I edited one of my draft photos using paint.net, this gave me an idea to what colours I should use. After blocking out the background, i turned the picture black and white and added some colour. I think i may duplicate this photos many times and have them in different colours along the bottom of my contents page.

Draft Photos.

These photos helped me to get an idea of what background/location I would like to take my photos in. Rose will be on the front cover of the magazine. At first I wanted to take a photo from overhead to show the attitude of this particular artist. I would like to be able to keep the same genre throughout the magazine. I do not believe the photos on my draft magazine did this. When taking my final photos, I have realised unless keeping the background of the photo I may aswell have a plain background a it will make it easier to edit my photos. I am going to take my final photos this weekend.

Masthead re-invention and design process

The masthead of ‘Hard’ was only ever originally intended as a temporary idea in the event of ‘nothing better coming along’. And so, since the idea was to be implemented for a music magazine I decided that putting my iPod on shuffle and simply trying to derive a song title would be a fitting method. It would also be in keeping with the themes and tone of the magazine if the name was something which is reflective of new music and current artists and bands rather than a name which plays tribute to older bands.

The title of DARE (as in the Gorrilaz song) seemed appropriate not only in that it falls in line with the general requirement of a short/snappy name but also bared connotations of excitement and youthfulness in contrast to the connotations of HARD which were blaringly obvious upon reflection.

Below area number of different designs for this new masthead, with the colours being interchangable for all:

Changes made through software Pt. 1

The images above depict the three stages my image has gone through before coming to resemble (loosely) the image that I have envisioned for my final draft, as the image was intended to emulate the iconic image of the Clash's album 'London Calling'. For this to be concieved, organisation of actors, props and location were important. The image was required to be taken against a dark background in a place with little lighting and it was also important for the boots to be apparent as they are central in the actual image itself. The guitar, also, needed to  be held centrally and with the same attitude as in the original image, emboying the feeling of punk in the original. To create the feel of the original it was essential that I had the picture completely in Black and white and also that the background remained blurred (conciously keeping the main image within focus as part of the article theme). So for this I also had to cut the main image off from the background. This was done using the Paint.net eraser tool and then flipping the image vertically so that the stance depicted from Rachel mirrored the image on the front.

Creating my draft magazine.

The first step to creating my draft magzine was taking my photos. After taking my photos, I had more of a vibe for the magazine. I editted my photos in paint, changing the brightness and contrast. This is shown in the print screen above.
After editting the photos I made my masthead in word and added in onto my photo, via paint. I wrote my article in word and copy and pasted it to fit onto the two pages. My coverlines were written over the main image and the font colour changed in paint.

Changes to my magazine.

1) The main problem with my draft magazine is the way most cover lines are in text boxes which makes it look very unprofessional and untidy. So I am going to changed the layout of my magazine and not use that technique. I think the outcome of this will be a magazine which will look more like the magazines I have been reseraching.
2) The font on my magazine does not fit in with the genre. By reseaching other magazines, I ahve decided that my font should be the same throughout the magazine and I should aim to keep the font simple and bold.
3) The photo i used for the frony cover of magazine looked more like it would appear on a fashion magazine. In contrast to the photos used on the contents page and on the double page spread, it sends out a mixed message to the reader. I am going to change the photo on the front of the magazine, so that it fits in with the music magazine genre more.
4) I am going to include more photos in my contents page. As i have decided now that my magazine is monthly, I will also changed to from 'This week' to 'This month'

Influential Magazines.

After much research into different music magazines, I began to focus on the magazines which influenced me in the decisions made into my draft magazine.
The issue of Q magazine with Take That on the front reflects the kind of 'happy' and 'relaxed' view I was attempting to grasp on my cover. I like the colour scheme on this issue as it is simple but still looks 'tidy'. The other issue of Q magazine also has a very strict colour scheme. I think that the right colour scheme is important in a magazine as it is the first thing which attracts the reader's attention. If there are too many colours in a magazine it has tendency to make it look 'messy' and unprofessional. I also like how the main cover lines are situated and there isn't much blank space. All of the cover stars on this issue are wearing black, looking at this issue it has made me see that it is important to look at all the smaller details. The clothing colour ties in with the colour scheme. I also have been researching issues of NME magazine. The font on the magazine is very bold and simple. I think this simple and effective.