M3 + D1 - Magazine Conventions in my Finished Product

M3 + D1  - Magazine Conventions in my Finished Product    

My Finished Magazine

Masthead 

This is my masthead, this is what the reader will see when the magazine is on the shelf, it also has the pug that is the price and the barcode. I really like the Masthead which also functions like a logo because I like the font that I have chosen, as it reminds me of the fonts that old car companies used when they would advertise their cars.

I placed a wheel behind the name of the magazine, which I changed from Motorsport Weekly, to Wheels, as I believed that Motorsport Weekly was to wordy and long to fit on the masthead properly, without damaging the look of the magazine. I placed the image of a when in the back being the W as I thought it added to the aesthetic of the magazine. Then I placed two lines underneath, which I thought acted like go fast stripes on a car, enforcing the whole motorsport aesthetic that I have been creating for the magazine.

I also chose the colour red for the colour of the magazines name, as I believed that it was a good contrast for the black, grey and silver of the wheel and its rim. I think that red was the best choice as it is usually a very bold and bright colour that can catch the readers eye.

I placed the pugs on the top right of the magazine as I thought it would be a good place to see it, this is because when the magazine is on a shelf you can only really see the masthead. So having the price at the top right makes the most sense as it is the place where people would take and grab the magazine by, as most people reach out with their right hand.

Menu

This is the menu for my magazine, I have chosen two large shapes that are different to display what is inside my magazine. I have chosen to display these in red with a white font. I have made sure to include what would be inside the magazine, as it is important to show the reader what they can get inside the magazine. Making sure there is clarity for the reader is a good thing as they understand what they are purchasing when they obtain the magazine.

I have also added in a small little badge that says that there are “10 classic cars inside”. I really like the look of the small badge as it is an interesting shape that doesn’t distract the reader too much, I have also used the colour red for this shape as it highlights to the reader what is inside the magazine.

Headline

This is my magazines Headline, I have chosen quite a bright and abstract look for the design of the Headline. I really like the look of it with the bold and stencil font. It really makes the magazine have a more impactful look, which can be seen from a distance. It is important to make the Headline be as bold and bright as possible as it needs to attract the potential readers eye.

I have chosen to make my Headline be about the classical car images that I had taken earlier in the year. I think it is a good idea as I have several images of some classic cars, making sure that the Headline is actually about something within the article is important, as having something on the outside that is not on the inside is false advertising.

I like the look of the white text with the black outline as it makes the words pop out of the magazine. I have also tried to align the text correctly so that the “Iconic” and the “Cars of the UK” both line up together, meaning that they are essentially the same size, both one is smaller acting as a subheading.

Exclusivity

I have said that there is an exclusive interview in the magazine, as having something be exclusive is a good way to make people want to read a magazine, if they are interested in the subject or the person being interviewed. Exclusivity makes the magazine seem like an invite only club, where to gain the knowledge or interest inside the magazine the reader has to pay to access it. This is a good idea as it means that the intrigue of the reader will be increased if they read the menu.

Suggesting something is exclusive is also a good way to gain more recognition, as if a large star does an interview with your magazine, they can use their status as an influencer to recommend people to read the article in your magazine, overall having exclusive items are an important way to interest people in the product.

Box Out         

I have used some box out to show the user what they can win within the magazine as well as a subheading for an article that would be inside the magazine. Making sure that the colours and the text contrast each other, as well as putting an outline on the box is important as they are essentially little snippets if what is inside, so it is important to make them look good.

In the bottom one I have used exclusivity again as well as have mad the shape more irregular to follow the side of the car, as I did not want the square to go over the image. I have made the shape yellow and white, usually associated with things like taxis and road lines, it helps enforce the feel of motoring in the magazine.

The box above I have used a red font and then highlighted the words “Grand Sport” this would be large and bolder as well as in black to put emphasis on what is inside the magazine. This is called a “Lure” which can make people want to read the magazine based of a short word or phrase, if they are interested in the subject.

Kicker/Puff

This works as my kicker, as it Is in a different font from the rest of the article, it is a different font which show the reader that it is an important subject. I have also put the text inside a pointed circle, I have chosen to do this as I wanted a variety of different shapes that can be used. I have chosen the red and white as it is a good look for most shapes that have to stand out on-top of an already quite bright and populated magazine. I really like the look of the badge like shape, which could also be made metallic if the magazine was a special edition. This is an interesting way to make the magazine front cover something more than it is, as it adds a sense of value to the cover, as well as the contents.

This is in the shape of a puff which entails some more contents of the magazine.

Evaluation

Overall I really like what I have created on the front of the magazine. I like the colour scheme that I have chosen for the magazine as it enforces the racing theme of the magazine. Making sure that there is clarity for the reader is a good idea as it ensures they know what they are getting when they purchase the magazine.

Another thing that I like about the magazine is the image that I have chosen. The car that I have chosen is a nice new model of a Dacia, which is shown front on. I really like the choice of image because it was a good way to fill out a large portion of the space. It also makes the page seem new as the car I took a photo of was quite new.

Something I wish I could change about the magazine would be adding more to the bottom of the page, it looks to me that I have heavily populated the top of the page but have left lots of space at the bottom where I could have had more information about the inside of the magazine on it. If I could go back, I would make the car image smaller and then add some text at the bottom of the page with white dots separating them as another way of showing what is inside the magazine. I feel as if I could have added more at the bottom of the page

Client Brief

You have been asked to produce a contribution to a sixth form media exhibition in the Summer term of this year on the themes of inclusion and community.

You are required to make one of the following media products to highlight or celebrate any issue or story that could be seen to meet any aspect of the two key themes of the exhibition.

Print based/graphics product

This could be, for example, one of the following:

A front cover and double page spread for a local magazine or newspaper

Double Page Spread

Image Editing

I have had to edit all of the images that I have included when creating the magazine front, this because I wanted to have the cars that I have used to not have an image in the background, therefore I had to use the magic wand tool to erase as much of the background as I could, then had to get closer with the eraser tool, meaning that the outline of the images is really smooth and crisp, as the magic wand tool leaves some fuzz on the edges of the image. I think that doing this by hand is important as you can really get the best look when editing the images.

Another thing that I had to do was brighten some of the images that I had taken, as I had taken some in the shade. I had to go into Photoshop to edit the magazine together, so I had access to all of he tools that would allow me to edit the images to how I wanted them. The car on the front cover that I have used

Here are the images that i had edited to make look better for the inside and the front of the magazine. I used these images because I thought they were the best quality images that I had taken 

I liked the colours that were available to me if I chose these images to be the ones that I would showcase for the Exhibition. I really like the look of the White car at the bottom after I had finished editing the image, as it looks much better that the unmodified image.


i Put the most work into making the white car look the best as it was to go on the front cover. I made the image slightly blue as the hue slider allowed me to make the image more crisp.

Post-Production Techniques

Post Production is the phase of the creation process where the final product is refined and polished to make it better and more suitable for the clients and or reader of the magazine. It is almost like proof reading the article and making changes to it that will help improve the outcome of the magazine.

Some post production techniques that I have used involve making all of the poster posterized. This is a good way to make the poster have a final crisp quality that makes it seem more 

How I Have Met the Client Brief

I have made the article about a community of old school car lovers who are touring the UK with some of their old cars showing them off during the summer. This helps to showcase a community of avid car lovers that all travel together and show them off.

The community of people touring the UK showcasing old cars will help bring communities together in a day out that will allow people who like cars to meet a community that will share the same interests, it could also help show people interesting history and interesting things about historical cars.

Overall the magazine’s double page spread is dedicated to showcasing a community of people who share an interest for the cars showcased in the magazines.