Improvements on Contents

I have made improvements on the contents page, based on people's recommendations. Firstly, I have made the page numbers a bigger font to the description to make it stand out more ad easier to look at at a glance, rather than have to read it all fully. I have also made the 'Features' box taller, so that the top of it is in line with the 'Contents' box, which makes it look neater and therefore have a more professional look.

Improvements on Front page

I have made a couple of improvements to my front cover from suggestions made by others. I have made the headlines "Exclusive" and "New bassist interview" stand out more using effects such as outer glow. it was suggestted to change the colour to stand out more but the only other colour that would work with the rest of the cover would be grey/white but it would clash with the design on the T-shirt. Another improvement is to make "Iron Maiden" more 3-D and with a more metal effect, which helps it link to the genre, and makes it stand out at you.

Feedback + Recomendations

I presented my front cover and contents page to others to get their thoughts and opinions in them. On the sheet are good points of the magazine cover and contents, and places where I could improve to get a better look.

Contents page production

I have now added effects to the grey boxes that make them seem more 3-D and therefore stand out more. i have also added a texture to the title contents box to make it seem like a rock, to link into rock music. I have then changed the colour of the sentences that arent headlines to grey/white, which makes it slightly easier to read, makes the headlines stand out more, and links back to the olour styles of the front page.

Contents page production

I have added effects to the text to make it stand out more and therefore make it readable, mainly by adding stroke to the words, but making it small so it works, but is less noticeable. I have also added a glow around the picture to make it stand out more.

Contents page production

Here i have made further additions and improvements to the contents page. I have moved the text boxes up so I can fit more in the bottom of the page, such as a picture, with a page label on to make the story stand out more. I have also added in a small paragraph of a 'from the editor' section to make it seem more like a professional magazine.

Contents page production

Here is the first draft of my contents page. I have put the same black/grey gradient over it as the front cover and used the same fonts to make them match up. I have also split up the list between features for this issue exclusives, and regulars that appear every week. I have written a quick sentence about each feature article since it will take more importance that the regular stories.

Front page production

Finally, i have added in a barcode, price and issue number to make it seem more proffesional as if it was to go on sale for real.

Front page production

I have added extra stories onto the side of the page, which means mroe on the front cover and more to attract potential buyers in a shop. Having the titles of bands, and Win bigger helps catch peoples attentions and encourages them to read the magazine.
The date has also been added below the title. It is a different font so that it is more readable, as it is purely for information, not advertising the magazine. it is also grey to make it more discrete and therefore doesnt distract from the main headline and picture. Other changes have been minor changes to fonts to make them stand out more, or more readable.

Front page production

I have now added the main headline. It has the same type of font as the rest of the cover except for the band name "Iron Maiden". For that, I have found the band's font online to download and have written Iron Maiden out in a similar shade of red. i have then added an outer and inner glow of white to make it look almost exact to the band's actual name style (search Iron Maiden on google to see comparison).
I have added a bar at the bottom with a metallic-like gradient on it which lists other minor stories in the magazine. I have also started to list more stories down the side, however, more should be added. The transparent grey over the main headline and the other stories helps them stand out from the background more, and also help the picture stand out more.

Front page production

I have set a black to grey gradient set as the background for the front page. I have the black at the top to help make to colour of the title stand out. Black is a good colour since it relates to the darkness of the music genre involved, and grey also fits in since it is generally the colour of physical metal, which can link to the music of metal.
The title is bright red so that it stands out, but I have put a slight gradient of black on each end of the title, so that it has the effect of a light shining on it, or a searchlight, as if it is in the darkness trying to be hidden.

Front page production

Of the two pictures I showed earlier, i have decided to use the bottom picture for my front page, since the lighting is better, it fills more of the page and the facial expression links more into the metal theme.

The first things I have done is to use the spot heal tool on photoshop to clean up imperfections on his face and clothes. The brightness and contrast have also been changed so that the colours stand out more, and Ihave cut him out from the original background.

Magazine title

After sending out a survey with the previous different names for the magazine title, the name that came out on top was "Metal Militia"
This is an appropriate name for the magazine since it identifys the music genre in the title straight away so that potential readers can easily find out at a glance. Also, the idea of Militia fits into the target audience and genre of music, a society that fights against the main powers.

Photos for magazine

After taking 109 pictures for the front cover, i have narrowed it down to the last two that i will decide between for using.