Flat plans For Front Cover
I started designing my front cover ideas, to see which one I think would be the best layout to attract my audience's attention. This is my first design:
I like this design as I think it makes you notice the cover lines more from the way they are spread out. I don't like this design, however, because I think it will distract from the cover image too much, and it will be hard to work the cover lines in these positions around the main image.
This is my second design for my front cover. I like this design as I like the way the cover lines are all on the same side as I think it looks more professionally laid out. I don't like the positioning of the inside stories or images bar, as I think it is covering up too much of the main image, which could mean it wouldn't grab the readers' attention so much.
This is my third design for my front cover. This one is my preferred one as I think it shows the main image enough, and the cover lines are positioned well. The way the cover lines are positioned means that I have more room to put more cover lines in, meaning I can have more "sneak peeks" of what's inside the magazine and more to entice the reader to buy the magazine.
Front Cover Drafts:
This is my first front cover draft. I don't like the color I have used for the masthead, and I don't like the layout of the images at the bottom. I do like the main image, however I think it may be hard to work around.
This is my second front cover draft. I decided to change the name of my magazine to 'Plectrum' as this is a reference to guitar's, which will appeal to musicians in my target audience. I prefer the color red for the masthead as I think it's a more appealing color. I don't like the positioning of the images still, however, because I think it covers up too much of the main image.
This is my third front cover draft. I decided to change the main image to a black and white one, as I think it makes the masthead stand out more which is the part that I want to stand out to my target audience. I also decided to change the color of my cover lines as it makes them stand out more, rather than looking washed out on the image.
Final Front Cover
I like the color of the cover lines as they stand out, and the most important part of the cover line is a different color, so it makes it bolder. I also like the layout of my front cover, as I think that it shows enough of the main image to make an impact, but the cover lines also grab your attention enough as well. I also like the color scheme of my front cover because I think it contrasts well with the main image. I also edited the main image, so that the background was white. I decided to do this because I thought it made the masthead stand out better.
This is my first contents page draft. I decided to use white as the background color as I thought it would make my black and white photos stand out more. I don't like this, however, as I think it looks too plain and boring. I also don't like the layout of the images as I think it looks too structured and wouldn't appeal to my target audience.
This is my second contents page draft. I decided to change the background color to a turquoise as I thought it would look more appealing as it is such a bright color. I made the contents page title bigger as I think it would be easier to read and really stands out. I also decided to change the layout of my photo's as I think it looks more like a magazine contents page, and it looks like there is more to see with this layout. I don't like the color of the background, however, as my target audience is mostly male orientated and I think the color is very girly. I would rather carry on the color scheme from the front cover.
This is my third contents page draft. I decided to change the color of the background to match the color scheme from the front cover, and I think it links the magazine together better. I decided to change the layout of the images to be out of alignment as I felt it looked more appealing to my target audience, less 'business-like'. I felt this would appeal more to my target audience, as they are less likely to be in powerful jobs at their age, so it may be that they are more relaxed and reading this magazine for entertainment, rather than on the way to work etc. I am also able to fit more onto the contents page with this layout, and I think that the busier the contents page looks, the more there appears to be in the rest of the magazine. 
This is my final contents page. I like that the color scheme is carried on from the front cover, as I think this looks more appealing, and the readers get a sense of familiarality. I also like the layout of my writing, and the way the contents can be used. For example, I like having the titles 'News' 'Features' and 'Regulars' as it implies to readers that it's a magazine with a range of content. I decided to put a quote over the images to entice the reader to read the main double page spread. I also decided to put another bold text part talking about the competition. I decided to do this because I wanted the readers to be excited about a competition that links to their hobbies/ likes.
Double Page Spread Drafts
This is my first double page spread. I like the layout of the title, as it makes the artist's name stand out more because it is spread out. I like the idea of having the left side being just an image, or lots of images as I think it shows implies that the artist is the most important part of the double page. I like the layout of the text, however, as I think it is easier to read, and will therefore make the reader more interested in reading the article.
Contents Page Drafts
This is my second contents page draft. I decided to change the background color to a turquoise as I thought it would look more appealing as it is such a bright color. I made the contents page title bigger as I think it would be easier to read and really stands out. I also decided to change the layout of my photo's as I think it looks more like a magazine contents page, and it looks like there is more to see with this layout. I don't like the color of the background, however, as my target audience is mostly male orientated and I think the color is very girly. I would rather carry on the color scheme from the front cover. 
This is my third contents page draft. I decided to change the color of the background to match the color scheme from the front cover, and I think it links the magazine together better. I decided to change the layout of the images to be out of alignment as I felt it looked more appealing to my target audience, less 'business-like'. I felt this would appeal more to my target audience, as they are less likely to be in powerful jobs at their age, so it may be that they are more relaxed and reading this magazine for entertainment, rather than on the way to work etc. I am also able to fit more onto the contents page with this layout, and I think that the busier the contents page looks, the more there appears to be in the rest of the magazine. 
This is my final contents page. I like that the color scheme is carried on from the front cover, as I think this looks more appealing, and the readers get a sense of familiarality. I also like the layout of my writing, and the way the contents can be used. For example, I like having the titles 'News' 'Features' and 'Regulars' as it implies to readers that it's a magazine with a range of content. I decided to put a quote over the images to entice the reader to read the main double page spread. I also decided to put another bold text part talking about the competition. I decided to do this because I wanted the readers to be excited about a competition that links to their hobbies/ likes.
Double Page Spread Drafts
This is my second double page spread draft. I like the layout of the first image, as it is large and will capture the readers' attention easily. I also like the layout of the text as it is laid out in a way that means more text can be on the double page spread, meaning the interview can be in more depth. I'm not sure wether I like the layout of my second image, as i think it could distract from the article too much.
This is my third double page spread draft. I like the layout of the first image as it takes up most of the page, meaning that their image is something that they want the audience to recognise. This works, because the artist is unsigned, and so it will be easier for the artist to be recognized by their image, other than their name. I'm not sure wether I like the layout of the text however, as I think it looks a bit scruffy, and less attractive to read.
This is my final double page spread. I like the layout of the images, and the amount of text used. I also like that I have followed the color scheme from the front cover on, as it appeals to the audience as they recognize it and know that it's an important part of the magazine as it has stuck to the themes, rather than try to stand out as something different. I decided to use the first page as mainly an image, as I wanted to show the audience the artist's image, as they are not widely known, so at the moment this artist is depending on people recognizing his image rather than his name. You can tell who my target audience is, as the language I have used is quite informal, for example 's**t' and 'innuendoes'. I also like the use of color on the spread, as I think it helps the audience to determine the most important parts of the spread.
