Testing out Mock Ups

Choosing a Masthead

Rule of Three

Magzines generally follow a rule of three in most apects of their presentation. This includes using three fonts, three colours and splitting the page in to thirds. This is mostly due to us finding this most aesthetically pleasing and so it makes the magazine commercial. We find that if elements of the page fit into these guidlines then it looks better and more appealing. It is something I have not really looked into in depth during my research and planning, but as it will help with my mock ups and drafts, I have given it more thought as I start these.  




Double Page Spread

Front Cover and Contents

Testing out Mock Ups

This is my first attempt at a mock up for my magazine cover. It isn't particularly what I want my magazine to look like, but there are elements to it that I like. I have done this to experiment with what works well when composing the magazine, so I have a better idea of what is the most aesthetically pleasing and what matches my target audience. I have only got the very poor quality test shots to use before I take my actual photos, so I have had to improvise. Because the photograph is one of the key elements I have struggled to work out the rest of the cover without it. However, I think it has allowed me to look at other aspects of the cover that need special consideration. For example, the mast head is not particularly appealing, and doesn't represent my magazine or its genre well. The font also doesn't match the rest of the cover. Although, I had previously decided on my colour scheme, after applying it to this mock up I have realised that it doesn't match my target audience that is mostly female.  Because of this, I plan to experiment further with colours that are considered more appealing to females. The magazine also doesn't fit in particularly well with the rule of three that applies to magazines. The page is not divided into thirds, resulting in it appearing disproportionate  and therefore not aesthetically pleasing. The coverlines are also not very well positioned because they draw attention to the wrong part of the page, again making it not aesthetially pleasing to someone who would buy the magazine. Ideally I should of placed them in the bottom two thirds of the page. The photograph also doesnt follow the rule of three as they key parts such as the top of head and bottom of her face don't match up with the thirds. I do however like the fonts I have used for the coverlines and the main coverline, as I think they work well together, by mixing a more formal and informal font it gives the right impresssion of my magazine. I also like the white background and the black text, however I may need to re consider using this when adjusting my colour palette. I think the banner across the bottom looks good, but doesn't fit in with the rest of the page, as does the plug to the left, depsite matching the fonts and colour scheme. Overall, this first mock up needs a lot of changing but I have learnt a lot about what doesn't work and what does so I will use it  to improve my other mock ups and then my drafts.

Golden Spiral

In geometry, a golden spiral is a logarithmic spiral whose growth factor b is related to φ, the golden ratio.Specifically, a golden spiral gets wider (or further from its origin) by a factor of φ for every quarter turn it makes.
This basically means that this spiral shows where our eyes are drawn to first and the place that we automatically find most aesthetically pleasing. I have applied it to my test shots, to see what I need to do when taking a photo. All if my test shots would need to be adjusted if they were to work into the golden spiral theory.

Test Shots

For the test shots we tried out different angles and poses. I used my phone so the photographs aren't that clear but they are good enough for me to decide how i want the shots to look. I knew that I wanted my artist on the front cover to be facing straight on so that is how I have shot these photos. I have photos from varied distances because I wanted to see which one looked best. 

For this photo Izzy is facing straight on, with her head off centre and looking away from the camera. Although I like how it's a mid shot, I think on the cover the artist needs to be looking directly at the camera. I like how she is stood as it I feel it would represent the personality of my artist; I don't want an overly 'showy' pose as I don't think would fit in with my magazine.  I like the effect of the photo and that is quite light. For this kind of photo I would cut around Izzy as I think the background would need to be whiter. The picture is quite blurry so I have had to take this into consideration as they wont be when I use an actual camera. I think because of Izzy's hair parting, her looking from the opposite angle would be better as it would show more of her face, which I think would connect more to the target audience. 

I really like this photo as I think it would really suit my front cover. I like how much of Izzy it shows, the pose pulled and the facial expression as I think it gives off the right look I am trying to achieve. I like the angle her head is tilted to and her overall positioning. The effect on it looks aesthetically pleasing. The overall picture would need to be lighter, but this is mostly because the lack of quality of the camera. Again I would cut around her as there is too much shadowing in the background and I don't want this, I want the full focus to be on the artist.

 For this photo, We experimented with poses, as although I wanted the artist looking at the camera, I wanted to test out photos to see if facing away looked any better. Although I like the position I think it would be more suited inside the magazine if I was to use it, as during my research I found covers to be more effective when the person is looking at you. I like the distance and that it is a slightly closer mid shot, as I feel it captures what I want of the artist. I also like the positioning of the arms behind her back. 

For this I tried out the effect of black and white as well as a different angle, as many covers use black and white for a more artistic approach. I like the closeness of the picture as I think it makes the photo feel more personal, however, this would probably be more effective inside the magazine, as that is where we find out more about the artist, whereas the front cover is more an introduction, so less personal. I like the black and white effect but I don't think I will use it for my front cover, simply because I don't think it will make the artist stand out enough, however with a better camera and lighting, this might not be the case, so I will still consider it. 

I think this photo is really good, I like the positioning and the angle of the shot. I think the pose and the facial expression is welcoming and I think it makes the person appealing to someone who would be buying it. As I am aiming more for a female audience, I think this would appeal to them, but of course to fit my genre, the clothes would have to be different. Again, I have used black and white and I feel it is more effective on this photo, possibly as there is more contrast.  Again though I would cut around her as I think the dark background is distracting and draws attention away. I really like the fact she is looking directly at the camera as i think it connects the most when you look at it. 




I think this type of shot would work well on the cover. It would take up more of the page as it is a further out mid shot, than some of the others. Again, I like the head tilted to the side and the facial expression. I also like the effect on the photo, although I think it would need to be brighter and on a white background. I like the way her arms are by her side and that the pose is very simple, as this is how I want the cover picture to look. Even though I haven't used any clothes that I was thinking of using, looking at these and other magazine covers I think I would need to have a lighter coloured piece of clothing mixed in as it comes across quite dark at the minute.