FLAT PLANS

POTENTIAL FONTS – TITLE / MASTHEAD

To the left are hand drawn title / masthead fonts. They show variation in style and shading. These are examples of potential fonts to use as a masthead on the cover of the magazine. I would also intend to use the same or similar font on the title of the contents page to maintain continuity and give a professional look thought the pages which I am

creating. I had chosen to use the word 'BLEU' (blue in French) because this is a possible mast head / title for the magazine as I have chosen the music genre of blues.

POTENTIAL FONTS – SELL LINES

To the right are hand drawn sell line fonts. They show different fonts that could potentially be used on the cover of the magazine for the sell lines (the items on the front cover which persuade the viewer to buy - includes brief content and article headings). I

think that each of these fonts have strengths and weaknesses. Both the first and second are simple yet still effective. However I think that the third one is slightly too ambiguous.

Although the sell lines help to generate interest in the magazine - the main text of the mast head should be the one which contains the most creative designs. I find the final

example rather fitting to the genre as it is quite laid back and is supposed to look as if it is actually hand drawn, not digitally created.

FLAT PLANS OF EXISTING MAGAZINES - FRONT COVERS

Here you can see that the main image in placed in the left corner with the sell lines and mast head surrounding it. I think

this is an effective way of layout as it keeps everything in order. It also has a small bar underneath the mast head. This

includes additional information such as issue number date and price. Because all of the flat plan I had decided to recreate were of a blues genre many of them have suits on (like the above) which I think will be fitting to the genre if I decide to

recreate this look. You can see that the main sell line takes up more room as this is the piece of text which the creators want you to be drawn to and the smaller sell lines are there to bulk

out the front cover with articles and people who may feature in the magazine. It also includes the photographer of the front

image.

Here you can also see that the main image is surrounded by the mast head and sell line this creates a more enticing front cover as you are drawn to the main image. The main character on the cover is also holding a guitar which is blues music related. This magazine uses a skyline, placed above the masthead. This carries additional info, like competitions and people who feature in the magazine. This cover uses smaller images at the top to show what other content is available. Using images is a useful way as they are much more expressive than just sell lines alone. This also contains a bottom banner which usually contains items such as artists, but also has the price and barcode which usually hold the issue number as well.

FLAT PLANS OF EXISTING MAGAZINES - FRONT COVERS

This front cover has a lot going on. Sell lines are primarily located to the right and including the banner at the bottom. This encase the mage image which draws the eye to the main image. The bottom banner usually consists of artists and features in the magazine. The mast head is central and takes up a the whole line where it is placed. The skyline also follow this format. Items placed in the skyline would be featured articles or competitions. Usually the main sell line consists of a list of artists who are featured in the magazine. The main image is one alone person. There is also a barcode discreetly located at the bottom of the sell lines. Because it is the same width this allows it to blend in.

This front cover is very busy. The mast head is located at the top (slightly left) corner. With the additional skyline centred above it. A promotional offer is located at the top right hand side. This offers small items such as free cds or posters. The main image consists of two men holding guitars. This image was probably captured during a concert as they look as though they are on a stage and not looking directly into the lens. The sell lines have been displayed around the main image ensuring not to distort the image ie. To the edges. It also includes a main sell lines which is probably the main article with a pull quote from said article. This cover does include a barcode to the bottom right of the page. At the bottom there is a puff. These include additional information in the magazine. These usually feature at the bottom of the page. There are also words located around the characters head like sound waves. These connect to the music genre

FLAT PLANS OF EXISTING MAGAZINES – CONTENTS PAGESTo the left is a flat plant of a magazine contents page. From the response to the questionnaire and the primary research feed back it appears that the majorly of many prefer the layout when columns are included as it divides the text to not put off the reader (as large blocks of text can often look daunting and many skim over without reading). Feed back from the primary research also suggest that images are also a postive aspect of contents pages as it engages readers and injects colour into the page. Page numbers have albeen used in this particular layout as it aids the reader in finding a particular articles quicker (which is essentially the purpose of a contents page). A title is located at the top of the page to indicate what that page acctualy is. However without this many people would assume that it is a contents page as it possess the usual features of a contents page - page numbers located next to article headings and images.

FLAT PLANS OF EXISTING MAGAZINES – CONTENTS PAGES

To the left here is a flat plan for a double page contents page. The use of visual symetry has been used here with the use of the long exposure light images either side of both pages. These act almost.ike columns to frame

the page. Images asks feature at the top and bottom of the page which act in the same way. Page numbers and articles are also present which help

the reader find an article of interest quickly without having to search through the entire magazine.

FLAT PLANS OF EXISTING MAGAZINES – CONTENTS PAGES

Here you can see that this contents page is created largely from images. These are grouped in a montage like structure with a small table to the right of it

containing the actual text contents. It starts with a banner at the top displaying the issue number. The images are scattered around the page, some at a slight angle to give the impression that they have been thrown down. The images also include

numbers to allow the reader to directly go to that page what contains similar images and text content.

FLAT PLANS OF EXISTING MAGAZINES – CONTENTS PAGES

Here you cans see that the contents page is displayed over a double page spread. This enables the page to have more content on. Here you can see the two figures either side of the table. This creates a frame from the contents table. Within the central box is the text. Im not sure that this works as well as the others as this is

very text heavy and dependant. All of the articles include that number to allow the user to navigate easily to the right page corresponding to the article. The

masthead / title of the page is quite plain and central to the page, but because it is on a double fold some of the text could be lost in the fold of the page. The text is

also aligned to both sides.

MY MAGAZINE FLAT PLANS

Here you can see my own flat plans for my magazine. I have taken ideas from each magazine that I have studied and incorporated ideas to result my plans. For the cover I have decide to use one model as I think that this is simple yet effective.

I think sell lines either side will result in a more realistic look. Adding a skyline will also add to the professional feel. I also thought by adding a ‘free cd’ section this would add authenticity to the final piece. This also keeps the text to image ratio

equal

For the contents page I decide to do one page instead of a double page spread. I think that this will look more professional. I liked the idea of including images scattered on the page. I think this adds a laid back look to the page and reflects the genre

of blues. Adding the page numbers to the images will be important as this is essential for navigation. I liked the idea of having a smaller text box to the side containing all of the table. This created a more ordered look as all of the text is in the

same place. By adding colour this makes all of the items stand out more that with out.