Creating Front Cover

Photo Manipulating Front Cover Image

Aspects of the photo which I changed ; 

• colour of models nails 
• the levels of the background 
• the shade of her clothes
• Removing imperfections

The photo before manipulation 

The photo after manipulation 

Music Magazine Final Front Cover

Since the first draft of the front cover that I posted, I have made the changes that I mentioned previously that I would along with some others that seemed relevant as I continued the development process. Some of the plans that I had made, I attempted but did not look effective; for example the movement of the cross and win feature to the top of the page. I decided to keep this where it was as the cross is also close to the main headline which I also want the reader to have their attention drawn towards. However to make the top of the page slightly heavier I have increased the size of the main title. Also, after experimenting with different ways I could fill the blank space, I have added a small blue banner across the right hand corner of the page which displays the issue number on it. I like this feature as I think it is something that could be used on every issue of the magazine as a form of house style and could incorporate what ever colour scheme that issue of the magazine is following. As planned I included the creamfields logo instead of the text as this is a logo that my target audience are familiar with and will therefore attract them to the magazine. I used a clipping path edge on this logo so that it blended in with the background of the cover. I have re-arranged the way in which the articles are displayed and increased the weight of the text so that they stand out more as well as ensuring they are all lined up giving the magazine an organized finish. 

I am pleased with the outcome of this product, I really like the pose of the model and think that the eye contact with her is especially drawing for the reader enticing them to "enter". I feel this cover portrays the attitude of powerful women that I intended to create. I also feel as if the relatively simplistic colour scheme that I used makes it appealing for everyone as being a chart magazine it includes many genres of music therefore must be flexible for my target audiences preferences.

music magazine first draft

This is the first draft which I have create for the front cover of my music magazine. I feel as if I have already developed this draft quite long way from the initial plans that I made when I followed my hand drawn designs. This is likely to be because the way that all of the aspects of the page were laid out look a lot different when they are completed and on the screen to what they do when they are flat plans on paper. The main reason that I moved things around from what I had planned was to attempt to follow the rule of thirds and create balance on my cover. However I think I could improve this further as the bottom of my page feels a lot heavier than the top of the page as it has many visual weights reasonably close together. I will attempt to move the cross and the win feature to the top of the page which should create a balance between the diagonally opposite which is the headline and the bar code. I have also noticed that my features on the page are not lined up correctly making it look slightly messy and unprofessional  this is something I must amend in my final version. I think that there is also something missing at the top of the page on the right hand side. I will experiment with different elements that I could add into this part of the page to fill the blank space. Finally I think that by adding the logo for creamfields festival instead of the text "creamfields line up revealed" would be a lot more attractive to my target audience as that would be a logo they are familiar with. 

Apart from these changes that I plan on making I am happy with this draft of my front cover that I have produced, I think that it follows the research that I have carried out well and has the potential to be in line with real media products that represent chart music.

Cover Model Second Shoot

When photographing the second shoot for my music magazine I attempted to reproduce the images that I had   previously chosen as my favourites from the first shoot and made the relevant changes. 

 After looking at all of the photographs that I have taken in this shoot I have chosen this as the one that I will use on the front cover of my magazine. I have chosen this photo as I feel that the model is portraying the right attitude that I planned which is a strong female attitude not only with the pose which she is positioned in but also in her facial expressions. This photograph that I have chosen is strongly linked to the research that I have previously carried out. During the process of shooting the images I have varied the outfit which she has been wearing however I have chosen to use the most simple outfit for the final product. This is because i feel it makes the model look the most powerful when she is not over complicated. I also feel that the lighting int his photograph is strong and compliments my models skin tone. However I have noticed there is a problem with this photograph which is that the models nails are on show an are not a colour that fits in with my theme nor matches the rest of the photo. I will use an editor programme such as Photoshop to edit this and ensure that the colour of her nails are a red that match the colour of her lips. I will also use photo shop to make the background of this image a smooth texture and not the crinkled sheet that can currently be seen. These changes will improve the quality of the image before it is placed on my front cover.

Cover Model First Shoot

For the front cover of my music magazine I have completed the first shoot of my chosen model. Overall I took 148 photographs on this session and within that I incorporated a number of different poses, all following my theme of strong, powerful women. I also used 4 different outfit variations on my model. I picked this model as I believe she fits my brief well as she has the two strong features which are important to my photographs; lips and eyes.

Out of all of the photographs that I took in this first shoot I have chosen 7 which I feel are the strongest for different reasons differing between each of them. These are the ones which I ill focus on developing the negative aspects about in the next shoot which I carry out to ensure that my photo sessions become more focused on capturing the final shot.

The positioning of the model in this photo would work well with leaving room for other aspects to be included on my front cover. I like the pose which she is positioned in however would like to make it stronger and facial expression more harsh. This photo was also not taken well as it has come out blurred so I must ensure that I keep the camera stable while taking the shot.

I very much like the facial expression of the model in this photograph as it portrays the strong attitude of my magazine perfectly. The body position that she is in also works well with this. However I feel that she is too far down the page and would like to move slightly closer into her face so that there is more empahsis on her powerful eyes.

Again I feel like I have the model positioned too far down the page and must ensure that when I re shoot this that I remember the rule of thirds as well as the other features that will be going on the front cover of my magazine. However I think her slightly tilted head and raised eye line works really well with my theme of power. 

The positioning of the model is better in this photograph and I think that the costume works well with the theme of a powerful woman as well as the pose that it allows the model to work with. When re shooting this I will adjust the models eyeline so that she looks stronger and as if she is looking down on the accidence. 

I really like the pose which the model is in here, by looking up at her it really emphasizes the power which she possess . I think that her eyes look particularly strong therefore will make this slightly closer up so that they are more noticed.

I belive this is one of the strongest photos that I took. It shows a lot of attitude coming from my model portraying exactly the right mood which I planned out. The slightly messy hair also adds to this effect. I will position this photo next time so that she is slightly further up the page and closer in to her face.

Different to all of the others which I have chosen, this is a photo which I want to re shot as it still follows the theme of a strong woman however I think that it has a slightly different edge to it and shows relaxed power that she is uncomfortable with. The colours on her outfit also portray this. I feel that I shot this photo too far away from the model so this is an aspect that I will focus on next time.

Cover Font Research

I began font research in an unfocused fashion that allowed me to look at many different styles of font that I could use for the title of my magazine. I done this by selecting a large variety of different fonts from the avalibale list. I then began to get more focused as I chose the fonts which I liked the most of of these and develope them a little bit further , by changing the changing the characteristics to what I think would suit them more for example changing the size of letters , boding or italicing them.

After this, the next step I took was to close the best 3 fonts which I though represented the attitude of my magazine to develop into the final stages. Once I had selected these three fonts I changed them amount many times to ensure that I had looked at all the possible ways that it could be.

Eventually I came to the conclusion that I of the font and style that I would put it in. For the final font I have used I have displayed it in both black and red for the moment as I know for defiant these will be two of the clearly dominant colours on the front cover of my magazine however I will make the final decision and colour match them when putting together the front cover.

Front Cover Designs

I went through quite a detailed process when designing the way that I would layout my front cover. I began with very initial ideas that followed my research of a mid shots model at that stage however the positioning of the features was very scattered. I progressed from this stage by moving my designs onto the photo that I was going to use on the cover. I experimented with the use of a circle as a visual weight to attract the audiences attention to a particular are of the page as I had seen in my research. However I felt that a cross would be more appropriate so this was what I went on to experiment with instead of the circle. I think my strongest design is the top right hand corner.

Further Front Cover Research

I have come to the conclusion that the model that I will photograph for my magazine cover will have a powerful woman on it that is positioned in a way that makes her seem strong and terrorising to men. In this stage of my research I will look at different images which portray woman in a similar way to this to find positive and negative aspects of photographs of this nature.

The model on this cover is seen to have a round face that her hair covers the outline of. The model is faced directly forward looking straight into the camera so it is like she is staring straight at the reader. The eyes of the model and the way that her lips are positioned are the important factors about this photograph  The pose which she is in with her hand on her hips emphasize the power she is holding. Also by showing her facing straight forward shows there is no other angles which the person can be portrayed and she is open.

The eye line of this model looking up towards the camera making however it does not seem like there is something bigger than her but more as if she is threatening and ready for unleash. The position of her arms also suggest this and make her elbows forward make her seem sharp

The position that we see this model in shows her with a clenched fist at the bottom of the photo and her finger spread and her thumb in her mouth. The hand at the top of the photo covers one of her eyes making her seem mysterious however the biting of the thumb make her seem extremely strong and portray her as a man eater. The pose she is in also leaves her body as open showing she has nothing to hide and is not ashamed of her powerful personality.

This photograph is focused on the eyes and hair of the model. Her squinted eyes make her seem judgemental of everything as if she is analysing every aspect of what she sees before approval. This could show she has high standards that she wants others to meet up to other wise she would not give them a second look. Her flying hair portrays another side of her personality which makes her seem wild and crazy. The cigarette hanging from her lips also adds to this side of her personality making her seem rebellious and not afraid to break the rules.

This cover is different to all of the others which I have analysed regarding powerful women. This shows the model from a side angle and she also has her mouth open. However it is not any less powerful than the others as her mouth is in a shape which suggests she hungry and and also has a lot to say for herself. It also looks seductive. Her eye line looking round to the front into the camera is threatening similar to the other photographs. However the shape that her body is I don't think fits in with the theme I am trying to follow as it is more sexual than powerful.

I am aware that the pose of this following magazine from my general research does not fit with that I am trying to portray however the positioning of the text and other feature on the page is the way that I will lay out my magazine 

A large title at the top of the page with a header above this makes is a feature of this magazine that i really like as it think the  header above the title stops it looking like a poster and more like a magazine front cover. I also very much like the way that the text is laid out on this magazine down both sides of the page however I think it would be better if the "kay perry " which is the name of the cover model was in large in the middle of the page somewhere.

Front Cover General Research

As I begin the research for my chart music magazine that I will be creating I will start by researching magazines which are similar to what I will be creating. I will analyse the factor that I like and dislike about these magazine covers. The consistency that I have kept throughout this stage of research is the shot of the photograph on the page and where it is cut off at the top/middle of the models legs.

I like the colour scheme which has been used on this cover, the dark background with the white writing makes it almost jump off of the page for the reader, it also creates consistency between the colour of the text and the dress of the model which also is bright. I very much like the way that the model is lit in this photograph and especially the way that it looks as if the light is radiating off the model into the top right hand corner where the background becomes lighter, This also makes the model seem more important and almost angelic. I don't like that there is a large piece of writing above the title of the magazine which makes it pushed so far down the page that it nearly reaches the bottom of the models neck, I believe it would be better if the writing above it was smaller and the title was slightly further up the page so that it was only at the top of the models head. I understand that the title/logo of the magazine involved the bright pop colours in the circles of it however I think to makes it look more fitted then all of them colours should have been incorporated into the magazine cover. Another feature which I think looks effective is having some of the features on the cover set behind the model and others in front.

I do no like the colour scheme which has been used on this cover at all. I think that the colours look cheap and unprofessional. However I do understand why it has been used as it fits in with the make up and skin tone of the model. I think that this cover would have looked better if the photo was set onto a light colour background such a white. This could have been colour matched from the colour which we see on the models eyes. The shades of gold which have been used could still have been incorporated by changing the writing which is currently in white to gold. The writing which has been used above the title on this cover is much smaller from the one above which I mentioned that I did not like, this smaller size text makes the title shift further up the page so that it is in in line with the top of the models head which is what I said would have looked better about the other cover. I like the way that the writing is positioned on the page, there is no hangings on the edges and that it increases in size as it reaches the bottom of the page. The writing which says 'woman of the year' makes her seem like a strong powerful woman and the pose which she has been set into follows this and I like the way that it links together.

Where all of the other models have been set looking as if they are behind or partly behind the text or other features which are on the page, the model on this cover is on front of everything. I think that especially with the model in this pose it makes her stand out to much and looks more like a photograph with text on to me than the front cover. I think that the font which has been used works well for the title of magazine and portrays that the magazine will be quite simple and straight forewarn  but this is when the font is used in a large size and is stretched out. However when the same font is used in a much smaller size on the page it is very difficult to read and could in fact potentially turn people off reading it. I think that is makes it worse that it is all very squashed together. This also creates blank spaces on the page which could have been avoided if they has spaced and positioned the words and had a variation of sizes. But overall I really like the the way that the text and other features on the page have been laid out. 



This cover contains the same model as the cover above. The model has been put in a similar position which suggests that this is an angle that compliments the models body best. When photographing my model for the front page of the magazine I must make sure that I am doing this to her. I like the colour scheme which has been used on this cover as it is simple which makes it look to a professional standard and organized. As on the covers which I analysed above, I think a good features about this cover is that there is a small piece of writing above the covers title/logo at the top of the page and it is not too big. The logo on this cover is also in good relation to the top of the models head. I don't like the writing which covers majority of the logo , although you can still see the logo clearly I think that the overlapping looks messy and it could have been spaced smaller and positioned further across in the blank space next to it. I like the way that the text on the left hand side of the model is in colour filled boxes and looks similar to the way that it would on the back of an album cover which associated with the theme of the magazine. However I do think this could have been made one size larger so that is is slightly easier to read. The use of the circle which is used on the right hand side of the model is positioned well as it fits in a curve in her body. The colour of the circle fits well with the rest of the scheme which has been used on the cover however by having it different colour to the rest it helps to making it stand out more. By using a circle on the cover, it automatically draw the human eye to the information in the centre of it therefore causing the reader to the be instantly attracted to the information in the middle of the centre.

Out of all the covers which I have analysed I think that this one looks the most unprofessional. The features which I don't like about this cover include the colour of the title, as the rest of the magazine is black and white I think that a stronger, bolder colour should have been used. I also think that the model is too far up at the top of the page. Also there is no text above the title which makes this seem as if that as well is too close to the top of the page. However I think that the way that the rest of the content on the page is positioned so that it fits around the shape of the models body in the pose she is in. I also like the sue of bolding and different size texts which draw the attention of the reader more.

Time Managment

I have set dates in which certain aspects of my project must be completed by in order to ensure I have enough time to complete it all without being rushed as I was in my preliminary task.

Moodboard

The moodboard that I have created is a reprentation of powerful women that I am trying to portray in this edition of my chart music magazine. As my target audiene is for older teenagers / young adults between the age range of 16-24 year old I feel that this theme will fit well. When carrying out researh for this moodboard I was able to see differnt things that will help; me represent this theme such as dark clothing, the colour red in general and especially on nails and lips of the model. Also eye contat in  the photos is also an imporant factor and is also a way which I can engage the audience.