Article interview layout (14/02/14)

First double page:

 These were the first two designs I created for my magazine article to help me visualise the layout of my first double page. I created the name 'HotVibes' but decided against it later on due to the similarity to Vibes (an official music magazine). I used a colour scheme of bright red, white and black to compliment the title 'Hot' Vibes and to make it look bold and exciting to readers. On one of the designs, I used silhouettes in the background which worked quite well as they are typically feminine/'sexy' poses. I like the idea of making the interview questions a different colour to the rest of the text as it looks more professional. I also experimented with the opacity of the gender symbols so that they faded into the background and became more of a subtle element. Using the rectangle tool, I created coloured boxes around my quotations to make them stand out; I did this because it is a common convention in music magazines. 

The first double page will include:

• Semi-large photograph of the artist (extending across the page)
• Quotations from the artist
• Introduction to the interview (telling reader about the new artist)
• First half of the interview
• Name of artist in large, bold font

Step 1: I used a larger, more focal image (edited accordingly on Pixlr), centred it, and decreased the saturation. Using the lasso and crop tools, I left the lips red because it draws attention to how this part of the female body is sexualised- and this is what my artist tries to subvert. I prefer the white text against the dark background (in comparison to my last designs) as the colour contrast makes the text really stand out. I used a large 'P' to begin my opening paragraph as this is a typical layout convention within magazine articles. Also, I change the name of my music magazine to 'Melody' because it is simple yet punchy, and relevant to the target market/genre of my magazine.

Step 2: Here, I added more relevant question and answers, and laid the text out symmetrically, leaving the red lips in the centre for dramatic effect. I placed 'Plain Jane' in the top right of the page to add some dissymmetry; I used an elegant font to mirror the elegant and elevated interview answers of my artist. Finally I changed the questions to the red/peach colour to create definition and colour contrast to the article.

Step 3: This is the final layout of my first double page. I added gender symbols behind 'Plain Jane' to represent how she has masculine and feminine traits, believes in gender equality, and wanting to stop gender discrimination (links to sexualisation in music videos). I also tweaked the colours of the text and used the blur tool to really blend the background out, making the artist appear more sharp and focal. 

Second double page:

The second double page will include:

• The second half of the interview
• A powerful quotation by the artist (taken in context from the interview)
• Large, close up photograph of the artist
• The same colour palette as the previous double page

Step 1: First I placed the interview questions and answers on the left hand side of the page. I thought it would look interesting to invert the colour pattern, and therefore chose a black text against a white background. I placed black boxes around the quotation, along with large quotation marks to really dramatise the words.

Step 2: I added an image and placed it off-centre to try and make the page look more "edgy" (it didn't work and I wasn't happy with the result). Once again, I desaturated the image, and used the blur tool on the background to draw more focus to the artist. I wanted to add some sharp bursts of colour, and so changed the black boxes and interview questions to red/peach.

Step 3: I cropped the image further to get a close up shot. Using the lasso and crop tools, I made the lips bright red in colour. This creates a shocking contrast to the image which is very low in saturation. I sharpened features by using the burn tool. I decided the double page layout looked much better being on equal portions of the page (besides the centre quotation).

Step 4: This is the final layout of my second double page. For a better balance of colour across the double page, I placed a large 'P' and 'J' on the beginning and end paragraphs (representing Plain Jane's initials) and I am happy with the way the look against the white background. Finally, I added some text over the image in thick, white text to remind the reader that Plain Jane wants to shock contemporary views, and subvert the stereotype of women being sexual objects.