STEPHANIE ZIEGLER :)
My AS Media Coursework
Front Cover (Real Product)
This front cover is from the magazine ‘VIBE’. It features a large photo of Drake, (a well known artist) on the front wearing a black flat cap and two silver necklaces giving him his ‘bling’.
The theme of this front cover is a bright neon like yellow colour, white, black and grey. The yellow definitely stands out a lot and catches the eye of the audience due to the bright contrasting colour against the black.
Drakes head is covering the middle of the word ‘VIBE’ which makes it seem as though it is such a well-known magazine, that people will know straight away what is says even though half of the word is missing.
The text used on the front cover is clear and easy to read and is all in capital letters to also draw attention and show importance.
Drakes t-shirt features the word ‘UNSTOPPABLE’ in big white letters, which really stands out against the black t-shirt he is wearing.
This also, makes the artist seem interesting and would make people want to read more about him in the article featured in the magazine.
My favourite thing about this magazine cover would be the yellow which is used to make certain aspects of the magazine really stand out, I think it is really effective and really works with the whole urban theme of the magazine.
I think, that if i saw this magazine selling in the shop, I would buy it due to the interesting selling lines which would make me want to read more inside the magazine and I would also buy it because I am a big fan of Drake who is featured on the front, so would make me more likely to purchase the VIBE magazine.
Front Cover (Real Product)
This front cover is from a magazine called ‘Flavour’. It has a large photo of Dappy from N-Dubz on it, which is a very well known artist and would interest people because they might want to read more information about him.
This magazine cover is a lot more plain compared to the VIBE magazine front cover. It doesn’t really have a main bright colour to outline important parts of text.
The theme is grey, white and black, and I don’t think neither of the colours stand out that much. However, i do prefer the layout of this front cover, I like the way that all of the text is mostly on the right side of the cover and then the image mostly on the left. I think this balances the cover nicely, and puts a lot of importance focused on the artist.
Dappy is shown wearing a black t-shirt (like Drake on ‘VIBE’ cover) and also is shown wearing a lot of silvery, glittery ‘bling’, which stands out a lot against the dark background of his clothes.
The photo of Dappy has really strong eye contact with the audience which makes you want to read the article about him, and draws your attention to it.
I like this magazine cover in general, but the only thing that I feel that could be improved would be by making one of the colours in the theme really bright or neon so that it stands out more and makes the selling lines really eye popping.
Contents Page (Real Product)
This contents page is from the magazine, Kerrang. The first thing that really stands out for me is the font that is used for the title that reads ‘It’s a Riot’. The read colour really caught my eye and the font is edgy and fun which would appeal to the audience of young adults.
The contents sections are on the left side of the page, and there are a few different sized images on the left side which definately adds interest.
The left side is also backrounded in black, with the writing in white and yellow which really makes it stand out.
Something that stands out to me a lot on the contents page is the way the images are actually placed on the page as if someone had just casually placed them there, it looks as though the overall design is made from scrap bits of paper which adds to the effect of the magazine.
Also, at the bottom of the biggest image, it says ‘Pull out Giant poster’ which would appeal to people buying the magazine and would increase sales, especially if they are particularly interested in the band Paramore.
Overall, I think the layout for this cover is really well designed and the text which needs to stand out to attract readers, does. Which is good.
This page also had a list of all of the people who were involved in making the magazine on it in a box at the top. I think this too, is a good thing to include when making a contents page because it makes it more personal.
Contents Page (Real Product)
This is a contents page for a music magazine. I like the layout and especially the fonts shown, as they are bold, colourful and easy to read. One thing that really stand out to me is the city building picture which i love which is at the top of the page acting as a kind of banner.
I like the boxes with the page numbers in and think that it stands out especially because the number are in luminous yellow boxes placed against the black background which is a complete contrast therefore making a severe contrast which is eye catching and it is really clever how the arrow points from the page number box to the image that relates to it.
The different angles of the text also suits the layout and makes it not look so strictly made, and gives more of a quirky edge, which I think is important to add interest and tie in with the whole theme of the magazine.
The way that ‘Contents’ is written as well is in white against the black background which makes it really stand out the most on the page out of everything, which is also really good.
Double Page Spread (Real Product)
This double page spread is not as effective as the other ones, I don’t think. The page is spread into two sides. On the right side is a big image of the artist, and the left side features the interview of the artist.
Each question is shown in a bold light neon blue colour, which stands out, but I think the backround should maybe have been in a lighter colour with a darker font to make it more eye popping. I think with it all being in italics as well makes it a bit more difficult to read.
I feel it also would have been more effective if the double page spread included a short paragraph before the interview saying a bit more information about the artist and the nature of the interview. I think this would be more informative and interesting for readers, who may not know who the artist is, or may not know much about them.
I definitely think that a different layout and font and colours used would improve the whole graphology of this double page.
STEPHANIE ZIEGLER :) 