Magazine Design EvaluationBy Harrison Reed Delve

Initial researchThe research I did for my magazine, was to look through different Metal Hammer and NME magazines, taking note of the layout and the pictures. Giving me an informative look at the different styles. I also made a questionnaire that proved useful in the way that I created my magazine, from it, I learned that most people were interested in the magazine usually by the model on the front cover, so therefore I took a copious amount of images to get the right one, editing them in different ways and adjusting them to find the right image. I also did research by looking at other magazines that covered different topics, such as fashion magazines to find a distinct style that was unique to my magazine.

Product ResearchWith production research, I researched different magazines again, making a much more in depth analysis and taking note of things that stood out. I also did a comparison article to help with this, what it showed was that there are different ways to advertise similar products, with different promises and different taglines, that can result in a completely different feel to the magazine, bursting with colour to attract the reader, or using the main image as the attractor.It also helped to give me tips on cover lines and fonts to use. Here are some examples of the research that I did.

Logo designThe reason that I like this logo design is that, for one the letters are big and bold, it stands out without looking too messy, covering the screen with curves and twists, it is blocky and bold which I think is more appealing and makes it look more professional. Furthermore I think it acts as a juxtaposition to the actual title ‘Carnage’ the reason being is that while carnage insinuates a certain chaotic style and mess, the actual font is tidy and gives off a feeling of Varsity style.

Image editingI think that the main cover image worked well because, it looks only slightly edited, most people would probably not notice, I think that it gave the image an interesting look and almost made it look like a slightly old vintage photograph. And by only using the one image it stands out more, the editing I did looks natural to a point so that it makes the image interesting but not dramatically edited to the point it looks unrealistic and silly.

Magazine coverThis is the completed cover that I designed, I think that it works well because I put the main articles on the front page, giving people the chance to look at the main ones and not be distracted by smaller stories, I also thought the positioning of the image in front of the title works because it does not look as if it is covering the entire title, and works to be different, and also doesn’t cover the image that much that you cannot see it. By using this image also, it is quite a small image in comparison to some of the other images I took and think that it works well in allowing room for the headlines and the small descriptions.

Contents PageShow the contents page you designed say what you did and why you think it worked wellWith my contents page I wanted to show as much of the main articles and images as possible, so by making them stand out with the black background and red writing your eye is drawn to them, I also like the review section at the bottom as this shows that there is more to the magazine than simply articles on bands, it has a section on reviews which people can look at if they wish to buy an album, getting a second opinion. I also like the images to the side, I think that by adding them it gives a visual aid to the actual contents and that this works well with the titles because it gives a flavour to what these articles are going to be like, and what the people are like to.

Double Page Spread

What I did with this was to Take my influence from Metal Hammer and Kerrang and incorporate this into my magazine, for example having multiple images among the article pages. Furhtermore I have a quote in among the writing, as a way to attract the readers eye. I also have a smaller image with a quote underneath, like they have in other magazines. I also put at the bottom of the last sentence, the next time you would be able to see them live, as I think if this was a real article, the point is to get to know the band and also advertise them for people that are interested in seeing them. I think that this works well because it looks natural, it looks like a real article and also is lay out like one, it is not bustling with too many images, but it doesn’t lack in them making it look boring.

Strengths of the ProjectI think that with this project, that the overall strength of it, is that it appears like a regular music magazine, it does not have anything that makes it try to appear “different” and instead focuses on coming across as genuine. I think that the front cover and the double page spread are the strongest part of the project itself. And that I did a suitable amount of research and was influenced by the most popular magazines. I also think that by taking and editing a large amount of images, it gave me a wide variety to choose from, while trying to not sacrifice quantity over quality.

Weaknesses of the ProjectI think that I would improve the contents page, I think that I could have done this better and in a more interesting way, I think that there is not enough variety in the types of articles and posts on this page, and it makes it look slightly bare. If I were to make this magazine again I think that I would focus on the contents more than I did in this one, and make sure that I had the space to add things to it, I also think that if I were to make the double page spread again, I would take a different approach to it, instead of doing it like I did, I would also take a different approach to the front cover, experimenting with different takes on them all, as I think this is an important part of the project, and one which can produce the most benefits for you in the long run.