FRONT COVER-FLAT PLANS

• I will create, a flat plan using shapes and labelling where I want each component of my magazine to be. This will be very useful when creating my mock-ups and also my actual magazine, as I can easily identify where I want to place my components such as my image, cover lines, masthead ect.

• This element of planning means that I can make sure that my magazine matches the typical magazine available on today’s market and also ensures I have included all the relevant components so my magazine can be a success.

• In addition to this it will save time, as when I’ve taken my images and chosen my magazine name etc. I will be able to look back at my chosen flat plan and place it in the desired area.

• I have created three flat plans for the front cover of my magazine and I will use customer feedback to chose between the three flat-plans and I will base my magazine front cover coordinating with the desired flat plan.

Date and price-I like this positioning however I feel it is a bit hidden as it blend into the background colour of the main image.

Main image-this is very clear and of a high quality. This immediately draws you to the magazine, as it’s a medium close up shot of the subject (women) It also has a sophistication about it, such as costume code, that you would typically link to classical music, highlighting the genre of the magazine. I also like the use of the violin as this again highlights the theme and style of the magazine.

Barcode/covergence-this is clearly positioned in the corner to avoid disrupting the main components of the magazine cover-however I do not like the fact that its blocking part of the image(the women's knee and foot), so is something I shall try to avoid when putting by barcode in.

Masthead/magazine identity-this is bold and stands out which attracts the target market. The typography is bold and in black-which contrasts the image and coverline typography colour, enabling the consumer to assume this is the masthead. The font is very clear, however I think it could be slightly more italic to link in the sophisticated nature of classical music magazines.

Lead line-this is in a larger typography than that used in the cover lines, which emphasises that it’s a lead line. It is also positioned higher up than the over cover lines-being positioned next to the main image, suggesting the two interlink. Furthermore a name is used-this celebrity endorsement entices and catches the attention of the target audience.

The coverlines are of a similar colour to the costume code used in the main image which keeps the flow of the front cover and avoids busyness. Furthermore the cover lines have a heading and underneath a short overview. This again entices the audience as they can become aware of what is inside the magazine, and buy it fir the cover lines advertised on the front cover.

EXISITING PRODUCT ANAYLSIS:

By looking and annualising current classical music magazines available on the market, it has enabled me to gain ideas of concepts and conventions that are used in magazines of my genre. I have also been able to gage a positioning of each of the conventions which in turn will help me when I come to produce my

actual product as I will know the best places for each convention.

MASTHEAD/BRAND IDENTITY:

STRAPLINE: Words/linking/to/magazine/theme

Lead line

Cover lines

MAIN IMAGE

LEAD LINE/BANNER-LINKING TO IMAGE

Cover lines

Words/linking/to/magazine/theme

PUFF

Social media icons/covergance.

PRICEBarcode/covergence

MAST-HEAD

STRAPLINE: Words/linking/to/the/theme

Social media icons/covergance

MAIN IMAGE

PUFFS

BOXED TEXT/BANNER-CELEBRITY NAME (IN IMAGE)

MAIN COVER LINE/LEAD LINE

COVERLINE

Barcode/Covergence

Link to website:www…

Price:

MASTHEAD:

PRICE:

DATE:Social media icons.

MAIN IMAGE

LEAD LINE

PUFFS

LOWER STRAP LINE: WORDS/LINKING/TO/THEME

STARPLINE:WORDS/LINKING/TO/THEME

WEBSITE LINK/COVERLEGANCE :WWW…

Barcode:

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK:Flat plan 1- “ I really liked this flat plan, its very exiting and of course, importantly it includes all of the necessary conventions of

a typical magazine. With the right image, linking to the classical music theme I would say this is the best out of all three of the flat plans for the front page.”-Rebekah

FLATPLAN 2- “I do like this design, I especially like the clear links to the website of the magazine etc.. It makes its very accessible

for the consumer to research more information. However I think the social media icons at the top of the page look a bit strange, I also feel that the whole layout could look slightly chaotic or untidy, so out of the three this is not my favourite.”- Jermaine

FLATPLAN 3- “I like the organised look of this flat plan, you know its very easy to discover what is actually inside the magazine. It

means the consumer can find what they are looking for very quickly which obviously would come in handy because if the consumer sees the clear cover lines when in a shop, it will entice them into buying the magazine. Having said that the social media icons are quite strange in that position! This is not as good as flat plan one however it is a strong design!”-Jasmine

After reading through he customer feedback, I have look again at my flat plans for the front page, and decided that flat plan one is the best one for my magazine-I think this is because it is very clearly laid out and includes all the major conventions crucial to a magazine. I also think the positioning of the image means that I can use the image to clearly highlight the theme of my magazine, by using classical instruments along with my model, to demonstrate the theme.

Images-these link to some of the features included in the magazine. I like this idea of small images, however I don’t like their positioning at the top of the pate, I would prefer them to be underneath the contents title and list of features.

Title: the title is placed in font of a coloured block background. This makes it stand out and enables the reader to identify that this is the contest page. I like this, however I think the wording could be more adventurous such as ‘this month’ or ‘features this week’. The typography is in capital letters again, to stand out as the title.

List of features: This list of features, enables the reader to quickly find a desired page without having to flick through the entire magazine. The vertical columns are simple to follow and aid this proves of the reader finding a page. The list of features are further divided into categories making it even easier to find a desired page.

Page number/image references- the small images have page number reference and short overviews in small typography in the corner of the image. This enables the reader to quickly find the page if they are interested by the image.

CONTENTS PAGE FLAT-PLANS

IMAGE

THIS MONTH:Clearly labelled heading:

PAGE NUMBERSANDMAINSTORIES

CONTENTS PAGE HEADING

IMAGE:

PAGE NUMBERS AND FEATURES:

PUFF

Image from magazine item:

CONTENTS PAGE HEADING

IMAGE:

Page numbers and features:

Image linking to a feature

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK:

Flatplan 1- “ I really like this design, it is very simplistic which means that the consumer can quickly find a specific page number, or go

straight to the crosswords or something! This is really useful for a consumer as it means that they don’t have to spend ages looking for a specific page-which especially due to the target audience of this magazine (university students) saves valuable time, meaning magazines can be read in between lectures etc..”- Kim

FLATPLAN 2- “ I kind of like this design, for example I like the small image linking to a specific page highlighted within the contents

page, however I feel the puff is not a convention of the contents page, so that puts me off and I think there is limited space available for the page numbered along the left side of the page. I also do not like the image at the top, I would prefer it in parallel to the page numbers”-Jana

FLATPLAN 3- “ this contents page is good, although slightly confusing in my opinion. I don’t really like the page numbers being placed

where they are, as I think if you want to vertically label page numbers it could mean there is limited space for all the desired pages. Furthermore I think the image, should be on the right hand side, I think it makes more sense, so you see it after looking at the page numbers. However I like all the small images along the bottom, but is there enough space for 3?”- Sian

After considering all the customer reviews of each of my flat plans for my contents page, I have decided that flat plan 1 is again, the best one for contents page. This is because the simplistic nature of it makes it an easy to function contents page, as consumers will find it easy to find specific page numbers which In the long run will make it very easy for reading. I also have taken on ‘Kim’s’ reference to the target audience, which means that flat plan 1 is the best option, because it will be accessible for my target audience which means, they will more likely purchase my magazine, if it fits within their lifestyle.

Drop text-this is used to signal to the reader that this is where the article begins and also separates the article from the text above it. Its typography is bold and follows the colour scheme, in this case red that is present on the rest of the page.

Masthead, this is used to summarise the article below it. It is the name of the entire text and so must reflect the content of the article. The masthead usually uses literally techniques such as emotive language, alliteration, personal address etc.. This engages the audience and entices them to read the rest od the article. To stand out, the masthead is usually in bold, coloured typography, This will fit within the colour scheme. The size of the typography is also larger, and be in an italic or particular font to reflect the genre of the article and magazine.

Here there is a small overview of the article, introducing two main people of whom will feature in it, such as ‘Federico Mompou’ and ‘Stephan Hough’. This is accompanied by a small image of Stephan Hough parallel to the main image of ‘Federico Mompou’

The text is usually presented in vertical columns, as this is easy for the reader to follow and also allows more text to fit into a smaller space. Furthermore the columns add interested and look less daunting than a whole block paragraph, which will not put the reader off. The text sometimes spreads over the double page, or stays on one page, with the main image ion the other. I personally like it on just one side of the double page, as it avoids confusion and is like am mirror reflection of subjects which looks very well organised in my opinion. Also included are some quotes in bold bigger typography highlighted within the text, in the colour scheme. These are read by the reader before they read the article in attempt to entice them to read it. Quotes usually include ‘strongly emotional phrases or dramatic gossip etc.. Depending on the type of magazine (theme).

The main image should reflect the article in style, such as fitting within the humorous theme of the article or emotional theme etc.. This parallel theme can further be emphasised by body language or positioning. The image us sometimes accompanied by a name of the subject in the image etc..

Page numbers are always included.

TITLE OF ARTICLE:

IMAGE:

Text:

ENALARGED QUOTE COLLECT FROM TEXT:

Page divider:

Text:

TITLE OF ARTICLE:

MAIN IMAGE LINKING TO TEXT

MONTAGE OF IMAGES LINKING

BACK TO TEXT:

Image in between

text linking to subject of

text:

TITLE OF ARTICLE:

IMAGE:

TEXT:

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK:

FLATPLAN 1- “ I don’t really like this design, as I find it quite confusing, I think the title of the article is better along the top of the page rather

than heading vertically downwards. I also think the text should be on one page rather than crossing over the span of the double page-I think this may result in the article feeling disjointed and hard to keep track of! I like the idea of the enlarged quotes though!”-Winnie

FLATPLAN 2- “ I like this design very much, as I think its quite simplistic meaning you cane experiment well with fonts and make the image

link to the text very well. I like the idea of including an image within the text, as this makes it flow very well, however I think positioning of this will be important, so it doesn't ultimately disturb all the text. I like the fact that the text is on a separate side of the double page to the text, I think this allows the text to flow and it means the reader does not loose their part of the article, which comes in handy, especially for university students, as they can keep coming back to the article in between lectures. I also love the montage of pictures!”-Rasses

FLATPLAN 3- “I find this design quite unusual and hard to understand as the image is in the divide of the two pages. I think this is not very

good as the quality of the image could be disrupted because of the fold between the two pages-also it could make the image appear less significant when really we want it to sum up the article. Also the image is in-between the two text boxes, which will make it hard to keep track of the article, again meaning its not very good “- Ardash

This chose is quite simple, as after reviewing customer feedback, I think it is clearly flat plan 2 that should be used, as its appropriate for the target audience, including simplistic elements however with interesting addition such as the montage and image embedded within the text, all of which would add interest, and keep the reader interested. I think the parallel nature of my text and image allows the reader to interact with both and also avoids any distraction and prevents the reader loosing their place.

REVIEW OF MY FLATPLANS:I have used PowerPoint presentations to create my flat plans. The flat plans have all been analysed by comparing them to real pages of current magazines available on the market. I have also gained customer feedback, by asking friends and family to share their thoughts on my magazine flat plans. In order to ensure I choose the correct designs for each of my 3 pages, I have had to look back to my research section to make sure my designs fit within the typical classical music style.

This will make my magazine as successful as possible because I will attract the target audience by staying within the genre of my magazine.After analysing the customer feedback and revisiting my flat plans I have finalised the three different ones for my three pages within the magazine.

The three final flat plans are, flat plan one for the front cover, flat plan one for my contents page, and flat plan two for my double page spread. This is because they contain all the conventions but are also of a high standard of which suits the needs of my target audience, resulting in the increased popularity of Capriccio.