Contents page final draft

I wasn't very happy with any of my contents page drafts so at the last moment I've decided to change almost everything. This is my last draft of my music magazine contents page:

I've decided to use black and red colours for the text and in a way they echo the colours of the photos. Also I've left the photos in colour. The two images and the text are balanced on the page and the cover story stands out from everything else. I've used quite electronic font as my artist performs in genre of electro-pop. The unique look of my masthead is also present here and reminds the reader of a magazine constantly as well as the website at the bottom. 

Overall the page is bright, not too loaded with text and images and I like it, finally! 

Contents page draft 3

This is another draft of my contents page.

This page is completely in black-and-white. I've kept the frame and two-colour concept of the page. However now there are two images and "contents" is spread behind the model. I like the idea of colour blocking and it is hardly seen but for the headlines I've used white and light yellow colours. I've kept the same fonts but I still think the page needs more text and headlines. 

Contents page draft 2

This is the second draft of my contents page and I made it a lot different to the first one.

This page still has white background, but I've chosen a different picture and placed at the center of the top part of the page. There is a thin frame around the page and "Contents" and name of the magazine as well as the date is placed on top of it. I've put some information about the model and photographer under the image and separated it from the rest of the text by a line. The font of the headlines is quite big to be honest, and I might do another draft where there will be more headlines in smaller font. However I like the style of fonts as they are not very heavy and dense and are easy to read. I've used quite cold light colours - grey and blue - and I think they link to the cover page.

Contents page draft 1

I've finished my first draft of the contents page and this is it.

Just like I've planned I've used two pictures of my model in black-and-white and placed them at the top part of the page. I've decided to draw a red frame on the page however I didn't finish it because it interfered with the headline. The "Contents" overlays the picture and is written in tall elegant font that maches the photos. There is also a reference to the page at the bottom right and the date and the name of the magazine at the top left. For the headlines I've chosen black and red colours because they contrast and stand out very well. The font is tall and the letters are placed quite far apart from each other. This creates a less condensed text which is easy to read. Also, I have a section (divided by two lines) with information about the model and the photographer. I think overall this page looks quite professional and it matches my idea for the magazine, however, it has somewhat dull colours so next time I'll try to make it brighter. 

Cover page draft 4 (final)

After all the experiments and improvements I've managed to create my final draft of the cover page. This is it. I might go back to it and change little things, however, overall this is how it will look.

The latest improvements are:

• I left the picture at the center of the page and also left the colours of the masthead the same as in the second draft. However, I've twisted the first part of the heading and also moved the date in the masthead area so when people read the name of the magazine they also can see which issue is it. 

• I've changed the colour and font of the cover lines trying to make it stand out a lot but not to make them too "heavy" for the layout of the page. I've used a dark-cherry colour, which echoes the colour of my model's hair and pushed them as close to the sides of the page as possible. If I was doing my real magazine I would put the cover lines in a small font, all in one line with dashes or bullet points between each of the cover line and place it at the bottom of the page (on the black of Maria's jacket). This would leave the photo and the main cover line in focus and look, in my opinion, more professional an minimalistic. However, I need to show the skills and put the cover lines on the page and so I did. 


• I was very fond of the idea of putting my model's name in between the two lines that are crossing the page. However, the lines used to be white and were badly seen on the sides of the page. So I changed the colour of the lines into blue - the same colour I've used for the masthead background. 

• I've put the price over the barcode and made it quite big.  I've also put a QR code so that readers can scan it with their smartphones. This allows my magazine to be up to date with modern technologies and so attract more young readers.

Overall I've tried not to put too much of coverlines and colour on the page because I think it makes the magazine look cheap, which is fine for the younger audience. As I am aiming for the readers of 18+, (late teens), they would probably be more serious and interested not in gossips and pictures but in useful information, especially if they are planning to work or working in the music (or media) industry. I've chosen light pastel colours, because my model is a young gentle girl. However the coverlines are darker reflecting her hair and jacket. To be honest, I didn't even think of the colours and chose them instinctively and later on I've noticed the match. Generally I am happy with the cover page, however I will ask my friends and classmates their opinion and may add little changes. 

Cover page draft 3

I've created another draft of the cover page. 

I've used a similar idea as in the previous draft and made a blue textured background for the masthead. However, the masthead itself has a shadow now and is in black contrasting colour. I've also twisted the "vox" part of the masthead so it looks different. This time I've added the price over the barcode in a big black font so people can see it straight away. I didn't quite like the way the coverlines looked on my previous draft so I've tried to move the picture and place them on one side. I've also chosen a thinner and taller font in a dark grey colour so it looks more weightless. However I think now my magazine looks quite cheap and it looked better when the picture was at the centre. Also even though the masthead looks good on its own it doesn't look nice with the image so I'll make it lighter in my final draft. 

So before I do my final page, I need to think how to place the picture and cover lines, and also choose the right colour for the text. 

Cover page draft 2

This is my second draft of the cover page for my magazine. It is totally different to the previous one.

If the first draft was in quite agressive colours (red and black) this one has lighter and colder colours, such as light blue and white. I also used another picture of Maria, and to be honest I like this one more so I'll continue using it for my drafts and final page. I've decided to separate the picture and the masthead and created a blue textured background for the masthead, separated from the main image with a white line. I've used white colour for the masthead and the main coverline, mostly because it lookjs nicer and stands out from the background. I've put the date under the masthead and used quite an original barcode (it is long itself and numbers are grouped in the centre) however I forgot to put the price, so I have something to add to the next draft. Because the background of the picture is almost white I've decided to use simple black colour because it contrasts very good. I've also used quite a lot of lines in this cover page: I've underlined the main number or words of the cover lines and put the name of my model ("Marijuama") in between two lines. I think that makes the main information to stand out more and catches the eye of the potential audience. I really like how my model's hair and leather jacket contrast with overall colours of the page. I've used the same fonts for all the coverlines and changed the sizes. It looks quite newspapery (if you can say that),  so it looks more serious and it is good as I am aiming for an older teenage audience. Also, there is a tiny bright dot to this in a form of Maria's blue earring, which kind of links to the blue on the masthead. Her face is highlighted and she looks straight into the camera as if she's looking in the eyes of the reader and that definitely grabs attention. Also her hand brings the image to life because it feels like next moment she is going to fix her hair or do something - even though it is a medium close up image there is some movement captured in it and this makes the cover page quite lively.