Contents Page First Draft

As I have change my masthead for my product, I needed to replace the masthead that I had already put into the contents page. Here is what the contents page looks like, now that I have replaced the masthead.

Masthead Change

I used the masthead 'The Mackem Issue' during the production of my contents page and front cover. However, after reviewing these products, I came to the realization that I wanted to change my masthead to 'Solace'. This is because I feel that 'Solace' has a more catchy nature and sounds like it could be the name of a magazine. I also felt that 'The Mackem Issue' was associated with purely the genre of football alone, where-as my magazine is a mixed genre, therefore 'The Mackem Issue' would not have been fitting. I will apply the change of this masthead to the parts of my product that I have already created.













I kept the same font because I felt it looked very good and suited the genre, due to its weathered, stark look. I increased the size of the font slightly for the new masthead because it is a single word and would not look very big or imposing if it was the same font size as the old masthead.

Time Management - Week 11

• This week I feel I have been able to complete my magazine's front cover. Making the changes which I feel makes the product look more professional. However, I will await feedback on the product and perhaps make further changes if there are any to be made. 

In the next week, I hope to complete various tasks, this includes adding further changes to my contents page which I feel are required. I will make a post showing these changes and why I have made them. I also hope to get started on my product's billboard as I now have my image for it and am able to complete the process of putting the product together. 

Front Cover First Draft

I have made further changes to my front cover as I was not fully satisfied with how it looked. I have changed the headline and subhead to something more short and snappy, as I felt that there was too much text in the old version and the headline was too long. I have also made a few visual changes such as altering the size of the image, masthead, fonts, etc.

Time Management Week 10

• I have progressively worked on my magazine's contents page throughout the week and have eventually finished my first draft of the product. 
• I have begun to work on my magazine's front cover, adding in the dominant image as well as the masthead, font, barcode and strapline.

Front Cover Update 2

I have continued to work on my magazine front cover and have made several changes in the process. I have changed the masthead of my magazine for the reasons I stated in the previous post. I have also began to implement some text, such as the headline and subhead. I will go through my ideas and decide whether or not to include anymore conventions within the front cover. I may edit the text somewhat once I have have reviewed the product with my peers and teacher. I have also got rid of the smudged design at the bottom of the dominant image. Originally I thought it would look stark and artistic, however it didn't look the way I wanted it to, therefore I used the healing brush tool on Adobe Photoshop to improve make the image look better.

Front Cover Update 1

I have began with the creation of my magazine's front cover. There is still much to add to the page, however I feel I have made the right adjustments to the image and feel it is the correct size to be the page's dominant image. I have also added an effect to the bottom of the image, I feel this makes the image seem to flow better and makes it look more interesting. I have added the strapline and barcode to the page. I will soon look to add other features in, such as the headline, subheads, essential info, etc.

Contents Page Update 3

I feel as though I am finished with the first draft of my contents page. I have implemented all of the text that I needed to add into it, such as the contents list and editors note. Overall I am happy with the way the contents page looks and I am now prepared to receive feedback for it.

Time Managment Week 9

This week, I have collected some of my original images;

• I collated them together and put them into a presentation, showing the image and providing an explanation of how it will be used within my product. 
• I have began the creation of my contents page and feel I am close to completing my first draft of it. 
• I have edited two of my original images together and formed them into one image which will be used as a piece of artwork to promote one of the features within my magazine 

Contents Page Update 2

I have continued to work on my contents page, I have changed the dynamics of the page slightly, by altering the size of the rectangles where the text will be placed. I have also began to implement pieces of text into the page's contents list. It is not complete yet, but soon the contents list will be full of text. I will then be adding the editor's note into the box to the right hand side of the contents list as well as a sub image of the editor. I will also need to add the page number and essential info to the page. I feel that my contents page is very close to completion.

Front Cover Image Editing

As mentioned throughout this blog, I have always wanted to use a stark, laid-over design on the front cover of my magazine. Not only is this to add to my magazine's mise-en-scene but it is also so that I can have a piece of artwork on the front cover to promote the work of the graphic artist Gary Downing, who will is being interviewed in the double page spread. I created this image using two of my original images and merging them together using Adobe Photoshop. To do this, I used many various tools such as the cloning tool, magic wand tool, blur tool and many others. I also added many filters to the image, such as the film grain filter, in order to give the image it's stark, cutting-edge look. This will be the dominant image for my front cover and I feel it is relevant because it includes an image of the Wearmouth Bridge, which is an iconic location in Sunderland and will be instantly recognized by the magazine's demographic.






















These are the two original images which were collaborated together to create the front cover's dominant image. The model's image was in essence used as a template for which the other image could be placed. The extent of which I have edited the images can be seen within the contrast between the original images and the end result of the main dominant image.

My main influence for this front cover image was a piece of artwork associated with HBO's true detective. There are many similarities between this image and my dominant image, as it was my main inspiration; 

Contents Page Update 1

Due to certain delays with my front cover images,  I started the creation of my contents page as an alternative. Here is what my contents page looks like so far. I may make further changes to it, but these are the basic templates for it and I will be adding various other images and pieces of text to it in due course.

Original Images

Website Main Influences

I like the design of this website. I think that the little use of colour within gives it a subtle effect which provides a neat yet cutting-edge look. This is the kind of look I want to achieve within my wesbite for my product. I like the way the text and images are set out as it ensures there is plenty of space within meaning that everything is not 'clammed together'. Similarly I like the design of the navigation bar along the top of the page. Again it is subtle and gives a neat appearance to the webpage. I like the way that the social network logos are the same colour as the rest of the page, E.G in this page the main colour scheme is black and white and the logos are changed to black and white. I will do the same for my website but instead I will change them to the colour scheme of red and white to match the Sunderland-themed colour scheme of the rest of the website. I will also look to emulate the way the masthead is positioned in the corner of the page. It is both dominant and subtle at the same time.

Time Managment Week 8

This week has involved a lot of preparation for the production of my final products. This included;

• Creating influence posts for each aspect of my product, I.E front cover, contents page, double page spread, billboard and website.
• I have also filled in the coursework action plan table, focusing on how I will manage my time with the creation of the product.

Billboard Main Influences

This is one of my main influences for my billboard. I love it's simple design, with the use of one single image, a minimal amount of text and a plain background. It is subtle and cutting-edge at the same time and suits the genre of football very well. I also like the cut-out effect which has been used in the dominant image of the billboard. I feel this adds to the cutting-edge look and suits the mise-en-scene of the genre. I am going to use a similar cut-out filter for the image used in my billboard. It creates an almost cartoon-like look, which I feel will grab the attention of passers-by. The colour scheme of this billboard is highly significant as it uses the colours, sky blue and white. These are the colours of Manchester City, the club that this billboard is advertising, using them is relevant as it builds an association with the product itself and Manchester City FC. For my billboard, I may implement the colours of Sunderland AFC, to build the connection between my my product and the club itself.

Artwork Portfolio

Due to the fact that the interviewee for my double page spread is a fictional character, I felt the need to create pieces artwork that I can put into my magazine to make it look as though they have been created by him as the character is a graphic artist.

Using images that I have gained and Adobe Photoshop, I have created pieces of artwork that will be used across different sections of my magazine to promote the work of the fictional interviewee Garry Downing.

• This piece will be used for my magazine's front cover. It includes two original images taken by me. One is of the Wearmouth Bridge and the other is of a model that I used for the photo shoot. I merged the two photos together in Photoshop to create a laid-over silhouette look.

• This is another piece of artwork which has been created by Gary Downing. It will be added to the left hand page of the double page spread. To create it, I simply took a picture of some mud smeared on the floor. I then added some filters on Photoshop such as the film grain filter to make the photo look more artistic. I felt this was quite an arty, innovative concept and thought it would look good on the double page spread. It is also actually mentioned within Gary Downing's actual interview and is labelled with the title 'Mud'.

Double Page Spread Main Influences

This magazine as an influence because it includes an article about a photographer, giving him a profile, asking him questions and also showing some parts of his work within the same page. I chose it as an influence because I am interviewing a local graphic design artist for my article. I want to try and emulate this particular page, in that I like the way it is set out. My article will involve an interview with the graphic design artist himself and the use of images will include a picture of the artist himself, as well as three other images of some pieces of his work, this way I feel I can fit all parts of the feature that I want to achieve into one double page spread. Also, this particular layout is neat and has a similar kind of simplistic design to the features I would ideally like to see in my magazine. The use of the headlines are subtle and I like the way the article has been placed next to one of the images. This is one of my most important influences for the double page spread.                                                                                                                                  

This is a double page spread taken from A Love Supreme, the Sunderland fanzine. I like the layout of this double page spread. It has a good balance between the use of images and the use of text. I like the use of the strapline at the top of the page, as well as the placement of the magazine's masthead/logo either side of it. I also like the background effect used for the article's headline. It is very innovative and creates an interesting look to the page. I may add some sort of effect to my headline in order to create a similar interesting look. I like the way that the images disrupt the text, for example on the left side of the page where the image causes the column of text to be interrupted. This is because it adds a sense of informality to the text and creates an almost playful look. This is a common feature in regional/football magazines because the demographic tend to appreciate designs that are less formal and serious than designs that are too formal.

Contents Page Main Influences

I like this contents page because of its simplistic, easy-on-the-eye look. Its main conventions are the headline, essential information and contents list. This is straight to the point and fulfills the purpose of a contents page without overcomplicating it or making it too unprofessional. It upholds the colour scheme of red and white in a subtle, professional manner. Using it too prevalently would give the page an unprofessional look, but only using it in areas where necessary, such as the text, page numbers etc gives the page its colour scheme as well as remaining neat and subtle. The content of this contents page is also relatively similar to the content that will be included in mine, with use of the regional terms "Wearside" and "Roker". My contents list will include features similar to this, which cover regional activity, therefore I will be using similar sort of terms to create the familiarity between the features included in the magazine, and the region in which it is based. I also like the balance of font sizes within this contents page. I like the way that the headline is in quite a big font so that it instantly stands out to the reader, I like how the subheads are in a slightly bigger, bold font than the subhead descriptions. This allows readers to differentiate between the subheads and the descriptions. I will look to emulate this balance of font within my contents page, as it creates a neat look to the page, ultimately making it an easier read for the readers.

I really like the layout of this contents page. It is very neat, easy on the eye and finds the right balance between use of colours and images and the use of text. For my contents page, I hope to recreate the landscape dominant image placed at the top of the page. I think that having the dominant image of the page above the remaining text adds to the neatly laid-out design that I want to achieve in all parts of my product. The colour scheme is also very relevant, as this contents page is taken  from the Sunderland AFC magazine Legion of Light. The colours red and white are used, ensuring that the page has a strong association with the club it is about Sunderland AFC. I will look to use a similar colour scheme within my contents page as my magazine's content is based around the city of Sunderland and the club Sunderland AFC. The dominant image at the top of this page, is also relevant to this genre, as it includes former Sunderland manager Dick Advocaat who is obviously a person of some relevance within this genre. My dominant image for this area of the page will be of Sunderland's stadium of light. Obviously, this is relevant as this is the home of Sunderland AFC therefore using an image of it will build a strong connection with this magazine and the genre, ultimately appealing to my target audience who will be from the region or supporters of Sunderland AFC.

Front Cover Main Influences

I like the layout of this front cover, with the use of the close up image of the model, as well as the use of text in and around the dominant image. I feel this is a neat balanced layout and suits the front cover of a football magazine. This is the kind of layout I envision my front cover having. Also this magazine SEVENTY3, is a Sunderland based fanzine. This is useful for me as it has a very similar genre and region to what my magazine will have, therefore it is a useful influence as I can look for conventions which are perhaps suited to this particular region. My front cover will have a similar sized masthead to this front cover. The masthead is important and needs to stand out to the reader, therefore making it big will help it to stand to readers. The size and location of the masthead is also in a similar position to how I will place my headline. This too needs to stand out to readers as it holds important information about the magazine. Placing it slightly under the dominant image and making it a fairly large size helps it to stand out, adding to the neat layout of this front cover. This front cover's colour scheme of red and whit is also the same as the colour scheme I will predominantly be using throughout my magazine. I like the way that the colour is used within this, as it isn't too colourful to the point where it looks unprofessional. It manages to subtly capture the red and white colour scheme without creating an unprofessional look to the front cover.

I decided to look at cultural magazines as influences as well as football magazines, due to the fact my magazine fits into the category of culture as well as football. This front cover has a similar kind of design to what I want my front cover to have. Its use of the stark, slightly distorted image creates the cutting-edge design that I want to replicate in m front cover. It adds to the mise-en-scene of the magazine and really captures the mood of the region. I also like the minimal use of text within this front cover. Again, this adds to the cutting-edge look of the magazine and also gives it a professional feel, in that there is not too much text clogging up the page. The subheads placed on the left hand side of the page are subtle and are placed in a position where they do not draw attention away from other conventions within the page such as the dominant image. I like the use of the plain background. It allows a more concentrated focus on the dominant image, colour scheme and uses of text. I will also be using a plain background for the background of my front cover, so that more emphasis is placed on the dominant image and colour scheme. There are some effects used for the background, such as the worn-out looking crease to the right of the model. This adds to the magazines mise-en-scene as it gives the magazine a rugged, weathered look, which is commonly associated with the mood of the North East of England. I may create a similar look to my front cover by using the 'burn tool' on Adobe Photoshop to add the rugged look to the front cover.

Double Page Spread Article - First Draft

This is the first draft of my article for my double page spread article. It is a transcription of the interview with Garry Downing that was previously uploaded in a Soundcloud document. As it is the first draft I will give it to my teacher to assess it and see whether it is fit for the purpose of my magazine. If there are improvements to be made, then I will make them in due course.

What inspired you to enter the trade of graphic art design?

“A lot of it is down to Sunderland. I left town when I was 18 and you know that’s a long time ago, I mean I’m 44 now and have lived all over the world since then, in varying degrees of wealth. I had a rough time in my 20s and my 30s were… a strange time as well and you know now I’m doing quite well and every period of my life seems in quite high contrast with the time that immediately proceeds it but the thing that I think is really important when talking about where my inspiration comes from, a lot of the time it is Sunderland itself and it was a real privilege to be asked back by Sunderland City Council to come and do the most recent project. I never thought of myself really coming back home for anything you know I was actually in Japan and got a phone call. I was actually taking a Jacuzzi and my friend came in with the phone saying “I’ve got Sunderland on” and that was it. Next thing you know, I’m on the flight back to Sunderland, on my way to the civic centre. Haven’t even seen the place for a good 30 years and all of a sudden I’m back there talking about this project and you know, Bob’s your uncle.”

Has the fact that you were born and raised in Sunderland helped and inspired you to create such a successful portfolio?

“Well I don’t think the success that I’ve had can only be down to Sunderland, but in all the work I do, Sunderland is there. The bridge piece which you are using for this issue, you know, that’s me, me when I was younger, that’s what I remember. You know walking across the bridge with my dad to Roker Park, I mean I’m not the biggest football fan but that was just the done thing and it still is you know, a lot of people still do that. It’s engrained in our culture. In almost all of the work I do, especially the most famous piece that I did for DKNY called ‘Mud’, but when I put it together you know I mixed together actual mud, some blood and a few other different fluids and as bizarre as that may seem, the whole time I was doing it, I was looking out of my apartment in Manhattan’s skyline, but in my head, all I could think of was Sunderland.

What is your main methodology for creating your products, is there any particular programmes that you prefer to use?

“Ahh that actual technical stuff? Believe it or not, I’ve never really become that involved with all that. I mean I know my way around a computer but my methodology still involves paints and pencils with a canvas. You know, sometimes I will just sit for a long time and just think ‘what am I after here?’, ‘what am I trying to achieve here?’ and then I see it. I see what I’m going to do, then that’s when I know what I’m going to need to use to put it together. Occasionally I might use programmes like Photoshop, the Adobe packages InDesign, Illustrate, if I need something that I can’t create with hands-on materials. My first instincts always to go with something that I can feel, something tangible. But you know software is amazing these days and those programmes and others enable artists that we wouldn’t be able to do otherwise.”

Would you consider yourself to have a linear approach to your work?

“No not really, I think my work is actually very non-linear. I always try to approach each of my projects in completely different ways. The work I’ve done in Sunderland is quite simplistic, quite traditional, but when you compare that with something like Mud, if you look at that, at first you’d just think you were looking at some kind of accident but obviously once you get into it, you know that there is more to it. But the Sunderland stuff, well it is pretty straight forward, but I didn’t want to approach it in the same way. It’s like I say, when I start working on a project, I just like to see what direction my mind takes me in. But I still maintain that a lot of that comes down to being brought up in Sunderland. This is a place where life, certainly in the past, is a bit different to the way it is in other towns and cities within the UK, not always in a good way. But yeah I feel like my work is certainly inspired and entangled in the place I was brought up in which happens to be Sunderland.”

Why is it that you find graphic art such a successful method for capturing the mood of Sunderland?

“I fall into the category of graphic art because of my earlier work really. Some of the stuff I’ve done more recently, could you call it graphic art? I don’t know really. I still tend to use a lot of shapes. I think a lot of that is down to growing up in the 70s and 80s with all the computer technology, I was pretty fascinated with it when I was growing up, despite the fact I tend not to use it with my current work. But back then it was all shapes and angles. Things were very defined and I think that was what inspired a lot of my work and caused some of the earlier work I did such as ‘Wood in the Shape of Carvings’ and ‘B Flat Major’. They were very angular and the graphics were a big part of that. I think it’s just the route I’ve gone down. If I’d been born in a different time or a different place maybe I might not have used graphics so much in my art. I tend to think of myself as just an artist, but you know, others choose to put is in the realm of graphic art and who am I to complain? I’ve done alright out of it!”

Have you ever found yourself hitting creative blocks?

“Every project for me starts with a creative block and it’s not something that I’d like to sound smug about, but a block is a positive for me. You know at the beginning of each project, I sort of immerse myself in that nothingness and it doesn’t bother me. I’m lucky because I’ve managed to turn my art into my profession and this might not be as easy for somebody who is creating artwork in their spare time outside of a busy job. But I’ve got the luxury of staring at the canvas, sometimes for days, literally weeks, I can do nothing. People think I’m crazy, then out of nowhere it just comes and I see it, it’s there. You know I live in Shoreditch now and it’s a really creative place and I know it gets its flack for the hipsters and all that but when you’re there you know you go out in the street and you’ve got people riding unicycles and someone’s always there with a friendly face, every day. You know I love it! It’s a great community of creative people down there and you walk amongst those kind of folk and sometimes that helps to overcome any blocks you’ve got. But overall I’d say to anyone aspiring to go into the field I’m in ‘don’t be too down if it takes a while to overcome these blocks, sometimes they can be a positive’.”

Action Plan for Product

Organisation of Models

In order to ensure my photo shoot went according to plan, I needed to send some email to my models so that they knew exactly what they would be doing during the photo shoot and what time I would need to meet them etc;

Colour Scheme Post