2. Magazine Planning
This flat plan is something that I created in Photoshop. It shows the basic layout that I will apply when creating the cover
for my magazine. The clearly labelled boxes show the individual components that will be implemented.
This design is very similar to the one that I used for my test cover. This turned out well in terms of format so I have
decided to keep it alike. I have included more space for shapes in this particular design as that was something that my
other lacked. This is something that I stated in the development. The front cover was very bare and lots of empty spaces
were present, this new format should erase this and use the space efficiently. I can always of course add extra blobs and
shapes into the design if it is lacking.
The masthead is as ever located at the top. This time I have left a smaller amount of space as, again, the practice cover
was bare. This new masthead location should leave me enough room to fit in the text but also cram lots of information
regarding the contents of the magazine around it. The font used in the flat plan does not represent the font that I will use
in the actual cover. This time I will create an actual logo for the magazine as this will have a greater effect on the overall
appearance.
The coverline is located towards the bottom of the page, just below where the main image will be. This will most likely
be in a different font style to the other text on the page to make it stand out more. This may also have a tagline beneath
it depending on the appearance when the cover is still in production.
The main image will take most of the page. This will stretch down to the bottom and possibly up to the masthead
depending on the quality of photography. The only reasons that the masthead will be placed upon a different
background is if the colours do not contrast well or if the style seems wrong. The focus of the image will be towards the
right side of the page, located near the label, as most of the left and above have been taken by shapes and other
elements of the font cover. When it comes to the task of photographing the images I will keep in mind that most of the
photo should include blank spaces where I can easily add the shapes.
Below the coverline I have included plans for additional article snippets to be included, but what I haven’t noted is that I
will be adding a small subtitle not unlike the one that I created in my practice cover. This contained information regarding
the article which was shown by the coverline, however I may choose to use it for another reason. I think it was a nice
addition to the magazine and gave it an authentic appearance.
Additional blobs and shapes could
surround the masthead, provided that
the logo left enough room for them.
The shapes will stretch down to the
coverline, lining the left side of the
page to ensure that no empty space
is left on the front cover, a negative I
evaluated from my practice.
The main focal point of the image will
be in this general area but the
photograph will stretch down to the
bottom of the page. This will allow for
more shapes to be included below the
coverline.
3. Magazine Planning
For the double page spread I vaguely followed a theme that I had seen in the pages of Top Gear that I
researched. This had a very clean and organised look to it. It was something that was very sterile and at
first did not appeal to me. I soon realised that this was actually quite a visually appealing way of
presenting lots of information and lots of images.
I started first with the main image which can be seen towards the bottom left corner. Although this is not
central the size should draw the eye, along with the quality of the photography. The image actually spans
over to the other side of the double page, it is not A5 as it may seem. The edge comes across because I
felt that the image would be too small otherwise and also it gives the page an organic look, rather than a
load of squares in a calculated space.
Unlike the main image, the smaller pictures will give insight into the subject where the first image could
not. These may be close ups of certain aspects or perhaps different angles that are not shown from the
main photograph. These are located to the side so that the text will still be central to the page. As my
target audience may be quite enthusiastic about the subject of the magazine I must present it so that it is
appealing to those who are and to those who aren’t. To achieve this with the content of the article I will
allocate different sets of information to different places. The first three boxes are located at the top as
they will be most relevant and give a broad explanation over the subject, most likely cars. They will talk
about different qualities depending on how I word the article. The fourth box, which is offset, will talk
about a more specific topic relating to the car. For example in Top Gear the article regarding the race car
had a small section describing a number of main features that the engineers implemented into the car.
This was easy to read and interesting from a non-car enthusiast standpoint but is most likely appealing to
those who take their car knowledge a little more seriously. Although the other text box was part of the
article it did not necessarily relate and the main article did not need to be read through. This means that
those simply flicking through could still understand the gist of the pages.
Although the design of this double page is different from the one I used to practice with it still contains all
I need for the article. It actually contains more images than the concept page, as this could show up to
five. This would mean that it may be a more a visual article, however.
Text boxes used to contain the main article. These
could contain pull quotes in the future as I have the
left the design open to alteration.
Images used to show the vehicle from
different perspectives, possibly from inside
or overhead.
The main image will show the vehicle at its
best from a universal view, meaning that
the shot will not be biased towards a
certain part or feature. This could
coordinate with the text box to its direct
right using a number of bullet points or
markers as seen in the Top Gear magazine.
Smaller text box used
to expand on main
features of the car. This
would be in short and
snappy sentences that
give an deep insight but
without a lot of text.
4. Magazine Planning
Another flat plan concept show the potential for a double page that is more like the tests that I conducted
for the page layout. By going back to this design I would be able to achieve all the things above while still
keeping the design innovative and interesting.
The main image will be background for this page, unlike the previous design where it was contained
inside a single box. This time it will span the entire page. The plan to the right shows that the image will
be only in the centre, but this is only to show where the focal point of the photograph will be. I will
potentially fade the background in order for it to contrast more with the text depending on the style I go
with. If I cannot achieve this I can always, for example, place the text on top of a translucent background
sized to fit the text exactly. This way the image behind can still be seen while the text can still be easily
readable.
The article’s content will be divided into four boxes of text, alike the previous design. However this time
they will al contain equally relevant information. The two boxes that are closes to the centre have sloping
edges. This is not exactly how they will look in the final product but this is simply to show the curvature
that the text boxes will take upon as they bend around the image that will be placed there, most likely a
car. This will be very similar to the text boxes in my prototype design, where they curved around the
edges of a yellow Ford Focus. This was poorly done however and I hope to improve upon it in a number of
ways.
Within the text to the right side of the double page I have included space for a pull quote. This was paced
there because I very much like the look of it and think it is necessary for my design. I do not like the
placement of it however and I feel as though it would be much better located in the exact same place but
on the other page. Being there it would catch the eye and entice people to read much more than it would
if it was on the second page. The process of inserting the pull quote was not a easy task and I could
improve upon it much more. I had many problems when it came to trying to get the text surrounding it to
clip to the edges. This goes for the rest of the text in a way, as most of it came out messy and
disorganised.
