LO4: Version Controls [✓]

COVER PAGE

This is the first version of my magazine. I stuck to the house style that I decided withing my proposal and created a mast head as well as choosing the main cover image which I thought was the most appropriate for a front cover due to the conventions that it had within it. This is something that I edited before placing onto my Photoshop magazine document. I also created a graphic which was in the shape of a record as I thought this fit into the genre of a music magazine and also plugs are a convention of all magazines. I also created

I decided that I was unhappy with the use of orange as my house style however I decided to change the orange to green and see whether it looked any better. I liked the way that this looked and believed that it fit in with the indie genre of my magazine. Personally I have never seen a magazine with this as their housestyle colour so I felt as though it would stand out against any other music magazine. I also changed my mast head to something more simple which I believed stood out better.

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colour as I felt that it did not stand out very well, especially against that image that I had chosen as my main cover image. I considered changing the image









I decided to used a different image as my main cover image as I felt like this one showed more of a direct gaze to the readers so therefore would entise people to read it. I edited this image so it had more of a green colour to it to reflect my house style colours. I also added a smaller image as I believed that this added more points of interest to the front cover. It is also a convention which can be seen on the front of many other music magazines. This image was anchored with text which is where I decided to add the addition of purple to my housestyle colours as I thought that it complimented the green perfectly. I made changes to my plug graphic to make it firt in with the new house style colours, this is something I also did with my coverlines. I changed the way that my main coverline looked so that it would stand out more and fit the music genre of my magazine better.

I edited the main coverline as I felt that the colour I used on the previous version was too bright so I chose to make it more similat to the colour of my masthead. I also added a quote from the feature article as this was a convention of many other magazines and I believed that this would draw readers in, especially due to the quote that I chose as this was very engaging. People would want to read the article to find out what this quote is about.

I made a few changes to this version by adding more coverlines, still in the same style as the original one. I edited the original one by wording it differently and changing the colour to match my masthead more. I also moved my artists name to below the main coverline to see what this would look like. I moved many of my graphics around to see where things fit best also editing the text that is on my plug.

I looked at other magazines and realised that the convention was to have the artists name above the main cover line so I moved this back to where it was before. I also shortened some of the text and I felt like there were too many words so it didn't grab the readers attention as much as I would like it to.  I re edited the main cover image to make it black and white as I wanted to see whether this made the text and graphics on the front of my magazine more eye catching. I really liked the way this looked however It made me realise how much green was on the cover so I decided to add more purple as this was another one of my house style colours. Also I changed the wording to make some of my coverlines more coherent. Much of these changes were based on the client feedback I got from Sheffield Publishing House.






I decided that my masthead did not have enought of a strong connotation to music so I looked through other mastheads that I had created and found one that I had originally made. I placed this on the front of my magazine to see whether it was a better alternative and liked the way it looked so I decided to use this once instead. Also I changed the way that my artist name was written, changing the text from white to dark green to connote neon lights, like those which you woukd see at a music venue.

I did not make many adjustments to this version of my magazine except for changing the masthead as this was one I made when my housestyle colours were orange. Therefore I changed the colours to green and also moved where the issue number was positioned on the front of my magazine.













This is the final version of my magazine, I was happy with the large majority of my magazine at this stage however I decided to make an adjustment to the masthead as I believed that the banners behind the words made it look less professional so I decided to change this to make the black outline the text of "Off Beat". I also changed the way which the artist's name was written as I believed that this was a bit boring just being in a banner and did not stand out against the other coverlines. After these changes, I was completely happy with my magazine and decided that this was going to be the final product of my cover page.









CONTENTS PAGE

This is the first version of my contents page. I created a graphic for my contents page on Photoshop and inserted this into InDesign as a way to continue the branding within my magazine but also show that it is the contents page. The symbol that is in my masthead is that which is on the contents page. I also added banners with text in them. I used my visualisation diagram to start laying out my contents page, however, I did move things around depending on what I thought looked best. I added in an image of my model which I edited on Photoshop and then added two boxes underneath with text and titles. I created a large purple box at the bottom for my reviews section and added an image of The Sundowns playing live music as this links to what the review section is about.





I made adjustments to this version of my contents page by adding in some other banners with text to split up the different articles within my magazines so that it is easy for the readers to find what they are interested in and want to read. I also added in page numbers in green so that they stand out as well as adding an image of the Leadmill next to the live section. This is because it is a live music venue so therefore links to my magazine. I changed the box in my review section to grey as I felt like the purple was too dark and stood out too much whereas the grey still stands out but isn't too intense.









I added different graphics and plugs to this page. The plugs are circles which have text within them that contain information such as page numbers. The other graphics that I added were arrows to show what images or page numbers certain parts of my magazine linked to. When creating my contents page, I wanted it to be easy for the readers to use.














This is the final version of my contents page, I added the actual text which gave each article a name and also had a line underneath to describe what each article was about. Other than that I was happy with the rest of my contents page and believed that it was easy to look at and also was aesthetically pleasing.

 DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD 

This is the first version of my double page spread. I started by editing the image in Photoshop and then transfering this image over to InDesign. I created some grey columns for my text to sit on top of and then a large drop capital as this was something I saw in many indie music magazines, especially Q magazine.

I changed the drop capital to an "S" as this was the letter that my article starts with. I also inserted the body copy into the columns and played around with sizing as well as bold text.

This is the final version of my double page spread. I changed the size of the column boxes and added all of my article to the spread. Then I experimented with sizing so that the text fit the whole page.

This is the folder which I used in order to organise all of the different versions of my magazine. The folder is named "version controls" so that I stayed organised throughout the creating of the different pages of my magazine. The front page of my magazine I created on Adobe Photoshop and I named this "Off Beat V...". With each change to the magazine I made, I changed the number meaning that you can see the progression in the creation of the magazine. I also did this as it meant that if I changed something and didn't like it, I could go back to the version before. Also if for any reason anything happened to the version of the magazine I was working on, I would not completely loose all my work.

LO4: Evidence of editing [✓]

I used the text tool in Adobe Photoshop to create the text on the cover page of my magazine then I added effects to my text like stroke. I used dafont to find the fonts to use throughout my magazine as these are free with a good selection which are also royalty free. There is a range of fonts used which fit into the house style.

I created graphics on the cover of my magazine using the shaped tool which is in Photoshop. This was used for not just the record graphic which was created from many different layers and shaped but also for the cover lines as I added a white or black rectangle.

The main image was edited on Photoshop where I made it black and white as I felt like this stood out. The effect also made the image seem moody and fit the genre of my magazine.

The additional image on the front cover was edited in Adobe Lightroom where I boosted the shadows and calibrated the colour balance to make the image fit more with my house style colours. When placing this on the magazine I added a white rectangle behind and also anchored text to it.

Whilst editing I moved around many of the different feature on my magazine until I felt the layout was right, this ranged from drastic changes to tiny adjustments.

LO3: Following codes and conventions [✓]

LO3: Setting up Adobe InDesign CS6 [✓]

This is a video to how I set up my Adobe InDesign CS6 document. I am going to use in design to create both my contents and double page spreat. The video also justifies why I chose the measurements that I did which were based on not just my proposal but other magazines that I have taken inspiration from such as "Q Magazine".

LO3: Setting up Adobe Photoshop CS6 [✓]

Here is how I set up my Adobe Photoshop CS6 document in order to create the cover page of my magazine. I made my magazine A4 as this is the size of "Q Magazine" and many other indie music magazines. I considered making my magazine A5 as many local magazines such as "Exposed" are a smaller size which means that they are easier to transport however I decided that my magazine would be better being a larger size due to the conventions of most indie music magazine as well as where I am wanting it to be distributed.

LO3: Body copy for articles [✓]

This is the body copy of the feature article which is going to on my double page spread in "Off Beat" magazine. I have looked at many other indie music magazines, especially Q magazine. I used this along with my interview and my own writing style to aid the creation of an engaging article about Regan Jones and The Sundowns band. 

Sheffield. A place where some of the most successful artists such as Milburn and Arctic Monkeys have been born and bred. The city is still thriving, growing new talent everyday, more so than ever before. The newest of talent being The Sundowns, who are only half a year old. The dropping of their first EP, signals the start of something big for the Sheffield based indie alternate rock band. The band is a four piece with members Regan Jones, Ethan Halligan, Frankie Costello and Jake Miller. We managed to catch up with the lead singer himself, Regan Jones. 

After performing at Sheffield’s very own O2 Academy, Regan Jones sat down and chatted with us over a pint, “I’d probably say that you'd most likely find me in the pub with my mates in my spare time. I love getting stuck into a game of footy though too.”. However it is quite obvious that music is always on Regan’s mind, even during his downtime, with one of the bands oldest hits being “Jumpers for Goalposts’. The Sundowns have many original songs with Jones being the mastermind behind the lyrics, “I just get a line and work with it” he comments, “I find the best way to get inspiration for a song is just taking things that are important to me or that stand out.”. We can see that the ideas behind the lyrics for “Jumpers for Goalposts” are heavily inspired by his passion for football, “the song is just mainly a reflection on my own personal childhood memories, but I feel like many lads my age could relate.”. The thing that sets the music of The Sundowns apart from the rest is that their lyrics really are relatable for so many different people, yet still manage to be different from the clique music we listen to today. 

Music has always been a lifelong ambition of Jones’, “Ive been influenced by many different artists, The Stone Roses, Morrissey, Little man Tate and Milburn to name a few. Liam Fray has always been my biggest influence however, seeing him was what made me decided that music was something I really wanted to be involved with”. From a young age Jones has been involved in music, with his nan being a big influence on him. “When it comes to music I am mainly self-taught, however growing up my nan did teach me how to play the piano, I think this has had a big impact on what I am doing now”. 

Before The Sundowns were around, Jones was a solo artist. With the band only forming a short while ago, we wondered how it came about and Jones has the story to tell. “I was just sat on a tram on my way to town when I saw this guy. Ethan. He had a Gretsch guitar and looked cool. So I took his name , messaged him and then The Sundowns was born”. The creation of the band seems to have had a very positive impact on all the boys lives, with it sparking up a friendship that will last a lifetime. 

“Back on the grind”, not only an example of Jones clever way with words but a phrase that describes The Sundowns perfectly.“I feel the proudest when I’m up there on that stage and people are our singing back the lyrics to us. The feeling is surreal along with the support.” After only just releasing their first EP, The Sundowns were back in the studio doing what they do best. ”Our following is what motivates us the most” was what Regan commented when I asked him why they were creating new tunes so soon. Having been given the honour to listen to a preview of one of their new original hits, I can honestly say that the band just keeps getting better and better, “even bigger things are to come”.

When Jones was asked to describe what people should expect from their gigs, the words he used were “carnage, electricity and a big do” and he wasn’t wrong. Having been lucky enough to have attended the bands O2 performance I can confirm that the amazing music I heard having first listened to the bands EP on Spotify was more than topped due to not only the brilliant music but the atmosphere that they created. Having experienced this first hand I can honestly say that The Sundowns are not one to miss. Get yourselves down to there up and coming gig headlining Cafe Totem on the December 8th and experience Sheffield’s next big thing for yourself. 

LO3: Creating production materials