Double Page Spread Research

Double Page Spread Research:

This is the first double page spread I looked at. There are very few features to be looked at on this double page spread. As highlighted by the yellow rectangles Q magazine have used this specific design feature which is of what looks like a deep red smoke effect. They use it on every double page spread for the Arctic Monkeys which represents a consistency throughout the article itself.

The green square highlights the use of two columns for the article. The majority of Double Page Spread articles written by Q magazine have 2 columns in them. They make use of another piece of text above which is an introduction to the bulk of the article written below. A technique I will look to use in my double page spread article.

They have a picture taking up a whole A4 side which is split into 4 as a grid with an image of each band member separate. This is used to show the 4 different members of the band because the contents page only shows Alex Turner the lead singer. The graphic in the middle of them is a pull quote and it looks to be in a sort of picture frame which is a design feature which appeals to me.

This next double page spread article is another of the Arctic Monkeys. There are 3 images on this double page spread one of which taking up over half of one side. This image has a huge impact on the page as it is an image of a live performance with 'AM' the bands initials but also the name of their new album in the background. The other two images is part of a side story to the main article. It shows the bands love for dressing up and the images represent another side to the band that fans of the band would be intrigued to know about.

The design feature of red smoke is being used on this double page spread similar to the other double page spreads on the Arctic Monkeys on the whole. This effect is used whenever drop cap is used which shows consistent house style which is also very effective.

They make use of two columns on both sides of the double page spread for the article which is used consistently by Q magazine. Other magazines often use three columns but Q magazine, particularly in these double page spreads for the Arctic Monkeys they use two columns.

There are two images on this second double page spread of Arctic Monkeys. The first image is of the whole band with a shadow effect in the background. This makes the image stand out significantly well on the page drawing the readers attention to the image. The second image is of Alex Turner on a motorbike. This image highlights Alex Turner as the lead because they have singled him out form the other members giving him a separate photo.

The red smoke effects have been used again on this double page spread signifying that it is the Arctic Monkeys being interviewed or reviewed on. They have yet again used this effect at the start of each paragraph to good effect when using 'Drop Cap'. This effect gives a consistent house style and colour scheme representing the colours of Q magazine at the same time.

They have used two columns yet again for the article as shown on the right hand side of the double page spread. This is commonly used by Q magazine where as other magazines like to use three columns.

This double page spread is of Robbie Williams from Q magazine. There is one extremely large image taking up one side of A4 on this double page spread. It is as if he is shouting the quote which is used on the right hand side of the double page spread. The image is very striking almost enticing us as the reader to read the quote beside it but then this makes us want to read on further into the article to find out what else he has to say. The image also shows Robbie Williams personality which is what the target audience would want to see.

The large speech bubble beside the image is very eye catching too which makes us notice it and we therefore read the quote inside. This design feature follows from that of the front page which shows consistency in house style. We read the quote and this entices us to want to find out more making us read on. This makes the design feature to be very effective. The two other design features highlighted by the blue rectangles above also make the page stand out. They add a punch to the page making the reader want to read more.  

This is the second double page spread on Robbie Williams. Similar to that of the first one there is one large image taking up one of the A4 sides of the double page spread. This image shows a different more happy and joyful side of Robbie Williams and each image of Robbie Williams shows a different side to his personality which is what the target audience of the magazine would want.

They have made use of two columns in this article which seems to be evident on all of Q magazines double page spreads when articles are written. Drop cap has also been used another design feature used by Q magazine in their articles. This consistency is well shown and as a result I will look to use drop cap in my article.

The two design features highlighted by the yellow rectangle in the image above are extremely eye catching. The speech bubble is used yet again for consistent house style being used and the feature on the left is similar to a speech bubble but it gives a 3D effect similar to that of the speech bubble. These features make the page more exciting and eye catching for the reader.

This double page spread is of the band The Smiths. The first thing you notice is the large image that covers the whole double page spread. Although text does cover the image it still takes up the whole DPS. The image has been desaturated (black and white) which gives the impression that it is old which it is since the band are an old band. The image is of them performing too which gives a greater impact on the page on the whole. It is the only image on this double page spread.

There are a few design features in this double page spread but they are all very basic. They have 2 rectangles on either page which give small pieces of information. The writing 'The Holy Appliance' is a strong bold font and the colour scheme of black and pink follows from the front page resulting in a consistent colour scheme for this issue of magazine.

In this double page spread they use 3 columns as highlighted by the blue rectangle and this shows that Q magazine use different layouts for different articles. 

This is the second double page spread for The Smiths and like the other DPS the image takes up the whole thing. This image has colour though and they are outside. The lead singer Morrisey is holding flowers, this shows a different side to the band which was not previously shown on the other double page spread. There are no other images on this double page spread, having one large image seems to be the common theme for most Q magazine double page spreads.

Q magazine take up one side of A4 with a picture and the other with text. This layout is one which I in particular like and will look to implement this into my magazine. The colour scheme remains from the previous double page spread and from the front page with the pink and blue coming through. The large blue box on the right stands out more significantly because of the difference in colour and because the whole box is filled. The text below this has no columns because this is a special part of the magazine outlining the bands 30th anniversary. Overall this double page spread is good due to the large amounts of colour as well as the large image and difference in layout.

Front Page Construction

Front Page Construction:

This is my first screen grab and it shows that I have inserted my image into the front page. This image I am using is one which at first I thought was a good picture but later realised that it didn't represent my chosen genre enough and it wasn't eye catching to the reader.

This next screenshot shows me using the quick selection tool.





I used the quick selection tool to quick select around my artist so that I could make adjustments to the image.





This image shows me adjusting the brightness and contrast of the image.








As you can see I have changed the brightness to '15' and the contrast to '22'.

The above adjustments have been made and the image has become brighter and is now more well lit. The next step is to enter some text.







This is the text tool which I will use. 

I have added the text 'The Killers' and I have selected the font and changed the colour to red as shown in the screen grab.















The screen grab illustrates that I have added settings to the writing. I have added 'Drop Shadow' to the text to give it a different effect.

I have also entered more text which reads 'Latest album revealed' and I have changed the font and changed it to black which was the default text colour.

The next step was to add a design feature which is a plus sign.









To make the plus sign I used the  rectangle tool and created two rectangles then turned one vertical so that they crossed to make a plus.

The black plus has been successfully made as shown in the screen grab on the left. This is a design feature used by Q magazine very often and so I have implemented it into my magazine.

I then did the same steps as above to write 'The 1975' in the same colour and font as the text for 'The Killers' as well as using the same font and colour for the writing 'Exclusive interview inside'.







I then used the font and text tool to add writing across the front as shown in the image on the left. The text says 'HARRY WARREN...REVEALS ALL' 

Another design feature I tried to implement into my front page was the use of speech bubbles for pull quotes. This was used on a magazine from Q and so I created a speech bubble which I would use as shown.








I then put two speech bubbles into my front page and transformed them so they were facing my artist as if he has said it.  

The text tool was then used to put the quotes into the speech bubbles. 

I added a bar code to the front page which is shown in the corner of the page in the image on the left.

I added a banner at the bottom of the screen using the rectangle tool to make the banner and then the text tool to add the text.








After having got this far with my front page, I decided that the image I had chosen didn't suit my genre at all and I did not like the speech bubbles as I felt they looked tacky and unprofessional even though Q magazine managed to use them effectively. The front page I had done didn't seem to work for me and so I decided to start all over again choosing a new image and a different layout altogether. 

New Front Page:

Here is my main image for my front page. This is the first thing that will go into my front page because everything else will revolve around him as he is the focal point for the magazine.

The first thing I had to do with the image was remove anything such as spots and any other facial features using the patch and spot healing tool.

As you can see I have selected the patch tool and so this is an easy way to remove any spots or bad patches of skin to make the image better.
The changes have been made successfully such as i have removed the cut on the bottom of his chin and I have removed various facial features so he now looks better.








The next thing I wanted to do was make the image stand out more by changing the brightness and contrast. I had to quick select him so that he became brighter not the whole image. To do this I used the quick selection tool.

To change the brightness and contrast of the image I went onto 'Image' > 'Adjustments' > 'Brightness/Contrast' as shown in the image on the left.

 I changed the brightness to '17' and the contrast to '17'.

As you can see I have brightened the image and added contrast and it is now in place for me to start adding to my front page.

To make the image more appealing to the reader I decided to add some effects to it to make it stand out. I added 'Drop Shadow', 'Outer Glow', 'Inner Glow' and 'bevel and emboss'.








I then typed out the name of my magazine at the top of the screen which reads 'Standard'.

 To make the writing look better and more appealing to the reader I added certain effects to it. I added 'Drop Shadow', 'Outer Glow', 'bevel and emboss' with both 'contour' and 'texture' and 'Stroke'. This made the font stand out more giving a stronger effect on the page.

The next thing I did was add two logos for the bands 'The Killers' and 'The 1975'. These bands will be included in the magazine and their logos ad band identification to the front page.

 Then I used the line tool as shown in the image on the right to create the dark black line above the logo for 'The Killers'. This separates this from other parts of the magazine and is a design feature used on many other music magazines.

Another feature used on other music magazines is the use of the plus sign shown on the left. I used the line tool and I drew two lines and made one of the lines vertical and the other horizontal to create this feature.

To create my next design feature on the page I used the elipse tool which is a tool used for making circles and circular shaped graphics.

As you can see I have made a black circle and I added various effects to this circle to make it look more eye appealing.

The text that I will enter in this circular graphic I made is using the font 'Tekton Pro' which is shown in the image on the right.

As you can see I have entered the text 'What does he have to say? See page 9' with the font 'Tekton Pro'  as shown.

I then chose the font 'Mistral' to write the other piece of text in the circle which is 'Ollie Hart' the name of one of my artists mentioned in the magazine.

I then wanted to create another graphic on my front page which is one I have seen on another music magazine. to create this I had to use the rectangle tool as shown on the left.

The rectangle I have made has been outlined in white and filled in black and I transformed it so that it went across the bottom right hand corner as shown.

As you can see by this image I have added the text 'Introducing Max Marshall' into the rectangle as he is the name of my main artist on show on the front cover.

I then used the text tool to add the text 'INSIDE' into my front page which is situated to the left of my artist.









Then i used the line tool again to underline this writing to show that it is an informal piece of writing and that it is important to read what is below it.

I then wrote the names of four bands that will be in my magazine to go on the front of the magazine to tell people some bands that are included in the magazine. It entices people to buy the magazine wanting to find out whats been said about them.

I then took the plus sign which I made before and duplicated the layer and transformed them to make them smaller and put them beside the bands which I had just written down. This shows that they are also included in the magazine and it is a design feature used by other music magazines.

I then had to mention what was going to be written about them in the magazine so to do this I used the font 'Tekton Pro' which I had used before so that the fonts used are consistent ensuring a consistent house style is established.

As you can see the different pieces of text have been added below the band names concluding this feature on the front page.

Another feature I saw on a music magazine was this feature on the right which says 'MOST EXCITING ACTS ON EARTH' It is stating that the most exciting acts on earth are mentioned or interviewed in the magazine.


As you can see this feature has been added successfully to the left of my artists head in the image on the right.








I then used the text tool and the font 'Tekton Pro' again to add more text to the page.










As you can see I have added text below the two band logos which I entered at the beginning of my construction. These pieces of text outline what is said about the two bands which are shown above this writing.

In order for the reader to understand who the cover story is about I thought writing the initials of my main artist would be a good idea for the front cover. To do this i used the font 'True Lies' which I will uses whenever I mention the artist so that artists identification is used successfully.

I then added effects to the writing to make it stand out more on the page over everything else. I used 'Drop Shadow', 'Outer Glow' and 'bevel and emboss'. 

As you can see the text 'MM' has now changed and it now stands out much more effectively on the page.

I then wrote another piece of text below the initials stating 'MAX MARSHALL REVEALS ALL...' This gives the reader a chance to know his full name as well as it leaving them wanting to know what will be revealed in the magazine about him.







To make this text stand out I added effects to it like I have done with most pieces of text on my front page. I used 'Drop Shadow', 'Outer Glow' and 'Stroke'.

Now the text can be seen much more clearly as well as it standing out more to the reader.

I then added another feature which is included in the magazine and I used a rounded rectangle for this and wrote the text 'STANDARD REVIEWS INSIDE' which is a section of the magazine.

I then used the font 'Abuse' to add another piece of text which reads 'September issue'. This makes it clear that it is a monthly magazine and that it is the september magazine.

I successfully wrote this text using the font 'Abuse' and moved it so that it is directly below the masthead for my magazine.

I then used the elipse tool to create a circle and I added a gradient overlay to it as a fill effect. Then i added two different pieces of text which are shown in the image here.

As you can see I put this graphic in the open space just above the black line but below the other feature in the top right hand corner.

I then wanted to create a banner across the bottom of the page and so to do this I used the rectangle tool as shown in the image on the right.

To make the banner look better I added 4 effects to it. These are 'Drop Shadow', 'Outer Glow', 'Inner Glow' and 'Inner Shadow'.

The banner is at the bottom of the screen and now it looks more bold rather than just a boring, dull grey rectangle which is what it looked like before.

I then added writing to the banner using the font 'Bradley Hand ITC TT' and the writing says, 'All the latest ALBUMS, GIGS, SINGLES reviewed & rated'.

As you can see the writing has been put into the banner at the bottom of the front page which informs the reader what other features are included in the magazine.

The final thing I did was insert a barcode in the bottom left hand corner to make it look like a real music magazine as if it was ready to go on sale.