Time Management - Part 2

I have completed everything on time from my previous time management post so I have now created a new time management post which will last up until October half term when all my planning and research should be complete. The time management posts below are everything left of my planning and research that I need to complete,once these are complete I will have finished my research and planning.

Note: My last time management post can be found HERE

Deconstruction 3 - Rolling Stone Website

This national magazine website has haloed me notice which conventions are regional and which are national. I love the layout of this website, specifically the way the masthead is centralized at the top of the homepage and how the navigation bar follows along the bottom. I also love how hovering over the navigation bar gives a drop box which allows for more stories following that header e.g Interviews would be filled with latest interviews and a hyperlink would allow readers to look at more interviews, I would love to incorporate something like this when creating my website but I believe this may be a challenge. I like how there is fixed features on the page such as the navigation bar and the breaking news column along the side of the page, these are also something I wish to incorporate when creating my website.
I love the minimal use of fonts so readers can establish what is important to read and what is not, this is something I will also add into my website.
Another feature I will incorporate is the use of hovering over an image to give a different effect followed by some text allowing readers to click on it taking them to another page. I will incorporate this as I feel it's unique and looks professional. I also like the search bar along the footer of the page so that the search bar is always present again creating easy navigation but it also looks good and gives the footer a little something extra use to it, I will utilise this feature in my website.

Deconstruction 2 - The Crack Website

Following the Crack website, I have realised that unconventional layouts tend to take place following regional magazine websites. Although I am not a big fan of the layout of this website I like how it has use of social media throughout which is something I will use when I create my magazine as it fits with my audience who would use social media (shown by my audience survey). I also like how the navigation and title banner is present on all pages of the website for easy navigation which is something I will add onto my website. I also like how the font is the same throughout the website which is also something I will incorporate when creating my website.

Deconstruction 1 - Drowned in Sound Website

This has influenced the creation of my website as it has enabled me to visualize the structure of a regional music magazine website. I will follow some of the conventions used in order to help my website look more professional. The things I will incorporate is the title and navigation bar across the top of the page and the information banner, I will also incorporate the image slider across the top of the page. I feel these are what have inspired me the most as they look professional and fit well with the genre of my magazine. I also like the monochrome colour scheme of the template followed by the pop of colour through the images. I will follow a monochrome theme but my images will also follow this, therefore I will challenge this convention. I like how images on the page always have an explanation following them so they aren't a dead end feature, this also enables easy navigation for readers. I will incorporate this feature also in my website.

Model Profile

I have created a model profile in preparation of taking my images. I have decided these are the people I will use for my magazine as they best fit the genre of my magazine and are all happy to model for me.

Deconstructions - Billboard

*The layout and audience for deconstruction 1 and 2 are the same as they both have a similar layout and the same audience and therefore didn't need changing. 


These billboards have influenced the creation of my billboard as it has shown me how to effectively layout the image and text, I will place the image over half of the billboard and place text on the other half. It has also shown me how much text is appropriate and how to attract my specific audience as the audience's for the billboard are the same as mine. The colour use has influenced my colour decision of black, white and red as it helps create a contrast and thus would stand out amongst any background it would be placed in.

Institution Logo

I have created my own institution logo to publish my magazine as part of the creation of my main task and ancillary tasks. I kept the logo very simple as my research shows other magazine institutions who also have simplistic logo's. They also tend to be named after the publisher for example Wenner PPC which is named after Jann Wenner who created Rolling Stone. I have used similar colours to that of which I want my magazine in order to fit with the magazine and the billboard etc. It also looks more professional rather than having something which was multicolored and childlike. 
Some examples of other institutions which look like mine are:

IPC MEDIA



TIME INC.

WENNER MEDIA

Time Management Update

*Note: Anything in green has been completed on time, anything in red has not yet been completed and therefore is behind schedule and anything in orange is in progress and should be completed on time. 

As shown by my time management post I am behind schedule for my Institution logo however I do intend to get this completed for later today. My magazine reconstructions and flat plan rationales were completed on time and my audience research etc should be done on time. I don't intend on letting anything else fall behind schedule as this has now increased my workload for this week to a dramatic amount so I will now try to stick to my schedule. 

Reconstruction: Double Page Spread

When recreating this I found some different conventions portrayed by Q magazine in comparison to my previous reconstructions which are from Rolling Stone magazine. 
This was quite a difficult page to reconstruct from the amount of text used and trying to get it the same size and font proved difficult along with the strange use of lines across the page.

The part I found most difficult when recreating this was the use of bokeh. As I don't have a camera able to reconstruct this I had to add it on myself on photoshop and photoshop wouldn't allow me to change the colour of it to blue in order to look similar to the original. Aslo the colours in the overall image were hard to recreate as there's a red and blue light which I wasn't able to recreate as I don't have a red or blue light. The overall quality of the image was also hard to capture.

When creating my magazine I will be sure to avoid Bokeh.

Reconstruction: Contents Page

Whilst doing this reconstruction I have learnt some new conventions within a contents page and how important the layout is to a reader. I found this page very simple to reconstruct as it's got a simple but effective layout.

The only difficulty I found when creating this page was trying to take a similar image. The fact the image was taken next to a window was hard as when I tried to recreate this image the natural light conflicted with the image and made it look darker. This is why I made the background white as I couldn't find a solution to this problem.
When creating my magazine I will try to avoid taking any images near a window.

Reconstruction: Front Cover

Whilst doing this reconstruction I have shown and therefore learnt the way the different conventions are used in not only regional music magazines but in national music magazines which I will remember to try to avoid when creating my regional magazine as not all of these conventions are used. When recreating this magazine I have learnt how important the different conventions are and the use of text, imagery, mise-en-scene, pose etc and how it effects the quality of the overall magazine. From this I now feel as though I can create a front cover similar to the original standard.

One thing I found difficult however was including a skyline. I didn't take the picture big enough to include one and therefore I couldn't include one. When taking my images for my final product I will keep this in mind and try to take a more fuller image if I decide to include a skyline.

Magazine Institution Research

Magazine institutions from rebecabrowne

What I have learnt:From researching these different magazine institutions I have learnt that different institutions can range in size depending on what they want to publish. This creates a competitive arena for magazine companies who need an institution to publish their magazines so I have took this into consideration when creating my institution logo.

Looking at other institution logo's I have realised that they are simple and professional, they also tend to avoid the overuse of colour and fonts so I will consider this when I create my magazine and I will try to make it look as professional as possible by adding a drop shadow in Photoshop and using simple colours such as Red, Grey and Black which also fits with my intial ideas of colour for my magazine.

What I would base my instituion on?
With the idea that I am creating a regional magazine I have decided to base my insitution on Wenner Media as they produce and distribute only one magazine which is Rolling Stone and it is named after the creator of Rolling Stone, Jann Wenner, which is why I intend to name my institution after me. I believe by starting with my own simple institution I can build it up to create a bigger company.

Time Management

I have created a time management post in order to make sure I stay on task and complete everything for my blog on time. This is a professional way to manage time which is why I have also included this. I will update my blog every week with whether I am on or off task and every 3 weeks I will include what else I plan for the next few weeks ahead.

Mobile Phone Blogger

I have downloaded the Blogger app onto my phone which will enable me to add posts to my blog freely whenever I feel inspired or see something of use

FLATPLAN: Billboard

Note: I created this flat plan in order to portray my ideas and it's also a professional way of communicating so I followed this idea.

Billboard Rationale:

Colour use: 
I will use minimal colour in my billboard as there isn't mush space for colour. I will follow the same colour theme from my magazine and website of black, white, grey and red. I believe these colours will be eye catching e.g the red and then the rest will compliment it nicely. I believe using too many colours on a billboard will be an eyesore and make it look unprofessional. Typically after researching billboards they tend to use very little colour which is why I have chosen only 3 neutral colours and one bright colour. 

Image use:
I will use only one main image for my billboard as this is typically seen in billboard advertisements. Also there is no point using lots of small images that won't be visible to people looking at it as billboards are up a height. This image will be taken as a medium shot or a close up depending on what looks better. My model will be wearing a simple leather jacket and I want to make the image black and white.

Text and font use:
I will follow on my text from the magazine and website however I only plan on using one - three words depending on what I want to write as I want the billboard to be specific and simple in order to gain the best billboard. I intend to use a red font colour in order to contrast and compliment the black and white image. I will also use a font similar if not better than Arial for any text near the image. 
Note: Font will also be used in the disclaimer but this will have nothing of importance to the image it's just a convention used in billboards which I wish to include to make it look professional.

Layout:
The layout is again very simplistic as billboards are very simplistic. I will have a simple image with text next to it. This will make the billboard easy to look at and avoid any un-aesthetically pleasing work. This billboard plan is shown in the Ultraviolence billboard with Lana Del Rey which is why I'll be confident in my layout as it has already been done before. 

The billboard I have mentioned above is below:

FLATPLAN: Website

Note: This is the flat plan for my website including the homepage and the two hyperlinked pages. I have created this as it is a professional way to put across my ideas and also so that I have an initial idea to refer back to once I start creating my final product. Throughout the production, I will be referring back to this flat plan and adding/changing my initial ideas.

Rationale
Colour usage: 
I will be following the house style colours from my magazine to my website and throughout my website the colours will be the same. I have chosen a fixed color palette of black, white, grey and red as I feel thee are very sophisticated colours and compliment each other very well. The Drowned In Sound website is my inspiration for this flat plan as it follows a similar colour theme. I feel these colours will work well with my website as they relate to both genders which are part of my target audience. I discovered from my target audience research that most people liked red as part of a website which is another reason why I am including it. From doing my research on inspirational texts I have found that the colours I  have chosen play a major theme i the alternative genre but also blue is found commonly so I will try to incorporate some blue in my website and magazine.

Image usage:
As far as images are concerned I will only use one main image which will take up approximately 1/4 of the page. I will use some other smaller images lower down on the page but I want my main image to be the main focus explaining why it's at the top of the page. This feature is used very well on the Drowned in Sound website. The models clothing and props will follow the colour theme. I all intend on making the image black and white in order to have red font to make the image stand out however this may change depending on the image itself.
On my first hyperlinked page the image will follow the same idea being at the top of the page and taking round 1/4 of the page. However the second hyperlinked page will follow a different layout in order to stop making the website boring and repetitive. On this page I have placed he images on the right hand side. This will be for a number of images rather than just one like the home page and first hyperlinked page will be. 
Note: Images will also be used in the advertisements.

Text and Font use:
I aim to be consistent with my text and I will use the same as the magazine and billboard in order to complete a house style of fonts along with colours. The fonts I intend to use range from Arial to Times New Roman however this may change depending on what looks best. I will use different colours, bold, italics and underline to make words stand out which I think are important but this will be used in moderation. This is used on The Cracks website. Throughout the website some fonts will be larger than others depending on their importance which is found in almost all websites.I will try to minimize my use of text as this will make the page become an eyesore which won't appeal to my target audience. The key focal points within the text will be that which assists the main image.

Layout:
The layout is very distinctive and simple in order to avoid confusion for my target audience. Websites such as The Crack follow this simplistic layout. The clear layout will assist the readership of the audience which is why I have avoided any vertical/diagonal text. I feel that if I include this element shown by The Crack I can be confident that my magazine homepage will attract my target audience. I have made sure my magian is easy to navigate by putting all the links in one bar across the top, this also avoids confusion and is shown on the Drowned in Sound website.

The Drowned in Sound website can be found here:
drownedinsound.com
The Crack website can be found here:
thecrackmagazine.com

FLATPLAN: Magazine Double Page

Double Page Spread Rationale:

Colour use:
I will follow the colour scheme on form the font cover and the contents page to keep a professional theme ongoing. The colour scheme of Red, White, Grey and Black will continue on this page.

Image use:
I will use only one main image as I believe all magazines tend to use this convention, especially regional magazine which will therefore help keep my magazine looking regional rather than national. The image will cover the whole page and therefore be the main attraction to the page, I will try to maintain focus on this image when writing the the article etc. The use of only one main image will keep the layout of this page very simplistic.

Text and font use:
I have included a pull quote and headline which will be the largest text on the page as these are the most important pieces of the page after the main image. I am to be consistent with my text so the text used on the front cover for the main story line will be the font I use for the headline and pull quote. The main body text will follow on from the font cover and contents page also with the choice between Times New Roman and Arial as these are typical magazine fonts and are simple for readers to read. 

Layout: 
I have tried to follow a simplistic layout to avoid confusion. This layout is found in many magazines also so I feel confident in using this layout to present my double page spread.

FLATPLAN: Magazine Contents page

Contents Page Rationale

Colour usage:
I will be using the same colours from my front cover throughout my magazine which will be Black, White, Grey and Red, these colours will continue onto the double page spread, billboard and website also. I have chosen this fixed colour palette as I find it to be very neutral relating to my target audience of men and women appealing to both of them and it's also very professional colour palette found in many magazines including regional and national ones. 

Image usage:
I will use 3  images placed down the right hand side to keep the layout simple and easy to read. This isn't a typical convention found in the Crack as this only uses one image but I didn't like the idea of just one image so instead of adding 5/6 images like a national magazine I incorporated my own ideas to 3 images to stop it from looking like a national magazine but also keep it fitting with the regional magazines. These images will most likely be black and white depending on if they fit nicely with the page as all of the images are going to be in black and white in the magazine. My model/s will be featured in simple clothing. I may decide to use 2 images rather than 3 when creating my magazine as I have just realized 3 images may be hard for a regional magazine as they don't tend to have many main stories therefore I may reconsider the amount of images used here.
Note: Images will also be used in the advertisements but these aren't of major importance to my contents page which is why I haven't included them in my rationale. 

Text and Font use:
Fonts will follow on from the previous front cover consisting most likely of Arial or Times New Roman for main body text. Text will be used throughout the whole of this page, placed beneath photos and in the middle of the page for the other stories in the magazine. I will try not to overload the page with text as this could make the page look messy and unprofessional. I decided to place the text in the middle of the page as this is done nicely in the Crack and I think it flows nicely. I will also use text along the very bottom of the page to include links to the website and social networking which is commonly found in any magazine.

Layout:
The layout is simplistic in order to not confuse readers and therefore helping people to be able to navigate through it without problem. I am confident this is a good layout as I followed the Crack for inspiration however I have also incorporated my own ides which may be risky but I think it would work better. 

This is what I used for regional music magazine inspiration:

FLATPLAN: Magazine Front Cover

* Since flat plans are a professional way of communicating in the media I took it upon myself to create one in order to make my ideas clear so others can understand me.

Magazine Front Cover Rationale:

Colour Use:

When studying other regional music magazines I have noticed that they follow a certain colour scheme/house style throughout the magazine (including the contents page and double page) which I something I will do when I create my magazine. In specific I will use the colours Red, Black, Grey and White. Looking at other magazines they tend to stick to a few colours so using a lot of bright colours I believe will make the magazine look unprofessional which is why I have chosen the colours above. The majority of my text will be in a black font however any titles which I want to stand out I will make Red or White.

Image Use:

I plan to use one main image for my front cover as this is a typical magazine convention. The main image will consist of one main model who will be female surrounded in a natural environment. The image will either be a mid-shot or a close-up depending on what looks best when I create it, I will decide between these shots as I will decide which image shows the best emotion as I want my magazine to have a feel to it and to impact readers. The mise-en-scene of the image will be natural imagery such as trees, grass etc and natural light as I want the cover to be as focused on the model as possible and I also want the cover to be simple and easy to look at.

Text Use:

I aim to be consistent with my text on the front cover as I plan to have it all aligned to give the cover a flow. I will use bold, italics and underline in order to make certain words stand out against the image however this will be used in moderation in order to not take attention away from the main image and to not make the front cover become an eyesore. This will also draw readers to my magazine. I plan to only use one main cover line as that is a typical convention found in regional magazines however I will also use no other big cover lines because this isn't found on regional magazines as it is on national ones. 

Layout and Font:

My magazine will follow typical magazine conventions including the layout. It will include typical conventions such as cover lines, masthead, barcode, sky line etc as I want it to look as professional as possible. I plan to use the same font throughout the front cover in order to make the magazine flow, however the title of the cover lines will be of a different font in order to make it stand out amongst the other text, all cover lines will follow this. The masthead will be the only font on the front cover which is completely different to the rest as this needs to stand out the most against the images/text. 

This is the cover I used as inspiration when creating my flatplan: 

Inspirational Texts - Lana Del Rey Blue Jeans and Shades of Cool

Attached are two of my favourite video's by Lana Del Rey. These inspire my magazine as they both follow the music genre and the first video follows the similar colour scheme I wish to use in my magazine. Also the clothing shown and the make up/hair is something I also want to follow when creating my magazine as this is the alternative look.

Billboard Inspirations

*Note: It is very hard to find regional billboards however I will keep an eye out and post anything I find
I created a board on Pinterest for Billboard inspirations in preparation for when I create my own billboard in a few weeks time. From the billboards I have chosen and looked at I have decided that for my billboard I will need to follow three major conventions that all billboards (even the ones I didn't like) have chosen, which are: Audience - the billboard needs to attract it's audience perfectly in order to make it effective this means I must understand my audience in order to achieve this. Simplicity - the best billboards are the simplest which makes sure that the images or words included in the billboard don't become an eyesore which may take away meaning and effect from the billboard. Finally, colour - depending on the colours and images chosen depends on the feeling the billboard gives and the emotions it possesses and therefore passes onto the audience. The colours must give the correct imagery to attract my audience.
In order to make sure I achieve the colour goal I have done research on the colour psychology which can be found on my blog HERE
In order to make sure I achieve the audience goal I have done a survey on 20 teenagers in my local area which can be found on my blog HERE