Introduction:
The assignment given to us was to form into groups of four and individually create magazine pages that would fit and flow together in order to create a complete 24 page magazine.
Planning and preparation:
In order to create magazine pages of a high quality, that fit the brief in terms of target audience, genre and style, it was necessary to plan the approach we would take to gather the information needed.
During group discussions it was agreed amongst us which pages would be assigned to which members of the group. It was decided that myself and Eloise would create pages 4 and 5, with Nick and Tom creating pages 2 and 3.
Having settled with our separate pages i was then able to begin the planning procedure, this meant I could start to think about the design elements of the page as well as discovering the key elements that are stereotypically found within magazines.
I then created a simple design for my magazine page, using Word, this would enable me to have starting point in terms of the direction my page and allow me to have something basic to add to and improve after researching further.
Research:
When researching for the magazine design assignment I chose to look at and evaluate other established magazines and webzines, in particular Kerrang!, NME and Q. I focused on the page furniture they had, and the layout of the pages. This meant i could start to focus on any patterns or repeated themes and therefore involve them in my design.
The target audiences of each separate magazine seemed to have a significant impact on its design. For instance, Kerrang! Is a magazine aimed at a younger age group, teenagers particularly. This therefore gave it a different feel to a magazine such as Q which is generally aimed at a slightly more mature music fan. With NME there is some crossover in terms of target audience, as they attempt to involve a wide range of ages.
The genre and type of magazine also has some sway over the design of the pages, with Kerrang! Being known as a metal focused magazine and NME a classically Indie inspired magazine it means the audience expect a certain colour scheme or font that compliments this genre.
After looking into these different elements I then started to think about the target audience and the feature i would include. As the magazine is aimed at students on the music scheme i chose a piece that was written about a Solent Student.
Creating magazine page:
To create our magazine pages we used the program InDesign, we were taught the basic principles during lectures which they enabled us to develop our designs.
We spent time discussing the font type and size so that all the pages would flow well and look complete.
I decided to put a slight angle on the image and caption on my page, as after looking at issues of Audio Addict it seemed quite a popular trend within their pages.
A pull out quote was added as this is also a common feature within magazines, and livens the page up; giving the reader more incentive to read the piece as well as balancing the page out.
When choosing the colour scheme it was necessary to consider all the other groups choices, and in particular Eloise’s as our pages would be placed side by side. I chose to add a pastel colour which complimented the image I had. Therefore page 5 was also coloured in a pastel colour allowing for continuity.
Improvements:
There are several elements that could be improved during the process of designing my page; with an extended knowledge of InDesign it may have been possible to create a higher level of design.
Also, with further research more evidence could have been gathered to help shape my design more thoroughly. Similarly with better communication between other groups it would have been easier to choose definite page furniture.
Bibliography:
NME.com
Kerrang.com
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