Front Page
I set up my front cover using the same measurements as my contents page, 220x285 mm as this is the size of both sports magazines and more serious magazines. I also used CMYK colours as this is standard for print, which is one of the methods of distribution for my magazine.
I started initially by adding the masthead to the page, then the main tagline to set out the proper spacing and size. Gold and black feature in the Swans logo, and as the featured article is about them I chose to use these colours for the tagline. But as it's also the primary colours of my front cover, so I also used them for my article references. Gold is a bold, bright colour that easily attracts the eye, so it's appropriate for the front cover of a magazine so people notice it and decide to read it.
Then I added information to the tagline, promoting the interview I wrote in the DPS of my magazine, as interviews, especially with an important team, attracts the audience so they can see what the players will say, making it effective in advertising the rest of the magazine.
Building on the style, I added more articles to the opposing side of the cover, and increased the font size to make them more visible and eye-catching. I also added a bar code to the side of the cover in the typical space to make it look more professional.
After this, I started fine tuning my design. Firstly, I replaced the back masthead with white, to make it stand out more against the page and be more eye-catching, which is also why I changed the back text for the rest of the cover lines to white form black as well.
I also changed the word 'EXCLUSIVE' to 'MADDIE' to inform the reader who the interview was specifically with, and making her more personable. This is also in line with conventions of sports magazines - using names to attract readers.
I also added a plug in contrasting colours to the orange and white to make it stand out, which is also a convention for plugs in magazines. The prize also relates to the article and makes the audience more likely to read them, as they could possibly win to see them they're more likely to take interest in the team.
After this, I started fine tuning my design. Firstly, I replaced the back masthead with white, to make it stand out more against the page and be more eye-catching, which is also why I changed the back text for the rest of the cover lines to white form black as well.
I also changed the word 'EXCLUSIVE' to 'MADDIE' to inform the reader who the interview was specifically with, and making her more personable. This is also in line with conventions of sports magazines - using names to attract readers.
I also added a plug in contrasting colours to the orange and white to make it stand out, which is also a convention for plugs in magazines. The prize also relates to the article and makes the audience more likely to read them, as they could possibly win to see them they're more likely to take interest in the team.
However, I decided that the name needed to be more eye-catching, so I moved it into the middle of the two lines to create more colour contrast and so make it more eye-catching, and also to encourage the connotation that the name is the most important part of the cover.
Through researching various sporting magazines, I decided to split my magazine into 3 columns, the centre showing images promoting articles and the left and right listing the articles in typical contents page fashion.
To set boundaries for my columns, I placed my image and first three sections of my magazine into the contents section, using my proposal to place each section.
I used a basic sans serif font - Impact, to plan the spacing and design of my masthead before implementing my chosen design from my proposal.
After this I chose two other images for the centre columns and used them as more links to articles - the pictures being used to make the articles seem more appealing as they help explain to the reader what its about.
I also added common sections to my page, including an 'Editors Letter' and sections such as 'Interviews' and 'Contents' to make my page more in line with common conventions and easier to navigate.
The titles of the sections, including the masthead, were changed to the specified font in the proposal (Couture) and the stroke changed to the team's red colour to promote the brand of the team, and also to make a cleaner design and synergy as it can be seen that all the images and design is linked, making it seem more professional and so people are more likely to read it.
The masthead of my magazine, which I use on the front page, is also included on the contents page as its a common convention of sports magazines.
The first thing I did after this was change the masthead to match my front cover, using a white font with a black stroke and a rugby ball design to create connotations of rugby (ball and the white font indicated posts), which helps create a brand and connotes the purpose of the magazine without needing to directly state it.
The title also changed to 'Lines', creating 'Try Lines' with the masthead. I did this as the pun is a common trope, especially with sports magazines, and helps explain to the reader the purpose of the page while still having a peer to peer, comedic aspect.
I exchanged the top most image for an action shot, as I felt that as other slots throughout the page were mainly social-oriented I needed a balance to show that the attraction of rugby is fairly equally playing and social side, and I also did this to appeal to the members of the audience who are more focussed on the playing side.
Building on this, I replaced the adverting slots with images of the Swans rugby team that the magazine has an interest in, using these shots to convey the reasons to play rugby through the connotations the images - social, physical, togetherness etc. And as this is the main purpose of the magazine, doing this by as many ways as possible is effective in achieving that goal. I also used the advertising poster I created for Unit 20 to use as another form of advertisement specific to the Sheffield Swans Rugby Club, to give the magazine authenticity as this is realistically an advertisement that would appear.
I also changed the heading of each section (i.e. 'Kit List') to white with a black background, in the masthead font (couture) to denote the importance of the titles, make them more eye catching and so making the audience more likely to read them, and creating a more interesting visual style for the rest of the page.
I first edited my photo in Adobe Photoshop, darkening shadows and blacks to allow my introduction to be seen clearly on the page without a black box, which would create a clunky look to my magazine. Also, to make the pair of players standout more, I increased the saturation and contrast to make the red bibs they're wearing standout more on the page, drawing reader's eyes to them and connoting that they're the focus of the article.
To start planning my page, I created the masthead and intro text, as well as filling Cat's (left) interview with filler text to prepare to adjust it in point size to follow conventions of magazines.
In addition to this, I switches the picture on its vertical axis to put Cat on the left side, as she had a shorter interview and so allowing space for the intro.
To introduce the individual players to the audience before their interview, I listed their name in Couture, the font I use for the masthead, then in Aver (my body copy font) I listed their age and a description of them as a player, for example 'Fly Half', which means the reader understands who's being interviewed without directly specifying in the intro.
After this I added drop capitals, Qs and As for 'question' and 'answer', as the interviews rely on them and it needed to be specified. I adjusted and edited the interview to include the essential and interesting information that readers can either relate to or get them interested in the sport, as thats the point of the magazine and the article, as well as adjusting the font size to 9, to keep in magazine convention.
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