OFFICIAL FINAL DESIGN

So happy with my final outcome, I think I've really managed to pull off a professional magazine. 

NOTE: I have inserted an advert from 'Sonos' of their wireless speakers.
I have copyrighted this. I own no rights to it.

FINAL DRAFT: DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

Final Draft Dps by kxrsty on Scribd

Finally got there. This has definitely taken the most time to design out of my pages, but I'm happy with the result.

FINAL DRAFT: CONTENTS PAGE

Very close to my previous designs but I followed the magazines I analysed as more of an approach to a professional layout. Bold text is very necessary, as is limited fonts. I've managed to pull this page together well.

FINAL DRAFT: FRONT COVER

I compared my previous design against magazine front covers I have analysed previously on my blog to help alter my own design. I was unhappy with it's general unprofessional appearance which I couldn't quite place what was causing it, and realised it was very likely the fonts. Sure enough, by using only 2 different fronts and alternating them, and also by sticking to a nice contrast of text colour, I have been able to tie my front cover together well.

Second Draft: Double Page Spread Following Feedback

After receiving some feedback for my first DPS draft, I realised the flaws in the first design. A DPS needs to really be devoted to the subject, and with such a large amount of space, it should allow large images.

This is just a quick mock-up of my possible future DPS - having 3 columns as opposed to two allows it to look more professionally laid out, and it's not so text-book format.

Big headers are needed, and it must be eye-catching. This still needs a lot of work, but this is the process I'm going through so it's worth blogging!

First Draft: Contents Page

This is my first draft of my contents page which very closely follows my flatplan designs. I'm happy with this design - colourful, minimal.

First Draft: Double Page Spread

This is my first draft of my DPS. Overall I'm happy with the design, it's very traditional and looks clear. However, I'm conscious of the white background. I think I'd like to play around with that and find an alternative that still allows the text to stand out - though I realise this may be difficult.

Second Front: Cover Draft

Second Draft

Following my peer feedback from my initial draft, I've been working on improving that draft into something more suitable, and something I'm happier to show.

- I've changed the header font into something bolder and bigger so it's more of an eye-catching part of the design. I found the last font to almost blend in with the background which isn't what I want.
- I also edited the size of the cover lines, and reduced the amount I had on there. This creates a more minimalist feel which I think suits the overall look and allows the cover to say more about itself without text dictating it.
- I also decided to move my model so she was more on the right hand side of the cover. While this was a bit of a tricky procedure as I had to add more onto the image as the photo wasn't large enough, I did eventually get there. I moved the cover lines to the left hand side to add more balance to the cover.

Still needs some work but this is where I'm up to for the time being!

First Draft: Front Cover and Peer Review

This is my first draft for my magazine front cover.
I asked a number of people to check out this design and give me some feedback to 4 questions I asked so I could have some constructive criticism to help me make adjustments. For this draft I tried to follow one of my mock-up plans as closely as possible as I was happy with the outcome of that. I'm not sure about the turnout of this design though.

In conclusion, my feedback is positive, which helps me to know I'm on the right track. However some improvements that have been suggested include adjusting the cover lines - make them stand out more, and/or adjust the positioning. Another suggestion was making my header bolder - this is true as it's something I'd want to stand out if it was on the shelves in a shop, I personally think adjusting the font would be something to think about too.

Further Interview Research

Edited DPS Images

Here is my collection of images that I've edited for my double page spread that will be in my magazine. Like in the post before, these images may not be the final edit when I come to use it, but I will probably only choose one of these images listed. 

To view full selection, click on the image for the album to be opened in Flickr.

Edited Front Cover Images

Here is a slideshow of my edited images I'm considering for my front cover. These might not be the finished result but will likely be the only images I take into consideration for the construction of my front cover.

To view all the images in full, just click below and it should open up to my album on Flickr.

Double Page Spread Photoshoot #2

Okay, so after having a good look through my last photoshoot, I decided that the images with Ernie really didn't match the professionalism of my front cover photoshoot. I didn't want images that could be seen as offensive, though at the time I thought they could work as they make a statement about the artist/Ernie. I don't want to drive 

Unfortunately, me and Ernie don't have much spare time where there's light, so I asked my friend Ed if he'd be willing to model for me, and he agreed. 

Myself, Ed, and Ed's friend Ben all ventured out around Norwich to gain professional looking portraits of Ed that I can use on my DPS, and thankfully, Ed is quite the natural poser so the images come out pretty well thanks to him being comfortable! Despite it being very cold, and raining on and off, the outcome of this photoshoot was definitely successful - nice colour schemes, good representation of model, and good quality photos.

Double Page Spread Photoshoot

So, I had planned with my friend Ernie, that today we'd take some DPS images. It came to 3 o'clock and he messaged me to let me know he couldn't meet me till 5pm. Unfortunately, there wasn't much I could do about that, and so we did meet at around 5.30, though it was dark by this point. I had originally planned for some well-lit, serious images, but with personality - mirroring the front cover photoshoot really. However, with the darkness, and my lack-of-a-tripod, I didn't have much luck in achieving those. The images I took haven't quite come out as well as I'd hoped, and with the flash I'm not a fan of the cheap lighting it brings. Though, nonetheless, it's a start! I'll see how I get on with these for the time being, but I'll take some new ones otherwise. 

Front Cover Photoshoot

I organised my photoshoot to be done today, with my good friend Georgie modelling. Despite the freezing weather, I did manage to get over 280 photos taken - but of course with not all of them being magazine-condition I have cancelled them down into 20 images in each of the 3 sessions. 

Photoshoot 1: 

These images were the first images we took. For this shoot I wanted to try out a natural look, so we used minimum makeup, plain background, minimalistic clothes. I wanted this so the images could look professional and real; I was to put these in black and white but as this is just a contact sheet I thought I'd put in the images before I edited them so you could see the general look I went for.

Photoshoot 2:

This was my second photoshoot. In this I asked Georgie to add some of her personality to her style, so she put on bold shimmery red eyeshadows and a more styled top. For these images, Georgie was more at ease and comfortable in front of the camera so these images came out more natural which is appealing to see. I did alternate between the white, and the blue background, but I found the white background to go best.

Photoshoot 3: 

These photos were my final shot at getting a photo that really stood out to me. I used a white eyeliner to draw lines onto Georgie's face in an abstract form. I thought this could be something that would stand out more as a portrait. Georgie was happy to go for a serious look in these images which I think suited the general appearance more, making it look more edgy. I also thought the blue background helped the white markings to stand out more.