Front page analysis

This is one of the first drafts of my front page. I really like the masthead so that is always going to stay them same. A few things need to be added to the front page in order for it to look more full and not so plain. With the color and lighting of the image it was hard to find a font and font color that worked with it, which is why I am considering changing the image or possibly changing the gradient of it so I am not just using black text.

As you can see I have tried to use different font colors, but they are simply not working with the color of the background image so I am going to try changing the background image to grey scale and see if that looks any better.

I am very happy with changing the image to grey scale, it has given me the opportunity to change the font color of my cover-lines so even though the image uses basic colors, it is given more character by the fact that I am using vibrant colors such as bright red, and easily readable text such as white and black, I think this is going to be my final front cover draft, unless I decide to add something in the bottom left hand corner or choose to add a price (if it is not going to be a free magazine) and I will most likely add a date and issue number in the top left hand corner. So in terms of color and design of the page the front cover is finished.

The fact that I am using a white female artist on my front page goes both for and against Laura Mulveys' theory, she thinks that in the male gaze females are objects for male desire, because she is an attractive female males will be attracted to the magazine, but the fact that she is not being portrayed in an objective manner shows that I am going against her theory. Bell Hooks' theory also relates to this, she says that lighter skinned women are considered to be more desired, and because she is a white female with blonde hair goes with this theory, also the fact that I am using grey scale for the image emphasizes that she is a  lighter skinned woman.

In terms of the general registrar scale this front page will appeal to mainly everyone below C1 so: C1, C2, D and E on the scale are the people that will mainly pick up the magazine. The reason I think this is because the coverlines and the way the magazine is designed can be perceived to be aimed at a younger audience, so younger audiences will usually not have high end jobs that fit into the A and B sections. The fact that the main coverline is about a new up and coming artist could suggest that the magazine is aimed at people who critique music, which is mainly the general public who have normal, minimum wage jobs, students etc.

Contents draft 1

As you can see from these two print screens, I started with the original photo, then I cut out my model and took away the background. When that was completed and I had softened the edges of my model, I added a graffiti wall to emphasis the fact that the artist is urban. I then began to work on the title of my page. I added some effects to it like bevel  and emboss to give the title and page some more character. At first I did not know what color to use for the title because like the front page, not a lot of colors worked with he background that I was using, in the end I ended up deciding to use grey font color with a black stroke effect.