Magazine Design

1)      Design Research

The type of magazine I decided to choose to create is a music magazine. In order to get a rough idea about how music magazines are usually designed, I have referred to a few music magazines with different styles. In the end, I opted for a more vibrant and youthful layout with minimal text. The following are some layouts that influenced my work.

References:

Beatzmag (2012) Beatz Magazine Issue 1. Retrieved from http://issuu.com/beatzmag/docs/beatz_issue_1

Vmagazine (2012) V75 The Music Issue. Retrieved from http://issuu.com/vmagazine/docs/v75

Flushthefashion (2012) Flush Magazine Issue No. 3. Retrieved from http://issuu.com/flushthefashion/docs/issue3

Terry White (2008) Magazine Cover Design in InDesign. Retrieved from http://layersmagazine.com/magazine-cover-design-in-indesign.html

2)      Conceptualization (Sketches)

3)      Crafting

Start off with front page, putting image as background and adjusting the size.

Creating a background box with jagged edge effect for the masthead in magazine using Illustrator.

Placing the box created in Illustrator and combining it with the title over the background image.

Creating a drop shadow effect on article headlines to make it “pop out” and be more easily readable.

Placement of the article headlines to be featured on the cover page. I had to make sure that they are arranged in such a way that the words can be read without too much interference of blockage from the background picture.

Splitting the text columns and adjusting the gutter space.

Placing the pictures selected and arranging them to frame the pages.

Creating columns and placing dummy text evenly in each column.

Adjusting the hyphenation settings for the texts.

Creating the title and adjusting text fonts for the feature story content page.

Creating a background colour using gradient effects for the content page. Note: this was later removed as it made the text hard to read and straining to the reader’s eyes.

Creating and adjusting the editor’s note text.

Creating the content list and page numbers. Making sure they are all aligned.

Adjusting text and images on new content page. Adjusting the justification of the text as well as hyphenation.

Creating a box behind the text to make the text stand out. Note: this was later removed.

Editing picture in Photoshop to remove the white background from the orginal image then saving it as a .gif file for later placement in magazine layout.

Creating a simple advertisement as one of the pages in the magazine.

Finalizing the elements in the advertisement page.

4)      Final Artwork

After a few more adjustments here and there with the design, this is the final artwork that I have produced:

Image sources:

Fanpop. Avril Lavigne Wallpapers. Retrieved from http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/avril-lavigne/images/22661431/title/avril-lavigne-wallpaper

WallpaperVortex.com. Avril Lavigne Wallpapers. Retrieved from http://www.wallpapervortex.com/wallpaper-1209-celebrity_avril_lavigne_wallpaper.html

Pulsarmedia. Avril Lavigne Wallpaper. Retrieved from www.­pulsarmedia.­eu/­r_avril_lavigne_­0603_1600x1200_w­allpaper_22389.­html

Wallpaperpassion. Avril Lavigne HD Wallpaper. Retrieved from http://wallpaperpassion.com/download-wallpaper/21097/avril-lavigne-wallpaper.html

Wallpaper Beautiful Girl. Avril Lavigne. Retrieved from http://hot-rooms.blogspot.com/2012/09/avril-lavigne.html

Ashmir (2011). Celebrity and Movie Pictures, Photos. Retrieved from http://starspage.net/blog/archives/10696/avril-lavigne-wallpaper-singer-2

Steven (2012). Adele’s ‘21’ smashes Alanis Morisette’s ‘Jagged Lil Pill’ US Album Chart Record. Retrieved from http://musicjustice.net/2012/07/adeles-21-smashes-alanis-morissettes-jagged-little-pill-us-album-chart-record/

Genestout (2009). Colbie Caillat launches tour. Retrieved from http://www.genestout.com/index.php/colbie-caillat-launches-tour/

Kelly Clarkson. Breakaway Album. Retrieved from http://www.clarksonfan.com/albums.html

 Sbdude (2012). Jason Mraz-Tour is a Four Letter Word Concert Live in Malaysia 2012. Retrieved from http://starbucks87dude.blogspot.com/2012/05/jason-mraz-tour-is-four-letter-word.html

Musician’s Friend. Ludwig Accent Combo 5-piece Drum Set. Retrieved from http://www.musiciansfriend.com/drums-percussion/ludwig-accent-combo-5-piece-drum-set

Johnmayerpicspam. Chart Moves: John Mayer ‘s Live EP Debuts on Billboard 200. Retrieved from http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/the-complete-2012-performances-collection