School Magazine: Final Contents Page

School Magazine: Contents Page Construction

I decieded two fonts which i believed corresponded well. I put the font in size 12 first however i don't think that this is the right decision as it is too small and difficult to read.

This is with size 18 font which I prefer.

I then looked at the actual writing and I thought that they did not create a nice or well designed piece of writing so I choose to change it around. Below is the result.

I then looked at the colour, the writing is the colour of the wall below to keep the image tied in however I used  the darker, but I think this is too dark so it tried the lighter colour.

I think this is too light so I believe my orginal colour was the best idea for the magazine.

I then spaced out my text so that it filled the entirety of the window however I think that this is too spaced out.

This together left me with the above image which is my final contents page.

School Magazine: Contents Page Photo Shoot

I put my model in a classroom with plenty of light to simulate the conditions that I would like for my image, I took many different photograhs, where I changed the costuming slightly and her positioning as can be seen below but I finally decided on one singular image.

School Magazine: Contents Page Plannings

I took the picture that I wished to use for my contents page and I printed it many times. I was planning to design how I would create my contents page by myself.
Firstly I placed the text in the top middle third.

However, I felt that this did not balance the dark image of the girl so this would not be good positioning.

I then put the text laying over the model, however this was hard to see and still did not create a balance.

I then put the text in the top left third and I believe this creates a good balance between the dark model and the dark text, but the text is too close to the edge in this image and must be floated.

 I then placed the text here, but this is floated but too low down so I realised that I has to find a happy medium. I then thought that I could edit the normal layout of the word contents to make the page more interesting. Below I have tried this.

I tried this but I do not like it so I will not use this. Below is my final design that I wish to use with all my design features.

School Magazine: Contents Page Specific Research

For the contents page of my school magazine, I wanted to use a different model in a different setting and a different set up. I selected similar images to the one I wished to create to consider how I wanted my image.

 Background
I will not use other people in my background as I want the image to be quite simple with the focus  on the person studying. I like the background of a window as it brings in natural light which could eb used in the image, it also symbolises light being brought in which is a very good symbol of a school as it makes the school seem bright, happy and wholesome.
Model
I will be using a model similar to the girl in the first image and I think having the model's hair over one side makes her look smarter and tidier so I will also do this. I hope to have my model holding a pen and writing as they are in the first and second images as this shows studying and intellect which I would like to display in my magazine.

School Magazine: Production Evidence

To change my image from:

to:

I had to use a range of tools to change and edit the picture to make it look better.

I firstly used a crop and drag tools to zoom in on the picture and move it to the right.
I then used the stamp and spot healing tools (as seen below) to create any achne, dark spots or unwanted imperfections within the image.

STAMP

I then used the lasso tool to select only her head on another layer, I then proceeded to create a box behind her head so that the gradient could be incorporated behind her. I used the gradient tool to create the correct gradient as shown above and then finally brought the cut out head to the top and I had the correct image.

I used the same tools to edit my contents picture, I removed stray hairs, imperfections and I also shaped one of her teeth by using the stamp tool.

School Magazine:Contents Page Research

The following are three amateur magazine's contents pages.

Overall layout and images

The first and the last content pages do not have an image in the background but instead they have a block colour ( white and red) with images around text whereas the middle picture just has a picture as a background. I believe the one large picture in the background makes the contents page more interesting and more professional so I shall try to recreate this. 

Text

The all have used a fine rounded font to create the title as it is bold and clear, the second magazine has used a slightly san serif text to make their magazine more classy as it is a local wedding dress magazine so this fits the theme. As I am attempting to create a high class feel to my school magazine I will look into using a similar font to this. 

They have all used capital letters to write sub-titles above pieces of text, I will also use this as it helps define the overview and description more easily.

The colour of all the different fonts in the magazines can easily be matched with an image or a block colour on the page, this has been done to tie everything and create a professional continuity. I will also aim to create this effect. 

Positioning

The second and third magazines have placed the page number to the left of the descriptive text and I also do this as I believe it looks better if the page number is before the description as it gives the crucial information first which can be useful. I will use this in my own contents page.

Those two magazines also have their text running horizontal on the page which creates an easier to read contents page without confusing anything which I think improves the look of the magazine and I will also use this.

School Magazine: Final Front Cover

After all my different pieces of research I created a first draft of my front cover.

I then edited it to get my final piece below :

School magazine: First Photo-shoot Images

Here are the images from my photo shoots:

I took some of my model alone however I took some of three models so that I could see which style I preferred and worked better. Below are three of my final pictures.

I found that there were too many different factors that had to be controlled when I had a larger amount of models so my decreasing this, I could keep control and create the type of picture that I desired more easily. For this reason I discarded the idea of more than one model and the pictures were not right so I decided to not use them. I had taken pictures of my main model alone in different styles, I chose to have her looking to the sky instead of smiling for a more natural shot. The chosen picture is below.

School Magazine:Title Font Research

I wanted to find the correct title design for my magazine so I experimented with different types of colour, slanting, fonts and different effects. Below is the first exploration.

 After this initial exercise, I found the type of font and styles I liked, so I continued to put different styles but I was more specific to what I wanted this time.

From this I found the title below, however after I created this I went through more appropriate magazine articles and found that this is a serif font and is highly discouraged on run of the mill magazines by the design industry therefore I decided to rethink this decision.

 I decided to chose blue to match the school logo and after going through different fonts I chose my final one and I used the same technique as above to outline it and I also made the leading W & R bigger than the other pieces of text.

School magazine: Front Cover Title Research

To be able to create a school magazine I need a school magazine title. Below is my mind map of possible choices for the title

I have decided on Wilmington Review, because this explains where the magazine is from and that is a magazine but in a way that is professional. The two words also go quite well together as a magazine title.

School magazine: Front Page Layout

I want a logo on the bottom of my front cover and i want it touching it the lower border, below are the positions where I can have it.

I have decided that I want it in right corner. I then needed to decide whether I wanted it inside the border or overlapping and overlapping it by how much, below I have done some drawings to help me.

I have chosen to have it overlapping by about half. There are more decisions that I need to make and below I have explored these decisions. 

After doing this, I have decided on the layout that I favour which is shown below. 

School magazine: Image Research

I found two pictures with just one school child in it to compare so that I could make further decisions about how I would photograph my front cover.

Background
I prefer the second woodland type background as I believe this represents the school in a better way as a woodland is associated with health and goodness therefore associating the school with this. I think the image would be more appropriate for a magazine cover if a tree trunk was not featured as this distracts the reader.
Person
I would prefer if the model was wearing a school related outfit either a school  unifrom or a sixth form outfit, this would make the model more appropriate for he front of a school magazines.
I like the first image where the model is looking away from the camera, as this is a more natural shot.

School Magazine: Magazine Front Cover Research

Existing magazine research. 

I have selected 3 different magazines that have been published by schools to compare and contrast. I hope to find details within them that I would like to use in my own school magazine.

Cover picture analysis

I prefer the Primary Teacher magazine front cover as it is one main person so it has a good focus in it.

Title Analysis

Very contrasting colours are used for the titles (yellow and white) to bring this feature out. I would like to use a contrasting picture to draw attention to the title and  help people see what the magazine at a glance.

Volume code and date have been put in small at either the top or in one case put underneath. It is always around the title. It is linked so it needs to be together.

I think putting it above is better as below seems as if it should be a description as shown in  the ‘give’ and ‘Primary Teacher’ magazines.

Title takes up about a fifth of each page as it is main feature but still isn’t as important as the rest of the page.

Title’s are grammatically incorrect as they are  either all capitals or have no capitalisation. This shows that grammar is not an important part of a title.

 Border Analysis

Both ‘Magazine Fundraiser’ and ‘Primary Teacher’ have banners on the top and bottom with dark bold colours to contrast with the cover image. This helps create a border for the picture and make the picture stand out more. I like the banners, I especially like it when they have been blended it into the picture as this makes the cover follow on and appear one piece but I prefer when the banners match or are in a theme. I would like to use this as well.

Information Analysis

 I like the text over the top as it stands out but allows the picture to be predominate. I prefer when they are all in one colour like in ‘give’.

Logo Analysis

The logos are a good feature as they help link the magazine to the organization behind it. I would like to include a logo in my own magazine.