Penultimate Draft

This is the draft for my penultimate deadline.

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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.

Drafting #4

This is the final drafting of my magazine so far. I have altered the contents page slightly by adding more information and detail to it. I also lengthened my article and added more quotes from my artist as well as information that appeals to the audience about her. I added pull quotes from the article which stood out - this attracts the audience as they're very eye-catching features which intriegues the audience to read the article. I have included more images of the artist into the article although I plan to change these images when I have taken more suitable ones which match with the overall design.
I decided to create a new page called 'Handwritten lyrics', which is one of the features mentioned in my contents page. I wrote some lyrics down along with the signature of the artists and analysed them - I plan on making this into a double page spread later on. I feel like adding this extra page was necessary because it appeals to the audience and makes my magazine seem more interesting as not many magazines seem to have fun, articles like this.

At this stage, I am quite comfortable with the outcome of my magazine although I do still think that there are areas of which I can improve - which I plan to do in the New Year.

Chosen Images

I have summed up why I have selected the main images for my magazine is this short Prezi powerpoint and explained why I feel they are successful in representing the genre and the magazine well. I have also discussed what I have used to edit the images and what I did to them such as increasing the brightness and using the patch tools. The images are a huge factor of a magazine which can make or break it, however I feel as though I have chosen the right images which will help my magazine become very well-respected and successful. I have chosen to use the track 'A Punk' by Vampire Weekend as it makes this presentation less tedious and is the type of music that my audience would listen to.

Drafting #3

Here is the update of the drafting of my magazine. As you can see, I have updated the fonts and altered the front cover slightly. I have included coverlines that appeal to my target audience as they are one of the most vital features of the front cover as they are what initially brings the audience in to purchase the magazine.
For my contents page, I have added a few images that I plan to use (Jake Bugg image that I will imitate) and also including other artists that will be featured. I plan on holding more photoshoots to create a band and use images on this contents page as well as another photoshoot for my main artist, Ruth. I have also assigned all of the articles with page numbers and matched them to their photos as well as including page numbers from using the Master page.
I have added box text to my article which creates a personal relationship between the artist and the audience as it gives the artist's personal views in a different and unique way. I plan on increasing the length of my article and adding more images which I plan to take soon.

I have pretty much finished the scaffolding of the magazine draft now, however I still plan on improving things such as the article and adding in images and altering things to make the magazine to the best of my ability. During my next lesson, I plan on adding and selecting more images to include in the magazine and improving my article and increasing it's length.

Drafting #2

Here is the drafting of my magazine that I have completed so far. I have since created two front covers, one being the main front cover and one being a special subscriber only issue. For the main cover, I have included band and artists names that feature inside the magazine as this entices the audience to purchase the magazine as it lets them know who the reviews are about instantly and easily. I also included a cover line of '50 gigs you must see this decade' as it appeals to the audience as they typically enjoy attending gigs and this coverline exposes the most legendary gigs of the past 10 years. My main coverline is about Aurora Storm; I have used this coverline as it is about the main artist that my magazine is dedicated to. The article is about Aurora and her previous life as well as her views on the music industry, therefore I needed a coverline that represented this article well and I feel as though this portrays the article well as it indicates her increase of popularity in the music industry and makes her seem more appealing to the target audience as it foreshadows her popularity. For the special/subscriber issue, I simply combined a bold image with thoughts inside Auror'as head and quotes from the interview which creates a more personal tone and relationship between the artist and the readers. The coverline is a play on the words of 'storm' - I used the word storm as it is the artist, Aurora's surname and it also connotes the chaos she has created in the media as a new sensation of the Indie genre.

I have also put my article draft text into the draft however I still have more text to add. I've also placed images that I would like to feature in the contents page and the main article as well as adding the text into the contents page with subheadings and captions.

Drafting #1

This is the first drafting of my magazine. I have created my contents page as well as my article draft. This is the basis of my magazine which enables me to get through the project quicker - as soon as I have all of the materials, I will be able to quickly and effectively drop in the information. I used the box tool to indicate where I would like to place my images, as well as placeholder text to fill the space where I will later on add my article and contents information. I also used the paragraph and charater styles tools to follow the regular house style that my magazine will follow. I used the colour scheme of red as it's the most relevant and effective colour scheme for my audience and it represents my indie genre well. I have based my magazine upon the very successful music magazine Q.