Final Double Page Spread

Above you can see the final double page spread that I have created for my magazine. I have made some changes since the first draft to develop it further making it look more professional. As planned I used a drop shadow effect on the title of the article and after using it on that, I went on to use it on the pull quote which can be seen in the centre of the right hand page. This makes it a heavier visual weight to the centre of the page which stands out more, making the quote more noticed and attracting readers. I also used an underline feature on the sub title of "what to expect" as that also looked unfinished without  any added detail, especially when the drop shadow made the main title even more powerful and eye-catching, underlining the sub title created a better balance on the page. I also made the pull quote slightly bigger and moved it a tiny bit further down from the colour bar to remove some blank space. Changes I made to the article include making the text slightly heavy so it appeared bolder and easier to read. I also noticed some spelling and grammatically errors that I have now amended and orphans that I have removed. I ensured that all of the lines that created the border around the spread were perfectly straight and met in all of the correct places to give it a sleek finish. Finally I added a page number to the left hand page of the spread as that will make it much easier for the magazine to be followed through the contents page.

I like the way that the finished version of my double page spread is not overly complicated giving it a fresh look which fits well with the feel of my magazine. I also am happy with my decision that I made to clone the background of the image across the double page spread to give it a textured feel instead of editing it to be white.

Final Contents Page

I feel as if the contents page that I have created is the product that I have made the most progression with since the firdt draft. There are many aspects that I have chnaged about this product to improve it and make it in  line with real media products that I have researched such as Q and smash hits magazine. Many of the things that I have chaged about the page I have done in order to create more balance on the page and ensure that it does not look unequal as it did in my first draft. I swapped the postions of the contents listings and the two images which were previiously running down the centre of the page.I have also increased the size of these to images in thier new positios to mke them the same size as the chart bar. Another large change that I have made to the page is chnaging the header at the top of the page to a standard rectangular filled box instead of the two diagonal boxes. When initially researchig title heading desings I though this would be too boring therefore used a creative design however this did not look effective on my page in relation  to the other aspect that are on  the page which is why I have reverted to using a more simple design. To balance this I have inserted a colour filled box at the bottom of the page. I acheived the exact same colours in these two boxes by using the eyedropper tool on indesign.
I am pleased with the significant progress that I have made from  my first draft of my contents page and the final product. I like the clear colour scheme that I have used on this page and the way that there is cosistency coming through into this from my front cover. I have ensured that I have kept this colour scheme on the page through using the eyedropper tool on many occasions to achieve the exact same shades of a colour. I have also changed the photo numbered 31 to pick up more of the blues in the background lighting rather than the reds which can  be seen in my previous draft. This keeps consistancy through the colours that I have used on all the images on  this page. I a also very happy with the way that the chart bar has turned out in this final versions. I think that changing it from the top 10 to top 5 has made it look  lot less random on the page as it fits in as a similar size to other images that are close to it. I have also picked up a the swatch of blue which I have used for a gradient swatch as that is a colour which fits in with my page where as the black/grey previosuly looked too harsh.  I also like the way that my page is structured , all the cover stories together in one coloumn and the other stories in  another. As well as it it all lines up well with each other adn ther are no overhangs or orphans in my text making it look professional.

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.