Double Page Spread - Improved

After gaining feedback on my original double page spread, I made several changes to improve the document, such as;

• Adding a strapline - because this is a common feature of double page spreads in music magazines and are important as they give the reader an introduction to the article
• Extended the size of my dominant image - because I wanted to get rid of the space covered by bricks
• Got rid of the black rectangles behind the headline - because they made the article look unprofessional and I could not get the proportions right to match the size of the text

Time Management - Week 17

Time Management - Week 16

Time Management - December

In this month, I have struggled to complete my double page spread due to illness and being unable to work. However I managed to comet my double page spread and also upload a post showing a comparison between my contents page and contents pages made by my competitors. To show how I intended to produce my double page spread. I created a post showing the influences I would use. These would be other double page spreads made by my competitors.

Double Page Spread

This is my double page spread. I am happy with it's appearance and I will gather feedback on how it can be improved when I return to college.

Contents Page - Further Improvements

• I added a title to the editor's note as before, I thought that it seemed quite unclear that it was actually the editor talking, therefore I added a title so that readers knew that it was the editor talking.
• I shifted the masthead, the date and the word 'contents' around in the top of the page. This was to decrease the amount of empty, white space and make the top of the page look more innovative. 

Time Management - Week 15

Double Page Spread - Update

This is my double page spread. So far, I have created the article headline with a black rectangle as the background. I have also edited my original image on Photoshop, so that the image looks the way I want it to look. The next stage of creation will be to add my article into the document, and ensure that the leading, font size, etc, is appropriate for the document.

DPS Picture - Editing

The first image is the original image, the one below is the edited version. It is clear to see that I have removed the door / hatch that is behind the model's heads. Using the cloning tool on photoshop, I did this by highlighting another section of the image and going over the part that I wanted to remove. I also got rid of the white bricks that are on the right hand side of the image, again, to do this I used the Photoshop cloning tool. The new image has a slightly lighter shade than the original. This is because I added a filter to the image on Photoshop to give the image a grainy, weathered feel to match the mise-en-scene of the magazine. 

Double Page Spread - Inspiration

This is my most preferred inspiration for the double page spread. I like the overall design and the way that one of the pages concentrates purely on text and one concentrates on the dominant image. I also like how poll-quotes and sub-images have been integrated into the two pages. Similarly to how this magazine does, I will include a poll quote on the page where the picture is. On the other page, I will include mostly text and may add a sub image.

I like this double page because, similarly to the last one, the two page separate text from the dominant image. I also like the how the headline of the article is positioned as it gives an immediate implication of what the article is about. For my double page spread, I will position the headline in a similar place to where it has been positioned in this one, so that my readers can instantly see what the article is about. I also like how each paragraph of the article starts with a very big capital letter. This lets readers know when a new paragraph is starting and perhaps could infer that a different subject is being discussed. 

I chose to use these double page spreads as influences because they both come from issues of NME. From my target audience research, I found that NME was the most preferred music magazine, therefore I want to try and recreate their designs for my double page spread.

Contents Page Improvements

These are the improvements that I have made to my contents page as advised to in the feedback:

• I replaced the image in the editor's note as I couldn't crop the other one without distorting it. Also I feel the new image is better as it is a lot clearer and is less pixelated.
• I have reduced the amount of page numbers in the contents list as it would be unlikely that a monthly magazine would have anymore than 80 pages.
• I have added a pull quote to the image within the page because I looked at a couple of other magazine's (NME and Rolling Stone's) contents pages and they had also included pull quotes therefore I felt it would be necessary to add one as it would be appropriate for my target audience. 

Front Cover Improvements

This is my front cover improved.

• I was told that I should include a website underneath the masthead so I added one. 
• I was told that I should enlarge the dominant image in order to get of the white background space. 
• I noticed that the masthead and the first subhead were on the same line. I moved the subhead downwards slightly so that they weren't on the same line.

Update - 10th December

Today I will continue to work on my double page spread. I didn't get to work on it last lesson because I was absent due to illness, however I have worked on it at home and in the ILC and I hope to make more progress on it today.

Time Management - Week 14

• I have assessed how effectively I managed my time in November.
• I also made a post showing what I plan and hope to do in the month of December.
• I have also made a post showing what my main inspirations for my contents page were and which conventions I liked and tried to emulate within my own work.
• I have posted more feedback that I received for my front cover first draft. This will help me decide which measures I should take to improve the page.
• I also posted some of the feedback received for my contents page first draft. This too will help me to know which improvements to make in due course.

Contents Page Feedback

This was the feedback I gained from my teacher after printing off my contents page. Similarly to the front cover feedback, I will acknowledge the comments and make the appropriate changes in order to improve the work.

Front Cover Feedback

This was the feedback I gained from my teacher after printing off my front cover. I will acknowledge the comments and make the appropriate changes in order to improve the work.

Contents Page - Inspiration

This was probably the main influence for my contents page. I liked the strucure of it and I like the way that the dominant image in the right hand corner stands out. I also like the strapline that goes across the top of the page as it makes the masthead and headline of the page stand out. I have tried to recreate this with my contents page and I feel I have succeeded in doing so. However, I feel that this particular contents page includes too much text and makes the page look a bit too formal. Therefore I will not include as much text in my own contents page. This will involve; giving briefer descriptions in the contents list or taking away the review section in the bottom right hand corner of the page.





I like this page because it looks the most like one that my target audience would like. It has an informal feel but still portrays a smart professional look at the same time. I like the use of the conventions as well, for example the subscription advert at the bottom of the page. I included on of those within my contents page. Also, the contents list is good because it uses black rectangles behind the subheads therefor the font stands out. My contents list is very similar to this because I tried to recreate the features that I liked.

Plan for December

In December;

• I will display the feedback that I gained from my teacher and peers regarding my contents page as I was not able to do this in December. 
• I will then proceed to make the required improvements to my contents page. 
• I will produce my double page spread and make an inspiration post prior to its production. 
• I will hope to receive feedback on the double page spread and display this feedback along with the improvements that are required. 

Time Management - November

In this month;

• I achieved my targets of uploading the flat plans for my magazine along with a detailed rationale for each. 
• I also produced and uploaded my front cover and contents page along with a detailed comparison post for each. 
• I was also able to display some of the peer feedback that I received for my front cover, along with showing a few updates of my progress.