FRONT COVER

 When looking at the development of the front cover I have decided that I would like a medium shot of my actor, when choosing the image I have chosen this one as it shows props and clothing such as a baseball cap and also the large bomber jacket, This will support the stereotypes of current rap/hip-hop magazines as the props and clothing I have chosen shows that I have researched into my genre and have chosen specifically to please my audience. However I think I will find it difficult to remove the background of this image as there is a shadow and also the colour of the shadow is similar too the colour of the actors jacket.

 In this screenshot you can see that I have deleted the background of my image effectively as there is no existing background stil on the image, I have aslo changed the exposure of the original as I thought that it would look better than the origanal image as it would be more bright and this will make it easier for the consumer to see the actor when looking at the magazine. I have decided to move the image down the page, this now does not show the actors hands and the lower part of the actors outfit. I belive hat this bit was not needed and also will give me more room at the top of the front cover to use a larger Masthead, that can be manipulated more effectively due to the size, also I decided not to make the image smaller as this may make the resolution of the image worse so I believe that this new image looks asthetically better also gives me more room to make additional conventions look better.

Here I have I am showing the before and after my manipulation to the actors face, before the actor will have marks and acne on their face, from the research I have conducted I can see that no facial marks are shown on the actors face unless they are tattoos or they give the actor a stern look about themselves, However my actors facial marks do not benefit my magazine and therefore I have used the spot healer tool to make the skin of my smooth and professional, I moved the tool around my actors face to make sure I had removed most of the unclear skin, then I decided to use the same tool to make the small amount of facial hair into shape and look sharp so I have removed any small out of place hair and groomed the actor well.

 After removing all of the unclear skin I then decided to fill in my background colour with the colour white, I also that decided to alter the image and make the blending option luminosity, this makes my background and my image contrast nicely, I got this idea through a XXL magazine I had seen before with Kendrick Lamar on the front cover who also was a back and white image.  I believe that the image now looks more striking and also makes the image look more intimidating and mysterious which is generally what most hip hop magazines try to accomplish to make the potential consumer buy the magazine as they would be more interested in reading about something they do not know much about.

 Now in this screenshot I have implemented the masthead into my initial magazine front cover, I have chosen a font that is both bold however has curved edges, this is controversial as most Rap/Hip-Hop magazines do not have allot of curves in their production however I believe that it suits the name of my magazine as it is “Curve” I have chosen to initially have the masthead colour black however this could change when manipulating the text as the text as it looks in this screen shot looks bland and does not look intriguing , I have placed the masthead behind the front cover of my actors image, this is in all the magazines I have researched and it shows how prestigious the brand is that the consumers do not need to see the whole title to know the magazine itself. I think the positioning of my actor could not be better as it clearly shows the Masthead and also makes the actor look dominant and important.

 I have decided to input an image of a skyline into the text, I have done this by firstly making the image black and white by once again using the luminosity blending option, this will fit well with the rest of the front cover as it is not a contrasting colour that does not fit into the colour scheme of my front cover. I have then used a clipping mask to make the image appear kin the text itself. This is effective in my opinion and when looking closely at the image I have selected it also has a curve around the image this goes with the theme of having curves in the front cover. I have the added a black stroke size 10 to make the masthead standout in front of the white background, this makes the masthead look more important and makes it stand out to the consumers making it easier for them to read.

 I have then implemented triangular shapes into the image at the top of the skyline, the shapes are black however I have changed the colour to white and changed the opacity down to make them more subtle however still remain effective, these triangles make the masthead look more busy however makes it look interesting, It gives the masthead a shattered glass effective as the triangles are separated and dispersed randomly, overall I would say that these triangles I have manipulated onto the masthead are effective and draw more attraction to the masthead of the front cover.

I have had allot of different ideas when making the masthead, I think that this masthead is the most effective and the best to look at, however it also looks the same as existing magazines such as Vibe, XXL and Clash. I have chosen to do this as it will make the magazine fulfill the current codes and conventions in a music magazine. I have chosen to use BOW as this will make the masthead stand out even more, Shorter mastheads using BOW makes the masthead more direct and also will make the theme of the magazine look like it is straight to the point. Here are some of the examples I have chosen to use when making my magazine, these magazines have influenced my greatly when making the magazine. I can see that when looking at the example I have chosen to make the color of my main image black and white, also I have decided not to make the logo in colour however I will make the masthead colour black and white.

 I have now added a score at the bottom of the front cover, this will apply to the codes and conventions of a typical music magazine as it is shown on my criteria research task, the task shows that a score could be used effectively to promote something inside the article or magazine, I have tried to make the color of the score black, this will stand out due to the color of the white background and also because it will take up the majority of the bottom left corner. It will not be obstructing the image so I can move the score behind the image just in case of any overlapping. In this screen shot you can also see that I have added an image layer onto my actors jacket, I have than lowered the opacity on this layer and changed the blending option, this makes the effect look more subtle and also I believe makes the image less boring and more loud as it is another aspect of why my consumers may purchase the magazine as I have added small details.

 On this screen shot you can see that I have now added my CD Cover that I created before working on my magazine front cover, I have initially added my creation at the top left hand corner of my magazine front cover. I think that this is an appropriate location to implement my free CD cover and will take the reader’s attention successfully as it is an additional piece of work to look at.

I have also placed a bar code in the bottom right hand corner, when looking at all the magazines I have researched I can see that all of the magazines I have researched have a bar code. This will go with the codes and conventions of current music magazines, also I have decided not to make a background on the bar code as I think it will look better with a plain white background to go with the current black and white theme of my music magazine.

 I have now started to input the subheadings but first I have made small red lines on the right hand side of my magazine front cover, this will help me structure my magazine and also remain consistent with the exact same distances between each red line, I have chosen the colour red as it is apparent throughout all of the rap/hip-hop magazine that I have researched. I will then implement this into my own magazine by adding some other item on the front cover red.

 I have now added the subheadings to the front cover which are all the colour black, I have chosen to use different font sizes as it makes the actual heading stand out, I have increased the size of the names of the artists which are mentioned on the magazine cover however I have acknowledged that I cannot make the text underneath to small because then my text will be too small and the consumers will not able to read it, also due to my target audience I can say that my audience will not have allot of time to pay attention to smaller text and therefore will put less effort into reading something that is hard to read due to the font size. I have then added a “+” sign to my wok as I believe that this give a continuation of two separate sets of subheadings the first being the top right hand side of my magazine, this then will look more professional as I have added a sign that is apparent in om of the research I have constructed.

 I have now added a black box by using rectangle tool to create a space just below t free CD cover. This is going to be a an added incentive to buy the magazine as it is almost a promotion, the word “Exclusive” will be will be in all capitals and will have punctuation such as an exclamation point, this shows important and also grabs the attention of the audience as it will be bold and also contrasting colours meaning that it both goes with the theme of my magazine and also grabs readers attention.

 I have then chosen to add another cover line to the music magazine which is “The chosen one” however going against my magazine I am going to make the colour of the font different, I am going to use re which is usually affiliated with rap/hip-hop magazines. I have chosen to also use a white box in the back of the word “Chosen” as this word was o large and important to make it the same size as the other two words “the “ and “one” I have chosen to use a white box to blending with the white background on the back of my magazine cover, I have remained with the same font on the cover line however I have believe that I am not going to use the same font on my title of the music magazine.

 I have now chosen to add the main title to the magazine cover which is the actor’s name, I have chosen a different font which has more curve, I have chosen to make the text black and have added a stroke and a gradient, this makes the text look more three dimensional and also have a shiny/glossy effect due to the gradient. I have the added a small black box in the bottom right hand corner of the page I have the made the opacity lower to make the box more see though and not allow the box to be overpowering when looking at the image. I have added two more statements in this box, the first will be in red lettering and it is another feature/cover line that is going to be in the magazine, I have then put another feature below this called “Curve all access” this will be in white writing to differentiate the two colours.

 These are the specifications of the InDesign file that I will be constructing my work on, the software will allow me to create professional material that is both easy to use and a simple effects and text formats that I am able to use.

 Here I am making a start on constructing my magazine, I have decided to make a overline at the top of my masthead and also show the issue number and the date of the magazine. I have added an underline also as this is shown on one of the magazines I have studied. The underline will be white however the overline will be black, this I due to the background being opposite colour on both of them.

 Here I have used the guidelines to see where I can fit in the text to make the magazine look professional and like an actual rap/hip-hop magazine. I have decided to make another box that gives another strapline with a pull quote, the box I the same as another box I have put onto the magazine previously I Photoshop. I have use the same colours and font however to remain consistent throughout the magazine.  I have moved the barcode from the bottom right hand corner to the top left corner, this is to create less pace and make the page look more busy and to also put the price of the magazine under the barcode which are usually seen together, I have chosen the price £1.50 as it is the most requested price that I received when asking about pricing in my questionnaires.

FINAL FRONT COVER