Preliminary Drawing of Front Page

In order to determine how I want to lay my front page out, and what sort of layout I would prefer, I needed to put together a series of preliminary drawings to give me an idea of how I'm going to set the front page out, almost like a template or a guide to follow, to save me from trial and error, and to simple commence the designing and get through as accurately as possible without any mistakes or time consuming thinking, trying to come up with an idea and so forth. This acts as a visual display for me to simply copy over and for the cover to resemble my preferred drawing.

The drawing to the left was purely inspired from my research I did previously, with a close up image of the models face, so there is hardly any background at all, therefore, the reader is entirely drawn to the model's face and not anything that may be in the background consequently, being a distraction to the main object. I positioned the title centred and in the foreground so that it covers part of the models head, giving it a sense of depth. In this particular design I will have writing featured either side of the model again, in the foreground overlapping part of the model. Minor details that complete the magazine is the bar code that will be placed at the bottom right hand corner as featured in many other music magazines that have been researched; something that I will create myself. Another aspect of this magazine is the feature circle that again was something that appeared in most magazines; this one in particular will be placed to the left of the models head however, I personally think this looks too confined and should be placed at elsewhere, since the image is such an intense close up. This design I will not intend on using as it doesn't give much of an insight into the indie/alternative style I am trying to portray therefore, will not be using it.


My second drawing I don't like at all, I was simply experimenting with designs, and was not inspired by this drawing at all, it may appear more musical than the previous drawing since it has got more of an indie/alternative theme to it, since the shot is full length accompanied with a guitar portraying music. However, the research I conducted previously does not support this idea at all, the shot is too far away, and is not focused enough on the model, front covers usually consist of either a mid shot or less and this doesn't convey this. Another factor of this magazine I dislike is that of where the title has been placed; again it is extremely rare that a title is featured at the bottom of the page, as it is usually the top of the magazine that draws the reader to the magazine, as that is where the eye line is, the eye follows from top to bottom, not the other way round therefore, is not reader friendly in terms of getting the most sales as possible due to the poor layout. The bar code is in an odd place in comparison to my research, the 'feature circle' isn't a complete circle therefore, simply looks out of place compared to the magazine; overall nothing is being concentrated on and the entire magazine is very vague looking.

In the photo on the left I took into consideration that the bar code needs to be at the bottom of the front cover to the left or right side, in order to look complete. Therefore, applied this and did exactly that. I particularly like this layout, as it is very clear and concise; The main focus of the magazine is the model and that is what should draw the reader in therefore, has to be focused entirely on the image; a mid shot from the waist upwards is the 'typical' shot used on magazines, as seen in research. I positioned the model slightly off set, opposed to be directly in the middle; as this allows for the title to slightly overlap the models head in the foreground, and it allows you to easily place writing down the left hand side, making it visible and bold. I placed the 'feature circle' in the bottom right hand corner as the right side of the magazine would appear empty if there was nothing there, therefore, would complete the cover well. Lastly, a particular feature of this magazine I'm unsure of the placing, is a banner at the top of the page that will include names of artists and bands, making it clear that it is a music magazine, however, I am not too sure whether to place it at the top of the magazine as it slightly pushes the title down, drawing the attention away from it, nevertheless, in my more detailed drawing I may consider placing the banner at the bottom of the cover. Overall, this is my most favourite layout, as it fits into the codes and conventions of a music magazine, therefore, something I believe will be quite successful.

Experimenting with ideas of layouts, I wanted what an alternative pose on the front cover of a magazine would look like, therefore, addressed this idea with a cross legged pose and a unique placing of the title down the right hand side of the page. I like this layout purely because of how different the entire layout is, and it is not something you would 'expect' to see a magazine like, however, I do not think it works as well as I hoped as it doesn't 'fit' into the variety of other magazines, and evidently looks unprofessional, and again there is not main focus as their are many other aspects of this layout that would distract the reader from the main image.

Again, I applied this cross legged picture again however, with more of a long shot with a prop (guitar) removing the title from down the side and placing it at the top centrally, in the hope that it would make the entire layout look more professional and focused. Nevertheless, the longer shot, makes the entire magazine look distance and out of place, although I like the idea of the model requiring a prop as it outlines that this is a music magazine. However, I personally from these variety of drawings feel that the shot needs to be from the waist up or less. Another factor



IN CONCLUSION I WILL MOST PROBABLY USE MY THIRD DESIGN IDEA AS I FEEL AS MENTIONED THAT THIS TYPE OF TEMPLATE BEST SUITS THAT OF A PROFESSIONAL LOOKING MAGAZINE AND THEREFORE, WILL HOPEFULLY APPEAL TO MY TARGET AUDIENCE

Font Development

Now I have come to my conclusion of what my magazine is going to be called, I now need to go through the process of selecting a font that will suit the front cover of my magazine. I will go through numerous amounts of fonts, carefully choosing specific styles, experimenting through trial and tribulation in order to determine a suitable font that would be appropriate for my INDIE/Alternative magazine.

I began with selecting random fonts, in order for me to gather a variety of styles that I can choose from that would best suit the front cover of my magazine. I experimented with fonts that had serifs and that did not, having a few that were all upper case and some all lower case. However, something I have kept throughout is the colour; even though black would seem a very simple colour, it is very bold in terms of standing out on a front cover. Its very classy and will most definitely suit the black and white theme I have. I initially also had the idea of wanting the 'V' larger than all the other letters, giving it a sense of height and variety. It balances the word out perfectly as there are five other letters on either side, therefore, seems successful opposed to seeming out of place which could be an issue.

I then narrowed the selection down to a few designs that I believe could have some potential of appearing on the front cover. The first two fonts are too similar and do not look like they would appear on a magazine due to its very 'messy' style. The second to last font is one that I wouldn't consider using as I personally think it doesn't 'suit' the look I'm trying to portray.Therefore, the third and fourth fonts are the two I will need to decide between.

I then selected two of my most favourite that I would most definitely consider having on the front of my magazine. Both of these fonts are extremely suitable; as despite their simplicity, looking at my research, most titles are very simple but bold, therefore, standing out an extortionate amount, grabbing the readers eye. I experimented slightly, with these fonts, tracking the letters by moving them closer together or further. The first font on my left I condensed the letters, to see what sort of effect it would have on the eye, I personally don't like the condensed letters as they merge into one another not making the entire word as clear as it should be; evidently spoiling the font. Whereas, with the second font, I did the complete opposite and separated the letters more then they would naturally be, I had to be careful on how large the spacing was, as the word still needed to appear as a word not separate letters standing next to each other. However, once slightly adjusting the spacing, I ultimately though it was a very unique, individual style, a simple yet bold font that would match the style of my magazine. 

Finally coming to a conclusion as to what font I will feature as the title of my magazine is; 'Parisian BT' As mentioned previously it is a very simple font however, it emphasis' the classiness and alternative style I wish to portray. Through my research I discovered that the name of the magazine and the font of the title have to reflect the magazine in a positive way, its not just the content of the magazine but the overall presentation that has been created in order to entice the reader. It is a name that (as a designer) wants to be remembered, its presentation will reflect how the public will respond, as they are our ultimate market that will market the product to other people therefore, has to be marketed in a positive light, which means making the presentation something everyone will remember.

Magazine Name

For my magazine name I want to in some way incorporate the style of INDIE/Alternative. As I want it to appear catchy so the public will remember the name and therefore, will be natural advertising as I hope for my magazine to be talked about and for people to sell on the name I come up with.

I originally started looking at songs of INDIE bands to see if it would inspire me to create a unique name of my own. I came up with a few names, trying to make them original but yet keep them iconic and unique, ensuring they haven't been used elsewhere. some of my ideas were as follows;

• Memphis
• Cold Stone
• Echo
• Breakeven
• IndieVidual

I then finally came to the conclusion that the name I think would most suit and represent my magazine appropriately is 'IndieVidual' as even though it is not spelt grammatically correctly, it is a play on words that shows creativity and although is very simply, it is effective and most viewers of this magazine will understand and remember the iconic name.

1st Set of Photographs for Front Cover

My first set of photographs I set out to do with my male model who I want to appear on my front cover of my magazine. I feel that it was a very successful photo shoot, as my previous research gave me a clear idea of what I wanted to re create and how I wanted my model to pose and behave. I used the setting of some fields near by and some props of a guitar and a hat in some photos, just to create a sense of it being for a music magazine.

I print screened all my photos just to show the variety I took ranging from black and white to colour, and a variation of ideas/poses; they are presented as miniatures featured below;

I photographed these pictures with a general idea of what I wanted to created; all through my research I have done previously, the variety of poses and ideas I initially had inspiration from the research, nevertheless, I wanted the photographs to be mainly my imagination, and luckily my model successfully managed to recreate what I had in mind.

Here are some of my photos enlarged, and a few of my favourites;

Extra Photo Research Front Page

I have carried out some extra photo research so that I have a general idea of what kind of pose/look/style I want my model to portray when I am photographing them. This will give me a starting point of ideas that I will later advance and develop making them my own. It will also help my model as it will give them a visual idea of what I'm looking for and hopefully will allow them to successfully create the persona I want them to illustrate.                        

This is the type of mood and feeling I want my photographs to portray; a very serious, effortless, cool style. However, the clothing is something I wouldn't consider on my model, as this is very much so country/folk and the type of magazine I am doing is an Alternative/Indie magazine therefore, would not suit - I may consider getting some research on clothing I may consider to be on my model. The black and white photo is something I will most definitely use however, perhaps have a slight grain on it to make it look slightly old fashioned and unique. Nevertheless, I will aim to have the model being extremely clear in the foreground and the background to be very blurred. The setting of being in a field and outside is something I definitely want to use as, natural light is the best possible light available, opposed to using artificial light. However, I will have to make sure the weather is acceptable for taking the photo as the sun would at as a natural main light to lighting up one side of the face and creating shadow. This mid shot is a shot that I would use on my double page spread inside the magazine, not necessarily the front page. As I want the front page image to be powerful and striking and for the model to be looking directly into the camera, I do not want it to be off set like this image. Despite this not being the type of angle and shot I would want on my front cover it is something I would consider to insert onto my double page spread.


This image comes across as very powerful as the way the camera is angled from a worms eye view, gives the perception that the model appears bigger than he is and is more powerful than the camera. I may use this technique either looking down onto my model or angling the camera up like this as it also creates a natural background, as it will either have the sky or the ground as the complete background. Again this uses a black and white however, it is a lot darker than I would like my photo's to be. It could have been due to lack of light and where the model has been positioned therefore, creating the very dark shadow underneath the chin, along the neck and the eyes, however, where the light has been positioned it highlights the models chin an extortionate amount, defining the bone structure, a feature that should be considered when photographing.

The image to the left is an example of the type of clothing I would perhaps dress my model in, a very clean cut, simple style. However, I'm not too sure about the tie and braces, nevertheless, I would like to try and use a hat in some photos and for my model to wear straight trousers, a shirt and a jacket. This look will enable all the concentration to be on the model's face and the emotion they are trying to convey, the simplicity of the clothing won't draw attention but will create the indie look I want to create.