60pt as I want them to be attention grabbing and since the magazine is not full of imagery or crammed text, I can get away with a large pt size.

I have now imported all my photos, and just need to add captions to the images, a quotation and a small tag along the bottom of the page.

Pigeons And Peacock Inspriration for DPS

The website pigeonsandpeacocks.com is a magazine website and its article layout is has inspired my own. The logo used has also made me question the layout of mine, this research may make me change, or at least experiment, with my magazine logo. Screenshots of my experimentation will be shown in the screenshots entry.

The reason why I like the logo is that the words use different fonts, slightly different sizes, different colours and most importantly the words overlap each other.

The article on pigeonsandpeacocks is useful to me as it shows an engaging layout, with nicely contrasting background and text colour, the photography also compliments the colour scheme well. Again the texts' font differs and this adds creativity and personality.

PhotoShop Gradient Tool

The photoshop gradient tool allows me to create smooth 2 colour backgrounds. I will definately be using this tool for my front cover and contents page. The front page image is mime, so the colour scheme will be black/white/grey.

Production Scheldule

Production Schedule

Wednesday 19^th        - Finish magazine pre-production research

Thursday 20^th             - Design contents page

Saturday 22^nd            - Photo shoot for front page and contents

Monday 24^th               - Write up double page spread

Saturday 29^th             - Photo shoot for DPS (weather permiting)

Sunday 30^th                - Photo shoot for DPS (weather permiting)

Monday 31^st               - Edit photos in Photo Shop

Wednesday 2^nd         - Put images into contents page/front page/DPS

Thursday 3^rd               - Finish contents page

Monday 7^th                 - Finish front page

Wednesday 9^th          - Finish DPS

Photoshoot Plan

For my magazine all images used have to be original, so I will make plans for all the photos I will use.

Front Cover: All my circus research has been to help me determine my main image. The act I have chosen to represent is mime. I will dress the model in black and white clothing and make-up consistent with the images I collected, I will take images of a variety of poses and chose the best one for the front page main image.

Contents Page: For the contents page I will take more images on the circus theme, and possibly take images from the Double Page Spread to animate the text. More things I could explore in the 'unusual skills' theme for the magazine are juggling, tight rope walking, clown, trapeze, animal taming or unicycling. These could be recreated for fashion, comic or investigative purposes.

Double Page Spread: For the DPS the photos are based on the iconic music images which I have planned and researched earlier (see PowerPoint).
For the guitar 'on fire' photo, I will try and find a guitar to see alight to, or make a mock one out of cardboard.

Interview

What is the band all about?

• Our band is trying to change the perception some people have about youth, and the Church. We’re trying to change both of these and meet somewhere in the middle. We’re not hooligans, thieves or criminals, but we’re also not no-lifers, bible bashers or elderly people!

What Instruments is the band made up of?

• I play the drums, but the others play all sorts of other music. We’ve got guitars, violins, flutes, keyboard and singers. So it’s an array of sounds really, which is great because it means we can play music we enjoy listening to, and the music that’s suited for the Church.

How old were you when you started playing music?

• Music’s always been around me, but I didn’t actually start playing anything till I was about 12, when I picked up the drums. But I know that the other guys in the band all started a lot earlier than me, hopefully anyway! Some of the girls sing too (which, sadly, I don’t do), so obviously they’ve been doing that their whole lives.

How did you create the band?

• I come from a really musical background, my family all play instruments or sing so it’s been drummed into me all my life, pardon the pun. It’s always difficult for me to play at home because of the noise it creates, so it’s keeps my family happy if I’m practicing somewhere else. A lot of my friends played instruments and sing too, so we got together one time and practiced together…and it worked really well. We never really set out to create a band; we just wanted to be able to practice our music.

How often does your band meet up or practice?

• Only once a month to practice, but we’re all best mates so do a lot of stuff together outside the group, and we’re constantly in touch with each other. We play in a Church every Sunday so that’s another time where we’re getting together on a regular basis. But I would say that without the band, we wouldn’t be so close because it forces us to stay in contact and in turn that has made us really close.

What type of music do you play?

• Because we play in a Church, we tend to practice Christian Rock music so we know what we’ll be doing on the Sundays. The Church is very lively and mostly made up of young people so the music is fun to play. Outside the band we all listen to different types of music, there’s love fore Indie, Rock, and Blues and tragically… Hip-Hop. If we have rehearsal time left over we always try stuff we’ve been listening to. One of our favourite bands is Thebandwithnoname, we’re seen then live a couple of times and they’re always enjoying themselves on stage and they’re so passionate, which should be what making music is all about. They really love what they’re doing and, refreshingly, aren’t all about the same stuff every other rapper in the world is ‘singing’ about.

How nervous do you guys get when you’re performing?

• Well we know most of the people we play to, so it’s never a big issue if we mess up because it’s a comfortable environment. But obviously we’d prefer not too! But sometimes we do have to play for really big audiences. There’s a youth summer camp we play at, and when the adults come to collect their kids there must be a few hundred people there which is a bit nerve wracking to say the least. But there’s never any pressure which really helps cool the nerves.

Tell us more about the Children’s Camp…

• Well it’s an organised camp between all the Churches in Norwich, there are about 200 children in the younger group, and another 150 in the older camp. When we were younger we all attended these camps so it’s actually gives us a bit of nostalgia coming back, and I think we all secretly wanted to come back and join in! It is quite exhausting because it’s the first two weeks of the summer holidays, so we come out of school and straight into two weeks of chaos! But we all love helping out for the kids, and it is a lot more relaxed in the second week with the youth.

So do you think you’ll carry on with music into later life?

• Yeah definitely. I really love it, but I’m more interested in the background side of it like music production. I’ve done a lot of the sound checking etc for the band so I have some experience. Hopefully I could do something like that at University… or somewhere cheaper!

Do you think you’ll still be in the band when you’re studying then?

• I would definitely like to think so. Obviously at some point a new generation are gonna take over but until then I hope so. It’s not just a ‘band’ to me, it’s my family, my friends, my church, and not just a hobby but my career so I owe a lot to it. I don’t know if I could leave even if I wanted to!

Double Page Spread Interview

For my magazine double page spread interview I will interview someone from a band. As the USP of my magazine is that it is aimed at people interested in non-famous/profit musicians, the band I have chosen are a local band who play for their Church, and volunteer at children's Summer Camp as the music band. I will try to portray a different type of musician, and find out about the raw experiences in music as well as their outside interests and influences.

I will conduct the interview with open-ended questions, and follow questions on from the answers I receive. The write-up of the interview will not be fluffy or cramming in details whenever the opportunity arises, as more informal magazines tend to do. I will present it exactly how it was said, with an introduction for all details about the band that weren't brought up in the interview.

Main Image Research

Circus research

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This is a mood board for Mime and Circus themes. I have chosen the Cirque Du Soleil as it's the most famous contemporary circus in the world. I chose images which inspired me, the make-up elements are especially important in the images I chose.
The first slide is a collection of images on Mime, the second slide on human statue actors and the third slide on Cirque Du Soliel.

Front Page Main Image

For my main image I will take up the theme of Circus performance. This will expand my magazine to all types of performing arts such as; theatre, dance, circus skills, fashion. This will broaden appeal but stay within my USP.

I will research circus' and choose some images which link to my theme, these will help me to choose the type of act I will recreate, how I will stage it, and how I will dress the model including clothes and make-up.

Journalism

Here are some examples of journalism/blogs presentation techniques that I like, am inspired by, and don't want my magazine to be like.

Perez Hilton is one of the most famous celebrity journalists today, he is known worldwide for being hot on the heels of celebrity gossip and disliked by most of Hollywood for it. His website/blog is very crowded and information is not laid out easily for readers, the design of this website is an example of how I don't want my magazine to look or feel. The reader needs to feel relaxed and in control, not searching frantically for the next bit of information worried that they'll miss it.

Here is an example of newspaper Daily Express' celebrity news section called Day and Night. I regularly skip to this part of the newspaper (in paper format) and I like to tone it is written in, the images are appropriate, and the news is interesting and not just celebrity gossip. They write about upcoming film news, popular music updates; celebrity gossip without the cheap opinions. The writers are able to speak in a way that isn't patronising but does engage you.

Another column from the Daily Express I enjoy reading is Vanessa Felts'. No matter how she has appeared on TV as a celebrity, when reading her articles she comes across very real and just like the rest of us. It's very re-assuring to have that in a writer, to empathise with the reader without patronising them. My magazine will need to connect with the reader to gain their trust and support in the magazine as a brand.

Drawn Flatplan

This is a drawn flat plan for my magazine, it shows the name and slogo I have chosen and the layout for the images and article names etc. My front page main image is yet to be decided but some ideas I have so far are;

• Using an image from the photo shoot with my band
• Reflecting on the slogo and choosing a model to showcase an unusual talent; mime? (could incorporate fashion.) Circus performance? (clown, trapeze, juggling.)

Magazine Presentation

Magazine presentation

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Flat Plans

This is my front cover plan. This will act as the template for my magazine front cover.

Fonts

These fonts are going to help me to draw up my own font for my masthead. The first font is called Queretarotaro and is stratchy and emphasises on one letter; 'T'. The second font, Tschich, is more clear cut and again emphasises the 'D'. I want a font which pulls attention to one letter or makes one letter larger than the others, I would also like to use a font which is soft and uses curves, like font two, as this would soften the colourful front page. The first font would not be a very font for my front cover as it is too sharp and messy and would only confuse the page. The font Tschich is a good example of what I want to design.

Colour Scheme MoodBoard

 

These are two quick sketches of my front colour layout to show colour co-ordination. The first is full colour, the colours are bright, and too clashing, to tone down these colours I added a black and white copy of the image and changed the opacity of the image to 50%, this gave me the second image. It appears much more toned down now, the colours are more complementary to each other and are not too blinding.



Chosen House styles, Names and fonts etc.

Chosen magazine name; Distinct.

Chosen slogo; Being different gives you a voice.

Chosen house style; I will use bright coloured images, text boxes, words, logos etc against a dull background. The colours however will be toned down using the opacity tool on photo shop which I have shown earlier.

Photo shoot; For my bands photo shoot I will being taking the theme of famous music images but with an original re-imagining. I will try to re-create the flaming guitar but using a guitar soaked in water, paint, or mud, this could be done using photo shop or for real. I would also like to do coloured face-paints inspired by Kiss and Robbie Williams but using inappropriate colours and very un-rock related designs. The very much copied guitar smashing pose could be recreated by smashing one into a pile of soft feather pillows, with feathers thrown in front of the camera as well (in added in post production). My final photo shoot idea is a Slash impression with an ideal wig and clothes but with changes to the face; perhaps a comedy mask, disguise face or comedy glasses.

Magazine Names, House Styles etc

Potential Names and Slogos

• Friday; because no one gets the Monday feeling. - this is one of my favourites and I'm instantly drawn to this name however it may make the magazine out to be focused on clubbing and more leisurely.
• Tomorrow; because it's your world. - this would enhance the idea of the magazine being targeted at aspiring musicians and shows it aims to inspire and not scrutinise young people.
• Runner; get there quicker. - this is better as it suggests the audience can benefit from the magazine, as if the magazine is offering some much needed help. The only problem with this name is the context, as it does seem more like sports magazine without having further knowledge of its content.
• Zone; get in it. This may seem a little like a games magazine name, but it suggests focus and seriousness. This is the magazine which could help artists find their way.
• Stadium; Play to the masses. This is a good name as it represents what I am aiming to put across, it suggests live music, real artists, and instruments, this is a music magazine for professional serious musicians.
• Distinct; find a different path. This suggests something different, a new way of looking at something, a way of infiltrating the gap in the market. It would seem aimed at the minority.

Potential House Styles

• Very colourful. Plain white/cream background with splashes of colour in text boxes, cover lines, title, photos - this seems the better option as it reflects how the target audience feel about their music; they are passionate and in your face.
• Black and white, glossy grey colours, tones down - this could also work but from a different perspective, the audience are mature and intelligent, they will want to read more formal material that is taken seriously.

This may become too dull however, so I may create a mixture of the two by using lots of colours but drain it and make it seem washed out.

Photo shoot Themes

• Classic images from music - This theme would be having the band re-create some classic images from the music world such as the flaming guitar, black and white face paint and the smashing guitar. However the images will be re-imagined such as the flaming guitar becoming a guitar drenched in water or paint, or the smashing guitar being launched into a pile of pillows. This is the theme I think could work best as it looks at real classic music but makes it fun and interesting and not a copycat shoot.

Unique Selling Point

The aim of my magazine is to suit the needs of musicians, or upcoming bands. The magazine should be contemporary but be aimed at young people who take music seriously and want to enter the music bussiness.