Headline Planning- Double Page Spread

Existing headline designs vary in a way that depends on the story evident within the content. The language uses differ in connection with the age and interest of the target audience. Some headlines are evidently more direct than others, addressing the audience on a personal bases; however it is most common that the headlines of double page spreads are more informative. From doing further research into this aspect of regional magazines, I found that the headlines include contextual techniques such as; alliteration, puns or ellipsis
The design of a double page spread headline is important as this gains the initial attention of the consumer as they are flicking through the magazine. They will decide if the topic is worth reading about mainly based on the headline together with the main image.
These are the variations I created when designing my headline:

When I was constructing this part of my double page spread, I wanted to portray a modern and architectural connotation. Although these variations are fairly similar, I will keep them in contention until some of the other elements of my double page spread have been decided, for example the main image and shape of the textual body. Also the colour will be a feature that I can adjust according to the colour palette I display on my double page spread.

The deign of my headline is unusual and dissonant as it diverts from common conventions; linking the Stanley Halls storm and stress model (1904) that refers to a state of rebellion. Introducing something with these connotations would attract my audience as they are young and impressionable. By using the deign of the headline it doesn't impose negativity but promotes that being different is good. However, if i was to incorporate a poor use of language for example expletives, this would suggest recklessness and encourage that behaviour. 

Masthead Planning- Front Cover

Existing masthead designs from regional magazines:

From the magazines I had previously analysed, I continued to examine their masthead designs in more detail. It is evident that each of the masthead feature the location in which they refer to, Cornwall. This gives the audience a clear indication of the content within the magazine; doing this also helps to gain the attention of an audience subconsciously due to a word they are associated with (as this is where the majority my audience will live or come on holiday). I feel the use of serif fonts is really effective as it shows the traditional values of the Cornish county, however Cornwall Living for example shows a more modern twist to the design .

Below is my masthead design that will high light my front cover:

The background of my final product will not be white, my chosen image will propose a clear colouration to make the masthead stand out. I feel that my choice of wording fits with Blumer and Katz's 1974 Uses and Gratification theory that implies an audience use media as a form of escapism. The enjoyment of this text can by implied by the title and suggest that the purpose is greatly based on diverting the challenges and requirements of the real world.
Initially I created three different possibilities to name my magazine, featuring as my masthead. The favoured masthead title was Life in Cornwall; having 15 more votes than the alternatives. Two participants skipped this question, which could've effected the result however, not majorly as the numbers have a significant gap between them. I decided to opt for Cornwall Escape as I felt it was a snappier, more effective title which had the potential to look more processional on the page. Cornwall Escape, along with Cornwall Active were join seconded in my target audience survey. Based on the development of my initial ideas I decided again Cornwall Active as I changed my content desires. Furthermore I feel this would have implied a more concentrated audience, rather than the range I am targeting.

Variations of my design:

Firstly I created my part of my masthead in black, as at the time I was unsure of the image I will be using to form my front cover. However, once I have chosen a photograph that fits with my objective I will alternate the colour, to comply a more fitting arrangement. This additional colour will also depend on the colour platelet that naturally appears within my image. Below are some variations of my masthead design:

Font Style Planning

Cover Page:

Masthead: I will use two separate font styles when creating my masthead. I have planned for Serif to be the main focus and template of the font however, I have challenged intent to challenge the typical conventions of common expectations. This will also invite another texture to the page, making it appear fuller and increase my production value. I feel by also incorporating a feature of Sans serif element it will provide a more exiting approach; applying to Hebdige's "youth as fun". By making the masthead lively and quirky, I think my audience will recognise the aspect in future and therefore be comfortable buying into a familiar product.

Cover lines: In terms of my cover lines I will follow the mix of Serif and Sans serif and set a trend which can then be followed throughout my other pages. The fonts I will use will be friendly and easy on the eye; making the text more readable. The text will be in white as it matched the imagery created by the photograph and masthead design.
I will take inspiration from cover lines such as;

Double Page Spread:

Headline:

For my headline I will use a serif font as I want to create a modern and contemporary design and I feel will this will add to the effect. I want to follow conventions of the regional genre however incorporate those of lifestyle and surf magazines. Despite regional magazines predominately using serif fonts, I want to divert this to provide a fresher take on the traditional design, that fits with the content of my article. The tracking and kerning will be small so that the text is more tightly compacted, showing relation between the words I use.

Article:
I will follow the style set by my heading and continue to use a serif font style; using the same as my front cover. By incorporating the same font style this will promote continuity throughout my product as well as add production value. My house style will be improved by this factor as the occurrence of the font is more than once, showing regularity. I want to add to the modern overview established by the heading format, I think this is important when considering my target audience. I will use a range of bold and slanted options to make my text seem more inviting; linking to Hebdige's "youth are fun" stereotype.

Contents Page:

Headline:

When designing the headline of this page, I want it to show similarity to my masthead. I will use the word 'Content' to title this page as it indicates the purpose of the page straight away. I want to feature this aspect in a large typeface. I aspire to use a serif font type as it shows a relation to my cover page. 

Wording:
I want to provide balance between serif and sans serif for this section. I feel that by using both it will help provide links between my cover and double page spread. The use of both shows sophistication against a laid back feel. 

Institution Choice

My product consists of a range of content, swaying away front the traditional feature of a regional magazine. Therefore when considering my institutional company I will avoid that chases of clashing with an existing product; allowing my new forum to stand out form what is expected by the audience already established by the company. Another aspect I will have to contemplate when choosing an institution is the age of my target audience and if there is anything already in place for this group as a consumer. Examining the traits and qualities of existing commodities of businesses that I may not eventually choose as my institutional background, will help me to develop my design ideas further. 

Archant is a privately owned media company serving geographical and specialist interest communities across a wide range of media. I have chosen to use Archant Media and my institutional producer. This institution is a well established base for many popular magazines such as Cornwall Life. Their magazine products consist of high a percentage of regional magazines, reassuring my that their is already a strong fan base. Since looking at their range of brands it is clear to see a variety of audience age groups, a favourable concept when introducing a new objective. As this is a clearly well know, respected publishing company I feel it will be beneficial to launch my magazine from this platform. There is clearly a great deal of money within this institution of money, this boost my product accordingly. I feel my magazine will be favoured within this publisher.

House Style Mood Board

The imagery I have chosen to create this mood board, show a good representation of the choice of colour, style and content I intent to feature. I have built my ideas this way as I feel it is an effective platform that can combine all my design concepts. 

Image Planning

Front Cover:

The image I plan to feature on my front cover involves a male model, therefore I will have to consider their positioning before doing so. As I would like to have an active cover page with an action shot, I would like to use a mid to long shot in order to show the elements that are necessary. I would like to work with these shot types as it will allow the audience to understand the concept or message I am trying to convey. I would like to organise a photo-shoot of either; surfing, rowing or rugby so I would have to be able to show the model and the features around him, making his activity clear to the audience. Depending on the day in which I choose to participate in my photo-shoot will decipher the camera settings in terms of the lighting. As the sports I want to be photographing are partaken outside, the natural lighting element will be key. I hope for my shot to be taken in the sun, giving the image a brighter look, however I do not want the colours to become over powered. In this case I will need to play around with the aperture and exposure levels when taking my photos.

Double Page Spread:

 The image I would like to create for my double page spread would be a long shot of again, something active. This time I intend to capture an activity that is busier therefore involving more elements ie. colours, people, objects, surroundings. I feel a long shot would fulfil the criteria of fitting the necessary aspect of the image onto the page. I will consider that lighting just as much as my front cover image, yet there will be more to focus on as the picture will have more content. Despite this I consider the natural lighting to be a good basis for my photo-shoot and to then adjust the settings according to the weather on the day. I want to give a  bright fresh and crisp connotation to my audience, so I am aiming for a high quality balanced feedback of aperture, exposure, shutter speed and IOS levels.

Contents Page:

As I plan to have more than just one imagine on my contents page I will need to consider the composition of each imagine. I will aim for all of my photos to be of the same quality, firmly setting a production value for the audience to feed of. I would like to feature an range of shot types, to keep the audience engaged. By doing this I feel it will show diversity throughout my magazine and make to consumers more susceptible to buying my brand again or alternatively recommending it to  others. In these picture I would like to show more close-up/ macon shots as this type will not have been evident much throughout the previous part of my magazine. A lot of regional magazine use close-up shots of nature or animals to entice their audience, I am going to loosely follow this convention in my contents page. Just like the other two design elements of my magazine I intent to use and manipulate the natural lighting present at the time of my photo-shoot. I think this will give the audience a more relaxed and honest connotation, than the use of filters for instance.

 

Manual Settings

ISO: This referrers to the sensitivity of the camera depending on the light availability. The lower the ISO reading the less sensitive to the light the camera is, the higher the ISO reading the more sensitivity the camera is to the light. The ISO number can be changed automatically or manually. This feature allows the photographer to take an image in an area of low light with no flash.

Aperture: this term refers to a hole in the lens of the camera, through which light travels. It gathers external light and bends it around the body of the camera. The aperture either expands or shrinks depending on the amount of lighting used, this can be done automatically or manually. This then regulates the amount of light that passes through onto the film inside the camera when the shutter closes and then opens again during an exposure process. It is sometimes called the camera diaphragm, as it opens to let light in. The aperture number is easily adjustable on an SLR camera; the most popular type of camera used today. Aperture size is calibrated in f-numbers or f-stops, these values can be found on the barrel of the lens.  I found that I used an aperture of f16-18 with the studio lighting. I learnt that the aperture number affects the depth of field of an image. For example the higher the higher the f- number the more in focus the background objects will be, where as the lower the f- number the more out of focus the background will be. Every lens has a limit to the range of aperture number depending on its purpose. However the maximum aperture of a lens is more important than the minimum as it shows the shutter speed.

Shutter Speed: the shutter speed of a camera depends on how long the sensor will be open or closed for, this then controls the income of light to the cameras lens.When the camera fires the shutter if fully opened, which lets the light pass through the lens aperture. It is basically how long light is allowed to come into the camera. The shutter speed works with the exposure; a faster shutter speed means a shorter exposure time. If a shutter speed it fast it can 'freeze' an action, it is typical used on the sport auto setting. Where as a slow shutter speed is used generally in night time images.

Exposure: this feature allows the photographer to determine how dark or light they want their image to be. This is done when the picture is initially captured by the camera. The exposure is all down it the aperture, ISO and shutter speed settings.

Content Ideas

Cover Story

When designing my cover story, I would like to include a male character that is not focusing on the audience. I do not want my consumers to fell pressured by my protagonist, connoting a more relaxed and laid back approach. The main imagine will be something that is Cornish as this is the area my magazine will be promoting, therefore I feel it isn't important to set the scene at first glance. When participating in my photo shoot I would like my model to fit the stereotypical representations of a character from within this age group. For my audience, I feel it would be a more beneficial factor if the protagonist was someone that could easily related to. Ideally my main image would be an action shot of a recognisable sport, to show that my magazine is jam packed with fast paced things. However, I would then like to contrast that with the cover lines, referring to a more calming choice of activities or stories, so that the audience do not become overwhelmed.
The topic I have chosen to feature as my cover story is the well recognised sport in the regional area my magazine is based on. This way my audience will feel a relevance to read my product.

Double Page Spread Article

Initially I wanted to have a more relaxed and natural fell to my double page spread, since researching further into this element I have come to the conclusion that this is not something that would appeal to my target audience as much. So, I am going to involve active based topics on my cover page and double page spread, then leave the more composed images/ persona for the contents page.
I would like to continue with the regional links when writing my article, as this extends the house style by keeping it topical.
I have chosen to write about a young group of people that are involved in the Cornish sport gig rowing. I have organised a photo-shoot to obtain images that compliment my topical choice. By including this article, I feel it involves a regional hobby; known by the audience. On the other hand, my secondary audience would appreciate the educational factor they gain from reading about a local sport.

Development of Initial Ideas

In the beginning when drafting my starting concept, I had hoped to create a sports based/ activity based magazine. Still being more thrilling in terms of physical involvement than other regional magazines, I have decided not to souly base my product content on this idea. I would like to also bring in other documents, for example on the contents page that are more basic and natural; what is generally expected from this genre. I understand that my target audience will want more excitement from a magazine, however they may used this medium as a chance to relax, therefore I do not want to implicate too much physical action within my magazine. Despite this I still want to benefit from the use of bright colours, that compliment the image choices I make. My target audience are  very engaged group of young people, I will bare this in mind when inputting colours and imagines, thinking about the connotations they hold. As one of my first ideas, I want to follow though with the use of modern design techniques, not shying away from the rejuvenation this genre is witnessing. I think this is an important concept as there is a clear gap in the market for something I am planning on creating; especially targeted at my audience.
I feel it is important to keep up to date with what is 'trending' within the desired of my targeted age group. I will refer to my audience throughout my designing process, I feel I will finish with a more successful product if my audience are on board with my ideas and plans.