Masthead Revision

Masthead Revision -

After analysing music magazine mastheads I found that instead of using a plain rectangle and simple font (like I currently have on my preliminary magazine), they added a more recognisable feature to the masthead, for example Kerrang has a cracked effect which reflects what kind of magazine it is.

I had the idea to turn each letter of the word “Synergy” into a piece of school equipment, for example the “S” could be in the shape of a pencil, and the “Y” in the shape of a paint brush etc.

I think this will make the magazine look more interesting to the target audience, opposed to a really formal masthead.

To create the letters I will draw them on paper, scan it into the computer, and then outline the letters in PhotoShop, and colour them in etc.

Here is the pen sketch I created on paper: 

The final design, created in PhotoShop: 

Before: 

After:

Preliminary Magazine Design

     Today I focused on sketching designs for my preliminary task.

First I worked on the front cover; I did this so I could establish a house style that I could use throughout the task. As you can see the masthead fills the top of the magazine, and in a box in the top left hand corner I have added the sell line: “Ultimate Post 16 Magazine”. Then beneath the mast head in another box is the date of the edition: “Winter Edition 2013”.

The main image is of a school girl wearing winter clothing, as it is the winter edition, and this image will be aligned to the left of the magazine, and the cover lines will run down the right hand side.                                                          

There will also be a second image in the bottom right hand corner, which will link to the article regarding exam stress.

The colour scheme I have decided will be blue and yellow, as it mimics our school colours.

      Next I worked on the contents page. When planning this page I needed to make sure that it follows the consistent house style I set out when designing the front cover.

As you can see I have designed this page to be laid out in a very organised way, so it flows well, allowing readers to find the articles they are looking for.

The articles and page numbers will be listed down the left hand side of the page, concealed in a box to give the page some dimension. Then the images will be in a cluster running down the right hand side of the page, and the images will have corresponding numbers to link them with their articles.

I decided to round the edges of the images as I thought it would look too harsh to leave them with their original square edges.

The title will simply say: “Contents”, followed by the date of the edition (Winter Edition 2013).

I have also planned to add the “Synergy” logo in the top right hand side of the page to add some branding to the magazine. 

Colour Scheme Dilema

For this magazine I decided that I wanted to use a blue an yellow colour scheme to mimic the school colours. I went onto colourlovers.com, and searched through the site for blue and yellow palettes, and I found a lot of palettes which could be used.

I found this pale blue and yellow palette, which looks very soft and could work well of the magazine. However I think it looks too feminine, and might deter males from reading it. Also for the age group I am targeting I think something bolder would grab their attention more.

 I also found this palette, and I really liked the blue colours, however the yellow looked greener than I thought it would when I tried it out in InDesign. So I thought I would combine the blue from this palette and the yellow from the palette above. But when searching further on the site, I found the perfect blue and yellow palette. 

 So I ended using this palette, as I realised that these colours are a lot like the ones that the school uses, and they’re not too garish, but they are bold and will grab peoples attention. I also think the colours in this palette all compliment each other really well. 

Photoshoot for Preliminary Task (24.01.13)

Today I did the photo shoot, and I think it came out really well. I used Corrie and Emily as models, and I think it would have given me options if I had used a male and female for the images, however I chose to use a female as I think they’re more engaging on the fronts of magazines.

The snow was still on the ground outside, so I thought hosting the photo shoot in that environment would enable me to create a good winter edition of the magazine.

I managed to achieve a variety of shots for the magazine cover. I also took some photos of the school grounds, and of some of classroom scenes for the contents page. 

My next step will be to sort through the images and those which ones I think are good candidates for the front cover, and contents page, and begin editing them in Photoshop (Colour correction, cropping etc.)

Human Resource Planning (Preliminary)

For the preliminary task I have asked Emily and Corrie (fellow media students) to model in the photographs for the front cover and images for the content pages. Other images will include shots of the site and classroom scenes, and these shots will match the stories that I'm covering.

I will take a variety of different images, so that I have a range of shot types to work with and manipulate. 

Equipment Planning (Preliminary)

To achieve the preliminary task of creating the magazine front cover and contents page, I will need a stills camera, which I own. 

I will also use In Design which I have at home, and is available on all school computers. I will use the colour lovers website to aid me with choosing my colour schemes.

I

 will also use Photoshop to manipulate images, and enhance the visuals. I have this also both at home, and available at school. 

Target Audience (Preliminary)

The brief stated that we had to make a new college magazine, and I decided to target the magazine towards post 16 (16-18 years) students.

I made this decision based on the fact that I am in Post 16, and it seemed relevant to make a magazine based on the age group I know most about. I also feel that using a magazine to communicate with this particular age group would be very effective, as there are lots of successful magazines that are aimed at this age group.

To convey that I am aiming this magazine at this particular age group, I will use more casual language techniques, bold colours, and relevant imagery. 

Synopsis

To fulfil the preliminary brief I am going to make a magazine aimed at post 16 students, the title of the magazine will be “Synergy”.

I had a three possible names for the magazine: Converge, Connect, and Synergy. I thought all three seemed relevant to the school magazine. Converge, as I thought it would symbolise the school converging with the students, and created a good link between home and school, to keep students up to date. Connect also works in the same manner, creating a connection between home and school. However in the end I chose the title “Synergy” as I think it symbolises that students should all work together as a group to enhance the school environment and boost working attitude.

The colour scheme is going to be blue and yellow to mimic the school colours. I did think about using a different colour scheme with each seasonal edition (blues for the winter, yellows for the summer) however I think working with the school colours will further link the magazine with the school, so that the students that read it will recognise the brand.