Final double page spread.

In the first image, you can see the final copy of my contents page. Once I thought I had reached the end of my double page spread I thought something was missing along the top as there was too much white space. To deal with this, I added one simple, thick, black line. This brings attention to the title of the article, which is informative for the reader, it also completes the page as it's no longer plain white at the top. I got my inspiration to put the black line in to the spread from the other magazine, pictured here.

Double page spread progress

I have decided to go with the column design with the faint black dotted lines in between each section of text to show the areas which are questions, answers and just normal text etc. 

There is still something missing however, there is too much white space above the models head. 

Double page spread progress

Double page spread progress

Extras!

I added to the magazine a chance to win a prize. I felt that this would be a good way to entice perhaps more people to purchase the magazine. Not all magazines offer the chance to win something so I thought this would give 'Ever Ready' an edge as it's an interesting unique selling point! 

There still needs to be some changes made to this feature, for example the answer options still need to be filled in. 

Contents page review 3

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Contents page review 2

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Contents page review 1

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Front cover review 3

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Front cover review 2

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Front cover review 1

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Double page spread...

Last week we all began learning how to use the InDesign software to create the final element of our music magazines, the double page spreads. I have found it quite confusing as there are some parts of it that are completely different from what we are used in programmes such as Photoshop  On the other hand, some elements are very similar so I should therefore get the hang of it quite easily. 

Contents progress

I am happy with this layout for my contents page. I have come to a firm decision that I will keep my background white. I decided this after looking at many music magazines such as Q and Top of The Pops who also have their contents pages based on a white background. This way, the colours of other elements will be easier to chose as white is a neutral colour that matches with a lot. 

Within the 'subscribe' section I included a small piece of information, about Sam Santos, with a page number which breaks up the text telling the reader about the subscription. By doing this, it gives the reader a taste of what they could be signing up for with the magazine. 

I finally got round to putting a black stroke effect around the outside of the thumbnail of the front cover which gives it more definition, showing it's significance to the magazine. 

Contents progress

A few things have been changed with this most recent draft of my contents page, firstly I have added new information (like the opportunity to subscribe) and I have removed the corresponding page numbers with the image of the front cover. 

I decided to add some more simple information like the chance to subscribe to the magazine to reduce white space. This also makes it look as though my magazine has more to offer.

Before, I had the small thumbnail of the front page on the contents page with arrows and corresponding page numbers coming off of it. I have now decided to change that. My reasons for changing this is that the previous layout took up far too much room and there was not enough space for truly useful information to the reader. I have now got the chance to add another column, similar to the others but based on a different subject. I still need to add a box around the, what is now bare, thumbnail as it blends in too much with the background, especially now that there are no page numbers accompanying it. 

Contents progress

I finally got to change the back ground colour! I still have the gradient included as it fades to white but I'm not so sure about that. Changing the colour from pink to blue makes the magazine have more of a theme to it now as it's the same colour as the back ground of the front page. I added a text box around the editors note to give it more definitions I wanted to keep the colour of the box blue rather than the same red as the other boxes, to show that they are separate pieces of information. I may also have to add a stroke effect box around the outside of the thumbnail picture of the front cover to give that definition also. 

Contents progress

I decided that, at this stage of creating my contents page, there was too much 'white space'. I have changed this by adding in another image of the main focus of the magazine, Sam. I used the lasso tool to select him from the back ground he was originally on and now it looks as though he is stood on front of the pink back ground of the contents page. Also at this stage the background colour still needs changing. 

By including another image of Sam, I hope to entice audience and make them wonder what else could be inside which then would hopefully make them be tempted to read on. 

Contents progress

This second draft of my contents page is very similar to the first draft. What has been changed however is that there is now headers for each section of information, containing page numbers, for example 'all about you'. By including these block coloured headers, there is more definition to each collumn. This will help the reader identify easier which area they would like to read about and by having the page numbers in a bigger font with a different colour, they can locate a certain page easily. 

Contents progress

This first draft of my contents page is far too plain. Many contents pages that I have studied do have plain back grounds but this one doesn't look right. I considered putting a texture as the back ground but that too, had something unsettling about it. I will have to change the gradient overlay to a different design to make everything connect correctly. I could consider making it blue so that there is a sort of continuum from the front cover, to contents page. 

The blue text boxes, in which the information is contained, look like they have been placed there without much thought and by having such a contrasting colour as the background behind it, they do not look professional. 

I do like the idea of keeping a small image of the front cover on the contents page so that readers do not have to keep flicking back a page to remember what they had previously read! 

Contents progress

I tried to link the colour scheme of the front page with the colours on my contents page. I decided to write my title in a red box but as the text was also red, it didn't fit very well. 

To improve, I will change the colour of either the box or the text as I want to continue the red theme.