Front Cover Photo Manipulation 19/4/16

I asked my target audience to select which image they would like to see on the front cover and they decided that this one would be most suitable. I was very pleased with this result as I believe Clayton looks proud and powerful. As I did not take my photos in-studio, the lighting wasn't as effective I would've liked it to be. I therefore decided to manipulate the image on Photoshop. 

I mainly focused on making the image brighter as I think its necessary to have a bright and eye-catching photo on the front. I did this by playing around with the features in the 'essentials bar' on the programme. I also altered the contrast in order to make Clayton's hair look darker and beard more prominent. There were a few small imperfections which I also concealed using the spot healing tool. 

Image before manipulation

Image after manipulation

Final Cut Front Cover Photoshoot 18/4/16

TAKING NEW IMAGES FOR MY FRONT COVER

Here are the images from the most recent front cover photoshoot I had with Clayton. You can see that he is wearing the new outfit that contains the green colour that my target audience voted to be part of my new colour scheme. 

I took a variety of different photos using different style shots and angles. The most common shots I used were close ups and medium close ups. I believe these are the most effect shot styles on front covers as you can see can clearly see the facial expression of the cover artist. I also took the images from high and low angles so that the photos looked more creative and exciting.

Clayton pulled numerous different facial expressions throughout this shot. In my feedback, I was told that his serious facial expression was very effective so I asked Clayton to repeat this. I also experimented with the styling of the shit and got him to partake in certain actions such as folding his arms, looking away from the camera and doing the 'shhhh' action.

I shall ask my target audience which image they like the best. In my opinion, I think the the top image on the right hand side will look most effective. As I wasn't able to take these images in-studio, I will manipulate the chose photo on Photoshop to make it sharper and brighter.

Creating a New Colour Scheme 14/4/16

After asking my target audience what their preferred colour scheme was, the final consensus was that they liked the idea of introducing orange and green. I have decided to have the orange colour present through the text and the green colour present through Clayton's outfit.

This is the outfit I have chosen to dress Clayton in. It includes the green colour that my target audience seem to be fond of and compliments the orange colour I have chosen. Additionally, the outfit is more suited to the genre of the magazine as it is more laid-back but still sophisticated. 

This is the outfit I have chosen to dress Clayton in. It includes the green colour that my target audience seem to be fond of and compliments the orange colour I have chosen. Additionally, the outfit is more suited to the genre of the magazine as it is more laid-back but still sophisticated. 

This is the shade of orange I have decided to use as it isn't too bright but is still eye catching and will immediately draw attention. I think this colour suits the genre of the magazine as it is a fairly grungy colour but is still striking.

Target Audience Questionnaires 12/4/16

Once I had asked for my teachers and classmates for their feedback, I took on board some of their improvement ideas and decided to create a questionnaire asking my target audience what they thought I should do next. I asked 20 people in total of both ages and genders and these were my results:

As there was a lot of comments about the photography in my feedback, I asked my target audience if they thought it needed improving. As 15 people thought it could be improved, I am going to take this on board and take a series of new images focusing on quality, relevance and mise-en-scene.

At the moment my magazine doesn't have a colour scheme and is mainly monochrome throughout with splashes of colour from the images. I got lots of negative comments about this when I asked for feedback so I  decided to ask my target audience what colour schemes they liked best. Red, yellow and black is a very conventional colour scheme for magazines, particularly NME so I was pleased when my target audience chose orange, green and black. I think this will make my magazine unique as they aren't primary colours so should look original and effective.

 I am very pleased with the results I got for this question. The fact that half of the people I questioned would definitely buy my magazine at this current state is a very positive outcome. I will ensure that my updated magazine is even more effective and attractive to encourage more people to buy it. 

As you can see, my target audience believed my contents page needs the most improvement. I shall definitely take this on board as there was a lot of negative comments about it from my peer and teacher feedback as well. I will focus on making the page less cluttered, improving the photos and playing around with sizing.

Rough Cut Student Feedback 9/4/16

I also decided to ask my fellow classmates what they thought of my finished rough cut designs. I  asked for positive and negative comments so that I can make the necessary improvements but hold on to the effective features. Here is the feed back I received:

Positive Comments:

• Front Cover- Good layout, variety of fonts, convetional image, looks professional, lots of information
• Contents Page- Effective use of offers, clear layout, well placed images, large variety of information
• Double Page Spread- Nice layout, stylish fonts, creative image, text is positioned well

Improvement Comments:

• Front Cover-  Perhaps include some coloured fonts, slightly less text, put price next to barcode
• Contents Page- Larger spaces between stories, too busy and overcrowded, reconsider font sizes
• Double Page Spread- Image possibly too similar to front cover, unsure about relevance to the clock 

In general, I completely agree with all the comments that have been made. By receiving feedback from people in the same age group as my target audience, it will really help me to adapt it in order to suit their tastes. This set of feedback has encouraged me to think more about layout and the sizing of certain features. 

Rough Cut Teacher Feedback 7/4/16

Once I had completed my rough cut front cover, contents page and double page spread. I asked my teachers what they thought of the finished result. They gave me feedback on what they thought looked good and the areas they believed needed improving.

Positive Comments:

• Front Cover- Good variation of fonts, great attention to details, attitude of model
• Contents Page- Conventional layout, variety of images, social media details
• Double Page Spread- Continuation of brand identity, effective layout, good use of mise-en-scene

Improvement Comments:

• Front Cover-  White background feels too plain, image could be improved, fonts too large for page
• Contents Page- Needs more colour, photos are fairly irrelevant, play around with fonts
• Double Page Spread- Needs more colour, improve photography

Overall, I completely agree with the comments I have been given. I will definitely take on board all the feedback and make improvements when necessary. I think that the main features I shall focus on are colour schemes and images as these are essential when making an effective magazine. 

My Rough Cut Double Page Spread Complete 5/4/16

I am extremely happy with my rough cut contents page as I believe it looks effective, stylish and creative. The main image stands out on the page and the choice of mise-en-scene adds a whole new dimension to the page. By carrying the same fonts through the entirety of the magazine there is a sense of continuity. Additionally, by altering the size of the fonts, we can clearly see what the most important features are on the page, in this case the artists name.

I really like the fact that the clock overlaps the centre of the page as it makes the spread look more complete rather than having image and text on different pages. I really like the 'drop' technique as I believe both the drop capital and drop quote look very effective here. The text consists of an interview style story with a brief history of the artists life. I am glad that I decided to keep the dotted separation bars as it is a lot easier to read the article. 

If I were to make any improvements I would definitely alter the colour scheme as this page looks rather monotone as there is a lot of grey. I would perhaps do this by changing Clayton's outfit to one that contains more colour. Additionally, the smaller photo was unable to me photo shopped as the show was too intricate to cut out near his face so I would definitely take this image again. 

Interview with Clayton James