Drafting #5

This is the most recent update of my magazine. I made many changes since my last drafting from December, including coming up with a name idea and introducing social networking to my contents page.

Cover
The name I have chosen to use for my magazine is Alternate. I'm still not 100% on the name, however I like how it represents the genre of my magazine quite simply and it's not too long or too short therefore it spreads along the page nicely. My magazine is based on the indie genre, however it can also alternate with some rock and punk, too - this is an ambiguous title for me as it is the 'indie/alternative' genre but it also alternates too.
I also added more coverlines to fill up empty spaces and make the cover look more complete. The coverlines I used, such as 'handwritten lyrics' is actually a page I featured inside the magazine therefore it made sense to add it to my front page so I could take advantage of it. I also added a circle shape for one of my other coverlines (which is also referenced in the contents page). I felt that it was necessary to add a circle shape as it stands out amongst the rest of the cover as everything else is in line and very square-shaped. This also filled up more gaps and has helped my cover look more complete and realistic.
The banner at the bottom now features text claiming that the magazine is "THE UK'S BIGGEST MUSIC MAGAZINE". I felt it was essential to feature this text as it attracts the audience in and is also very striking - the mix of black and white text on the red background leaps out against the page and attracts the audience.
Lastly, I've added a barcode as it is one of the main conventions of a music magazine therefore it was mandatory to make my magazine look realistic.

Contents page
I have changed the font of the 'contents' title as well as adding an issue number and the date of the magazine above it. This fills up the big space that was inside the box before and also includes all the conventions of a typical contents page. On the other page next to it, I included social networking websites such as Twitter, Facebook and Youtube to increase audience interactivity and personal relationships as well as filling up the empty space. There is still quite an empty space beneath this, however I plan to possibly add a subscription box, more social networking websites or possibly a picture of the cover inside an iPad which represents an app that is available for smartphone users (generally the majority of my audience).
I have also added a mini review of a concert that I attended at Brixton Academy on January 9th 2014 - The 1975. Using self taken gig images looks more effective than professional images and also removes any copyright as I took the photos myself. The mini review also gives the audience a taster of what is inside the articles.

Article
For the article, I have added titles on the header and footers of the pages '('exclusive' and 'Aurora Storm [artist name]). This is a typical convention of music magazines and it also makes the page look more complete and less tedious, as well as indicating what the pages are about when flicking through the magazine. In addition, I added page numbers on the footers to allow the audience to see what page they're on s well as the magazine's website which intrigues the audience to log onto it. These page numbers correlate to the numbers featured on the contents page.
My pull quotes have also been improved - I have changed the font to the same font that is used for the title of the magazine and headers/footers and titles which symbolises how I am following the house style of the magazine. I also made the lines above and beneath the pull quote red, as well as some attention-grabbing words to red as well which makes the pull quote stand out even more. This is very effective for my article as it needs to grab as much attention as possible, which I think it does successfully.
The box out text was very bland in my last draft, therefore I was keen to make a change to it. I changed the font and colours of the text which immediately made a big difference.
Underneath the box out text was quite a large, empty space - I have replaced this with text and an imagep promoting my artist, Aurora Storm, being featured on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge which is quite well known to my genre of music.

To summarise, I have simply changed few things such as fonts and added extra details to make my magazine look more professional and realistic.