Final DPS.

Here is my final DPS:






Firstly you can see that I have continued using the same colour scheme and font from my other pieces, in order to create continuity and link them all together.

I've used images that portray 'Alice' as a person who the target audience would be able to relate to easily to, due to the the poses as well as the fact that in every image she is looking at you. This will then draw the reader in, making sure the article is read.

The layout of the DPS has the typical qualities that other magazines have. The first page is just one large photo of 'Alice' with a quote above: a feature that is seen in many magazines regardless of the category. The first page also contains a brief introduction to the article, another common feature, with the red background making it stand out and drawing the eye towards it.

The second page's design is very different to the first page. The most obvious clue is the presence of the overlarge speech marks on a background of red, another common code and convention of magazines. As the speech marks are so big, they automatically draw the readers eyes towards the article, whilst the bright colours enforce this. The page is bordered by the thick yellow lines, which creates space for the text and images as well as adding interest to the article.

I decided to structure the article in the style of an interview; showing both the questions and answers. In order to make this clearer to the reader, I put the questions into red whilst leaving the answers in black.

As most articles of this sort take up more than two pages, I decided to include a small arrow at the end of the text on this page to indicate that the article continues on.

DPS drafts: page 2.

DPS page 2:

This is my starting point for the second page of my DPS. I had decided on one of the images that was going to be used and had started to add some sort of text at the top of the page. I had also added in my giant speech marks, something which is seen in many magazines.

Second draft:

In my second draft I have added more text to start the article off as well as adding another image at the top, to show even more of 'Alice'. I have also added in the yellow lines which add structure to the piece as well as adding interest.

DPS drafts: page 1.

DPS page 1:




This is my starting point for my DPS. I decided to have a picture as a whole page as that is something that is common in a magazine. I added a quote at the top to give direction to the article, something again which is common in magazines.


Draft 2:


This is my second draft. I have expanded the quote to make it longer and relate even more to the article on page 2. I have also added a box at the bottom of the page with more text to explain what the article is about. I used a red background for it so it stands out and follows the colour scheme. I have also added 'Alice's' name in a large yellow circle so the reader knows who the article is about, however I don't think it looks that good so I will remove it.

Final Contents page

This is my contents page for my music magazine:

The first thing you notice is the blocks of colour which are used to divide up the articles into groups, something done in other magazines. The colours used continue the theme that was created on the front cover, and so links the two together. However, they also make the page eye-catching as it is something a bit different.

I have included the masthead at the top of the page as another way to link the two pages together, again something that is present in other magazines.

The fonts from the masthead are present on this page, with the word 'Contents' is the same font as the word 'Pop' and the other headings ('On the cover', 'Weekly' and 'Features') are in the same font as the word 'tastic'. This adds continuity but I also used them because I thought they suited the parts they were used for. Also the font for the rest of the text is the same as that on the front cover as it is relevant to the target audience.

I only used one image on the page as it is something that is done in the other magazines I have researched. It also shows that the image is related to my main article and so again links the pages together.

New Front Cover

This is the new front cover for my music magazine, following the feedback from earlier on:


I have tried to include all the things that I was told to improve on. Firstly there is the image. I have completely changed the picture to one that contained a natural background as it meant I wouldn't have the trouble of finding a colour to be put as a background and having to cut out the picture; something which didn't go well before. The image also looks more natural and relaxed which is how I wanted to present 'Alice' in the first place.

The colour scheme has changed as well, to fit in with some of the colours that are in the image. I chose red, yellow, black and white as they are colours that can be associated with Pop and they are relevant to the target audience's age as they suggest youthfulness.

To make the main part of the text stand out, I put the word 'INTRODUCING' into two circles of red and yellow, which automatically draws the eye which would make the reader pick up the magazine. I then put Alice's name into a different text to make that stand out from the rest of the page and to show that it is the main article of the issue.

At the top and bottom of the page are banners with Pop artists names in them. This is something that I had seen in other magazines and thought it would be relevant for mine as it was an opportunity to show who else is in the magazine without having lots of text, and adding variation to the page.

Feedback for front cover.

After completing my front cover I gained feedback to help me make it better. My feedback included:

• Experimenting with changing the picture in order to lose lots of the blank space.
• Making the masthead larger
• Moving around the text on the cover
• Putting text in block colours in order to make it stand out more.
• Making the main story bigger.
• Possibly putting other pictures on the cover.
• Changing the colour scheme- the background colour in particular.
• Changing the font .

It has also been decided to change the target audience from a unisex magazine to a female one but of the same age group as unisex magazines don't really exist. Another point was to try and make the front cover look like the more 'vintage' Smash Hits covers as this is one of my major influences.

Contents page drafts.

Here is the second draft of my contents page:
I have started to include some articles onto the page. The headings of each category are in the other font from the masthead, with the smaller text in the other font from the front cover to link them together. I have used the colour red for the page numbers as it is one of the colours in the masthead and stands out on the background:

Here is the first stage of my contents page.

I continued the colour scheme from my first front cover onto the contents page to add continuity. I have chosen my image which links to the one from my front cover. The masthead is also present in the top corner. I have continued to use one of the fonts from my masthead as it is bold and gets the page title across clearly.

*

After gaining feedback for my front cover, I had to change aspects of my content page so that they looked similar.

Final Front cover design.

This is my final front cover.

I chose the blue background with the red and black text in order to try and cater for both sexes.

The image was picked as it makes the star seem glamourous and by her looking at us, draws the reader in.

I tried to include all the codes and conventions of a front cover, e.g. barcode, price etc.

Front cover drafts

Here are three versions of my front cover in various stages of completion:


Above is my starting point as such for my front cover, showing the masthead and central dominant image as a basis for the rest of the page.

Next is the second draft, where you can clearly see that the colour of the masthead has changed to a bright red. As mentioned in other blog posts, I talked about the idea of using a colour like red as part of my masthead in order to attract a male and female audience, the likes of which are seen on various early Smash Hits front covers.

Lastly is the draft before my finished product. The background colour has been changed to a pale blue, again trying to draw in both genders. A barcode, issue number, date and strapline have been added, as well as the main article of the magazine, which is linked to my central dominant image.

Front Cover picture.

For my front cover of my magazine, I chose this picture:

I thought it had a gamourous look to it, yet at the same time, the model looked like she was a fun person, who had a playful side to her, something which i wanted to show in my DPS. As she is looking into the camera, it also means that when on the front cover, the reader will connect with her, as it would feel like she was looking at you. This is an important quality for a picture, I believe, as if the reader feels a connection with the front cover 'star' then they are likely to buy the magazine.

This is the same picture, but it has been edited in order for it to look right on the front cover. I have taken the background of the original image off, as it looked grey and boring. The picture can now be adapted for any background colour.


In the end, I decided to add a background colour to my picture to make it easier for the background of the front cover. I chose pale blue, as it is a colour that could appeal to both boys and girls and so hitting the criteria of my magazine.

Font choice.

Here are the two fonts I am using on my front cover, for my masthead:

The first is a bold text called Beer, for the word 'Pop'. I wanted a bold and big font for this, so it stands out and makes the genre of the magazine clear to see.

The second font is called Prelude FLF for the word 'tastic'. I chose an italic style font as it was a contrast to the word 'Pop', and makes the masthead look more interesting.