Planning and evaluations of the double page spreads

In this part of the blog i am going to look at two exsisting double page spreads, one from the Hip Hop magazine "Vibe" and one from "The Source"

I am looking at these to give me ideas for mine, and to look at the type of lanuage - whether its formal or informal and the tone.

Both of these double page spreads are interviews, and my research showed that most of the Hip Hop magazines i looked at had double page spread interviews.

The choice of artist in both of the articles clearly represents the genre of the magazines and the target audiences. They are both artists that would appeal to the target audience.

Finished Magazine

Photo's

In this post i will upload all of the photographs i have taken for my magazine.

As most Hip Hop magazines are aimed at both men and woman, mine will be too. The cover image is very important and is used to entice the audience in and buy the magazine. As the magazine is uni sex it will be hard to have the balance of what men and women want to see on the cover right. Women want to see an attractive male, or possibly a attractive male that they espire to be like. Men want to see an attractive lady, revealing her body, or maybe a male that they can aspire to be like.

I didnt really edit my photos as when i was taking them i made sure they were exactly how i wanted them so it would make the process after i had taken the photos easier. I used photoshop to sharpen the images and converted some of the images to grey scale so i could see whether the pictures looked better in colour compared to black and white.

Flat Plans

The first flat plans I decided I wanted to work on was the front covers.

First of all I had to think of different names I could call my magazine, these are the names I came up with which I think would be suitable to my magazine genre: Flava, Bounce, Beatz, Vibez, Volume and Buzz. These names are just ideas; I am going to play around with the spellings of each name, as that ties in again with the Hip Hop culture and graffiti.

To help me design my different front covers I have put to together lots of pictures of different front covers that already exist from the Hip Hop magazines Vibe and The source, so that I can compare them. I have already completed front page analysis’ but its easy to have ideas if you have lots next to each other, it helped me to design my own front pages. I am going to design 4 different flat plans so I can compare them and choose which bits on each covers I like and dislike.

When designing my flat plans for my front covers i had to think about where to place all the important things that are needed on the front cover. For example i need to include the following:

Masthead(Logo) - The name of the magazine displayed in a specific typeface. This is the visual branding of the title and is often done in a specially designed typeface to be recognisable to enable it to stand out. The masthead is usually used on the contents page inside as well as the front cover, and as a logo for advertising and branding purposes.

Dateline - Month and year of publication, often with the price.

Main image - In most cases the only image on the cover. Often the models eyes are engaging with the camara, many different camara angles and shots can be used.

Selling line/Tag line - Short, sharp description of the title's main marketing point or perhaps setting out its editorial philosophy.

Main cover line - This is normal very large taking up almost a quarter of the magazine cover and most of the time comes in three layers, each with a different colour. The main cover line is there to catch your eye and should make you want to read the story within, so you have to buy the magazine to do so.

Cover lines/Main sells - Text with stories that will appear in the magazine, again sentences and words with are meant to interest you and want to read the magazine. Should be eye catching.

Left third - The left third of the magazine cover is vital for sales in shops where the magazine is not shown full-frontage. The title must be easily recognisable in a display of dozens of competitors. The start of the masthead is important here, as are short cover lines that are easy to read.

Bar code - Standard bar code used by retailers

Below are the 5 different possible magazine covers i have drawn up, each of them are different.

I really like this magazine cover as it is simple but different looks different to anything else out there, the main image is big and i could imagion a close up being used for the main image because the space is long and wide. Its simple that the main sells/cover lines are all on one side. The main cover line being underneath the masthead is good because you will look at the main cover line straight after looking at the masthead. The fact that the masthead isn't right at top of the page isn't a good idea because if the magazine is on a rack in a shop behind other magazines you wouldn't be able to see which magazine it actually was.

I like this cover aswell as again it looks different, the main image takes up most of the cover and in a triangle like shape. The main cover line is on top of the main image which is good because the main image is big so would be eye catching leading you to then look at the main cover line. The bar code is in the top right hand corner with doesnt look that attractive next to the masthead. The cover lines are either side of the image.

I like the masthead, its big and recognizable. The tag line/selling line, date line and issue number are all next to eachother which i think is good because then they are easy to find. The main image is long and thin and the main cover line overlaps across it and to the right of the main image. I don't like the second image on the page, its too messy. The bar code is at the bottom left of the cover which is good because it doesn't take the attention away from any other features on the cover.

I really like the long thin main image because i think its really stylish. I don't think the main cover line should be at the bottom of the page because you can't see it as easily as if it was over the main image or at the top of the page, i think the masthead is different but personally i would put it on my actual music magazine.Personally this is my favourite cover i drew up, its simple and stands out with the big masthead at the top and the one big main image, the main cover line is over the main image so it draws attention to the stories in the magazine to make people buy it. The other cover lines are placed at the left of the main image, they are all in one place which is simple. All the information is on the cover and easy to see. I really like how the masthead turned out, my aim was to devide it into syllables. The main image is supporting the name of the magazine as Vibez starts with the letter V and the main image is in a V shape.

Fonts

In this post i will discuss the process of deciding what fonts i will use in my magazine. I will use websites to look at many different fonts and then compare them to see which ones would best suit my magazine and my target audience. I will ask people for there opinions. I will also look at existing magazines and the fonts used in them.To try and figure out which type of font would be the best to use in my magazine I looked at existing magazine font styles and I looked at different fonts available. It is important to make sure that the fonts I use appeal to my target audience.

Pictures labelled 1 & 2 are fonts from font websites on the internet, these fonts would be suitable for classical magazines or magazines with an older target audience, I don’t think it would suit a Hip Hop magazine as they are too classical not bold enough.

Pictures labelled 3 & 4 are sections from the Hip Hop magazines The Source and Vibe. They are both sections from different cover pages. Comparing these the first thing I noticed was the fact that the fonts are all big and bold, the colours use really stand out and the fonts are really thick. The Source uses shadows behind the font and outlines around each letter to make it jump out even more. Vibe don’t use any outlines or shadowing they just use a block colour of dark blue, which against a white background really stands out.

Pictures labelled 5 & 6 are also sections from the Hip Hop magazines The Source and Vibe. They are both sections from different double page spreads within the magazines. Picture number 5 is a section from Vibe, the font used is bold, black and quite big, compared to picture 6 which is of a section from The Source, to head the first paragraph the magazine uses block lettering, which is much bigger than the actually paragraph text, it really jumps out, also the heading is made to look a bit like graffiti which ties in with the Hip Hop culture. The text used in the article isn’t as bold and big as picture number 5, in fact it is much harder to read.

I need to decide on the type of font i want to use for my masthead. After comparing different types of fonts used in magazines I have decided that I’m going to use a bold font with will really stand out, I want it to be simple and easy to read, i think that that my target audience just want an inviting font, one that isn't complicated to read and one that stands out and looks good.

I designed these fonts above, on various sites on the internet and experimented with colours and different magazine names.I asked some friends for their opinions of which they thought looked the best and was the most suitable for my magazine. Most of the votes went to the name vibez and the grey font above.

I have decided on the name Vibez for my magazine, i think it is suitable for genre of the magazine because it is quite a cool name, the name in itself relates to music aspect of the magazine. The fact that i have spelt Vibez with the "Z" on the end relates to graffiti and the Hip Hop culture as a whole as often words are changed and spelt different in order to put a twist on them and make words your own.

Now i have decided on the font and look of the title, i need to decide on the colour, to do this i will test out the font in different colours and see which one i prefer, i will also ask other people for their opinions.

The titles i have tried are simple block colour titles and i have tried a colour of layered titles and shadows just to see what they look like.

My personal favourite is the title black title with the green layer underneath. I think it really stands out, it is simple but has a twist and it is very recognizable.

As i am designing my magazine on Indesign i can't use a image for my title, it has to be an actual font.

I went on dafont.com and found a font i really like called Capture. The font called Capture will be used for my front cover. For the text on my contents page and my double page spread i will use a font called Gunshot, the fonts are bold and stand out, they also really tie in with the genre of the magazine. I compared the fonts with fonts from Vibe and Source and both magazines have thick and bold fonts.

Analysis of Vibe

I am now going to analysis this front cover from the magazine Vibe.

The artist featured on the front of the cover is Eminem.

Vibe is written in black mixed with red. Black starts at the top of the letters and getting lower turns into red. The colours the title uses are bold colour and against a light grey background it really stands out.

The masthead uses capitals but also a lower case ‘e’, this allows the masthead to stand out and be recognisable. The masthead is a bigger font size than other headings used.

The name Vibe connotes modern day language therefore making it inviting to the target age group. The title vibe also, gives of a good vibe to the audience that denotes a good feeling to the audience from reading it, therefore the title name is cool and appropriate.

The three colours on the front cover are grey, black and red. The colour red connotes blood and violence, which is stereotypically apart of the Hip-Hop genre, black is a bold colour showing status.

The text explaining the stories inside this issue of Vibe are placed around the sides of the image and they all keep to the colour scheme of black, grey and red, they are put at the side in small font so that they don’t over-power the artist on the front but they are there to catch your eye and make you want to the buy the magazine so you can read more.

On this front cover there is only one image and it is of the artist Eminem, he takes up most of cover showing that he is the main feature of this months issue; meaning that there will be a important story involving him inside.

In the image Eminem is wearing a black tank top exposing tattoos fitting in with the sterotypical "gangster" image. His face is stern showing that he is tough. Eminem is wearing a religious necklace which contrasts with this tough persona showing he has a good side to him. Underneath the masthead and next to the image of eminem there are three names of drugs and a quote stating "I litterally almost died" this would draw your attention to the magazine because its a serious statement and it makes you want to read more.

Eminem being the cover image puts across that the magazine is cool because eminem was prepared to associate himself with it.

The name and date of the magazine are situated at the bottom left of the magazine as to not distract attention from the main selling points.

Analysis Of Vibe Contents Page

I am now going to analysis a contents page from Vibes October 2008 issue.

The artist featured on the contents page is Ciara.

The top of the page is black and the lower on the page the lighter the grey. "Contents" is written in a big bold white font, it really stands out against the black background, it is also written in capital letters again making it stand out because nothing else on the page is written in capitals.

In the background there is a outline of the letter "V" standing for Vibe, the outline of the letter is white so again it really stands out against the black but it doesnt stand out as much to make it a focus point of the page.

Vibe have used a heading for ‘features’ and ‘fasion’ which tells the reader to expect more than music and celeberties in the magazine.

The image is of the Hip Hop artist Ciara.

Ciara is wearing the same colour as the background this shows that she is a huge part of the magazine, this also could add to her sexual image as the main thing standing out is Ciara’s bare flesh. The reader knows she is meant to be a sexual image as she is laying down with her legs in the air, this could be seen as overly sexual for a contents page.

Analysis of Vibe Double Page Spread

I am now going to a analysis a double page of Novemeber 2008 issue of Vibe.

The thing that first jumps out at me when I look at the double page spread is the colour. The page is black and white, and the only words written in a different colour is Solange’s name. Vibe have done this so straight away you know who the article is about because the colour of her name jumps out at you. Another thing that straight away jumps out is the picture of Solange Knowles herself. She is pictured wearing a bright red dress and the picture is the main picture, it stands out because of the bright colour of her dress and the fact it is the only picture in colour and the biggest on the page. The colour of her dress also ties in with the article, I think it shows that Solange is loud and not afraid to stand out. At the top of the page there are 7 other pictures of Solange posing, they are smaller than the main image and are black and white.

The article is written in columns of 3, using 3 per page.
The article is written in serif typeface.

When you look at the double page spread you notice a quote from the article and from Solange, the quote is exciting and makes you want to read more, which is why it is there. The quote is in a bigger and bolder front than the rest of the article to make it stand out. The first paragraph of the article is in bigger and thicker font size.

The actual article itself is about the media comparing Solange to her sister Beyonce Knowles, Solanges issues with the media and her attitude. Swear words have been used in the article, the swear words back up the issue about Solanges attitude, the swear words are appropriate to use as the target audience won’t find it offensive and also are of age to read the magazine and the stories in it.

The article uses a lot of bracketing to give the readers extra information, for example to tell the reader what labels and record company’s releases are from. Bracketing allows the writer of the article to put across her reaction, e.g. column 2 ends of paragraph 4, the writer used bracketing and italics to show her reaction. The way the magazine talks to the reader is more informative and clearing up matter of facts and gossip.

At the end of the article the writers name is written in bold. This is used in many articles even in newspapers and other type of magazines.

Analysis of The Source

I am now going to analysis this front cover from the magazine The Source.

The artist featured on the front of the cover is The Game.

Bold typography is used so the masthead is clear and easy to read, the masthead is also the biggest text on the cover making it stand out and easy to recognise. The masthead is at the top which shows its importance.
The main colours on the cover are red and white. The colour red connotes blood and violence, which is stereotypically apart of the Hip-Hop genre. The white text stands out against the red, and also suggests an opposite to the violent lifestyle suggesting that there is a good and bad side to Hip-Hop.
Most of the text on the cover has a black shadow behind it, which helps it to stand out and makes it more eye-catching.
The name of the artist on the cover is also in a large font which grabs you’re attention and attracts people to it making it a main selling point.

The text explaining the stories inside this issue of The Source are placed around the sides of the image and they alternate in colour, they are put at the side in small font so that they don’t over-power the artist on the front but they are there to catch your eye and make you want to the buy the magazine so you can read more.
The text ‘Under New Ownership Pg.17′, is positioned above the title of the magazine, this shows that the story is important, the text is also in white which really stands out next to the red title.

On this front cover there is only one image and it is of the artist The Game, he takes up most of cover showing that he is the main feature of this months issue; meaning that there will be a important story involving him inside. The fact that The Game is on the cover shows that the magazine is good because if it wasn't then The Game wouldnt associate himself with it.

In the image The Game holding a gun to his neck, the gun is a typical convention of the Hip-Hop genre, so The Game is showing he is part of this. His facial expression shows sadness and the text below his name says "Suicide Is Not An Option" which suggests that the story inside the magazine is about him thinking about suicide and deciding against it.

The artist is wearing a white vest which exposes his tattoos fitting in with the sterotypical "gangster" image. Tattoos are a form of art (like music) so his creativity is coming across from the art he has tattooed on his body, he has "Love" and "Justice" tattooed which would not be expected from a Hip Hop artist sterotypically but it suggests he does have a good side to him, he also has a tear drop tattooed under his eye and in some tribes in america it is a sign that you have committed a murder.

The beard helps to put across his possible rough character growing up with and being used to a life of crime and violence.
The wall The Game is photographed in front of gives us the impression that he is trapped and is out of options. Although the image portrays violence and has violent aspects to it it actually shows no real violence, this is done with the purpose being to attract readers to the magazine and article.

The bar code is positioned in the bottom left corner of the cover and is very small this is too ensure it is not a main focus point and to ensure that it doesn't distract the reader from looking at the main selling points of the cover.
In the bottom right corner there is a small logo saying ‘20 years’, again it is small to ensure it is not a main focus point and to ensure that it doesn't distract the reader from looking at the main selling points of the cover but it also shows readers that it’s a respected magazine that has been around for a long time it could also attract new reader’s as they will see that it is well known and popular.