In order to demonstrate that I have learnt and understood from my conventions analysis, I have designed a front cover as a 'Google Mock-Up' using images from Google. I took an image of Martin Garrix, a well-known DJ in EDM and house music and edited the image on various online image editing websites including PicMonkey, iPiccy and Pixlr.
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| Original Image |
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| Mock-Up Image |
I started with opening the original image into PicMonkey and cropped and adjusted the image exposure to make the colours appear brighter and then added a lens-flare-type filter called 'spotlight'. I then opened the image into iPiccy to further edit the colour and exposure of the image before saving it and opening it into Pixlr Editor - a very basic photoshop-like online programme - and used it to add the masthead, date, issue and skyline. Then, I opened the image back up into PicMonkey and added the main feature and other feature story, footer and plug. Lastly, I used a different Pixlr app called Pixlr Express to further add colour to the image through the use of 'light leak' filters before finally opening the image back up into Pixlr Editor to add the barcode and secondary images through layers.
There are aspects of the cover which I pulled from design ideas in my conventions analysis and genre research. This includes the 'Magazine' being within the title text (seen on Tilllate's magazine cover in my genre research), the date and issue being in a vertical, column-like layout (inspired by Billboard's cover in my conventions analysis) and the footer being on an angle (Tilllate's front cover in my conventions analysis).
Since the original image didn't have enough colours to follow the three-colour conventional rule I emphasised the orange jumper which the main subject is wearing and used colours which I believed complimented it so that I ended up with a colour scheme of three main colours - orange, green and purple. The orange and green colours reminded me of the Autumn season which works well with the date of release of the magazine (October) and the purple provided a 'pop' of colour to draw attention to the magazine and reflect the often bright, fluorescent colours seen within the EDM and house scene. By overlaying 'light leaks' gives the magazine an all-round dreamy look.
I ensured that I used all the relevant conventions of a magazine (i.e. masthead, plug, footer, etc.) as I found through conducting research and analysis into it that it aids in drawing more attention to the magazine whilst providing as much information as possible. The plug is relevant to the music genre as it offers the chance to win tickets to upcoming Q-Dance festivals, a renowned event-organising company in electronic music who host large festivals such as Defqon and Q-BASE. The main image is of Martin Garrix, a famous young DJ in EDM and very well-known, and I related this to the main feature article. Not only did I make this the largest feature story on the cover but I added secondary images to further attract attention.
To improve this, I would maybe use a different subheading text for the main feature article as I don't think it looks suitable for subheading text. I would also include more feature articles as there are currently only two minus the footer and, personally, I don't think it provides enough information about the features within the article. Lastly, I would probably change the title text as I don't think it looks particularly eye-grabbing due to it being a fairly dull colour compared to the rest of the cover.
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| Original Image |
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| Mock-Up Image |
This magazine cover was influenced by a number of ideas such as the Mixmag front cover in my genre research of Sub Focus, which features the triangle overlays and angles on the shapes placed behind the text. I also took influence from Miss Melera's own website, which heavily features disorienting overlay effects and bright colours.
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| Screenshot from Miss Melera's official website |
Just like in the previous mock-up, the original image had very little colour to work with and so I had to invent a colour scheme which would work with it. The main colours within this are bright pinks, purples, lime greens and a little bit of blue with predominantly white text. This works well with the chosen music genre as it reflects a clubbing environment where there would be a dark room lit with bright colourful lights with an all-round disorientating effect.
Again, just like with the previous mock-up I ensured that I had used all relevant conventions including a masthead, skyline, footer, date, website, main feature story, other feature stories, secondary images and plugs. I ensured that these were all clear and most of them in bright, eye-catching colours in order to attract the attention of the audience. However, I did forget to add in a barcode and/or price and will ensure I do this next time in order to make it appear more realistic. The plugs are relevant to the music genre as they offer a festival guide and advertise a new album which will attract the target audience who generally have a lot of disposable income to spend on festivals and CDs. Just like with the previous mock-up, I related the main image to the main feature article and added secondary images in order to further attract the attention of the audience.
To improve this, I would make the current feature stories smaller and add in more so that extra information could be included and utilise the space better. I would also need to include a barcode and/or price so that it looked more like a realistic magazine cover. To do this, I would maybe move the website so that it is within the actual masthead text just like the previous mock-up and place the price where the current placement of the website name is.
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