More Feedback..

Positive: Lots of colour and also very detailed.
Improvements: Add more cover lines.

Positive: Masthead is detailed.
Improvements: Too busy.

Positive: Great font.
Improvements: Quite a lot going on.

I am happy about the positive comments, although two of the 'room for improvement' comments I don't agree with. The ones which comment about the amount of items on the magazine, saying that it is too busy and that there is a lot going on. I disagree with these constructive comments, due to the idea of the Kerrang! and Rock Sound magazines follow the same busy styles. Not only that, but the placement of the items and the hectic front covers also fit the music genres style, which will be featuring in the magazine. For example; the screamo genre of music is fast paced, and heavy - giving off the rushed effect. This being shown by the style of my front cover.
   As for the cover lines comments, I agree with this one completely. The magazine does need a few on the front to show the audience what will be featuring inside, and what they're going to be reading once they have bought the magazine.

This is my fourth attempt at the magazine cover, this one is definitely my favourite. Taking the idea from the last cover draft, I have used the mustard yellow and dark red colours. This makes the colours contrast more, making it more eye popping, and it also makes the audience notice the magazine easily. Not to mention I have put a white outline around the masthead, which makes it stand out more against the image and the background. I have also used the same font as the first draft, including the 'anarchy' symbol which replaces the A in the font. I am very fond of this idea, not to mention it makes the masthead more fun and also memorable.

Feedback: Absolutely love this cover! A few things that could be improved are a pull quote could be used, and also a small heading. Other than that, the colour scheme is nice, and also the other main features seem to be there on the cover. Nice attempt!

Response: On the final cover, I'll make sure to add a pull quote. In fact, other drafts more pull quotes and small headings will be added. Seen as more drafts are definitely going to be made, this meaning that I will have more variety, allowing me to pick and choose pieces from each draft to combine them into the final front cover.

Feedback: Try adding a bit more colour, instead of just red and yellow. Although these colours are a nice touch, just make the spectrum a bit more diverse. Other than that, make the headline more bold and interesting to look at. Try a different font?

Response: The font idea for the headline is a good one, definitely taking that into note. The use of different fonts is also a better idea, which I can experiment with when it comes to more drafts being made of the cover. The colour feedback is also very helpful, which I can also experiment with on more drafts which will also give me more diversity to choose from for the final front cover.

This is the third draft of my magazine front cover. This one I am actually more impressed with, it seems more lively and eye popping. Although the masthead could actually be more bright, and and also standing out more. This time I have taken previous feedback from the last two drafts, and also added the headline on the middle of the page. As well as this, I've added a rectangle at the bottom which is green but the opacity of the colour has been changed - this giving the posters a better background to stand out on, even though it isn't completely visible.

Feedback: Make the masthead stand out more, although this draft is a lot better than the last two. The posters down at the bottom look a lot more ordered and neat, and they also have a clearer notice about them. Not to mention the image on the side looks like it belongs there more. A nice skyline is also featured at the top.

Response: The masthead does need to stand out more, I'll try and use a better outline on the masthead, possibly with the colour white or even a bright yellow - this making the colours contrast and also stand out more. Although the skyline has been complimented, I personally think that the font could be larger and more bold in certain cases. That way it catches the audiences eye, which will give them a better understanding of what will feature in the magazine. 

This is the second draft for my magazine front cover, it has improved ever so slightly since the first one. Not to mention the style of the masthead has also changed - I think this adds more diversity to the ideas which I may use for the final cover. A different image has also being used, not to mention a few more paint splatters have been used on both sides of the cover. This making the pattern look more correct in the sense, that it's not all one sided, it's even.
     Taking the advice from the previous draft, I have made the advertisement for the posters more obvious by placing a circle in the lower corner, which mentions about two free posters. A mistake being made there, it should have actually said four free posters, due to four being shown at the bottom of the page next to the barcode. But I can improve on this mistake, by making sure I don't slip up with this on the final front cover.


Feedback: The masthead doesn't fit the actual name. It's "Brutal" so the font should look brutal and violent! The colours aren't eyecatching enough, but the background has a nice effect.

Response: The masthead was an experiment with different fonts, but I am going to take the advice and make the font look a bit more violent and aggressive just like the font on the previous draft. As for the colours I'll also take note on the house style and add more bright coloured paint splatters, not to mention making the cover look a lot more lively and loud.

Feedback: Pull quotes and also feature stories should be involved on the cover, not to mention    the colour scheme is dull, it should be more colourful as well as eye catching.

Response: Feature stories and also pull quotes are going to be added onto the final draft, not to mention the house style is going to be more colourful, possibly reds and mustard yellow types. That way the colours contrast against eachother and become more eye catching. All of this being added onto the final draft, to make it better than all of the previous drafts.

This is the first draft at my magazine cover, the software I used being Photoshop. The image I used is from the photoshoot, which featured against the wall of graffiti. A bar code is featured in the bottom corner, beneath the barcode features the issue number, the date, the price in American dollars, Australian dollars and also English pounds.
     
     This magazine has a lot of things that I would change on it, one of the main things being to add more teasers, and smaller features onto the magazine, for example; a small subheading which will depict an article in the magazine. Not to mention another thing missing would be the headline, and possibly even a tagline which could be featuring on the final draft. Not only that, but I'd possibly put a banner at the bottom where the small heading is, just to make the font and colour stand out more.
Feedback: I love the masthead, and also the fact that the colours are eye catching and bright, not to mention the paint splatter effects. The main image fits the cover well, and also gains the attention of other people.
The small image on the side stands out a lot, and looks lost - it could do with being moved to another place or possibly having some more by its side. Make the headline stand out more, and also add a small headline next to the little image. Just to explain why it's there.

Response: The image on the side does stand out a lot, I do actually agree with that. I'll take the advice on adding another image on the side, it is actually meant to be a poster special which features inside the magazine. The advice on the heading would also be helpful, seen as it would make the advertisement for the posters a lot more obvious, and give the audience an idea on what they will be receiving inside of the magazine.

Feedback: Make it more clear what the main article is, including feature stories and also pull quotes. The masthead is good, and so is the skyline. Overall a good first draft.


Response: One of the features which I am going to add onto the magazine if it does become my final draft, which means working on it more, is going to be more feature stories and also pull quotes which will be placed down the side. In a bold yet not too obvious font, this making it stand out against the background, but it doesn't make it more obvious than the headline and also the masthead. 

This music video relates to my magazine due to the genre which fits into metal and also rock. The band being Black Veil Brides, who are known for their glam rock styled clothing which is tight black leather/denim trousers, as well as open shirts, or shirts which feature studs. The personal appearance is also key, the amount of tattoos, hair styles, and also makeup fits into the genre of glam metal. This genre also appearing in my magazine. Not only the band fits in with my magazine's theme, but also the target audience for the band, as well as the music video. This band is known for having fans which call themselves the "BVB army". The idea of this is that they stick together, and they follow the band - they care for eachother. This being the type of audience which I want my magazine to be for.

This image is the front cover from Rock Sound magazine, which features the singer Andy Biersack from Black Veil Brides as the main image. One of the first things which is noticeable about the cover is the house style, this being the two colours white and red. Using the idea of red and white, the colours can connote many different meanings, a few of those being; the white gives off the impression that the content will be peaceful, calm and also collected - though it will have a twist, this being thanks to the colour red. Which connotes the idea of blood, danger, and also anger. Thanks to the two colours, and the impressions in which they give off, the audience can gather a vague impression of what genre the magazine is offering to talk about - and give information on.

         

When it comes to the language of the magazine, the main image on the cover is composed with little lighting in the background. The only light being shown on the singer's face, and the rest of his body. This can connote that the band is new, and upcoming. It's coming out of the dark, and into the spotlight of fame and gaining new fans. It also connotes the idea of the band now being in the limelight of this genre of music, showing how it's gaining popularity quickly. As well as this, the posture and facial expression in which the singer is showing shows rebellion, and also a slight twist of a crazy personality. This can also express the genre of music, it being different and far from mainstream and following the general format of normality. The framing of the shot is placed at a medium close up, which also relates to the idea of the band now being in the limelight, and coming out of the dark. Not to mention the placement of the framing shows the importance of the figure, and also gives a better view on his expression and costume.
         The costume is all black, which appears to be just a few shades lighter than the background which can also make the character stand out a lot more. As well as costume, the use of makeup is also key. The makeup gives off a better understanding of the genre, and how rebellious it's nature is - this making the audience once again more aware of what the magazine has to offer.
         The masthead of the magazine sticks to the house style, so the font features in white. But the logo surrounding the R is fitting in with the house style as well, by using the colour red with the white. The logo making it easier for the audience to recognise, and it also keeping up the same graphic which features on every magazine cover. The font of the masthead is a simple style; it being bold and evenly spaced apart - this connotes the idea of the genre of the magazine being bold, and sharp. Not to mention it's out there in the sense of it being recognised by many people. With the idea of the genre being bold, it can also explain the style of the music as well - the idea that the lyrics of each song mean something, they aren't just created to make money. The songs explain how the bands feel, and the lyrics connect to the people who listen to the music and the bands.

         The publisher of the Rock Sound magazine is Freeway Press Inc. who are an incredibly small and independing publishing company - this can have multiple effects on the income for the magazine, depending on how many people are aware of the company. Not to mention the idea of distribution, if the magazine isn't sold in most shops - then the income will be a lot less. One of the main shops which sell the magazine being WHSmith. A lot of other shops don't seem to feature this magazine on their shelves, which is affecting the income for Free Press Inc.

         The magazine cover gives off the effect of rebellion as explain above, as well as the idea of being different, as well as thanks to the font styles on certain pieces of text. It gives off the impression of being rough, possibly untidy - also this can also relate to anger, and emotion. This showing that the genre of music which features in the magazine is emotional, the lyrics have a proper and true meaning to them. They're not just threatening lyrics, or a screaming racket. A lot of the songs that come from the bands in this genre are about heartache, and loss - also depression and tough times in life.
         The lyrics give off an idea of the target audience, they're different to society and stand out, possibly by wearing different clothing, having a different hairstyle, or just acting differently either by personality or behaviour.

         The audience are people from the ages of 15 years old, up to the age of 25 years old. This meaning they have just enough disposable income to afford the monthly magazine, which is priced around £4. The idea of this being that it gives them enough time to save up the small amount of money, to buy the magazine. People who are inbetween those two ages are roughly working class, and aren't working in high class jobs - this meaning they don't get paid a high amount of money, or work plenty of hours a week. Showing they have time to read the magazine when they buy it, and will have enough to buy it without going over their actual budget. The genre of music also adds to audience - going on the idea of being stereotypical people that fit into this age group are the most likely to listen to this genre of music. The idea of an older person in their 30's or 40's that listen to heavy metal, or screamo music is seen as absurd and highly unlikely.

Photoshop Image Manipulation (skin)

 

This series of photos is a demonstration of how I turned a class mates skin more clear for a magazine cover, this actual image I'm not going to use. I had to choose a picture where you can see the poser's face clearly, this being easier to work with. From there a series of processes are made, which feature the use of multiple duplicate layers, and also some layer features.

The steps:
1. Go onto photoshop once selecting the perfect image, and then duplicate the layer. The duplication is thanks to the original image not being ruined, it's also better to make a few copies in case of any technical faults and difficulties.
2. Go onto the item named 'Spot Healing Brush Tool' and use the cursor to click on any spots or blemishes which feature on the person's face. This will make the area look clear.
3. From there, you take the quick selection tool and completely select the skin and also any other limbs which feature in the image. This being because if the face is edited, and other limbs which are showing aren't. It will look false, and incredibly obvious that photoshop has been used.
4. After selecting all the skin, move on to click the tab named layer, and copy the chosen selected area. During this point, you also create a new layer.5. After the creation of the new layer, click onto it, and remove the "eye" from the other slides, so then the new layer is the only one you can see. After this is done, go onto the layer tab once again and click paste. This will leave you with just the skin and any other parts of the body which are revealed. Duplicate the layer twice.
6. The next step is to take the eraser tool, and remove the eyes and also the mouth (this including the lips). Take caution is what you do remove, and also take your time with this step.
7. Once that is done, you then click the "eye" on the duplicate layer of the original image. From there move the cursor up to click onto the layer tab once again, then onto 'layer style', and then click onto the 'blending options'. Once the little window has opened, move onto the drop down menu which says 'normal' and look for a section saying 'hard light'. Click that option, and then click okay. The person in the image will then look bright orange, which isn't unusal. Just mess around with the opacity of the layer. A normal setting for this being around 46%.
8. After the previous point has been done, then click onto the seperate skin copy. Go onto the blending options once again, go to the drop down tab which says 'normal' and then scroll down to click 'lighten' and then mess around with the opacity of the effect. A roughly getting opacity setting ranges from 70% to 73%.
9. From here click on the second copy of your skin layer, then open up the blending options window once again, then onto the drop down menu and select 'Linear Dodge (Add)' before messing around with the opacity once again. For my attempt setting the opacity of the layer to 2% was enough. Once that is done, your image is complete and looking airbrushed and perfect for whatever you're using the image for.

The Photoshoot

These are the photos from my photoshoot. I took the photo's off site, in many different locations. The first photos being set against my bedroom wall, which is covered in the posters. The second location being against a library wall, then the shutters off a tattoo parlour which is black and features some white graffiti on it. These two colours being notorious for contrasting against eachother. From the tattoo parlour, the next setting being against another wall of graffiti. This time it consists of bright bold colours such as yellow and orange against a grey/black background, the next setting being another wall of graffiti - this time it being painted with portaits of a female face; monsters, and also some animals. The last setting being against an actual gravestone.
     The idea of gravestone comes from the whole idea of horror, which fits into the genre of the magazine. The clothing is basic, some converse sneakers, black skinny jeans, a black shirt and also a 'Harry Potter' hoodie. The logo on the jacket can be erased on Photoshop which I will do, due to this not entirely fitting the genre - the apple bag also being erased out of the photo. I like the makeup which is used in the magazine, it fits into the genre of heavy metal and also the genre of glam metal.