Production Log #13- Building Up My Front Cover Template

25th/26th November 2013
On Monday’s lesson I completed off producing my contents page by adding in all the subheading of the contents pages and all the important keyu featuees of the contents page. This task was very time consuming as it was hard to align the text and the numbers next to each other; however I persevered and got there eventually. For my contents page all I have to do is add the images which I would like in my contents page. As I haven’t done my photoshoot yet, I have to leave the black boxes there as the template of the image.After this task, I thought to start off building up my front cover, but before I could do that, I blogged my contents page process and spoke about what I substituted in the place holder text. 

On the front cover, I started to place all the cover lines I wanted to include. My homework for this week was to write all the cover lines that will feature on my front cover. This made half of the task very easy to do as I only had to copy and paste the cover lines and place them where I desired. I have one main cover line which is positioned at the bottom and is on the left, this is because we read from ‘left to right’ and that is the ‘sweet spot’ of the magazine which the audience will be caught attention too, after looking at the image.
On Tuesday I carried on with my front cover, I made a lot of progress on my front cover since the scaffold/template design of my magazine. 

The first image shows the first idea I had for my magazine, and then the 2nd image shows the other layout which I prefer. This shows that I have been making process by experimenting will different styles, layouts and tools to achieve this progress. 

This task has got me thinking on where I should position everything on my front cover as we need to consider on how I can get the attention of a reader on my magazine and make them want to buy it. 

Equipment

Equipment

The equipment task can help me with my final prouct as by indentifying the equipment I need to build up magazine I can understand what they are as well as showing proof on what I will be using to create my magazine.

Production Log #12 - Editing Contents Page Template

On the 18th and 19th of November, I decided to finish of my contents page edit, I started off completing the regulars and features section, I also made sure that numbers were included to support the contents page sub heading lines. Before I used different text boxes for each subheading, however my teacher recommend me an easier way to add text quickly without playing around with the text, just use one textbox and copy and paste all the sub headings and have a different column for the numbers. I then realised that I didn’t complete my front cover scaffolding so I went on starting to scaffold it, as I haven’t got an image yet, it’s hard to know where I will be placing my sell lines and plugs. I looked up for few ideas of how my front cover could be layed out, I really liked a magazine front cover which has a lot of text which surrounded the text with thin and tall text – the magazine was a fashion magazine, however other magazine like Vibe gave me inspiration and I thought to combine both style together as I liked both the layout and the style. Adjusting the font size, picking the exact font took me a while as I want the front cover to be perfect, and that later on when it does come to editing I don’t want to keep editing the sell lines, just move them around to adjust around the image.

Contents Page in Progress

 

I have started to make my contents page scaffolding page into my own contents page for my magazine, following the layout I had planned, I included all the features I want to be featured on the contents page. I started off with adding the Editor's Note, as I had wrote the editors note beforehand I copy and pasted it into indesgin. After I started add the subheadings of the exclusive column. I used only 1 text box to add the subheadings and the 1 text box with all the numbers which I made them align with the subheadings.

Front Cover Template

 

The image above is my front cover scaffolding of my magazine. This will help me stick to my layout of my magazine, and as I don't definitely know what is going to feature on my front cover yet, I’ve just labelled the key conventions and where it will be placed.

I have decided to put my masthead on the top of the page as it needs to stand out as the name of the magazine needs to be the first thing a reader needs to see. I decided to keep the font sans serif and have the masthead in the base colour of my magazine’s colour scheme – Purple.

I also chose to put my main sell line of the magazine at the bottom however it’s placed on the left, this is because a reader’s eye will always catch the left side first due to the way we read left to right. At the bottom, I thought of having few artists names who will feature in my magazine, this is another way of engaging the reader to read my magazine as if they are not interested in other sell lines featured on the front cover then they can read the articles about the artists that have been mentioned. My magazine offers a wide variety of articles of different artists for my target audience.

The cover sell lines will surrounded my main image on the front cover, as I haven’t done my

photo shoot yet, I will make sure that when it comes to adding the image, I will make sure the sell lines fits and does not overlay the image. The cover lines will be short, so that it can make the reader read on or find out more.

The heading in the blue box will have the text 'Exclusive' and 'unmissable', this will make the reader more into the magazine and wouldn't want to miss out on the current 'unmissable news'

Sketches

FRONT COVER SKETCH

This sketch portrays my first draw up sketch of what I visually want my magazine to look like. I have placed the masthead on the top of the page as that is the common place of where a masthead goes. I have decide to use a Mid Shot Image for my Front Cover however this idea can change depending on how the images turn out in the photoshoot, also it has to fit into the front cover, meaning I need to make sure that around the image the cover lines are visible and presented neatly to appeal to the audience.

The Main sell line is going to be on 2 banners which go across the page. This will make the main sell line look more visible, and it's the sweet spot of where readers would expect to find the main sell line. The main sell line will consist of the feature artist's name, supported with a short introductory text and an interesting quote from the article. The other cover lines will be around the image, all in similar fonts but in different sizes. At the bottom I have planned to put 3 artist names which fall in the music genre of R&B. This is to appeal more to the readers to buy the magazine as they may like an artist and read about them instead of the feature artist. 

The '+' category is placed on the left. Reader's naturally read from left to right commonly look at the left of the page more this is why I thought of placing the group of text there.

CONTENTS PAGE SKETCH

 This is a rough sketch of the idea of what I want my contents page to look like.
I have thought of following this type of layout as It looks busy and not so over complicated. I thought to place the Contents page in the middle of the page in order for it to be visible for the reader. I thought about putting an artist index and an editors note, as I've seen with many contents pages in existing magazines, there is some sort of editors note to make the page more professional.

ARTICLE DOUBLE PAGE SKETCH

The double page spreads sketches are a rough idea on how I want them to look. For the first double page, I am thinking of having an image supported with text, which will be the introduction of the artist. There will be a title of the article. There will be box outs on the 2nd double page spread so that reader doesn't get put off with the amount of text.

ARTICLE DOUBLE PAGE 2 SKETCH

Cover Lines and Box Out Texts

Cover Lines and Box Out Text

Feature Article

Kim J was just a normal teenager when a breath taking performance flipped her life around – the rich and famous life, however recently she has been having issues with the music industry. Melody’s very own Geeta Gohil caught up with the young star to discuss about her entry to the musical world and what created this tense between the rising star and the competitive industry.

We have exclusive interview with the young breakthrough artist- Kim J. Spilling beans on her crazy and unexpected entry to the world of music which lead her to the biggest stage of musical history – The Grammy Awards Stage, where musical legends like Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, and Rihanna have all performed to their best. Kim J is the first British young singer to be awarded with a Grammy award for the best breakthrough artist of 2013. She broke the record by being the first young British singer to be awarded with a Grammy. Impressive! Despite being at a young age of 17, Kim J has achieved so much since day 1, she worked her butt off which at the end it all paid off by bagging herself with a shiny, golden Grammy award.

Kim J is her stage name and is more recognisable compared to her real name Kimberly Jane Ford. Kimberly was only 9 years old when she started to have a passion to sing and perform. Joining the school choir in primary school got her loving to perform.

You must be wondering on how she got famous? Well it all started when her friends uploaded a cheeky video of Kim J singing. The star reveals that if her friends didn’t do this funny but worthy prank on her then she wouldn’t have been sitting with us for her first ever exclusive interview. ‘My friends are to be credited the most, without them I would’ve have been here’ the star confessed ‘My friends cheekily recorded me belting out in my room to ‘Halo’, uploaded it on YouTube and the next day I get a call from Amber, my best friend who told me that my video hit over 3 million views, and that Beyoncé herself tweeted the video, I like had a panic attack as firstly they put a video of me without my permission and secondly BEYONCE TWEETED ABOUT ME, my mind was blank and all the possible things that could happen when you receive good news’ Being discovered by her idol, Queen of R&B… Beyoncé. Kim J shares her thoughts that she never expected Beyoncé to be surfing the YouTube. That’s a right shocker for us too.

Kim was followed by an invite to UK’s biggest R&B and Urban Radio station – Kiss FM. She became a controversial topic within 2 days… Beat that Miley Cyrus! Little did she know that the visit to the Kiss FM studios would be a one in a million chance for her life to do a roly-poly. The one and only Queen B met Kim J in person and offered a recording contract to Jay –Z’s Record label where stars like Rita Ora, Calvin Harris and Alexis Jordan. Now that’s called destiny.

Not only does Queen B influence Kim J, but top notch artists like Rihanna, Alicia Keys, and the mother of all R&B artists Whitney Houston were also Kim J’s influence. Their tough journey into stardom had become Kim’s one strong influence on how they came to the top of the world.

Kim J took this chance as she knew performing was her passion and she wanted to share her musical talent of singing with the world. She had already had a soaring fan club starting on twitter with over 1.5 million followers on twitter, 1 million likes on Facebook and what not. She is living the dream… or shall we say best of both worlds. Kim is mainly known here in the UK as she released her first single ‘Paradize’ 2 weeks ago which immediately hit No.1 in the UK charts, selling over 410,000 copies on the first day, topping the record made by Drake with his single ‘Hold on, We’re going home’. After reaching number 1, Kim J told us how she celebrated for her debut single to be No.1 in her home country UK. ‘I ate food… lots and lots of food, I also performed at a restaurant in London where I was having my celebration meal with my family, friends and crew’.
Melody’s journalist Geeta Gohil also got told by the young star that she is soon going to tour around UK and get a chance to meet her fans and thank them for all their support.

‘I have already started my planning dates for my tour in the UK, I’m super excited to travel and meet everyone who has given me extreme support throughout my hectic journey. I am also deciding who will be my opening act.’ Kim loves to perform whether its singing or it’s just presenting a failed magic trick, she likes to see the smiles she brings to the audience’s face, and indeed she is doing it again. By her own fan base ‘Kimmies’ who have put a smile on her face and treating her like the Queen. Kim J reveals about her fans being the best in the world. ‘My fans are so supportive’ ‘Kimmies’ are cool and not dramatic. I’m glad they like my music and appreciate my talent’. Now that’s pure bond between the upcoming star and the fan base. Back to her Grammys Performance where she won the hearts of the world, Kim J was one nervous pea. ‘I’m glad it’s over’. Kim J had many sleepless nights before the actual performance, now every music artist would know how she would feel as they must’ve felt the same… well maybe some do. The young star revealed that she was so nervous and scared. She added on ‘I didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of millions who were watching live!’ Kim J responded that she never performed in front of a large crowd of 150,000 people while the rest of the world in millions watched her performance live on TV. Not that, but her tribute performance to Whitney Houston got her over 4 million hits on YouTube in just under 48 hours. Can you smell that sweet success of hers?
                              Check out her outstanding performance on MelodyMagazine.co.uk/Kim J

Little did she know that after this performance her mad journey to the music industry will go even crazier and unbelievable/ Her managers and producers were chasing after her to get into the American charts as quickly as possible. Kim J told us ‘The Music industry is not what you expect it to be.’ Kim J exposed the truth of her music was all made last minute and she never got a chance to record her own songs. The tension between her and the industry began from her. ‘I wish I could bring out my own personality then the music industries personality’. Her debut album is just around the corner, Fans have been waiting impatiently however Kim J has started to give out small clues on each track on her album. ‘My album is different; it has a mixture of R&B and Soul. I’ve been told that my voice is perfect for that combination. I’ve have quite an experience recording this album and I’m just hoping my fans and everyone appreciates the hard work I put in even though I didn’t get a chance to express my thoughts and feelings through the songs written by me’. There are 4 tracks which have a catchy beat to it and there are 2 ballads in which one is with the only and one Mr Sexy Back – Justin Timberlake. ‘Recording with Justin Timberlake is like winning the lottery’.
Kim J stated that she got too excited about recording her album that she already started writing her own songs and to be ready to record. ‘I’m hoping that once everything is solved out, I can release an EP with all my songs and pure talent I’m willing to share with my fans’. Throughout the struggle of young Kim J’s career, Beyonce has helped in mentoring Kim J, as at a young age she has received  a lot of pressure from critics to perform well on the charts, but when Queen B is there, we’re all fine right?

Back to the happy note, Kim J not only talks about her exciting life in LA, but goes back to how she misses her family and friends back home, the good old normal life without anyone having to boss you around and no one following you around. Kim J’s  mum used to encourage her daughter to pursue a career in music, she knew that her daughter would have the potential to get to the top and now look, I think Mama J’s words came out right.

The word of music is all about taking risks, if I don’t take any risks or sacrifices then you will know that you will not succeed. Anyways everything happens for a reason, in this case for me I had to leave my family and friends to go to America and make them proud. You wouldn’t think that behind this innocent face is a prankster. Kim J cheekily tells us that she went to every single dressing room at the night of the Grammy’s and played knock down ginger. ‘I came in for rehearsals for the Grammy Awards, and I couldn’t focus, I was too busy being a troublemaker, my assistant kept tracking me down and make me practice until everything was perfect, when I knew she was coming I used to hide’

To impress everyone, means that you need to put an effort on. But was it all worth it for Kim J after her tension with the industry? After having paparazzi’s follow around you, breaking world records, meeting famous people may be in everyone’s bucket list but for Kim J is was all a dream. She always dreamt about being a star however due to the lack of her confidence she always denied the fact that wanted to be a singer. Being with cheeky friends you never know where tomorrow can take you. Kim J states that ‘even though this life this really good, I’d rather go back to my old normal life’. Kim J is one lovely girl, at a young age she has achieved so much that no other teenage girl has done. We are so proud of her and hoping her best for the future. Ritz Hotel is one fancy place to interview a breakthrough artist like Kim J. Tweet me @MelodyMag to get behind the scenes of this exclusive interview. Kim J will be online on our twitter page on the 30th November 2013, she will be answering your questions. If you guys have any questions for Kim J, drop her tweet on @MelodyMag. In the meantime check out her current music video to ‘Paradize’ on our website. Buy Kim J’s debut album which hits the stores and available to download on 25th November 2013, featuring her latest top hit single ‘Paradize’

Article Pages Template

The images above are my 'scaffolding' of the doube page spreads of my magazine. I have gone for a differnnt layout to what everyone has. I have decided that I wanted a full image on the first page supported with text, as my theme of the magazine is R&B, I wanted not only the text but the images to be on focus as well, this is because R&B is known for it's fashion icons as well as musical talent, I want to portray both of them equally to my readers and this is why I thought of a full page of an image. The article will start off with a drop cap and then carry on from there. The big box on the far right will be a image which will have my photoshopping skills of masking into it. There will be sqaures in which the image will be within. On the side there will be a social network box of the artists in which the readers can have the chance to interact with the artist and the text will be supported with a pull quote and a box out.
The second double page spread will have a pull quote and few more images so that the reader doesn't get put off with the amount of the text the feature article has.I will be included few box outs, in which it will be another double spread, i have also decided that there will be a special fact file page so that readers can get to know more about the feature artist.

This task can aid in my final product as I have drawn out a rough look of what I want my double page spread article to look like. This is an advantage as if I dislike the layout then I have the chance to change it. This task helps me know what I need to stick to.  

Production Log #11 - Completing Scaffolding of Contents Page

 

11th/12th November 2013

 

On Monday’s lesson I started to finish of ‘scaffolding’ my contents page. I positioned the boxes of where I wanted to place my images and text. I also learnt a new skill which was learning how to 'fill text with placeholder', this process is an easy and quick method into placing text which is not relevant but is a substitute of where your text will be. ‘Fill Text with placeholder’ shows a clear sign of where text will be placed and if I am not satisfied with it then I can move it.
Later on, after completing the scaffolding for my contents page, I exported it as a JPEG and then blogged it with a brief description of my template of the contents page and how it will look.
As I had done the contents page subheadings I thought of starting to progress my contents page slowly by substituting all the text to my contents page subheadings and the real page numbers. (ScreenShot)
This task took me the around 30 minutes to complete as I was only copy and pasting, the only time consuming issue was placing the numbers not too close to the sub heading and to make it even.
As I have come to the main part of the coursework, I have become more organised into which lessons I need to do what task, and using InDesign CS6 more frequent has got me in much confidence now.

Contents Page Template

 

This is my first contents page template which I finished off making in today's lesson (11/11/13). I had a sketch before hand on what my contents page will look like. I followed the exact sketch and made it into a template in InDesign. the black boxes represents images which I will be replacing first will images from the internet and then replacing them with my own images from my photoshoot. This quick and easy task is helpful to make sure that I stick constantly to this layout. Half of the work is already done by placing texts, numbers and image holders in which is a substitute of my actual work for the contents page. This task is a great way to know what you are doing, instead of completing your planning work and then wasting time to design and layout the page last minute. I learnt new skills when scaffolding my contents page. I learnt how to fill a text box which placeholder text and find out how to change a shape into a different shape (Square to Triangle).

Production Log #10 - Templating Magazine Pages

4th/5th November 2013
In Today's lesson, we started off templating our magazine pages in InDesign CS6. InDesign CS6 was used to construct my 7 page magazine which include the front cover, double page contents page, double page for the feature article and a extra double Page if I wanted to carrying on with my article or do dedicate the double page spread to a special feature which features an image and only a limited amount of text. 

The only tools used for templating the pages were the text and shape tools which I knew confidently how to use. I started off templating my contents page as I am very confident in what my contents page layout will look like. I used the square block as a substitute for the images as I'm haven't done my photo shoot yet, and I as I haven't done my contents page lines yet, I had to substitute the text to anything random so that I know what box represents what. 

Due to the power cut I lost all my current work I did on InDesign, so I had to draw out my layout ideas onto paper, this was a great advantage for me as then I could scan them in and post in on my blog as part of the planning my magazine with sketches and ideas for the layout. This kept me a step ahead on how to layout my pages.
I got the chance to start my scaffolding on InDesign again, however I didn't waste time in thinking on where to put where as I knew what I was doing as I already had sketches on what I wanted my magazine to look like. 

I also thought about the colour scheme I wanted to use for my magazine. I made swatches of the primary colours and the secondary colours of my magazine. The primary colours include Deep purple, Dark Navy, Black and White. Secondary colours include baby blue and grey.

I enjoyed doing this task as it was very quick to do, and when I complete all my planning task and do my photoshoot, I can confidently start editing my magazine and making it to the standard it need to be.

Contents Page Subheadings

Subheadings.pptx

 

I have planned to use these subheading in my contents page, each relate to a R&B artists as well as being a recognisable and repetitive heading for example 'Competition'. The key features of the contents page are the artist index, Editor's Note, Exclusive's, Features and Regulars. I have included them into my final product to make sure it looks as proffessional as possible.