Font Ideas

When planning my magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread I thought of a selection of fonts I could use to make my magazine as effective as it could be.

Although not all of the fonts planned will be used it has given me a good idea as to which will be the most effective, give good contrast when needed and make the featured needed, stand out the best.

For example, 'Arial for Autograph' is clear and easy to read, and therefore will be a good font to use on my front cover for cover lines. Similarly, 'Times New Roman' is classic and also easy to read, therefore would be a good font to use on my contents page.

'Valdimir Script' is a good font to use when planning to contrast something against another as it is different from most fonts and will catch the readers eye due to it being more different. Therefore it could be a good font to use on my front cover when trying to contrast the main cover line from the rest.

'Haettenschweiler', however, is not that easy to read as it is quite thick and the lettering is close together, therefore, would not be a suitable font to use when planning a feature that needs to stand out clearly and be easy to spot.

Double Page Spread Sketch Drafts

As done prebiously, when planning my double page spread I made a layout version and a more detailed version. When planning my layout I decided to place the title of my spread in the top right hand corner of the right hand page. Underneath this would be the caption of the article and under that the article, which will continue onto othe pages. The title of the page will be larger than the caption and article as it is important for it to catch the readers eye and make it clear that this is the page relating to the main image on the magazine cover.

To the left of the masthead/caption/article I chose to place a selection of different images which will fill the page. I chose to feature a selection as it will show the different sides of the person that is being interviewed and give a more clear view about who they are to the reader.

When planning my double page spread in more detail i decided to have the title of the page be a quote from the article as it engages the reader, making them want to read further and find out what and why it's being said. I chose to have the words "i'm just like you" as it shows that even music stars are normal and like everyone else, contributing to the idea that the story is relatable and the readers can feel more involved. I decided to keep the caption brief, not giving too much away but making it detailed enough to make the reader want to find out more in the interview.

The selection of images will all be different, connoting that there are different sides to everyone, showing that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover and the person you see reflected in the media is not always who that person really is.

Contents Page Sketch Drafts

Similarly to the front cover, with my contents page I originally sketched up a layout I would use for my contents page. Within this layout I included the name of the page (contents)/masthead at the top, covering the whole width of the page. I then decided to place the list of pages and features that would be included in my magazine along the left hand side, covering the whole length of the page. An editors letter would then be placed opposite the navigation section. However, this would not take up the length of the page as under the editors letter would be a selection of images from the main feature.

I then planned my contents page in depth and drafted what my features would be called. I decided to include both features that were on the cover and also what would be regular in the magazine. The 'on the cover' section will be at the top of this column as it will be the first thing the readers will want to look at as the features on the cover would have been the main reason people have bought the magazine.

When deciding what to write about in the 'editors letter' section I chose to write about what this issue would feature and the reasoning for choosing these particular features this month. When planning what images I would feature on the contents page I decided to choose some from 'behind the scenes' of the main feature to give the reader more of an insight into the shoot and make them feel more involved in the magazine.

Front Cover Sketch Drafts

When planning my front cover I started by making a sketch draft of the layout I was going to use and then made a second sketch draft when included the masthead name, cover lines and image etc.

When planning my layout I decided to stick with the typical music magazine conventions and place the masthead in the top left of the splash. I then decided to place the main image along the right hand side, taking up the majority of the splash, ensuring it stands out and is the first thing people notice. The main cover line was placed on top of the main image to distance it away from the other covers lines and making sure it is linked with the main image/feature. The main image will be shown in a close up as it will make the reader feel engaged due to strong eye-contact, making them want to buy the magazine and read on further.

The caption to the main cover line will make the story featured seem as though this is breaking news and has never been seen anywhere else due to the use of words such as 'finally' and 'reveales'.

The masthead will be shown fully and will not be covered by the main image as my magazine is a new one and therefore the public will be unaware of it, meaning that if the main image covers the masthead the audience will not know what the magazine is called.

I then decided to place the remaining cover lines down the left hand side of the image and make them smaller than the main cover line and also in a different font and colour so it is clear to the reader that they are not linked and do not relate to the main image.

Finally I decided to include a banner along the top of the splash to relate the magazine to music completely and make the magazine seem more realistic as, when carrying out research, noticed most magazine covers included a banner along either the top of bottom.

Second Double Page Spread IT Draft

After trying to complete my double page spread I had originally planned it became clear that it would look unprofessional and therefore I was unhappy with what would have been the finished product and so decided to re draft my ideas and create a new spread that would look a more realistic version of a music magazines double page spread.

Instead of placing it in the top right of the right hand page, the masthead will be in the top left of the left hand page. The caption will still be placed under the masthead and the article under that. Ensureing that these will be the main focal points i have decided to make the font larger and more clear.

However, the article will continue on the right hand side of the double page spread and there will only be one image on the first page, making sure the attention will not be taken away from the main article but ensuring that there is enough attention on the image to show that this is the feature linking with the main story featured on the front cover.

Target Audience

Through researching existing magazines i realised that most have a clear idea of who their target audience will be and so, before constructing any planning or ideas i thought of who my target audience would be and then worked my way around what would be the best things to feature to fit in with the specified audience.

When planning my magazine I had a clear idea of what my target audience would be. As my magazine features young stars and artists that younger people would be interested in I decided to aim my magazine at people aged between 15 and 25, which is similar to popular and well known existing music magazines such as 'NME'. As my magazine is aiming to people that are quite young i will have to make the splash seem appealing through the use of colours, fonts and language, making it clear that the message being given out is the right one and also one that those of a young age can relate to and feel comfortable reading about.

For example, the main article is going to be about a new teen star in the music industry, therefore will relate to readers and give them inspiration if they are trying to do the same thing. This will contribute to the genre of people the magazine is targeting as the image will look quite 'rocky' and 'alternative'. However, the banner and cover lines featured will be targeting a more indie and r'n'b audience, giving my front cover a wide variety of genre's making it more easy to relate to and broadening my target audience further.


As my magazine will be covering most music genre's, e.g. indie, rock, alternate and parts of r'n'b, it will be targeting people who have an interest in all artists, broadening the target audience and making my magazine more popular which is important as my magazine will be a new one, therefore it will need the most publicity possible.

Most magazine's target a predominant audience of male's and therefore i decided to challenge the typical conventions and feature a female as my main cover line story and try and equal out the male to female ratio of who would buy and be interested in my magazine.

Double Page Spread IT Draft

When planning my double page spread I decided to feature three images covering the left hand page and a part of the right which balances out the ratio between text and image.

Taking up the majority of the right hand page is the masthead, caption and article. The masthead will take up about half of the page to make it noticeable to the reader so it catches their eye and they know that this is the main article in the magazine.

The caption will be placed underneath the masthead and be in a larger font than the article to give an outline of the story and let the reader know straight away what it is about.

The article will then be in a smaller font but large enough not to overcrowd the area and clear enough to read so the reader doesn't get bored or distracted from the small font and divert their attention somewhere other than the magazine.