Front page construction

 Stage 1:
Firstly, i've opened the original picture as this will be the perfect background image for my cover. The model is looking directly at the camera lens and allows an interaction between the model and the reader. There is also sufficient space above the models head and across the hairline to place a headline which is the most typical convention of a music magazine front page.

Stage 2:
I then decided to warm the lighting of the image by using the photo filter from a list of adjustment layers and used the warming filter. As well as this i wanted to darken the shadows, hair and black crop top of the model to made the image stand out more and contrast against her pale skin. I used the shadow tool for this, as well as the highlighter for small sections such as the models forearm and parts of the rocky concrete in the background.
After the photo lighting editing, i placed a text box of my chosen title across the top banner of the page. I decided to do this in order to stick to typical conventions that the audience would be comfortable with and that it would be easily seen when flicking through shelves in a store it would be purchased at. I used the font Jimthorpe, placing the first syllable of the word in block colour whilst the second in outline to create a more interesting looking headline.

Stage 3: 
I next placed the translucent shapes that would be the backgrounds for each piece of text i would include on the page. These allow the text to stand out more from the imagery, but the translucent style of the shapes allows the background image to still be fully visible and not cut off any sections which would ruin the continuity. I kept with my intended colour theme of red, blue and white as these bursts of colour look attractive for the readers. To make the boxes stand out even more i used the emboss tool to raise their levels and look more 3d, as well as adding shadows to exaggerate this even more. I also added a barcode and price onto the page as this is a typical convention of magazine covers and will allow readers to see how much the product is (£2.50) in a subtle manner.

Stage 4:
After making the background bases for the text i added all of the text boxes on the page. I again used the emboss tool to make some of them stand out more than others. These are in contrasting blues/reds and white fonts in order to stand out at different sections and cause variety. I again used the font "jimthorpe" as well as "monotype corsiva" and "pristina". By using these 3 it kept the design simplistic but still with variation and i feel as though the different fonts compliment one another. All of the texts advertise the different articles within the magazine or express about free gifts and how popular the product is, this gives the audience an insight into what they have if they purchase it which will encourage them to do so.

 Stage 5: Final Stage
I finally added secondary images to my cover which include the cd cover art accompanying the "free cd for every reader" pug along with "reader's" own photos taken at live music gigs. The cd art compliments the main image due to them being of the same artist whilst the live photos add a more edgy feel and allow the readers who took the photos to feel as though they had a major part to do with the production of the magazine.


Overall the front cover looks effective with the variety of fonts, colours and images. The most successful element was the use of translucent boxing behind fonts and i will continue to use this within the other products due it's appealing outcome.

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Making the CD Art:

Within the front cover i used a CD Art image which i created in photoshop. This shows the reader the art of the free cd they will receive after purchasing my product. The free gift allows the reader to feel as though they are gaining more for their money and that the magazine would be an essential item to them (linking to maslow's hierachy of needs)

Stage 1:
Here i opened up an image i took from the "overgrown forest" photoshoot and i felt this would be appropriate for a cd cover shot due to the model looking straight into the camera lens making a connection with the reader, as well as the close up shot of the artists face being a typical convention of music cd covers.

Stage 2:
I secondly warmed the image using filters and darkened shadows and highlighted the skin (similar to the process used for the front cover image). This allowed a more powerful image to be created in which the model stands out from the background immensely.

Stage 3:
I then cropped the image using the crop tool in order to create the more stereotypical square box shape of a cd cover. After this i added two text boxes describing the artists name and the name of the album title in white font named "network vampires". This stands out well against the dark backgrounds and the simplicity of the design allows the audience to easily be able to understand it.

Stage 4: Last stage
Lastly i added a black translucent bar down the left side of the album to keep continuity and add an extra element to the piece. This links in with the colour scheme and does not overpower the image yet creates a subtle backpiece.