Editing Images In Photoshop: Front Cover Image

In the end, I decided to use the image on the right for the front page. This is because both of the girls are looking directly at the camera, establishing a relationship with the reader. Although the image itself is good, some aspects had to be changed to meet the professional standards of a music magazine front cover; the background wall had marks, a cupboard is visible and the models could be airbrushed. Using various techniques shown below, I fixed the image to a professional standard.

The Photoshoot

For the magazine, I knew it would be better and more professional to have three separate shoots for the main band. Giving the full picture and overall representation of the band being interviewed.


Shoot 1:
I felt that the main photo should be taken in a room with a white wall to create the effect that the image was taken in a Professional Photographic Studio. It didn't matter that there were parts of the wall with marks, or that the cupboard & shelves were visible, as these can easily edited out in Photoshop. I found the appropriate location and lit appropriately to counteract the flash from the camera. With vintage style popular at the moment, I thought it would be interesting to involve the prop of an old camera; which also acts as a way of engaging and involving the reader.
Below is a sideshow of all the photos I took during the shoot:

Shoot 2:

For this shoot, I was particularly interested in capturing an urban feel, I knew that a large brick wall could be a potentially interesting background for a double page spread. With a short time available for the subjects of the photo, I searched on Google Maps to find a local spot that would fit the criteria of the images I wanted to take.

I found the location and quickly went and undertook the photoshoot. The weather on the day was fairly cold and wet but I took this to the full advantage, capturing a real urban feel to the photos. After successfully taking the main photo for the double page spread, I took other photos of the subjects which could be used for other purposes in the magazine; such as the contents page and for other small photos in between the text of the double page spread. After taking the photos, I decided to tweak the best ones on iPhoto and Windows Live Photo Gallery to make sure that the images looked professional and that the images themselves had aesthetic qualities to them.
Below is a sideshow of all the photos I took during the shoot, including photos that I edited on iPhoto and Windows Live Photo Gallery:

Shoot 3:

For the last set of photos, I decided to take a dark images that would contrast against the bright studio photos. I found a Photographic Dark Room which I chose to take the photos in, which I felt linked back to the camera used on the front cover. In this shoot the subjects were still wet from the previous shoot outside; I took the advantage of this and made the images appear warm by boosting the colour, which gave the illusion that the were in a hot steamy room. Overall I think this effect worked incredibly well in some of the photos.

Below is a sideshow of all the photos I took during the shoot, including photos that I edited on iPhoto and Windows Live Photo Gallery:

Flatplan Design 3 - Final Layout

Focus Group Preferences on Flat Plans

Below are some comments from my Focus Group's analysis:
"The first design is better because it has more on the page, more stories that could draw my attention. However, I think the design of the second logo is much better than the first."
"The second design is quite boring, there isn't a lot going on, but I really like the logo. I think you should combine the amount of articles on design one with the logo of design two."
"I think the second design is more creative, I think the first design is too dull and needs more exciting aspects of design."


Recommended Features:

• Interviews with famous musicians.
• Information on new artists
• Reviews
• News Stories 
• Freebies (Posters, CDs, MP3 downloads etc.)

From the commentary provided by my focus group, I have decided to follow a layout that matches the criteria set by the results, creating the third and final flat plan.

Flatplan Design 2

Flatplan Design 1

Audience Focus Group

I interviewed four people within the audience range of my music magazine about their general lifestyle aspects and music tastes. The results of which are shown below:


Anna Bradford

Age: 16
Studying: Business & Economics, Maths, Sociology and Media Studies.
Favourite Lesson: Sociology.
Media Consumption: 3 hours of iPod, 2 hours of TV and 2 hours of Facebook each day. 1.5 hours of magazine reading a week.
Hobbies: Playing the guitar and piano, tennis, listening to music, shopping and photography.
Favourite Genre(s) of Music: Pop.
Favourite Artist(s): The Courteneers.
Favourite Magazine: Look.
What Do You Dislike About Magazines?: Uninteresting topic on the front cover.


Jack Chesher

Age: 17

Studying: Biology, Chemistry, English Literature and History.

Favourite Lesson: History..

Media Consumption: Reads the Independent for 20 minutes, listens to 3 hours of iPod and iTunes, watches 2 hours of TV and  is on  Facebook an hour each day. 1 hour of magazine reading a week.

Hobbies: Tennis, listening to music, horse riding and socialising.

Favourite Genre(s) of Music: Pop, Dance and Electronic.

Favourite Artist(s): David Guetta.

Favourite Magazine: Empire.

What Do You Dislike About Magazines?: Adverts

Lauren Baker

Age: 17

Studying: Business & Economics, English Language, Product Design and Media Studies.

Favourite Lesson: English Language.

Media Consumption: 1 hour of iPod and 1 hour of Facebook each day. 1 hour of TV each, couple of hours on the computer each week. Visits the cinema and reads a magazine once a month.

Hobbies: Shopping, socialising and listening to music.

Favourite Genre(s) of Music: Pop.

Favourite Artist(s): Drake.

Favourite Magazine: Elle.

What Do You Dislike About Magazines?: Too much text.

Edan Cohen

Age: 16

Studying: History, Maths, English Literature and Music Technology.

Favourite Lesson: Music Technology.

Media Consumption: 2.5 hours of listening to music, 1 hour of TV each day. Has his Windows Phone on all day. 1 hour of magazine reading a week.

Hobbies: Listening to music, socialising, listening to music, DJing and cycling.

Favourite Genre(s) of Music: Pop, Dance and rock.

Favourite Artist(s): Pendulum.

Favourite Magazine: Stuff.

What Do You Dislike About Magazines?: Too much text.