Music Magazine Article Double Page Spread Progress

I have started to put my written article into my double page spread. The white writing really stands out on the black background and I believe it works really well because it is easy to read.
I have also included a drop cap in my article, this is from looking at my research, its what most music magazines use at the start of an article. It makes the page appealing, what I like most about it is that my article starts with the word 'Lottie' and therefore the drop cap highlights the first letter of Lottie's name.
In my design I wanted to put my questions in white boxes with a red 'lead' bar underneath them, I believe the colour scheme works well and it makes the questions come out of the page. It helps make the questions look like someone else is talking and it highlights where the questions are. I need to tidy up the lines but at the moment I am happy with how it is looking.
I am hoping to add subsidiary images into my article to show a before and after effect, which I think will work well with my written article. Also I need to complete all of the questions in boxes and put in small details.

Finished Music Magazine Front Cover

I have now completed my magazine front cover, I made some adjustments from the last time I posted this image.
I added a price for my magazine which is £1.80, I decided to give it this price from looking at my research. In my questionnaire, around two thirds of people said it would be a reasonable price for my weekly music magazine. I situated it by the bar code because from looking at my research of real music magazines, this is where it is usually placed.
I also decided to change the positioning of my web address to underneath the header bar. This is because I felt it looked squashed when it was on the header bar and needed to have its own space but still look apart of the bar. I believe it works much better and is more presentable.
I believe my magazine has worked out really well, and when comparing it to my draft quite a lot of things have changed. However, I believe it works much better as it presently looks because the finished magazine looks more professional. I have achieved everything I wanted to achieve and I don't believe there is much I would change because throughout the process of making it I have shifted a lot of things around.

Music Magazine Article Double Page Spread Progress

             
I have started my double page spread for my music magazine. I believe that I chose the right image and it looks good next to the black page beside it. The title of my article is 'The Road to Recovery' which I feel fits in well with the story, I have put it in white with a red stroke around the edges because I feel that stands out on the background. I am happy with how my progress is going with this double page spread, I feel the colour scheme works really well for an article.
I now need to add my article, and experiment to see whether or not I should use subsidiary images in my double page spread.

Main Image for my Article

Second Draft of My Article

Lottie; a name synonymous with stardom, a dominator of the indie rock scene and an award winning artist. On the surface, Charlotte “Lottie” Connell has it all, success as a musician and a fan following like no other, but beneath the smoke and mirrors lies a very different story. Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll; not only a Guns and Roses smash hit, but the mantra of Lottie’s previous existence. Hinted at in her first no.1 single “Hooked”, Lottie has reached out to us here at LEAD to tell the true tale of her formerly unseen world, packed full of secrets, revelations and of course her road to recovery.

So Lottie, after all that success, where did it all go wrong for you?

It all started to go wrong when I began to mingle with the wrong type of people. They were taking me to “A”-list parties and they introduced me to new things, I was easily lead by them and didn’t know how to say no. I started getting high three times a day and got addicted. On stage, I didn’t know who I was anymore, I had become a slave to the drugs.

Was that the point when you realised you had a problem?

Yeah, I had a sudden realisation that if I didn’t do something about it, my life was gonna spiral downwards and I had to do something to change that. I didn’t want to end up with nothing because I’d worked too hard to get to where I was, but more importantly I was seriously ill.

Do you think you have treated or cured your addiction?

Cured, definitely. I’ve been clean for ten months and I have no intention in going back to the drugs, I’m a changed woman.

So, you’re a changed woman, will this transpose into your music? Are you a changed artist completely? Or just a changed person behind the mask?

I wouldn’t say my music is going to be drastically different, even though I’ve changed as a person I’ve still got the same love for my music and I just want to produce the best sounds that I can.  I’m releasing my new album “Wired Up” in 2014 and I hope that it is successful and my fans notice that I take my career seriously.

What can we expect from your new album “Wired Up”?

I started writing the music for my new album when I was recovering from my addiction, I was really motivated to get my life back on track. So I believe that when people listen to my new music, they’ll be taken on a journey through my recovery from track to track. They will understand the struggle I went through and that there is always light on the other side of the tunnel. I was definitely inspired by people who helped me through bad times and good times in the last couple of months, they have a major part in my album.

We’ve heard through the grapevine that you’ve set up a charity, are you going to coincide your album release with your charity launch?

Yes I have set up a charity to help those who need extra support with their drug addictions. I’m really proud of it and hope it helps as many people that need it as possible. It will be come out the same time as my new album, 2014 is going to be a big year!

Are you not worried that some people may see this as a publicity stunt rather than setting up a charity to help others?

I’ve just been really busy trying to make a new start in 2014, and I thought that launching my album and charity at the beginning of the year would symbolise a new start for me. The charity is there to help others, and my album is there for people to enjoy, people shouldn’t associate the two together.

So you say 2014 is your big year, do you have a New Year’s resolution?

I just want 2014 to have a happier atmosphere, I want to promote both my charity and my album and I hope to do a UK tour at the end of the year. I’m really excited to see how things turn out!

Lottie’s album is due to be released 4th January along with her charity launching within the same week. If I were to give my tip off for 2014, it would certainly be this girl, watch this space.  If you are battling an addiction and would like to seek help go to Lottie’s website www.sayno.org.uk . 

Music Magazine Front Cover Progress

I have nearly completed by magazine front cover, all that is left to do is to adjust some of the text such as the sell lines and the issue date so that they are all in line and look structured, I will do this because I want it to look as professional as possible.
I have changed the font of 'Meet Kings of Leon' in the pug, because I felt the other writing was hard to read, also it wasn't big enough to attract a reader to the competition. I am much happier with how it looks now in the corner of the page, it contrasts with the white background meaning that it is bold on the page. Also I added a bar code onto my magazine as every magazine has one on the front cover for purchasing reasons. I wanted to make sure I had every little detail on there.
I believe that once I have made adjustments on my front cover, it will be complete, and therefore I will now start my article so that I am keeping myself on track with deadlines. I have done everything I wanted to do so far.

Music Magazine Front Cover Progress

I was very unhappy with how my front cover was turning out and therefore I have changed certain aspects of my design. Firstly, I have put a red box around my masthead, so that it stands out more on the page. Before, it wasn't shouting out like I wanted it to, and I feel this has made the masthead much more domineering. That means I have also changed the positioning of my slogan, I believe that it works better underneath the masthead without being in a box, it is easier to understand and read.
In my previous blog post, I mentioned that I wasn't happy with some of the font on my page. I tried out different fonts to decide what I preferred but then I realised that it was the colour scheme that was also the problem. So I changed my sell lines on the left, to Myraid Pro and decided to add yellow into my sell lines. To make sure that the yellow stood out I put a stoke around the text just so it wasn't blending into the background. I also made the sell lines larger, because beforehand, they were lost on the page. I believe my sell lines still need work, but I am happy with how they look on the page.
I also changed the positioning of my footer line and changed it to a header bar, because I felt it looked better at the top of the page with the masthead, it meant that there was more space to move things about. Even though the bottom looks bare at the moment, I will be adding a bar code which will make a difference. I changed the positioning of the issue date to the side of the masthead, I believe it creates a nicer looking page because it makes the design more interesting, it has changed the look of the front cover.
I added a pug to my magazine, because from looking at my research, most magazines include it on their front cover. I need to work on the font, so that it is more understandable to read, but I feel I have made a good start on it, using yellow to attract the readers eye to a competition.
I still have things to improve on my front cover, but I am much happier with my progress and I believe I am on the way to finishing my front cover.