Making The Music Magazine Front CoverBy Joanna Crook

First I started by increasing the brightness of the image. I then contrasted the background to make it darker. This will give me a good background to write text on about features in the magazine. I then increased the exposure of the image, giving it a higher gamma level. I then changed the image into black and white. Using the lasso tool I went around the areas of the guitar which were originally red and changed them back into colour. I think this effect works well. I then touched up the edges of the guitar to make the effect match flawlessly with the rest of the image.

Editing the original photograph

Creating the titleI used the dandelion music note image that I have used before to make the background for the title. I first removed the white background behind the image so that the background can be seen through it. This will also make the title seem more professional. Because the background of the front page image is dark I then had to change the dandelion notes into a colour which would show up on the background. I decided white would be the colour I would use. I used the fill bucket tool to change the colour and then transferred the image into the front cover image.

Creating the title

I decided to make the text a light blue colour. I think it is subtle and will fit in with the theme of country music. It also will satisfy my readers as the feedback they gave me showed that they liked the front cover image which used the pastel colours. For the style of the writing I bevelled and pillow embossed the text before smoothing out the surface so the outline of the text was not so harsh.For my front cover I wanted to place the text behind the artists head. I rasterised the text layer and then changed the size of the text into the position that I wanted. I decided to make the text quite large to make it easier for the audience to read. I then lassoed the areas which would be positioned behind the artists head and deleted the excess. I feel that this went well. I think it looks professional and I cut the rasterised layers out well that it fits seamlessly with the original photograph.

Creating the callout

I wanted to make a callout box where I could place the artists name of the main feature. This would make it stand out and get noticed by the reader. I created a simple rectangle box and

changed the colour to match the title of the magazine. I then changed the opacity of the box. This allowed for the background to be seen through it. I then created two similar boxes, this time however I made the colour red, which stands out from the other boxes. This gives the magazine variety and makes it interesting to look at. Again I made one transparent but the other I left solid. This box will have an exclusive sign. Having the box in solid colour makes it stand out even more and shows its importance to the viewer. On the bottom I made another box. This will be used for a scroll stating the names of other artist included in the magazine.

Creating the background

I created a large rectangle and changed it to the same red colour of the callout box. This creates a contrast with the other callout box. I changed the opacity level to 50%. I decided that I wanted this box behind the artist. To do this I rasterised the layer and deleted the sections which obscured the face and the guitar. This gave the effect of the box being behind the artist. It also makes the front cover seem more layered and professional

I also re-organised the call out boxes to make them even and line up with each other with no spaces in between.

Creating the background

Using the blur tool on Photoshop I blended the hair of the artist with the red rectangle in the background. This helped hide the fact that the hair had been cut around and merges the two images together as one. I think this looks much better than it did before.

Adding text

Using a cracked text font I made the name of my artist, plectrum. I placed the text on the callout box. I made it large text. This is so that it is easy for the reader to see. It makes it stand out. It immediately portrays to the reader that this person is important and it quickly tells them what the main article is about. The large font draws their eye straight towards it. In the smaller solid red box I placed the “Exclusive” sign. For the “E” only I used the same font type as the title “Musik”. This created variety in my text. The “E” is much bigger than the rest of the text and it escapes the box onto the background image. I think that this makes the writing more interesting to look at.

Creating the scroll

I decided to use a plectrum shape to split up the names of the artists. This links directly back to the name of the artist.

I then decided only to use three plectrums along the scroll. This allowed for more equal spacing and an even number of artists featured. All of these artists are well known as country singers.

Creating text

I started with text advertising a top 50 hits chart which from my questionnaire results everyone agreed that this would be a useful feature to have. I used the same font and style used for the title

“Musik”. This helps to create more of an identity of the brand and links all of the features together. I used a white font colour because this stands out brightly against the red much more than black or coloured font did. I made the “50” stand out by making the text size much bigger. I then rasterised the “50” in order to place some of the number behind the guitar. This gave my text more variety and I think makes it much more interesting to look at.

Creating textAnother feature which found had good feedback for my questionnaire was including piano tutorials. This is the text that I worked on next. I edited a picture of a piano, changing the filter on the picture to give it a green hue. I then added an inner glow and soften the edges to enable it to blend better with the background rather than having harsh edges. I the created another translucent text box with the subheading “Brand new piano tutorial pieces”.

Creating another box I added extra information about free sheet music, another positive feedback from my questionnaire. I used the same cracked font effect on the name of the artist, which helps to create more of an identity of a stage name for him.

Creating the callout

I wanted to make the callout a quote that my artist would have said. I think this makes the person appear more human and is personally speaking to the reader. I used the line “4 years ago I would never have imagined how much music would change me”. This intrigues the reader to read on and find out what the life of this person was. It makes them want to buy the magazine.Creating the symbol I used the image of the plectrum that I used for the scroll at the bottom. I bevelled and embossed the image and changed the contour lines which gave the effect that can be seen on it. I placed it on a background of wings and made the plectrum sit directly in the middle. This will now act as the symbol of my artists stage name. It creates more of an identity and I think that it works well as a good background to make the callout stand out.

Creating the callout

I the went around the edges of the winged plectrum symbol with black which neatened up the edges and makes the design more flawless. I also added quotation marks to the quote.I decided that the light blue colour of the callout box was too bright and therefore stopped you from being able to read the text clearly enough. I changed the colour to purple which makes the writing stand out much more clearly. It makes the word “plectrum” really grab the readers attention. I finally added more text to the callout. I added another quotation from the artist and added text which states the artist as changing the music industry. This again makes the reader want to find out why. I also added the name of the artist “William Crook” in a script similar to handwriting which makes it look as though the artist has signed it. This again makes the cover appear more personal.

I then changed the font type in order to make it appear like more masculine handwriting. Along the bottom next to the scroll I made another text box which added extra information.

Creating textI made another banner similar to the one advertising the new piano tutorials. This helps to connect the two items. I changed the font type to match the font I used for my quotation callout again to create more of an identity to my readers

Creating the title

I then added the finishing touches to my title. I decided that there needed to be a tagline for the “Musik” title. I chose “Bringing country music to life” I chose this because that is the aim of my magazine, to introduce the country music genre to a new audience and fan base. I then added the finishing touches such as the issue number, month, price and barcode. The price is based on what I found out from my questionnaire.

Finished front cover.

After teacher feedback After getting feedback I decided to make

some changes to my magazine before finishing it finally in order to improve the overall look of it.

Finishing touchesThe first change I made was to place the masthead in front of my artists head. The way it was obscured the title too much making it unclear on what the magazine was calledI then changed the image back into colour. Feedback showed me that the black and white made the page too dark and having the artist in colour helps to lighten the whole pageAnother change I made was to the banner colours. The purple was too dark and clashed with the rest of the page. Originally I changed it into purple because it allowed the white text to be seen, however I found that using a darker blue lightened the page but also allowed the writing to be readable.

The last change I made was to change the position of the callout. It was originally placed over the artist but because the picture is now in colour it made the writing impossible to read. I have now placed it over the plectrum symbol I created.