Foundation Portfolio- Music Magazine (Front Cover)

My Finished Front Cover

Here are some close-ups on the main features of the front cover:

Foundation Portfolio- Music Magazine (Contents Page)

My Finished Contents Page

These are some close-ups on the main features of my contents page:

Foundation Portfolio- Music Magazine (Double Page Spread)

My Finished Double Page Spread

These are some close-ups on the main features of my Double Page Spread:

The Article Close-Up:

Final Changes to my Double Page Spread

When looking at my finished double page spread, I thought of changing something within the article.

I changed the quotation in the centre of the article text, as I think the original one wasn't very interesting, and the new one I have chosen from the text is something that fits the whole theme of the article, and it is much more conventional to have a dramatic quotation, so this is why I changed it.

This is the new quotation, and the writing from the article underlined in red is showing where I got the quotation from.
It is conventional in a magazine for the large quotation to be placed nearby the original quotation within the text of the article, therefore this is what I have done as the image shows.

Feedback and Improvements to my Article

I managed to gain some feedback on my double page spread and article. These are some of the comments i received...

What went well-

1. Good tone and good use of vocab to set your target audience.
2. Article is suitable for age range of audience.
3. Article is informative to the reader.

To Improve-

1. Make an anecdote- a personal, funny story for the interviewee to share with the audience, to make the interview more exclusive.
2. Make some of the responses more detailed, as this is what the reader would want.
3. Perhaps change the title, improve on the font and come up with an exciting heading.

This is the double page spread now...

Feedback and Changes to Contents Page

Now that I have received some feedback on my contents page, I have changed a few things.

Somebody made a comment that it isn't colourful enough, and needs to be more conventional for a pop magazine's layout, with brighter colours (maybe some different splash colours), and perhaps some more   eye-catching features.

Therefore I have tried to take all these ideas into account and improve my contents page.

My Contents Page BEFORE

By making a coloured border for the most important part of the page highlights this, and gives the page a pop of colour.

Also, I changed the colour from purple to yellow on the 'Popaholic Plus' section, as I have used yellow splash colour throughout the lures on the entire magazine to make them eye-catching.

I then changed the style of the speech bubble on the top, and made it follow the colour palette of lilac.

The style of the box of information at the bottom has also changed. I did this to make more conventional, and less 'tacky'. I also did this because noticed when looking at some pop magazines that they used circle shaped boxes more than the shape I originally used.

Changed Features of Contents Page

These are some of the aspects of my contents page that I have recently added, still following my genre, colour palette and keeping my target audience in mind.

Further Development of Contents

Over the last few days I have been working hard on getting my contents page up to date and finished as soon as possible. The majority is finished, but I may need to alter a few things once I receive some feedback from my peers.

Front Cover Changes

This shows the overview of the entire front cover, complete with original design aswell as the new editions to the page, as previously discussed.

Mistakes and Changes 2

2. Another thing I wanted to change about my magazine is the lack of variety in my photography. It seemed all my photos were of my friend Ellie, posing as the cover star aswell as featuring on the double page spread and the contents page. Therefore, I took a few photographs to create something new and interesting that I could incorporate into one of my pages. This is the idea I came up with...

I took some photos of some of my products, still using my Nikon camera. I used a plain background, which was the wall of my bedroom. This worked well as a simple coloured surface for the photos.
This image shows how I cropped and moved the photos around to decide how I wanted them to be layed out on the page.

So, I decided I thought the line of photographs worked best, and fitted best in this small gap I had created on my front cover.

I also created a space for this new side heading and image to go, and I used a heading of 'Top 5 Products For Winter' which relates to the image, and gives the reader a sense of what this story/page will be about.

And this is what the changes to my cover look like together, along with the parts of the cover that were already existing...

Mistakes And Changes 1

One of the changes I have had to make recently is my photography.

1. When taking my photography, I used my main model Ellie, for the cover story.
However, forgetting that my photography had to be my own I got Ellie to take some photos of me for one of the side stories on the front cover. This was the photo I originally used, and how I went about changing it...

This is the photograph my friend took of myself, posing for one of the side stories on the cover. 

Once I had realised I could not use this for my magazine, as it was technically not my own photography, I removed it and considered taking a new photograph.

This is the new photo, which I took of my own wardrobe/closet. I am glad I noticed my fault, and could change it quickly and easily.

However, I did prefer the previous photo of course, as it had a model in it, whereas my new photo is more simplistic and quite boring in comparison.

Continuing my Contents Page

I am now focusing on my contents page, as this is the page that needs to be finished.

I have recently made a few changes to this page, and developed it further. I did this by adding text to each box, coming up with creative and conventional ideas for the headings of each page.

I also used page numbers that I put in a bold font because this is conventional in magazines, and the structured layout I have kept throughout the whole magazine has been followed on this page too.

This is the page as it stands now. I am quite happy with it but I am rushing to get it finished now.

Some of the features I have developed on this page are:

This image shows how I have used a small star symbol to make a key/ make it identifiable to the reader which headings are on the front cover.

I actually cropped this star from the masthead I used on both the front cover and the contents page, as the star would then match perfectly.

This is the masthead from the contents page which shows the star I copied from the letter 'i'.

This is a text box I used to make the page look slightly more edgy, and fun.

I thought by adding a bit of an abstract shape onto the page would make it look more interesting than just straight and very structured.

I also used the shade of lilac I had used on the front cover, therefore I am sticking with my original colour palette.

Features of My Double Page Spread

This is my double page spread as it stands now...

Some of the features I have included to make the page look conventional and also fit the colour palette and house style of the magazine are: 

Using a quotation breaks up the text, but is also very conventional for a magazine article as it looks more interesting than having a block of text. Also, it makes the reader feel apart of the interview, and catches their attention on the most important sections of the interview.

This shows the way the colours chosen for the names of the people within the interview match the colour palette of the magazine. For the 'Popaholic' interviewer (Rosie), I chose pink, as it matches the magazines house colour. And for the interviewee (Ally Child) I chose blue, as this colour matches the dress my model wore on the photography, as you can see in this picture.

I followed the conventions of a magazine article to make mine look like a real magazine. To do this I made the first letter much larger than the others, as well as creating a conventional Standfirst- the very first paragraph of an article, usually in bold.

Does Each Page Fit the House Style?

I analysed my pages to see how my house style is being presented to the audience and whether each page includes all the features of that house style.

Contents Page So Far...

Now that I have finished the majority of my front cover and my double page spread, I am moving on to developing my ideas on the contents page.

This is the progress I have made so far, and the page includes a heading, a small image, a lure and some side headings.

The next thing I will do is add some text under each subheading that is relevant to the genre- (e.g. for the Gossip subheading, I will create a suitable gossip story that may be humorous or may shock the reader.)

Photography- Improvements?

When looking back at the issues I had with my school magazine, I considered the things I told myself I would do better with my photography, and whether I followed these suggestions.

The one thing I did change, and I did make sure I resolved was the issue of lighting. This was because last time I took my photos late in the afternoon which meant it became dark quite quickly therefore I had to use the flash, which unfortunately created many shadows.
This time, I ensured the model stood well away from the backdrop, as well as resolving the main problem of darkness by taking my photos at about midday. I think the photos did come out better so I am glad I made this change.

However, one problem that arose when taking the photos for this magazine was just an issue of misjudgement. When taking my photos I did stick to my plan of using a close up shot, but I didn't take into consideration the placement on the page, so when I did place the photo on the front cover it was very hard to fit the whole page without being too close up and too large.
This was a hard task to do, but eventually I did manage to find a way around the problem. Although, I still would have preferred a more zoomed out photo, to give me more room to layer my text over it when applied to the page.

Mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene = the entire content of the shot.

When I was taking my photographs, I chose to use a plain white background because it would be easier to apply to my pages. Also because white seems quite conventional to a magazine.

So when I think about the mise-en-scene, it is something that is hard to describe without a themed background or setting. The only thing in my mise-en-scene is the model, and what she is wearing, her facial expression, her posture, and pose. Therefore, by using a white background is also my advantage because it means the audience will focus on the model in the shot rather than the choice of background.

Camera and Photography

For the photography,  I used my Nikon camera, which is great for taking clear, sharp pictures.
This camera was also great for reducing the amount of blurring, meaning every photo came out looking clear and professional.

I turned the flash on to create a sharper image when taking the photographs. I think the flash did work well but on certain photo's it did make the background colour look grey rather than white, which wasn't too much of a problem but I did plan a white background.
However, when applied to the page the photos looked really professional.

I am glad I used a professional camera rather than my phone camera as it made all the difference.
I know this because when doing some practice photography I tested a few shots using my phone camera. This was more blurry and the flash didn't create the same effect as on the Nikon camera.

Prop and Costume Choices

For the design of my front cover, I ensured my photographs would be fitting with the colour palette and themes surrounding the page.
For this, because of the house colours of pink and splash colour of yellow, I didn't want my model to wear something too colourful or vibrant, as magazines that use too much colour tend to look tacky.

Therefore I chose for my model to wear an animal print jumper dress, which suited the lead cover story which would also be the story on the double page spread.












There were no props included in my photography, as I felt it was not necessary.

The lighting and background we used was a simple white blind that was pulled down to give a simple backing colour that would work well on all my pages.
There was lighting from above, as the room was lit and it was still daylight. Also, the flash from the camera created a nice finish to the face and produced hardly any noticeable shadows.

Did I Stick to my Plan?

When I began thinking about my music magazine, I came up with a plan so that I could follow it to guide me in the right direction.

Most of the aspects of this plan were followed, however a couple of things have changed throughout the planning.

MY ORIGINAL PLAN

CHANGES TO MY PLAN:

1. Once I got started, I realized that with my masthead, photograph choice and some of the ideas I had come up with for the magazine would be best suited to a younger audience. So, I changed my idea of the target audience being aimed at 12-16 year old girls, to aiming it at 11-15 year old girls.
2. I also changed my original idea of the masthead 'Love Pop' to 'Popaholic' because after experimenting with colours, size as well as getting feedback off my friends, I realized that 'Popaholic' was the best choice for making a completely original and fresh magazine.                                                           (As some people said 'Love Pop' was too similar to 'We Love Pop' an already existing magazine.)

Thoughts so far...

At this point, I have managed to complete my front cover, as well as making a start on my contents page.
I have also produced the majority of my double page spread, which is the page I have most enjoyed producing. I quite like the way each page has turned out, and I can see the potential it would have if sold to my target audience.

One of my favourite aspects of the front cover is the main image, as it brings a sense of positivism and fun to the magazine which is exactly what I am aiming to present to my target audience. Also, as the age range of my audience is 11-15, I want them to feel involved with the fun the magazine shares with them.To further enhance the audiences sense of involvement with the magazine, the model on the cover is looking directly at the camera lens in a posed shot.

My favourite aspect of the double page spread so far, is the interview. I think by including an exclusive in a magazine creates a sense of excitement and brings in the whole idea of fun too.
My interview, with a pop star called 'Ally Child' is new and exciting, and the interview presents the magazine's genre well too. As well as this, the image really suits the headline and that's what I was going for when taking my photography.

Applying my Photography

This is the photo I chose to use on the front cover.

The next step was to apply it to my front cover, and adjust the page to fit this picture on successfully. 

Firstly, I copied and pasted the image onto my front cover page (a Publisher document).

Then I used the 'Crop' tool to crop my photo to fit the size of the page, but making sure that the main feature of the photograph is still visible (the face)

 I then used the 'Send Backward' tool to send the picture to the back, meaning the text and other images would overlap the photo.

Developing my Double Page Spread

Now that I have started the development of my double page spread, I am coming up with ideas, preparing my photography and planning the layout of everything on the pages.

This is the start of my development. I have begun the article, which is an interview with the pop star i have created, Ally Child.

The headline still needs to be adjusted, but the caption works well with the story so I think I will keep this as it is.



The text as a whole looks good on the page. I have used a simple font, and a small size too, which is very conventional. The columns are also conventional, making the interview structured and easy on the eye.

This suits my target audience too, as my magazine is aimed at younger teens, this is an easy article to read.

I also used the idea from the 'We Love Pop' interview, and used colour coding to clearly show who is who in the interview.

I used pink for the interviewer (Rosie from Popaholic magazine) and blue for the pop star being interviewed (Ally Child).

This works well and gives the whole page a fun look, which also fits the colour scheme and theme of the pop genre.

Article Writing Practice

Ally Child, one of the UK’s biggest pop stars of today, now speaks the truth on why people perceive her to be the ‘Wild Child’ of the pop industry in a tell-all interview exclusive with Popaholic...

Ally Child has been repeatedly been slammed in the press for behaving so outrageously recently. So our journalists have swooped in to take action! We want to get to the truth, so Rosie from the Popaholic team interviewed Ally Child to find out what is really going on…

Rosie– Hi Ally! Really nice to finally meet you!

Ally– Hey!

Rosie– So, let me just ask you first of all, are you really a ‘wild child’?

Ally– Well… It’s sort of my nature. I can’t help having fun!

Rosie– And do you get irritated by some of the stories made about you nowadays?

Ally– Not really! You know, my motto in life is Live, Laugh and Have fun!

Rosie– So your behaviour recently has nothing to do with gaining media attention?

Ally– No not at all! I don't care about that stuff. As I said, I just live for now and have fun.

Rosie– But sometimes, do you admit it can get out of hand?

Ally- (laughs) well, yes... there has been a few times.

Rosie– Lets talk about the time you jumped off stage and broke a girls arm! Was that fun?

Ally– Oh gosh (laughs) I knew you’d bring that up!

Rosie– Well?

Ally– Obviously I didn't intend to break someone's arm! I was just messing about, and it just sort of 

happened. Looking back, it was totally silly and of course I regret it.

Rosie– Lets talk about your new album, what can we expect from it?

Ally– You can expect a lot of fun, edgy pop music tracks. My favourite thing to do is record tracks. There's nothing better...other than chocolate of course! (laughs)

Rosie– That sounds great. So are all the songs    written by you?

Ally– Yeh they sure are! I know people might think I’m wild and the only thing I do is party… but there is a serious side to me and when I get into my music, there’s no stopping me!

Rosie– And is there a romance on the cards any time soon?

Ally– Well only time can tell, you just don't know what’s around the corner.

Rosie– Would you like to explain these rumours about yourself and Martin Cliffshaw then?

Ally– There’s nothing I can tell you really, we are really good friends who like spending time with each other, is there harm in that! And I am certainly allowed a personal life!

Rosie– Yes you are! Well I wish you all the best with your upcoming album and with your pop career in the future!

Ally– Thanks!

Rosie– And thanks for coming to meet with me, it’s been fun!

Ally– Yeh, any time!

Features of Successful Article Writing

I have been thinking about my article and what i am going to write about, to ensure that it is fitting to my story, my magazine and of course attracts the target audience.

'WE LOVE POP' DOUBLE PAGE ARTICLE (INTERVIEW)

ANALYSIS OF ARTICLE:

One of the main aspects is the HEADLINE. This is something that will give the reader they're very first opinion and influence the way they want to interpret the story. This needs to be large font, a noticeable colour and placement on the page is crucial to capture the attention of the reader.

This headline is a quotation, which is conventional to a magazine, as it is used a lot.

Some magazines may even include an EXCLUSIVE, which will excite the reader even further as they feel they are gaining information never before heard or seen.

In my case, I will be writing an exclusive interview to fit my chosen story, which is the same story as seen on my front cover. Therefore I will make sure the reader is aware that the interview is exclusive, to create this effect.

Something else which also makes an impact on the reader's attention is the STANDFIRST- the first paragraph, usually in bold and in a larger font.

The next paragraph would usually be more detailed, further revealing pieces of information.

SENSATIONAL LANGUAGE is often used to exaggerate a point to excite the reader further in the article. This may be just a short sentence, or a few throughout the entire article.

In my case this is more difficult to do as I am doing an interview, however I will need to ensure that my interview provides a few sensational features to give the audience that excitement. 

Using a photograph in between the text, and in line with the columns, the writing is broken up which makes the image not only stand out but the whole page looks more attractive and interesting to the reader.

COLUMNS also make the text look neat and clear, and is a conventional for a magazine article.

Another concept to remember when writing interviews especially, is COLOUR CODING for the people within the interview.
In this magazine interview, the interviewer is coded in blue, and the interviewee (Rihanna) is coded in black, with key parts of the answer highlighted in pink.