This is my contents page for my magazine. I chose to use a white background because any colour can be used on white but also because contents pages are normally white. I also decided to create my contents page on one page rather then two because I think it looked too spacious on a double-page.

At the top of the page I placed the date and website of the magazine because these are published on all contents pages of all magazines.

I featured the logo of my magazine as the title rather then writing 'contents' because I think readers will be aware that this is the contents page without it written. However I wrote the logo as an identification of the magazine. I used the colour red for the logo instead of the blue which I used on the cover because it really stands off the page but overall looked better because it matched the colour of writing.

I used three images on the contents page; 50 cent, Ashanti and Bittersweets. I used these because they are celebrities that are used in my stories.
Underneath Ashanti and 50 cent I placed their names and the page number that their stories are featured on. I did this because after looking at magazines like Mojo and Rolling Stone, this is a common thing to do. I also added gold coloured 'shadows' behind the images to give the page more colour.

I also used the same picture of Bittersweets than on the cover but I used it in colour this time. I used the same image because it looks really professional but also looks good on the page.

I separated the contents into two parts; on the cover and inside. I did this because it is the usual criteria for most magazines to feature a section of the contents from the cover and a section from other stories inside the magazine.
I placed these in different columns because it gave me more space for images and made the layout look better.

I used red for the writing and black for the titles and numbers because these were the colours I used for the two stripes placed down the side of the page. I used the same colours because I didn't want to have too many colours on the page.

At the bottom of the page I wrote a small section from the editor. I wrote this because it is something that occurs in most magazines and usually refers to the stories and issue itself.
I wrote mine about the fact that my magazine is not only going to feature new music but also old music and old legends people seem to forget.

In my magazine this would be my double-page spread. On the right hand side I decided to do a montage of images because I wanted to show each member of the band separately. I also featured an image of the band together showing what they look like as a band.

I placed the names of each member either in front or down the side of their images. I wanted to place one of the names down the side of the page to introduce something different rather then just placing them all under the girls. I gave them names because I used names within my interview and the audience may not know which name stands for which girl. I decided to use the same font for the names as I did on the cover as it once again relates to the bands genre and personality as being young and fun. I used a light pink colour as it stands off the page and I wanted it to relate to the 'sweet' side of the band and I think pink best portrays this.

I used the colour black for the background because all colours placed on black tend to stand out more and it also relates or portrays the 'bitter' side of the band as rock music and outrageous.

On the left page I used the simple colours of red and white; similar to my front cover. I used these because they stand out and can symbolise opposite things. For example red can symbolise hate, anger, fear etc whereas white can symbolise purity and kindness etc.This is why I used these colours to once again reflect the name 'Bittersweets'.I understand that the colour red can also symbolise love however this isn't the symbolism I intended. I also use the colours to represent the questions and answers in my magazine.

For my mast-head I decided to make the writing look blurred because I think it gives it more effect therefore looking better. I used a very large font in order for it to stand out and be the first thing to catch the readers eye.Above the mast-head I wrote 'Bittersweets; Tell us how it feels to be the No.1 Girl band in the UK'. This lets the reader know what the article is going to be about but I also wrote it in a way that sounds like somebody has asked the question as though it is a question everybody wants to know the answer to.

For my actual article I decided to create an interview that had been done with the girls because this is the usual case in most magazines.I set it out in three columns rather then the usual four because I think it looked too close together; so I created space by using three. I didn't use a drop-cap for my first letter of the interview because drop-caps are usually used in stories. I also decided not to use a quotation from the interview which is fairly popular because I felt it ruined the montage of images on the right page.

This is my final magazine front cover. I decided to call my magazine 'Sound' as it is a music magazine and the word sound relates to music. For my mast-head I used a light blue colour on a white and black image; I did this because it really makes it stand off the page which is what I wanted to catch a readers eye. The font I used for the mast-head is like a retro look. I used this because it suited a music magazine. I also used the same colour for my headline as I also wanted this to stand off the page.

I used a colour image, which is usual for magazines however I decided to do this because I think it looks really effective and allows the writing to stand out but still catches attention itself.
I used an image were the girls were on different levels and different distances from the camera. I did this because I think it looks more professional and creative and overall more like a magazine image.

I chose the name of my band to be Bittersweets. I chose this because I wanted the band them self to have a rock side as well as a soft side and I think Bittersweets best described this. The font I used for the headline looks like graffiti writing; I wanted to use this to represent the band as being a young rock band with a mixture of personalities.

At the top of the magazine I used something to let the reader know what is going to be inside. This says: 'The 209 best songs of 2008'. This simply lets the reader know that selected songs from 2008 are going to be inside. It also relates to music hence it being a music magazine. I decided to keep the size difference between words becuase I think it worked well.

I placed the date and price of my magazine under my mast-head which is fairly popular for magazines. I decided that my magazine would be a monthly issue rather then a weekly. I did this because I would like my magazine to be fairly thick with pages like Rolling Stone magazine however it is much cheaper at only £1.80 whereas Rolling Stone is £4.50. This would create some competition and may attract more attention due to its contents and price.

Over the mast-head I placed a small white on black box with writing. By doing this it represents the magazine as being popular which is what I wanted to put across. I also kept the writing from my first draft because the same things are going to be published within my magazine.

Finally I placed two small sub headlines, allowing the reader to know what other stories are featured inside the magazine. For these I used the simple colours of red, white and black. I used these as they are simple colours that stand out and they don't take away the main focus from the image. The words in red emphasise what the story is going to be about; this gives the reader an idea without giving too much away.
I also decided not to feature a bar code on the front cover but rather on the back because I think placing a bar code on the cover may ruin the whole image and it creates less space.



This was my magazine front cover, however I decided to convert the image back to colour because it represented the girls as more fun, young and lively, which is the representation I wanted of them.

This is my first draft of my magazine front cover. The chosen mast-head for my magazine is Sound. I decided to call my magazine this because the word 'sound' can relate to music but it is also short and catchy, which is needed for a magazine. I used a retro style writing because I think it looks really good but also symbolises music.
I chose a maroon colour for my mast-head and headline as it stands out and is really effective in the way it focuses attention on these points.

I placed a small 'tab' slightly covering the mast-head; I did this because I wanted the magazine to come across as being popular because it may attract more readers if it seems to have a large audience. I also added some writing to let the reader know what is going to be inside; this makes the reader want to read on more. For the box I used white writing on a black background; making it stand off the white background of the magazine.

At the very top of the magazine I wrote 'The 209 best songs of 2008'. I did this to make the reader yet again want to read on because different stories attract different readers. I used a straight forward font and colour in order for it to attract attention but not take away focus from the main article. I decided to use different fonts for different words within the sentences. I did this because I didn't want linking words like 'the' and 'and' to be as noticeable as the important information like '209 best songs'.

The headline I used is the name of the band I chose which is 'Bittersweets'. I chose this name for my band because it links to the girls personalities within the group in the way that they are sweet girls but have a rock side also. I chose the font I used because it looks really effective and compliments the name of the band with having a rebellious side as well as sweet side because it looks like it has been spray painted on which is something rebellious to do.

My main image is of the band. I have the girls on different levels in the image because I think it looked better and is more professional then having them all on the same level. I changed the background colour of the image from cream to white because this is the stereotypical colour for magazines.
I had the girls to wear different colours t-shirts because I wanted them to have some individuality.
I was going to origianlly have four girls in the group as seen from my draw draft however I decided that the image looked better with just three girls as it wasn't as squashed.

Finally I placed some small writing overlapping the main image to let the reader know what some of the main stories are inside the magazine. I used popular colours used on magazine covers; black and white because they don;t make the magazine look too colourful and don't take away the main focus but still stand out enough.
(I had not yet placed the date and price on the cover)






This was my second draft made from my first draft with a few changes.