Final Magazine

Front Cover

Contents Page

Double Page Spread

GOOGLE DRIVE LINK: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v0gKQwQEt7GuFXKrYI6L8D4nbUT8bwg-/view?usp=drive_link

Critical Self Reflection 4

  This part of my blog will detail my critical self reflection 4

CCR4

Critical Self Reflection 3

  This part of my blog will detail my critical self reflection 3

Add a heading

Critical Self Reflection 2

  This part of my blog will detail my critical self reflection 2

Script: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uKOWEorrr-JJ3w0XdbLmUAy5md1nvBteOc6VjquZQDk/edit?usp=sharing

Critical Self Reflection 1

 This part of my blog will detail my critical self reflection 1

Photo Editing Process

 This section of my blog will discuss the editing process of my magazine

Editing Research

I have never really done much editing before and I am generally unfamiliar with the process and program I am using so I looked at this tutorial to learn how I can edit

After watching this video, I understood how to navigate the program and how I could use the tools to create my desired photos

Photo Development

Front Cover

I started by simply making the image black and white using a filter. I wanted a black and white image as it made it appear more retro which is a convention of my genre according to my research as it connotes mystery. Black & white images also makes the image appear older which connotes history and links it with my main feature article

I then applied these changes to make the image contrast better

I also used the app's portrait features

I then made the outer brightness darker to create a light vignette effect which adds to the retro style as this effect is most often seen in old films and photos

I added a grain effect which also further contributes to the retro style as grainy images resemble how old films and photos look like

I then switched to using Ibis Paint X as it had a lot of filters I felt I could use and I intended to use it for creating my front cover. I added the border as it was an aspect of my front cover and I wanted to see how the changes would looks against the colour and style I was going for in my front cover. I changed the brightness and contrast accordingly to what I felt complimented the style better

Lastly, I added a posterize effect which made it appear a bit more cartoon-like. This was added because illustrations were a convention of paranormal magazines. It also made it appear more lighthearted and less serious which helped with the diversion uses & gratification

Contents Page

I started by tuning the image to make it pop out more. I made the image colder as blue tones connote mystery 

I also used the select tool to make certain aspects of the image brighter which helped balance it and make it appear more visible

Reflection:

• I'm not familiar with image editing so I often worry if my edits came off as 'too much' or weren't as effective as I thought they were but Snapseed's feature that allows you to directly compare the original and edited image helped me understand what has changed and whether my changes were helping or not
• I've gained a lot of editing skills through this. I now understand how certain effects in the editing may impact an image as a whole and how I can use it to create meaning

Audience Feedback

 This part of my blog will detail my audience feedback

After creating the very first draft of my magazine, I asked others for feedback on my magazine in order to improve it

What the audience liked:

• Masthead
• Main cover image
• Colour
• Subheadings in article
• Font

Changes to be made based on feedback:

• Add more magazine elements
• Content page colour palette

Suggested website features:

• Gallery (for images)
• Forum
• Quizzes

Reflection:

• I found asking people for feedback really helpful as they provided me with a fresh new perspective which allowed me to understand what worked for my audience and what needed improvement

Colour Theory Research

This section of my blog will consist of my colour theory research. This was originally a part of my blog titled 'Front Cover Development' created on the same date on 6th September. I've decided to move it to a new post entirely as I believe this research can be applied beyond just the front cover 

Colour theory is the idea that colours can be used together to not only create an effective and visually appealing design, but to communicate ideas through the usage of colours. Colour theory is an essential part of design that helps media producers visually communicate to their audience. Although I have a pretty good understanding of colour theory, I believe it would be helpful for me to learn more as well as revise my knowledge

I used these articles for my research:

• Color Theory
  
• Color Psychology: Does It Affect How You Feel?
  

Definitions:

• Hue refers to the attribute of a colour that distinguishes a colour as a colour on the colour wheel
• Value refers to how light or dark a colour is which helps create contrast and depth in a design
• Saturation refers to the intensity of a certain colour which can range from saturated (vibrant) to desaturated (dull)

Colour Schemes

Colour schemes are combinations of colours. In design, colour schemes can be use to create an effective colour harmony. 

Types of Colour Schemes:

• Monochromatic colour schemes are colour schemes that feature a single hue in different shades/tins, values and saturations. Using this type of colour scheme creates a feeling of minimalism
• Analogous colour schemes use colours that are next to each other on the colour wheel. For example, a colour scheme that features, pink, orange and red. This creates a soothing design
• Complementary colour schemes use colours on opposite sides of the colour wheel. For example, a colour scheme that features red and blue. Colour schemes like this are an effective tool for creating attention grabbing contrast which is why it's often used in media products for marketing (such as logos or adverts)
• Triadic colour schemes feature colours that are placed equidistantly from each other on the colour wheel, forming a triangle. For example, a colour scheme that features green, orange and blue. Colour schemes like this usually create a fun and playful effect
• Neutral colour schemes are colour schemes that rely on achromatic hues (black, white, grey) and neutral colours (desaturated colours, most often brown, beige and tan). This can make a calm, earthy and minimal feel

Colour Psychology

Colour psychology is the research into how people associate different colours with different things. In a visual media, this can help imply meanings to audiences by creating subconscious connections.

Warm Tones

Warm tones are typically associated with physically warmer things (like fire) and also emotionally warmer things (like joy or love). However, more specific colours can connotate more specific things. Most common associations include

• Red: Love, passion, anger and danger
• Orange: Courage, energy and immaturity
• Yellow: Joy, optimism and illness
• Pink: Femininity, romance and affection

Cool Tones

On the other hand, cool tones are associated with physically colder things (like ice) and emotionally colder things (like sadness or loneliness). More specific colours can also connotate more specific things including:

• Green: Health, nature, money and envy
• Blue: Trust, freedom and sadness
• Purple: Nobility, wealth and fear

Reflection:

• Truthfully, doing research into a topic I already know felt pointless but when conducting this research I realised that there were a few elements of colour theory that I had forgotten about such as specific terminology. In the end, it was useful as this revision helped me refresh my knowledge and better apply it to my magazine. I also was reminded of the terminology I can use when discussing colours

Typography Research

This section of my blog will consist of my typography research. This was originally a part of my blog titled 'Front Cover Development' created on the same date on 6th September. I've decided to move it to a new post entirely as I believe this research can be applied beyond just the front cover

Typography is essential in any media product that consists of text as it contributes to effectiveness meaning can be communicated to an audience. Not only does it make information easier to read, it also helps catch an audience's attention through design. I have very limited typography knowledge so to combat this and ensure that my magazine effectively resonates with my audience, I did some basic typography research.

I used these articles:

• Typography Tutorial for Beginners: Everything You Need to Learn Typography Basics
• The Ultimate Guide to Typography Basics
  

Here are the key points of what I learned summarised:

Definitions:

• Typography is a component of design that refers to the art of arranging letters based on composition and style to create a cohesive and appealing display.
• A typeface is a stylized collection of letters. Each typeface can communicate different connotations (for example, serif fonts are often used in paperwork as they are associated with formality)
• A baseline refers to the invisible line that a text is placed on
• A cap height refers to the height of a typeface's capital letters measured from the baseline
• Weight refers to the line thickness of a font. Typefaces usually come in 4 to 6 different weights, from light, regular, medium and bold.

Typefaces mainly come in these types:

• Serif fonts are fonts with little shapes that appear at the beginning or end of each stroke on a letter. Well known examples include, Times New Roman and EB Garamond. Up until the 19th century, books and pamphlets were only ever written in serif fonts thus creating the psychological association with formality.  It communicates stability, intellect and authority.
• 'Sans' is the French word for 'without' so, sans serif fonts are fonts without the little shapes on serif fonts. Examples of sans serif fonts include, Arial and Helvetica. Sans serif fonts were invented in the 19th century but only become popular in the 20th century as a part of the modernist movement. Culturally, sans serif fonts represent a break from tradition and have created the psychological association with progress and modernity. These make them excellent for creating bold and innovative typography.
• Handwriting or script fonts are unconventional fonts that mimic natural handwriting. Examples include, Indie Flower and Dancing Script. Fonts mimicking calligraphy usually invoke a sense of sophistication and luxury while fonts that mimic regular handwriting are more informal and invoke a sense of creativity and youth
• Display fonts are fonts that are typically only suitable for large point sizes and mostly used for its stylization to make a design look more eye-catching. Examples include Lobster and Silkscreen. Different display fonts could mean different connotations but generally, as they are used to catch an audience's attention, they are created to stand out meaning they can make a design appear more exciting and interesting while creating a sense of individuality.

Hierarchy of Type

My teacher advised me to look into the hierarchy of type which was a way to guide the audience to the information you wanted them to see using typography.

I used this video to help me gain a quick understanding of it

Previously, I hadn't heard of this. After watching this video, I better understood how I could create effective audience engagement by guiding their eye towards the information I want them to see and the order I want them to see this in. I can do this by making more important text larger or in a different colour which makes certain text appear more prominent

Reflection:

• As I previously had very little experience in typography, this research helped me a lot by allowing me to gain an understanding how typography elements can contribute to creating an effective typography. It allowed me to create a visually appealing and readable design

Research: Audience

This part of my blog will detail my research into the potential audience for my product

I created a survey to better my audience and how I can appeal to them. This survey included basic questions such as age, gender and whether they liked reading magazines. It also includes some more specific questions such as articles they would be interested in reading or what magazine name they liked best.

As I wanted an international audience, I tried to share with as many people as possible. I shared this with friends and on social media (Instagram, Tumblr etc.) while encouraging them to share too which ensured that I could reach people from different parts of the world

Here are some of the significant results:

A lot of the results had affirmed my assumptions such as my audience being of mixed genders and mostly being of a similar age to me, however, there are some results I had not expected and will affect the direction I plan to take with my magazine

1

I had expected most people to be interested in ghost hunting/exorcism as most popular horror media seem to be about that topic. However, 35% of my audience seems to enjoy cryptozoology most which I believe is a good thing as, not only am I most passionate in it, it serves one of my product's purpose to discuss paranormal beliefs from different cultures and I think this would be a good opportunity for that since it would let me discuss cryptids from different various different cultures. I think the most popular options here could be used as inspiration of what I could include in my skyline

2

Initially I wanted a shorter name like 'Mystic' and felt as though the longer names weren't very good but according to the results, over 50% of my audience prefer the name "Timely Terrors" which I will now use for my magazine as it seems to attract audiences best

3

This result was really unexpected for me as I thought people would be less interested to hear about other paranormal themed media. I intended this question to help determine which article I should write, however, I feel like the results of this question may be biased due to the fact that I am active in the Magnus Archives fandom on my social medias so, because of this, I will write the second most popular article instead. I will use it as one of my main cover lines on the front cover though as I don't want to ignore the results. The other popular results will also be featured as cover lines too as, according to the results, they attract the most audiences.

Other responses:

This question has provided a lot of insight on why audiences consume paranormal-related media. Most often people said it was for the thrill, fascination or simply just for fun but this response sticks out to me as, unlike most people, they focus on the storytelling aspect rather than the factuality of it. I find this to be an interesting approach I could potentially apply to my content

Reflection:

• I was actually pretty excited to do the audience research as I wanted to know how my audience would feel about my product. I was curious to what people found fascinating in niche genres like mine. It ended up really useful as it helped me decide what I could do to appeal to my audience. I understood what content they wanted to see and that my magazine would be mainly used for the uses and gratification of surveillance and diversion. I then used their responses to curate the magazine that would satisfy my audience by including the content they wanted to see (History of Ghost Hunting, Fiction Spotlight etc.) and making my magazine more informative while maintaining a lighthearted feel

Industry Research

 This part of my blog post will detail my research into the magazine industry

I think it's essential to understand the industry of the media text I am creating as a producer as it would help me better understand how magazines such as mine would be produced, distributed and marketed if it were a real product. So, I've decided to research more into different publishers in the magazine industry.

Hearst Magazines

Hearst Magazines
Founded	1887
Audience	According to their website, Hearst Magazine’s audience consist of:   -          195 million print readers worldwide -          61% of US millennials (28-43 yr olds) -          71% of US adult women
Circulation Figures	20 million magazines/yr
Most Popular Magazine	Good Housekeeping

 Hearst Magazines is one of the biggest magazine publishers worldwide with over 195 million print readers internationally. I decided to research it to gain an understanding of what large magazine publishers in the industry are like. 

Diamond Publishing

Diamond Publishing (Metropolis International Group)
Founded	2002
Audience	I struggled to find concrete data of their intended audiences, however, based on their publications, it can be assumed that their audience consists of: -          British people -          Older audiences -          People interested in pop-culture
Circulation Figures	3.5 million magazines/yr
Most Popular Magazine	Fortean Times, Viz

Throughout this project, I've learned that paranormal is a very niche genre in magazines. When researching paranormal magazines, one of the magazines I would most often come across is Fortean TImes. To better understand publishers that work with more niche products, I thought it would be a good idea to research their publisher, Diamond Publishing. 

I noticed that looking for information on this publisher was significantly more difficult compared to when researching a more well-known publisher. Perhaps this is because they publish magazines in more niche genres (music, paranormal, cycling, comics) rather than genres that would more effectively appease the general market such as with Hearst magazines (fashion, home, health). I find this an interesting comparison as it helped me better understand the demand of the genres in the magazine market

Conclusion

From my research into the magazine industry, I better understand the behaviour of audiences who consume this sort of media. If my magazine were a real publication, it may not grow to be very popular but I find an opportunity in this. Niche markets often gather more loyal audiences as there are not much competitors so this would reduce the risk of my magazine failing as a product. Releasing a new media product to a general market can prove to be risky as the amount of competitors would act as a barrier to entry. If my genre was more general, I would have to think about what I could do to set my product apart from competitors which introduces more risks. Rather, I find it more valuable to be more sure of the long-term continuity of my product than being exposed to an 'easier' market with far more risks

Double Page Spread Research + Development

 This part of my blog will detail my research and development for my double page spread

Research

I struggled to find double page spreads of magazines that fit my genre so my double page spread research will consist of magazines in similar genres

Fortean Times

Before Reading
Issue:	#420 July 2022
Publisher:	Diamond Publishing
Genre:	Esoteric, paranormal, occult
Images:	3 images are on the top right corner of the spread, these images are related to the other articles on the magazine and show the viewer where each article can be found. 3 other images lay on the left of the magazine, these pictures seem to be archival images of the strange weather phenomenon that the article is reporting on which gives the reader context into what happened during the phenomenon, making it feel more real. On top of the left page is an illustration of a man holding an umbrella as fish (and some frogs) pour from the sky. This is to highlight the magazine’s feature article and connects it with the image of raining fish on the front cover. Blue is used to again create the association with weather as we associate rain/cloudy weather with dull blues. The weather phenomenon is odd yet the man looks undisturbed, this gives the illustration an almost dream-like quality which fits into the surreal themes of the magazine. On the left is an image of fireball-like objects falling from the sky. The image looks to be an archival image which again gives the viewer some context into what happened on the day which makes the magazine feels more immersive. The magazine features a lot of images scattered about which make it feel sort of messier and overloads the reader with visual information of weird weather phenomenon which makes the magazine feel more surreal
Layout	The magazine is packed with information featuring many different columns that each contain a different weather phenomenon. The magazine’s layout feels tight and it overloads the viewer with all this weird weather phenomenon which stimulates the viewer’s curiosity and allows the reader to easily binge read all its contents
First impressions:	I really like this spread as it feels very surreal to me which I find suits the paranormal genre. However, it also feels cluttered which, although may serve the magazine’s intention of fitting a lot of information well, it personally makes it feel a bit overwhelming for me
After Reading
Heading:	“STRANGE DAYS”
Subheading:	“LOOK OUT BELOW!”
Author:	The spread mentions no author and no photographer
Article:	The article contains short reports on various weird weather phenomena. These phenomena are reported scientifically and factually, perhaps the message is that these weird weather phenomenona have natural scientific messages
Mode of address:	The writing style is very formal and does not directly address the audience. However, the headings often feature less serious wording which might be to capture audience attention
Pull Quote:	There is one pull quote that says “Bryon Potter was surprised to be hit by a leech that fell from the sky.” This pull quote is coloured blue and enlarged which makes it stand out which might be to catch the attention of readers who are quickly flicking through the magazine so they would engage with the text. The quote is also effective at doing this as being hit by a leech from the sky is most likely an event that most people have not experienced or heard of therefore catching their intrigue
Audience:	Young people (aged 15-30) as younger people are often less mature and value fun, the magazine uses less serious wording that emphases the wild nature of these events. They don’t have any stereotypically feminine or masculine elements so they’re most likely appealing to all genders. This magazine targets people who find weirder topics more fascinating as this article discusses weird weather phenomena. They target these people by making emphasizing the weirdness of their articles through the headings and the images (such as the image of a man being rained on by fish).
Impression:	I found this article to be really fun as it was interesting to learn about topics you don’t hear about every day. I’ve never heard of these weather phenomena before so I find it fascinating. It was also really easy to read because the article is divided into sections and included many different topics which made it easier to digest
Inspiration:	I really like the usage of subheadings to divide the content as it made it simpler to read and understand so I intend to use it in my article as history is a topic that most people may find boring

National Geographic Secret Societies

Before Reading
Issue:	January 2020
Publisher:	Meredith Operations Corporation
Genre:	Historical, cults, theology, occult, esoteric
Images:	The main image of the double page spread features a low angle shot of a grandiose tomb. The low angle makes the tomb appear more powerful and features orange hues which is associated with gold therefore making it appear even more grandiose. The small damages signify age but the tomb still overall looks uncorroded which makes it appear even more powerful It features another smaller image of a mask. This mask is also gold which again connotates grandiosity. The article is about ancient times and we associate this with fancy grandiose architecture and colours such as white and gold which is frequent throughout the magazine. We also associate ancient history with time so the more corroded the building, the more we make the connection with old age
Layout	The layout features a lot of negative space on around the text which gives it a more spacious feeling, this makes the text less intimidating for the audience and easier to read. Perhaps this is because audience often think of history as boring so the text is made more digestible for the reader’s enjoyment.
First impressions:	I think the grandiosity emitted by the spread makes it appear more vintage which I personally like a lot and I think it also does an effective job of pulling the audience in as it made it makes you feel as if your learning about something great and ancient
After Reading
Heading:	ANCIENT TIMES
Subheading:	“A YEARNING FOR DEEPER SPIRITUALITY INSPIRES OCCULT AND ESOTERIC MOVEMENTS”
Author:	The spread features no byline and mentions no photographer but tells the reader what the images are supposed to be on the bottom of the second page
Article:	It tells the audience that even in ancient times, we have always yearned for spirituality. Spiritual beliefs are said to reflect human desire. Perhaps this magazine is telling us that spirituality mainly stems from stories told out of human desire rather than evidence. It then tells us that spirituality is associated with the elite (which could be the reason the magazine is designed to feel fancy), causing other loyal believers to form their own secret societies out of dissatisfaction. Stereotypically, secret societies are often portrayed negatively but here the article mentions that it is instead regular people who have grown dissatisfied with how spiritual systems benefits only those in power and for desire of exclusivity
Mode of address:	Formal and serious. I feel this suits the magazine best as it is a historical magazine that focuses on facts
Pull Quote:	No pull quotes
Audience:	Young people (perhaps 16-25) who enjoy history, theology and/or the occult. I suggest it’s younger people as the language used is simple and made easily digestible for the audience and as the magazine discusses topics about spirituality, secret societies and cults in history, it can be assumed that people into these topics are the target audience. They try to attract these readers pretty directly and upfrontly through images that depict objects related to spirituality and history as well as the typeface they use to create a sort of grand ancient feeling
Impression:	History is not my biggest interest so it was natural that I found it a little boring. However, I find it easy to read regardless and I find the way they discuss spirituality and secret societies to be an interesting perspective to think about. I find that media that divert from stereotypes and offer a new perspective to be worth thinking about
Inspiration:	Since my target audience is of the same age and my article will be related to history too, I will keep in mind that I should keep information digestible for them and easy to read. I also found it interesting that they were able to offer me a new perspective so I will consider how I might be able to do that with my audience as well

Development

I started by brainstorming some double page spread ideas through sketching

I struggled to select which layout to pick however I went with the second one on the left as I felt like the way the columns were structured would fit a historical article best

I then went on Canva to create the layout for my double page spread

These were my very first double page spreads. I struggled with selecting whether black or white fit best so I asked my teacher for feedback

He suggested that me to change the green of the banner and made the white one more off-white. He also suggested some layout changes to my magazine to help it match the magazine standards better (drop cap, captions, pullout)

I asked my a few friends for feedback on which of the colours suited better and everyone was pretty divided on whether they think black or white was better which left the decision up to me. I decided to go with black as black being a main colour matched my house style. That way it wouldn't feel out of place with the front cover and contents page.

A friend then suggested using lace to decorate the pages as lace is associated with the Victorian era (which is discussed in my article) therefore connoting history. I experimented with her suggestion to see if fit

I felt like using a lacey boxout would fit best as wasn't as obstructive which was what I ended up going with.

As I struggled with deciding the layout, I did a lot of experimentation to see which would fit best.

In the end I decided to go with this one. I felt this was best as the pull quote, lace boxout and large image was best to catch the attention of audiences who were quickly flipping through the pages. That way I could keep audience engagement.

Reflection:

• Out of all the pages, the double page spread was what I struggled with most. I ended up needing to ask for a lot of feedback from my teacher and opinions from my audience. I spent a lot of time on it but through this I was able to create something that felt satisfactory