Final Double Page Spread

Final Contents Page

Final Front Cover

Seventh Evaluation Question

Looking back at your preliminary task what do you feel you have learnt in the process of making the full product?

When I look back at my preliminary task, I feel that I have learnt a great deal more about magazine conventions, giving me a much greater depth of knowledge on the subject. As I analysed three front covers, three contents pages and three double page spreads of existing magazines. Which was a big contributing factor into what I have learnt in the process of making the full product. I learnt about the way the conventions of a magazine are so important in targeting your specified audience.

(Left: Preliminary Work Front Cover/Right: Final Product Front Cover)

When I compare my preliminary work to my final media product I can personally see a huge change in ability and knowledge towards the work. This is present in the way I have learnt a lot about the way Photoshop works and how to use each of the tools on Photoshop in order to maximize my capabilities during the construction of my media product. I believe this can be seen when you compare my preliminary work and final media product together. On my final media product I have used a lot of colour changing techniques, as well as showing abilities in cutting out difficult images. None of these complex features were present on my preliminary work, as I did not have the knowledge on how to do them. This made my preliminary work very bland, boring and unappealing to the eye. The production stages have vastly increased my knowledge, which in return has helped me create a much more complex media product, of which I’m very pleased with.

In the making of the full product I also I learnt a lot about the ways a magazine has to be laid out and the resulting colour schemes that work and don’t work. An example of this is on my preliminary work where the font colour blended in with certain areas of the background colour. By the process of this production task, I learnt that you have to choose a more neutral colour that will make the font stand out and contrast from the background, or place a backing object behind it. Thus making it more visible, clearer and easier to read for the audience reading it. This is present in my final media product where I have placed torn paper behind the text, which features on all three parts I created. This was a very useful and important convention to learn as I was using a red font colour, on a greyscale background. These two contrast well, but too well making the writing ineligible to read.

Finally, during the process of making the full product I have learnt a lot about the images used in magazines. Ranging from the actual taking of the photographs, to the layout and colours of them in the Photoshop Document. In my preliminary task the photos were of a similar colour, not showing much variation. Which made the task seem boring and repetitive. So during the production process I learnt that you have to use a range of images that show a variety of different colours, poses and dimensions. I put this into effect on my contents page, as the images needed to jump out of the page in order to gain the readers attention. The pose was the main concern for the front cover and double page spread, as they needed to show emotion and body language. This is were learning about the different types of shots came into effect, as I needed to take a photograph that would suit the needs of my front cover and double page spread. This resulted in me using a medium close-up shot for the front cover, as this enabled me to show a pose and emotions in the facial expressions. For the double page spread I used a close-up shot to focus the attention on emotions and facial expressions.

Sixth Evaluation Question

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

During the production of my media product I feel that I have learnt a lot about the ways in which technologies are used and manipulated in order to get the goal I set out to achieve.

Firstly, when dealing with technological hardware learnt how to use a Canon SLR digital camera. This camera was used to take the photos of my model that would appear throughout my media product. This took a lot of time getting used to, as I only had previous experience on a small handheld digital camera, of which many of the settings and features are different to the SLR. This meant that the photo quality and resolution was greatly superior to the camera I used to take my preliminary photos. This improved from 4 megapixels in the preliminary work, to around 12 megapixels in my final media product coursework.

During the production of my media product, I also used technological software, of which was put to use in designing and editing. This software programme was called Adobe Photoshop. In photoshop I learnt a lot about how the software is used and how most tools and features work within it. This started off with “Layering”, where I learnt that everything on photoshop has it’s own designated layer, of which you can go back and edit any time without effecting any other surrounding images or text. With the use of layers, it means that you can easily move and directly edit that particular feature of your magazine front cover. Also, you are able to “Hide” each layer so instead of deleting it, you can simply click on a certain box within the layer toolbox and it is hidden from view. However, the biggest thing I learnt about layering is that you can move the layers around into any order you wish. Meaning you can select a certain shape and put it below text, but above the background.

Within Photoshop I learnt how to change the colour of images, so that I could make certain features stand out more from the background. An example of this is the shutter shades of which my model was wearing on the front cover of my magazine. I made colour of the glasses from a light pink colour to a deep red colour, of which matched my magazine colour scheme. Using the “Magic Wand Tool” I selected the pink colour on the glasses. I continued to use this tool until the glasses had been completely selected. I then copied and pasted this onto the background image and overlaid it on top of the background image, but in exactly the same position as the pink glasses were underneath. Then by using the “Hue/Saturation” toolbox, I changed the background image to black and white, and the glasses to a deep red. Moving sliders up or down changed the colour.

In Photoshop I also learnt how to use lots of other tools such as the “Lasso Tool”, which is used when you want to cut something out. “Magnetic Lasso Tool” jumps and follows the outline of a picture depending on the colour. This is used to save time as it makes the cutting out process a lot faster. Where as the “Polygonal Lasso Tool” uses straight lines of which you would use to achieve a cut out with a higher degree of accuracy. Finally, the last is the “Lasso Tool” which is the one where you click and draw, however this can unreliable and often cut out wrong parts of the image.

Finally, I learnt about the “Text Toolbox” of which was used to control all the text in the Photoshop document. It controlled the size, style, shape and numerous other features that would effect the appearance of the highlighted text. Once I had the hang of it, it became very easy to use as I learnt what each feature in the toolbox did. I felt that this was one of the most vital toolboxes in the construction of my product as it was the 'backbone' of the text, of which many people base their opinions on.

Fifth Evaluation Question

How did you attract your audience?

I attracted my audience by using designs, layouts and colours that would appeal to them. Which is why I used the blank/red/white colour scheme, as this was the option that was greatly favoured on my questionnaire.

These different conventions are more commonly known as 'codes', which represent most features throughout my media product, whether it's mise-en-scene, expressions or poses. With the code of clothing I used a Trilby and a pair of Shutter Shades, of which the artist on my front cover was wearing. I used these accessories because they are funky and hip, and are different to the sort of clothes that would be usually be shown on a punk magazine. These two accessories compliment the front page, which is one of the main reasons why I have used them. The hat ties in with the code of posture, and the glasses are a bright visual reference. However, in spite of them not following the typical clothing conventions, they fit the overall feel of the magazine. The costumes are continued through on the contents page and double page spread, but the main focus has been placed on the front cover, as this is the part of the magazine that the audience sees first, so is what their initial judgement will be based upon. The clothing is pretty much the same on the contents page and double page spread, as the images were taken at the same time and all share similarities. The Trilby is a constant theme throughout the magazine, because it keeps a theme flowing which tells the reader that the stories are related. This would be harder to notice if all the images used were completely different. The main change to the images are that the glasses are no longer present on the contents page and double page spread. They were purely chosen to be part of the costume on the front page so that their colour could be enhanced for a visual reference.

The code of posture is very closely related to the code of costume in attracting my specified audience for my media product. I used my models arms for producing a pose that will entice the reader into the buying the magazine in the first place. I figured out which pose to use after I reviewed the results from my questionnaire that showed that my audience preferred one main image, of which I decided to be a close-up, as many people buy magazines to look at the images. So by following the guidelines shown by the questionnaire and my own research, I make the media product more appealing to the target audience.

For the code of technique, I researched into what colour schemes attract the greater audience. The results showed that black red and white were the preferred colours, as many other magazines use this combination and the audience like consistency within products. Therefore they are more likely to purchase a product that shows similar conventions of another, like colour, purely because they are used to it. Therefore I used these three colours throughout my front cover, contents page and double page spread. This was to keep a constant theme throughout the magazine. I made sure that bright colours would be used throughout the media product, so on the front cover the red is a dominating feature which stands out from the black and the white. This is the first part of the magazine the audience see, therefore it has to positive and good impact. On the contents page the red has become a subtle theme, being present on one one image and the numbers going down the left hand side of the page. This was done to show a more variety of colours within the images present on the page. Which is why the red was toned down so it didn't overpower the other images on the page. Finally, on the double page spread the three colours were brought back into full use. I designed them this way so that the reader would see a continuous theme throughout the magazine, which makes it easier for them to read.

Forth Evaluation Question

Who would be your target audience?

My target audience for my media product would be both male and females, aging from teenagers to people in their late twenties to early thirties. My target audience would like the punk or rock genre, listening to bands such as Bon Jovi, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Dire Straights and Guns N' Roses. The punk aspect of the magazine, creates a twist to the magazine. My product uses specific conventions and features to attract and appeal to my target audience. Although my typical target audience analysis shows the traits of a conventional male reader, my magazine is not gender specific. With a unisex audience you are able to attract a wider range of people. On top of this I knew that my target audience would be of a young age; therefore I matched the colours and designs accordingly. The younger generation likes bright colours that jump out at you, images that are lively and show individuality, as well as a design that is easy to read and delivers the information fast. So I designed my media product accordingly, making sure I abided by those necessary conventions.

Third Evaluation Question

What kind of media institution might distribute your product and why?

The media institution that might distribute my product would be a publisher, that deals with newspapers, magazines, comics and potentially books. Seen as my magazine is a print based product, it would need a company that deals with printing onto materials. A company that might distribute my product could be "IPC Media" (http://www.ipcmedia.com), IPC Media produce over 85 iconic media brands, with their print brands alone reaching almost two thirds of UK women and 44% of UK men. This media institution may distribute my product because they they already deal with music magazines and another large variety of magazines. However, this company publish NME Magazine, which is a fully established and leading music magazine. This would make it hard for a company like IPC Media to publish my magazine, as they wouldn't want it to compete with their other big selling magazine. Another company that might publish my media product would be, "Future PLC" (http://www.futureplc.com), who are the largest publisher of guitar magazines in the world and the biggest music-making publisher in both the US and the UK. Future PLC already publish: Classic Rock, Classic Prog, Computer Music, Future Music, Guitarist, Guitar Techniques, Metal Hammer, Rhythm, Total Guitar, Guitar Aficionado, Guitar World, Guitar World Legends and Revolver. Future PLC might distribute my media product because they already deal with a lot of magazines. Which means that they like to have a large portfolio to show other businesses and their dominance within their line of work. Thus resulting in possibly distributing my media product as they may want to add more music magazines to their portfolio. Also, in those list of magazines, there are no punk/rock or punk magazines making mine unique and different to their current magazines. This is the main reason to why Future PLC might distribute my media product.

Second Evaluation Question

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My media product represents particular social groups by focusing particularly on age and ethnicity. I didn’t represent gender and orientation specifically because the genre I chose wasn’t specific to those categories. Of course, all music can be enjoyed by anyone of any age and sexual orientation, yet it’s marketed to specific social groups. So to widen my target audience I only marketed it to two social groups in particular.

My media product represents age through the use of the colour scheme used, the language and the images used on each of the pages. The three colours; black, red and white are very popular amongst the younger audiences as they find it more lively and bold. As proved my my questionnaire results, which prove it to be the most popular option. Also, the image I have used represents this social group as it is showing a young female artist. A large proportion of younger audiences like singers their own age, or of a similar age. For example; Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers or Justin Bieber, who are all young and have huge fan bases. Finally, I represented my audience my using non-complex language and funky fonts that will appeal to them. Younger readers don't want to read long complex words, so I used smaller words and sentences that got straight to the point, instead of being too long. The font I used; "Will&Grace" switches between lower case italics and upper case non-italics, which is very modern and funky. They fit with the punk rock genre and make the fonts more appealing to the younger audience I am targeting.

I was focusing on the caucasian ethnicity with my magazine, however this doesn't stop other ethnic backgrounds from purchasing my media product. As musicians appeal to anyone and everyone, and there are no limits on who can like who. I represented this social group by using a good looking caucasian female as the model on my front page, who is also the main focus around my double page spread. My audience will be able to relate to these images because they will be of a young age and be more familiar with white singers. This makes the magazine more appealing to them, as punk rock musicians are usually of a caucasian decent, as black singers tend to focus on the R&B and hip-hop music genres.

Gender wasn’t a social category I decided to focus on because both genders should and get equal chances in life, therefore the magazine I created shouldn’t completely focus on one specific gender. I achieved this by using a good-looking female model for my front cover, who would be representing the artist for my media product. This attracts both genders to the magazine because most men like reading magazines that have women in them, often for looking at their physique. Whereas women will be attracted because they like to look at the hair, make-up and fashion sense of the people in the magazine. As some women admire celebrities and wish to make themselves appear more like them. The benefits of a female artist greatly outweighed the benefits of a male model, which is how I came to the decision of using the image I used on the front cover.

First Evaluation Question

In what ways does your media product use, develop and challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

My media product, a magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread, mainly uses the conventions of real media product by following the lead of other music magazines that are already established. However, my media product does challenge and develop some conventions to make the magazine stand out from the crowd. The reason my music magazine uses typical conventions is because I want my product to be familiar in the market, having features that the audience will be familiar with. If there are too many differences or challenges in conventions then it may scare the audience away for being too different.

I have used the convention of a pug on the front cover of my music magazine. However I have developed this convention by making it appear to be 3D. The actual image is from the internet, of which I cut out and cropped on photoshop, but the pink and yellow information box within it I created myself. The image already looked 3D, but by the use of dropping shadows around the outside of the info box, made it appear to be embossed within the pug. My design develops the theme of a pug because many other magazines have pugs that are 2D, often a single colour and plain font. Where as I have developed mine to be 3D and very colourful with the background of the pug being the Union Flag. This makes it stand out much more, grabbing the reader's attention, which is the purpose of a pug.

I haven't challenged the convention of having my masthead/brand logo in the top left hand corner of the page because I feel that it would be an inappropriate change that could potentially turn audiences away. This is because the masthead is conventionally positioned to start on the first third of a magazine, due to the fact that that is the part which is shown when they are stacked on a shelf. Pretty much every magazine out there will show part of their masthead in this space, so that they can be easily identified in a shop. Brand identification is crucial to magazines, and I wouldn't want to jeopardize this by placing my masthead in a peculiar position on the front page.

Also I challenged the convention of writing directly onto the page, which is typically used in most magazines. I decided to challenge this convention because I didn't like the appearance of raw text over a background. The leading magazines are able to get this to work, however I got no such luck. All of my font clashed with the background and it became very hard to read, as well as being a strain on the eyes. Therefore I had to think of an idea that would let the reader easily read the text as well as looking smart and fit in throughout my music magazine. This idea was to put a backing image behind mostly all the text in my media product. Therefore I challenged the typical conventions of music magazines by placing torn lined paper behind the text in my media product. It turned out to work brilliantly and really fitted in with the punk rock genre I was aiming to achieve. I developed this convention by putting the torn paper on each of my pages to make sure it linked the pages together and gave the magazine a flowing feel to it. This torn paper became a theme, and it was used in a lot of places on the front cover, contents page and double page spread. On the front cover I put the lined paper behind all of the writing that needed to stand out, for example the headlines and sub-stories that needed to stand out from the background. On the contents page I placed the backing paper behind the list of contents, this wasn't to make the writing stand out, it was purely to develop the theme further. This linked the contents page to the front cover. On the double page spread I used the paper behind the article and page titles, this was for making it stand out from the background. However it was a subtle reference and link back to the front cover.

I have used the convention of a barcode on my magazine. I followed this convention because barcodes are necessary on the front cover of magazine as they contain the information needed when are being scanned for purchase. I also followed the typical convention of placing it in the bottom right hand corner of the page, this didn't obstruct any other feature on my front cover. I didn't challenge this convention because it wasn't a necessary change that could have been done. If most magazines have their barcodes in that position, then I will follow in their lead so I don't cause any confusion when the magazine is getting scanned. It makes purchasing process quicker and looks good in the location I have placed it.

Construction Of Double Page Spread

Step 1) This is the first step I took for constructing my double page spread. I started off by importing the main image I was going to use, and resized it so that it fitted exactly onto the double page. As the photo was taken as a landscape, it fitted almost perfectly and was a suitable image to use as my background.

Step 2) For the second step of the construction I created a skyline header that went across the top of the page as a design. This created a theme for the page, making it equal to a recurring feature that is published in every magazine. Just like "In Cinemas" in the Empire Film Magazine. I used the shape tool to draw out the rectangular bar running across the top, then the selection tool to cut out the smaller rectangles on the left hand side of the page. I imported the masthead into the file and resized it to fit within the boundaries of the rectangular bar. Just like I did in the construction of the contents page, this continues the recurring theme of "FTR" throughout the magazine. By using the text tool I added in the title "New Music" within the gap available.

Step 3) I then added the page numbers and "For The Record to both of the bottom corners adjacent to the centre fold line. This was done via the text box tool and the text toolbar. I made sure the colours of the fonts contrasted with the background, yet still stayed within the colour scheme. After, I began creating the backing on which I would write my article. I used the same concept from the front cover construction and already had the torn paper saved on a different file. So this sped up the whole process as I only needed to import it into my photoshop document and adjust the size and angle.

Step 4) I continued to add the rest of the torn paper backing until it formed two columns and a title space. Of which I then added the title and sub-title, of which are exactly the same on the front cover and contents word. By keeping the wording the same it avoids any confusion that might occur when reading through the magazine. This stage was fairly quick and easy to do because I had already learnt the techniques earlier on in the construction process.

Step 5) Once I had all the backing correctly in place, I started to write my article. The style of article was an interview, which meant I had to write it with question and answer. To make sure it was easy to read, the question was made a different colour to the answer. This ensured to notify the reader which text is which, as well as looking visibly better. This was done via the "Text Toolbar" and the article was written onto the backing directly by the use of a text box.

Step 6) I then finished writing the article and had to check it all through for spelling mistakes or any other possible errors. After it had been checked over twice I moved onto the trickiest part of the spread construction. This was pull out quote that had to stand out from the background and catch the readers attention. At first I tried it in a straight line, however it just didn't look right due to the changing background colours as the sentence went on. After thinking of other possible solutions to the problem, I came up with the idea to bend the text, so that it curved around the shape of the hat. Which is why I found it tricky, as this was my first time bending text on photoshop. However it seemed relatively easy once I got the hang of it. I then moved the edited text onto the picture, just below the curve of the hat. This was the final action to the construction of my double page spread.

Construction Of Contents Page

Step 1) This is the first step I took for constructing my contents page. I started off with a blank white canvas as the backbone, because you don't want to overcomplicate the page with fancy dazzling colours. My aim was to create a page that was simple, yet appealing to my target audience. The first things to be added to the blank canvas were the header and the footer, of which I did by creating a text box and writing out each piece I needed. Once they were written out I moved them them into position at the top and bottom of the page. Finally, this step concluded by importing the masthead/brand logo into the file and shrinking it so it fitted within the boundaries of the header. This kept a flow to the magazine.

Step 2) I then added the first photo to the contents page, I did this by importing it into photoshop where it was resized and cropped until it fitted into position. I made sure that the photo fitted into the same boundary line that was created by the header and footer, so that both text and photos fitted into equal sized columns. I made sure that this image was largest because it was was almost identical to the one used on my double page spread. This is purely because the larger image is more eye catching and will show the reader what they are looking for when looking through the magazine.

Step 3) This stage of the construction is very similar to the previous stage. I imported more images into photoshop and resized them to fit around the main image. After they had been cropped and made into the desired size, I simply clicked and dragged them into position below and above my main contents page image. I have used a selection of images that have a variety of colours to make my contents page seem more diverse and interesting.

Step 4) Again, like the previous two stages above, this step included importing and resizing the two final images that I needed for my contents page. These photos represent other articles in my magazine. Once these were in place my photo column was almost complete, par a few numbers. I made sure to include photos with different sizes and shapes because it makes the contents page appear more imaginative and appealing to look at. Overall I feel this is one of the best layouts for photos on a contents page.

Step 5) In this step I added the first selection of text onto my page, this included the sub-headings and page numbers. I did this via the "Text Tool", which I created a list of numbers spaced out with ideal amounts of pages. I used the "Text Toolbar" to change the colour and font of the numbers so that they stand out from the list of contents and the sub-headings. This all makes it easier on the eye.

Step 6) I finished off the list of contents in this stage by finalizing the final textual column. I placed a new text box on the left had side of the page and wrote out all of features that will be included in my magazine, leaving equal spaces to the ones dividing the numbers. This made sure everything lined up to perfection on the left hand side column. I used the "Text Toolbar" to include two different styles of font for the list of contents, one style being for the actual feature and the other for a short blurb underneath describing the page.

Step 7) I then completed the construction of my contents page by adding the final page numbers onto the images and the backing paper behind the list of contents. These numbers correspond with the ones given on the list of contents, as the images represent stories in my magazine. For the numbers I created more text boxes, just like in the steps above. I wanted to have all my numbers white, so that I could put them on the edge of the photo and blend them in with the background. However, on one photo this couldn't be done because there was already white on the image, which made the text hard to read. So I decided on using black for that particular number. This looked equally as good as the white font. I pasted the backing paper from another document and duplicated it and put it behind the text on the pager. I did this to continue the torn paper theme throughout the magazine and once they were all in the correct position, concluded the construction of my contents page.

Construction Of Front Cover

Step 1) This is the first step I took for constructing my front page. I imported my chosen photo into photoshop and enhanced and experimented with different colours and styles. In the end I decided on enhancing the pink glasses into a medium red colour so it would match my chosen colour scheme. As well as making the rest of the image black and white, by the use of the "Hue/Saturation" toolbar.

Step 2) Afterwards, I then started experimenting with different shapes, fonts and colours for the design of my masthead. This

took a while before I finally got what I was after. I wanted to make my masthead loud, contrast and stand out, so that it was easily recognisable as "FTR Magazine". Just the "Q" from Q magazine.

Step 3) Once I had decided upon the final idea for my masthead and I was happy with it, I then started to think of ways I could show my information and headline on the page. As the font looked bad if it was placed straight onto the image, it became hard to read and thus became a strain on your eyes. So I decided on using torn paper, as this represented the punk rock genre and made my magazine stand out from the crowd. This involved importing the torn papger image into photoshop and cutting around it using the "Magic Wand Selection Tool" and the "Magnetic Lassoo Tool". Once this was done I copied it into the front page file where it was resized and placed into position. Also, a footer was placed at the bottom of the page with a promotional sentance about the magazine.

Step 4) I then repeated the cutting out of torn paper, so that all of the text that was being directly placed onto the main image, had a backing to be placed upon. Once this was completed, I moved it all into position along the left hand side of the page. I also added the barcode to the bottom left hand side of the page, which will be tweaked later on in the design process.

Step 5) This step was where I started adding the text onto the front page, where I started off with the headline. I used the text tool to draw a box, of which the text would then be placed. Once I had written it all out, I highlighted it and by the use of the "Text Toolbar" I changed it to the colour, size, font and angle I wanted it to be. To get the colour I wanted, I used the "Eye Dropper Selection Tool" to get the exact red pigment that was on the glasses. This gave the front colour a flow as well as abiding to the colour scheme. I then click and dragged the text over the torn paper backings, then when in position I adjusted the angle so they fitted correctly. In the step I also added the price, date and issue number to the bottom left hand corner which was incorporated into barcode.

Step 6) In this step I added the rest of the text I was going to be using on the front cover. This included the list of features down the left hand side of the page, which followed the same concept as the headline. I used the exact same process for the text as I described in 'step 5', by changing colour, moving and changing the angle. So that all the text now fitted perfectly in the backing I had given it. Once this was done, the text and backing required small nudges up and down in order to get an equal space between each one.

Step 7) My magazine was pretty much fully assembled by this stage of the production, all that needed to be done was the creation of a pug for the top left hand corner of the page. For this, I found an image of a union flag badge online, as they can often be used within the punk genre. I then loaded this into photoshop as the backbone of my pug. I then made a pink box and put yellow text inside it, explaining the special offer as pugs so often do. The reason for these two colours is that they both contrast with eachother, stand out from the front cover and are often used to resemble punk music. Once this was done, I rasterized the layer containing the pink box so that it became directly editable. I then cut away at the box to match the shape of the text, and adjusted the size so that it fitted within the boundry of the circular badge. I then imported this into the front cover file, resized it and moved it into position on the page. This ended the construstion of my front cover.

Photograph Analysis

Number 1) This photo leaves alot of room on both the left hand side and at the top of the page, which is ideal for the magazine. This is because the masthead and the features are always usually located and listed on this side of the magazine. This is due to the fact that when magazines are laid out on a shelf, they often have the information easily labled there so people can recognise what brand it is and what the issue's features are. However I will not be using this photo because the model is looking down at the ground. Where as I want her to be looking out of the page so that the reader can establish eye contact and be drawn into the magazine. Also, if this was on the front cover of a magazine it would be hard to work out who the person was from a distance.

Number 2) This photo leaves alot of room at the top of the page, but a bit less on the left hand side than the photo above. This is because the image was taken closer to the model this time in order to get more emotions and facial expressions, which has been successfully achieved. Also, the model is looking forwards out of the page, which creates the eye contact I was looking for. Unlike the photo above, you will be easily able to recognise the artist on the front of the magazine with this image because it is closer in and you can see the whole of the person's face. Another main thing I like about this photo is that the model's arms and shoulders are in the shot as well. This gives a much better pose, which makes the image more lively and appealing to look at. I have decided that I am going to be using this image on the front cover of my magazine because it contains all of the features I am looking for in a photo and I believe it will appeal to the target audience.

Number 3) In this image, the only space available to work with it at the top and bottom of the photo due to the fact that this is zoomed in closer than the one above. This causes a few problems because it results in headlines, features and pugs potentially having to be placed over the image. Which will obscure it and make it harder for the audience to recognise from a distance away. As well as making it seem cluttered and tidy, which is not a good impression to leave with the reader as a soon as they pick up and see the magazine. Apart from that, you are able to see the whole of the face and resulting expressions. However this photo just doesn't have the right dimensions or appearance for my magazine front cover, therefore I wont be using it for my magazine.

Number 4) I like this image because it has perfect layout for a double page spread, seen as the model's face will take up one side of the page. Leaving a patterned background on the other side, suitable for placing text onto. However the main issue with this image is that the camera has focused on the background, rather than the model herself. This leaves a very sharp in-focus background and a blurry model, which I do not want to use on my double page spread. The models face has to be in focus in order for my spread to look best. Therefore I will not be using this image for the double page spread of my magazine, purely because the focus is wrong.

Number 5) This image is perfect for my double page spread because it solves all of the problems that I was presented with in the photo above. The focus is on the model's face, making her sharp and vivid, where as the background is soft and much easier on the eye to look at. Also, in this photo her eye is looking straight out of the page into the audience's eyes, bringing forward the recurring theme of making eye contact with the image on the page. Therefore I have decided that I will definitely be using this image for my magazine's double page spread.