Double Page Spread

 

I didn't have a set design or layout in mind for my double page spread, but I knew I wanted to carry on using the typewriter font, as the creators of punk fanzines in the 80's would have used a typewriter rather than a computer and a keyboard to type out articles as these were cheaper. I split the article into two halves and placed them in separate text boxes. I positioned them spontaneously on the page to begin with, but I knew they shouldn't be positioned in a conventional collumn layout, and so left them where they were as I thought it worked well - I didn't want them on the same level as each other, either, as this would look to cleanly done. I picked out a quote for the title of the article and drew it on using the Bamboo Pen table, which is running across the top of both of the pages. In a separate document, I then cut out the images, cropping three photos so that each model was in a layer of their own. I added the 'threshold' effect to each of these, once again, but saved them as three images this time so I could move them around the pages. I positioned them in the centre to fill the gaps in between the two text boxes, and added some rectangular shapes above and below which I filled in black, intended to place text over the top. I then thought that it looked a bit too pristine, and so I used the Bamboo Pen tablet to draw something like ink splatters. Finally, I added page numbers to the bottom, and pulled out some more quotes from the article and placed them over the black shapes.

Completed Draft Magazine: Self Review

 

Despite slightly veering away from what I had originally wanted to achieve with my first draft, I think that these designs work well enough and are okay for a mock. As my cover star was wearing a red top, I couldn't have a colourful background much like I wanted, nor could I use purple, and due to lack of time I couldn't create any amazing visual effects, and so left my photos unedited and didn't think about the new colour scheme as much as I could have done. My front cover began as my flat plan had indicated, but one of the teachers in the Media department gave me some advice whilst adding the final touches, and so this changed last minute. I was originally going to use the photo of my model with her fist in the air, but I was told that it didn't make the layout easy to work with because it wasn't a central image. I was also told about the different styles of layouts and that an 'F' layout would work best with the image I had, and so I placed the text accordingly to fit this style, although I may stray from this when creating another piece as I want to be experimental. I didn't realise that I couldn't use the masthead font throughtout, and so choices of different fonts were rushed and not well thought out after I became aware of this. The idea of having text placed over a block of colour (specifically a black rectangle) was brought to my attention by Kerrang! magazine, and almost my entire contents page was influenced by NME magazine. My double page spread was once again influenced by Kerrang!, and after making my article a bit longer and adding some pull out quotes, I don't think that there are many alterations I would still need to make, other than choice of fonts and colours, as I think the style of image and layout work well together (unless I decide to change the layout completely). I don't want my contents page to look boring, and so I will not stick to a black, white and red colour scheme next time, as I think this is done too often, but I think it fits in nicely with a genral rock theme. I don't like the text underneath the image because I think there isn't enough of it, but I think that there is too much text down the side, and I will research into some different contents page designs so that I can create a unique, new style. Overall, I think my draft magazine gives off a very Kerrang! vibe, despite the fact that there is limited text on the front cover, which is something I will try to stay away from next time, as I want my magazine to look a bit more quirky and classic 'punk', rather than mainstream pop rock and 'emo', and so I will take some ideas from the 80's and the 90's magazine Ray Gun, although recent music will heavily feature and this will include a range of different rock music. I think that this will work better than what I have done because it will be similar to Kerrang! but will also be completely different.

Examples of Double Page Spreads

This double page spread from Kerrang! magazine caught my attention because of its simplistic yet bold design. The minimal layout - an image filling one page and the article filling the other - is made to stand out more due to the bright yellow font. The colour scheme of grey/black and white is used in most magazines, but the fact that yellow has been added to this fits in with the rock genre and makes the page seem more striking.

This double page spread from Rolling Stone magazine caught my attention because of its minimal layout. An image is spread across both pages, which is not always common amongst magazines, and there is very little body to the story. The headline is a pun and plays on the film 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button', but has been altered to read 'Benjamin Lee' to drive the reader's focus towards the featured artist. The image is very colourful, and so the black and white text is very fitting because it is readable and doesn't add any excessive colour which may make the spread seem too busy.
 

This double page spread from NME magazine caught my attention because of its bold colour scheme and sectioned layout. Split into three sections - the main image on one page and two columns of text filling half of the other, making up the article, and the black section separate from this, raising other bands to the reader's attention - this spread is very packed in but still clear to read. The header 'The Teenagers' is spread over the two pages, so as to indicate which parts are connected to the article, and stands out due to the bold typography and contrasting colours (blue and black). The colour scheme is predominantly black, white and blue, which is similar to the Kerrang! article, in order to create a 'stern' look about it, fitting in with the genre, once again.

This other double page spread from Kerrang! magazine caught my attention because of the matching colour scheme which runs throughout. The dark background allows for the red and purple headers to stand out, although the main body of the article is written in white so that it is easier to read. The colour of Tyson Ritter's clothes mirrors this palette choice, and the article is spread across both pages this time, with the main image in the middle. Four black and white images have also been added with red borders, in order to stand out and create an interesting layout.