37 - Final Front Cover

Here is my final front cover. I decided to use many aspects from my second draft as that was the one I definately preferred the most. However, I decided to change the colour scheme for my final piece.


I changed the colour scheme due to the change of image. This image had the blue sky as a background colour so that lead me to keep it the same and not change it to black and white as I felt keeping the blue would be better because it fit with the ideology. This was because my focus was on festivals and new artists to go with the indie genre so I wanted to create a summery feel, rather than a darker one. So keeping the blue skies was vital because it helped create the summery feel. 


However, I decided to keep the orange from my second draft as the main header as I felt it added to the summer effect and stood out on the blue background well, adding brightness too it. I also used white for the sub heading because it also stands out on the blue skies well. 


I was going to use orange for the other sub-headings however, I felt this would be too much orange and take the focus of the main image. So, this meant I used the blue colour, also adding once again to the festival feel. The blue is a darker blue to ensure it definately stands out on the sky blue. By using white again for the smaller text under the sub-headings it meant it could stand out even on the green part of the image meaning there was continuity throughout, making it look more professional and fit to the conventions of a music magazine.


The fonts I used stood out as those that would fit the indie genre. For example, the print like font for the main header. However, for the rest of the text I decided to use a simple 'text' like font to create the laid back feel, due to the laid back lifestyle the target audience portray and that indie music gives off. 


I included a sell line of the 'free emily rodrigez teeshirt' to try and encourage more people to buy it by giving away free items of clothing, people may be more inclinded to buy it especially because band tshirts can be big. I put this in orange to draw peoples attention to it and make people notice it. 


I decided to put the barcode on the right and verticle to ensure the page didn't look too busy as it may have been too much if i'd put it at the bottom with the rest. I also decided to do this with the date and price to create a more simpler aspect to the magazine. 


I created the barcode on http://www.barcodesinc.com/generator/index.php to incorpriate bricolage and to show the advances in technology. For example, if someone was to scan the barcode it would automatically link to the website. Showing how much technology has grown and creating links with the magazine and the web, so people can take it to the next level by looking on the website - gaining the magazine more interest. People have far more technological phones/computers so it's able for this to happen now. 


Finally, the image is the main part of the front cover as my focus group told me that's what they recognised first when looking at the magazine. I decided to take new pictures in comparison to my draft because I didn't think they fit the genre well enough, and felt I could do better. I was lucky when taking my new photos that it was a hot and sunny day, which enabled me to get the blue sky and add to the summer effect. I asked my model to wear clothes that fit the ideology and would appeal to the demographic. She wore a festival looking outfit which is exactly what I wanted to achieve, she did this by having clothes with flowers on that represented the summer, by adding the sunglasses it also added to the summer aspect and made her look better. 


I went to the local big park to take my photos and was lucky enough to spot a spot where a tree had been cut down, leaving a stump by the lake. I thought this would be perfect due to it being in front of the lake, meaning I could get it in the background. By doing this, it looked as if she was playing in the sun by the lake, a very summery feel and once more reaching out to my target audience with the laidback attitudes and lifestyles that they portray. 


The blue background from the sky helped me no end because it made it easier to pick colours that didn't clash and filled the whole background. This meant I kept this image in colour rather than black and white in comparison to before. 


Overall, I like my final front cover and like the colours I've used on the background along with the final image I've used because I think it gives off a very summery and festival feel - that I wanted to create.