Contents Page: Deconstruction

First Deconstruction: Kerrang!

Masthead:

The Masthead of the contents page of Kerrang! magazine is at the top left of the page. The font used is the same as the Kerrang! logo - an easily recognizable logo, especially for fans of the company. Also, the use of the left aligned masthead - in a medium sized text suggests that the magazine is well known and easily recognizable - even by its contents page. The colour yellow being used in the masthead stands out against the dark background; despite it being a bright colour, the yellow still keeps the contents quite neutral.

Main Image:

The main image of Gerard Way stands out due to the fact it's black and white - compared to the colour images and the yellow text. When first seeing the contents page, your eyes are immediately drawn to the image due to it's size, compared to the other images and the rest of the contents page. The image is in the top right of the page and takes up just over a quarter of the page suggesting its importance in the magazine. In the photo, Way is looking directly at the camera which tends to draw the reader in.

Other Images:

The other images on the contents page are all relating to the main image - all being My Chemical Romance images. As mentioned previously, the photos take up, overall, half of the page which suggests the importance the people shown in the images are to the magazine/readers. The images are all part of the 'My Chemical Romance Poster Special' and due to them being the images on the contents page suggests that for that particular issue, that is what readers want/have anticipated the most. Below the other images, there is a photo of the editor of Kerrang Magazine which simply suggests that readers are interested about the people being the magazine.

Information about Contents:

The contents part of the page is positioned in the bottom half of the page and supplies readers with brief information about what can be found in the magazine - most pages being referenced having a brief description about what the article is about. The text is split up into sections: Feedback, News, Win, Live Reviews, Features, Album reviews, Gig Guide, and The K! Quiz; the use of these subheadings makes the readers feel like they are getting a bit of everything - their money's worth.

Font:

For the subheadings, the font used is the same as both the Kerrang! logo and the Contents Page title due to the subheadings giving readers important information about what can be found in the magazine - showing the magazine contains more than it's stereotypical trait. The colour of the contents font overall is black; the page numbers are in red which stands out against the plain white background. The use of bold - yet quite neutral - colours for the font suggests that Kerrang! as a magazine are trying to appeal to their target audience - teenagers and older - and are trying to keep their contents neutral, in contrast to brightly coloured - brightly coloured magazines are usually seen as childish.

Essential Information:

Below the Masthead of the contents page is the issue number and cover date. This provides readers with essential information that they may require. The use of the repetition of the essential information - also found on the front cover - helps readers have easier access to finding the information, especially due to the front cover information is usually quite small.

Colours:

The overall colours used on the page are part of a set theme and are consistent throughout the page, increasing magazine quality. As mentioned above, the colours are not too outrageous which suggests the appeal the magazine are trying to create with the target audience.

Composition:

Overall, the composition of the page is quite neat and effective. The use of a simple half-paged structure, despite being considered boring, easily appeals to readers - as readers care more about the content of the magazine and wouldn't be put off by a boring magazine.  

Second Deconstruction: NME 

Masthead:

Unlike the previous magazine, the Masthead of the contents page of NME is "Inside this week" centered at the top of the mage instead of actually being the name of the magazine, this suggests that the magazine format is easily recognizable to readers.  Due to the unusual format of the contents page, the editors have chosen to use a simple 3-worded masthead in order that readers can recognize that the page is a contents page. The text is all black and stands out against the white background, making it quite a traditional format - almost like a newspaper, which the magazine used to be like several years ago. This simple colour scheme is a theme throughout the whole magazine. 

Main Image:

The main image on the page is centered, in the top half of the page and is of "Swim Deep". The image itself is in colour, but mostly dark shades. The flowers in the image stand out against the dark colours of the image which draws readers' eyes to the image. In addition, the man's eyes are looking at the camera which tends to draw readers in. 

Other Images:

For each important article in the magazine, there is an image in the contents page at each side and below of the main image - this includes 6 images.  Each image is of a different artist - ranging from David Bowie to Justin Timberlake - this suggests that the readers of the magazine are from different backgrounds with various tastes in music. By using images of completely different artists, the magazine is trying to appeal to most audiences.

Information about Contents:

Below each image is the page number in which that article features. In addition there is a quote from the article which entices the reader, making them want to read that certain article. The rest of the contents is in a small text under the heading "Plus" - this emphasizes on the main articles being important as below the heading "Plus", each page that is mentioned doesn't mention any artists and have simple names like "Crossword" of "Features. 

Font:

Throughout the contents page, the same font is used - excluding the Masthead and the quote for the main article. This supports the idea of the NME using quite a simple but effective  format  - due to NME being a long-running magazine, this appeals to the older audiences.

Third Deconstruction: Rock Sound

Masthead: 
Unlike both previous magazines, at the top left of the first page there is the Masthead "Contents" which is quite unusual. However, due to the layout of the two pages - there is many images - the editors need to make it clear that the page is a contents page. In addition, unlike the previous magazines, this contents page has several different parts to it, each having their own mastheads - "Welcome to Rock Sound." "The Noise", "In Rock Sound this month", "Reviews" and "19 New Bands You Need to Hear" - this gives us an idea that the magazine is trying to appeal to everyone and include as much as possibly - especially due to it being a monthly magazine.

Main image:
The main image of the page is of the band Avenged Sevenfold. In the image, each member is looking directly at the camera- and therefore the readers- which tends to draw readers in. In addition, lead singer M.Shadows is pointing directly at the camera- and the reader- which enhances on the point of the image to draw the readers in. It also suggests that in that particular issue, Avenged Sevenfold are part of their main article.

Other Images:
Alongside NME, Rock Sound have included images of mainly every band/artist that is relevant in that particular issue. This, as mentioned above, helps to appeal to more than one specific audience - even though the magazine is a rock magazine - unlike the NME.

Information about Contents:

The contents page itself has been split into different parts - as mentioned above - each part differing in importance in the particular issue - for example, the pages listed in "The Noise" section of the contents page are less important than those listed in the main contents "In Rock Sound this Month". This helps the reader identify which articles are more important; it also helps the readers find the articles, if looking for a particular article. Within each image is a small text box telling readers who the artist/band in the image is, and what page they can be found of. Therefore, this helps fans of particular bands and artists find the article that most interests them easier. 

Font:

Throughout the whole contents page, the same font has been used. This shows a level of consistency which suggests that the font and the way everything is presented is a large part of the Rock Sound magazine. It could also suggest that by using one font style, it puts more emphasis on the actual magazine content - what readers buy the magazine for. 

Photoshop Skills Development

To Develop my Photoshop skills, I have taken an image of Jarvis Cocker of Pulp, and a separate image of a bar-code and made them into a magazine cover with text to show where the Masthead and Main Coverline would be. 

I have created a .gif file on http://makeagif.com/ to show my Photoshop process. 

In order to create this, I had to unlock the "Background" layer by double clicking on the layer and naming it something other than "Background". Next i adjusted the way the image appeared using the Brightness/Contrast and Hue/Saturation tools found in Image>Adjustments along the menu bar. Then I duplicated my layer so that I am able to change the background colour of the image - separating the image from the background. To change the background colour, I selected the background of my duplicated layer using the "Magic Wand" tool which selects areas of an image that are of a similar colour. Once selecting the whole background, I deleted it. Next I went back onto my original layer and selected a colour on the colour palette and by using the paint bucket tool, I was able to change the colour of the background to blue. After changing the background colour, I used to blur and eraser tool to soften off the edges of the image to make it look better. I added text to show where the masthead, coverline and subheading would be if it were a real magazine. For the masthead, I made sure that the text layer was below the image layer so that the text would be behind Jarvis' head. Finally, I added in a bar code to the bottom left of the image and saved the image as a JPEG.

Preliminary Task - Front Cover and Contents

For my Preliminary Task, I have created a Front Cover and Contents Page for a College Magazine on Microsoft Publisher.

 

Front Cover

 

 

 

 

Contents Page

 

 Evaluation:
 

 Strengths: For my magazine, I took appropriate images from around the college for on both my front cover and contents page which I will also do for my next magazine. I have also used key conventions usually found in a magazine which makes the magazine look more professional. My target audience was college students, therefore I used coverlines and stories that I feel would be relevant to them/interest them. When making the magazine, I tried to use a variety of colours which proves affective for the target audience, however, for my music magazine this will be used but to a toned down extent due to the audience.

Weaknesses/Improvements: The fonts that I used are too 'plain' and by using different/more aesthetically pleasing fonts which will overall improve the look of my magazine - along with draw everything together instead of making it look out of place. In parts I have consistent use of capital letters and in other parts I have not; therefore, I need to make my use of capital letters consistent to make the magazine look more professional. In addition to using different fonts, for my contents page I could add text over the images to draw everything in together.
 

 



Preliminary Task Flat Plans

I have created two flat plans for my magazine cover and contents page on Microsoft Publisher. Below are the flat plans and some information about them.

Magazine Cover

For my magazine cover, I plan to have my layout as above. My Masthead will feature at the very top of the page - spreading across the whole width as it will easily catch attention - it will also be brightly coloured.  My cover lines will be at the left of the page going down the page - they are also some cover lines at the bottom of the page - this is to tell readers what can be found in the magazine. My main image will take up most of the page to grab attention - it will also let readers know what the main article of the magazine will be. Covering the bottom of the main image is the Main Cover line and Sub-heading, as does the image, these allow readers to know what the main article is about. I have featured a Skyline above the Masthead which will be an advertisement. Finally, at the bottom right of the page is the bar code and essential information, this allows readers to know about the price of the Magazine, along with the website.

Contents Page

My Contents page will follow the same format as the Cover, with the same colour scheme to follow the theme. I have decided for my Contents page, the Masthead used on the cover will feature at the top left of the Contents page as I feel that using the title 'Contents' isn't necessary. Below the Masthead will be the main image - a similar image to that on the Cover of the magazine - leading readers to the same article. Below the main image is two other images that will be for less important articles; the reason for this is that it advertises other articles and by using visual examples it will attract more people to those article. Going down the right side of the page in a column will be the Contents, listing article names and page numbers, this is to guide people to each page.

Below the images I will have a brief letter from the editor which allows people to get to know the editor and the reasons behind each article. Finally, below the editors letter I will have an advertisement as it is commonly found in magazines. 

Inspirational Texts / Mood Board

I have done some research on Youtube, and have found that these are the types of artists and bands that will appear in my magazine.



























I have created a Mood Board on http://www.bighugelabs.com/  of artists that I have decided to include in my Magazine.

Magazine Cover Deconstructions

I have chosen three different magazine covers - from three different magazine companies - and deconstructed them, mentioning the features used and why they are effective in making people buy the magazine.
I created my magazine deconstuction on PowerPoint and uploaded it to SlideShare.

Magazine Covers Deconstruction from AbbiejoanW