Final Contents Page

Final Front Cover

Adding On To My DPS

Prior to the audience feedback that I have received, I have decided to add more on to the article side of my DPS, with shapes and banners, as I feel that any extra images or content will make the page look too crowded and busy, whereas the shapes will maintain a sense of simplicity, but will make the page stand out even further. 

So, for behind the text, I have chosen to add ellipses, with low opacity, so that they look subtle but effective. 

Besides this, I have chosen to add a banner across the three images at the bottom, but with low opacity as well. This means that the gaps beside the images do not make the page look too blank, but the page again does not look too busy either. 
Also, because the background still looked somewhat plain, I placed an image I took of a brick wall into the background of the article, and gave it a very low opacity, again making the overall effect very subtle. 

[SCREENSHOT OF DPS BRICK WALL AND OPACITY]

Finally, in terms of the large gap after writing the article, I decided to fill this in by mentioning Ashleigh being on a British TV show in the coming week, which emphasises that this magazine is mainly exclusive to British adolescents, rather than a more mass demographic.

I also added the faint red lines, so that this small snippet of text has been differentiated from the actual article.

Audience Feedback - DPS

I presented my Double Page Spread to 7 members of my target audience, with their ages ranging from 14-16. When I showed them my DPS as it was, they said they liked the way that the images stand out and the way that the model is presented through mise-en-scene and location. Although, they said that the background still remains blank and unexciting, and show have something to emphasise the article. Also, some females pointed out the huge gap between the images at the bottom and the article space left over at the end, and how this looks very unprofessional and the gap should be filled. 
In addition, the three images at the bottom look too close together, in the sense that there are still wide gaps at either side of the images, which again looks unprofessional.

More elements will need to be added to this DPS before it is finished. The article side of the page needs to stand out more, as it looks plain and boring and too basic for a dynamic music magazine aimed at my target audience.

Making My DPS

I used 3 columns to create a template for the way that my DPS would be made, to give it a more aligned and more accurate look once it is all completed. Using this Photoshop template, I was able to create a brief layout of how my DPS would look, and use it as a guideline through the production of this double page. 

I decided to decrease the opacity of the blue banner because it looks more professional as a music magazine, and does not block the colours of the graffiti wall, which is the main highlight of the image.

After this, I began to separately edit my other photoshoot images, to place them at the bottom of the page and give them borders. 

Once this was done, I added my logo and page number onto the page. I decided to keep the page numbers as Futura font, with the effects being exactly the same as that of the FUSE. logo, because it shows consistency and emphasises the fact that my magazine is adhering to a specific house-style.

I have intended to keep most of my text as Futura and Impact, to emphasise that these are the theme fonts that define my magazine as a brand. Therefore, when I typed up my double page article in InDesign, it was in Futura font, and the subheading was in Impact. This way, the house style is being kept intact, and the conventions are being conformed to.

I made my heading "London Lights" because it is the name of the artist's album, and the article is being written a short while before the time of its release. By doing this, I have managed to present that my magazine is all about new and currents music in British Pop/Rock, and I have hit this target accurately with such a feature. 

Once everything was put together, I took what I had and chose to present it to members of my target audience, to receive feedback and make my magazine better.

Tweaking My Contents Page

When changing my Contents title, I decided to make it stretch out all the way across, leaving the FUSE. logo on the side in the corner of the page, as members of my audience commented on how it was too big for the Contents Page, and almost looked irrelevant. 
I did not choose to make my rectangle diagonal in the end, after audience members finding it inconsistent with the look being presented. 
I then changed the text colour to be blue to match my banners, because I felt that purple was too dark on the black, and I feel that this was a much better decision.
My FUSE. logo was then tilted to the side and put to the corner, so that it was not in the way of the rest of the contents page.

My audience members also mentioned the font under the Features, and how it looks too cramped and the thickness of the Impact font makes the writing barely visible. In a nutshell, it does not stand out the way that the Features list should. Therefore, I changed the font of the text to Futura, so that it still sticks with the theme, but also looks visible to the audience. Also, as an additional touch to making the text stand out, I changed some of the text to purple, which I feel was a good decision. Then, I spaced out the text, and made room to write underneath one of them, and use rectangles to make the list of features more decorative.

As well as this, in terms of my images, I chose to remove the image of the performer, to give the page more space, and I placed my other two images into rectangles, edited their hue and saturation, to give it a Polaroid picture look, which would be appealing to my audience, and would make the page look much tidier overall. 

Audience Feedback - Contents Page

Once I had created my rough Contents Page, I showed it to a group of female adolescents, who fall into my target audience braket. I needed constructive criticism, and because these girls were not aware of the project taking place, I know that the feedback that is given will not be biased, and will directly represent the interests of my target audience.
They pointed out some aspects of my contents page that could be changed or altered so that it would be more suitable and look more like a music magazine.

Feedback given:

• The capital Impact font in the Features side of the contents page makes the contents page look too crowded and the text is barely visible.
• The Contents logo does not make the page look consistent and it doesn't seem as though it fits with the look being presented. Therefore, this will have to be reconsidered and reconstructed.
• The FUSE. logo in the corner looks too big, which draws attention away from the Contents title.

With this feedback, I shall reconstruct my Contents Page again, so that it looks consistent and shows the house-style that I am trying to present, and also looks appropriate for my audience.