Double page spread research

Double page spread research: (Title research)

Analysis of Adele double page spread:

Image: The image used in this double page spread is a medium close up of the artist Adele. She takes up the whole of one side with her hair overlapping into the next page. The light is clearly reflected in one side of her face giving a contrast of light and dark, which emphasizes her dominating and powerful look. It is important that the picture is taken at a wider angle so that the background behind the model continues across both pages. Furthermore, the only colours in this double page spread is black, white and a grey shade. This makes it look sophisticated and edgy to suit the model, but the bold black is used to highlight the text and make it stand out as important. 

Layout: this image clearly uses rules of thirds as the text and the title fits into the rulers so the layout is more organised and doesn't cluster together because the words do not float. 

Text: The title stands out clearly on the page which adds the right amount of attention on both the text and the image. I like the way the title takes up nearly two thirds of the page and suits the overall house style. Here, serif font is used and the words have a thick stroke to make it seem bolder. The text goes down one side of the page around the image, which is how I will layout my text to.

Example two analysis: 

Text: The title composition is at the top of one page where there is little writing but only the most dominant image. This is a useful format as the attention is distributed equally across the page keeping the reader’s attention and making the overall spread attractive. Furthermore, the second page is where most of the writing is which is shown in various ways with variations of using black and white font and using a text box to highlight important information. The text is constantly in sans- serif font and the important titles and sub headings are highlighted with bolder font.

Image: The main image takes up the whole of the one side and the background continues into both pages, this seems to be consistent with most double page spreads. Therefore, I will use this in my own work. However, what I like about this example is the use of more than one image. Like this spread I will have one dominant image going across both pages then smaller images linked with the writing. This way I have an opportunity to display more images and costumes to emphasize the cultural ethos of the magazine. 

Layout: I think the overall layout is successful as all the features on the page are displayed in an attractive way. In the second page the first image is placed in one third of the page then the text box taking up the other two thirds of the page.  This page takes more a visual approach because of the various images which makes the text more interesting. This may be more appealing to the reader and it is clear that the house style is consistent as there is only two types of fonts on the page, and a strong colour scheme. 

Font manipulation:

contents page draft and final

Finalising my front cover:

When producing my contents page again I changed the format and from my first draft I changed the sketches to a more professional standard.

Contents page photo shoot:

First draft:

Strengths:

In this draft of my contents page the components are useful for adding weight around the page, however the composition does not work as it would move the reader’s attention all over the place. For example, the bar beneath the contents title and the small black and red bar are useful and attractive as they add weight to the page.

Weaknesses:

There is a lot of things that can be improved with this contents page starting with the small print images at the bottom. The mix between colour and black and white makes it difficult to see the image clearly because of the clash of colours.

Next, the most dominant image is not of the best quality which makes the overall page look less professional. Another thing I would improve with the layout is the composition of the writing as there is a lot of blank space and no attention near the writing to grab the reader’s attention.

Final draft of contents page:

contents page research

Music magazine contents page research:



I researched into other music magazine contents to see how the layouts affected the overall style of the magazine. I found that house style was important as the colors and the type of font were mostly consistent.

Title research for contents 

When creating my contents page, I looked at other example magazines to see how they presented certain features. One thing I done further research into was the title for "contents" I found that most of the titles where located at the top the page in bold sans - serif font. In this first example, the letters of contents are stretched and made taller with it on a white background on the centre.

 
For my own contents page I used a similar font with a similar style.

In this second example the contents title is in white font on top of a filled black text box. I think this works well as the title stands out more and there is room for a date or website which would be useful for the readers. 

I wanted to follow the same design with the writing in bold white letters on a black background. 

Also, there is also a date and an issue number or a slogan as shown in the first example, which I want to incorporate into my own work as it draws attention to the title and gives it more visual strength.

Font manipulation:

Then I combined all my fonts I experimented with and decided to use the final "contents" title design which was bold sans - serif font with a increased stroke and a drop shadow.