Final product

These are my final products (Unless I decide to change something). I have already talked about my cover however I have now added the contents page and double page spread. The contents page is again based off of NME magazine, as I used that as a guideline to place the text and boxes. I kept the same font throughout the page. For the double page spread I focused less on NME and gave my magazine a more original look to its design. I tried to portray the personality of the band and their style whilst keeping in touch with the overall look of Siren magazine. However I am likely to add some changes, mostly with the colour scheme, before I set it as my final product. I have skilfully included a pun on the band's name in the text with the line 'five years of silence', playing on name of the band, 'Ironic Shout'. I am happy with the outcome.

Final cover

This is the final cover for my magazine that I will settle with having received feedback on the previous drafts. I am happy with this cover which includes different features from multiple drafts. I have returned the masthead to the top left corner so that readers do not get confused between the band name and the magazine name. I have kept the features such as the white button-like circle and tagline. I have changed the font of the band name and made it spread across the page. I have compared my magazine cover with NME to try and create a good, realistic magazine cover.

What makes a good magazine?

The Good

A good magazine should have one, big image with one focus. This magazine cover has a brilliant way of attracting an audience. As the artist on the front is not shown, but is instead described with words, it means the reader has to guess or pick up the magazine to find out. The minimal text makes it the main focus, with a simple black background. The only information we receive about the artist is the text on the bag and the fact that she is female from her body shape and shoulders. This magazine creates a successful way of attracting readers through its unclear, enigmatic and mystery talent. Music fans will either be able to guess and then want to check if they're right, or they will want to know and open the magazine to find out.

The Bad
This magazine features many failures. The image on the front, while obviously trying to be 'gangster' fails miserably. Not only is the talent shirtless but he is also overweight and while that wouldn't be a problem in the real world it's not something people want to see on the cover of a magazine. Along with that his jeans are hanging very low with a large amount of his underwear visible. Overall it gives the talent a poor image of looking trashy. The talent takes up most of the cover with very little room for coverlines. The expression on his face is also unattractive, and the magazine is less likely to sell because people don't really want to be seen with a picture like this in their possession.

Final Draft

Final draft


After receiving some feedback from peers I created another draft using some images I had taken. I decided to try placing the masthead in the centre of the magazine with the coverlines surrounding it. I also tried to add some more white boxes and circles. I prefer this draft as it looks more professional and the arrangement of text is better than my previous drafts. The colour scheme works well and I have also changed the background colours, making them red and white striped. This is because the lines in the the background match with the lines on the talents shirt, and the thick black lines going in a vertical direction adds quirkiness and flare, and goes with the suspenders on the outfit. I decided to add colour to the background because the original was plain and white and lacked character and would have been very boring to work with. By changing the wooden planks to make them striped with a light red, it has enabled me to introduce a nice colour scheme whereas before it could have come across as tacky and out of place.

Third Draft

Third Draft

This draft is my best and is the one I shall base my final outcome on. However there are a few things I intend to change next time. I will use a range of coloured font, with 'New upcoming stars' in dark blue like the masthead. I will change the font of the tagline as it doesn't fit with the rest of the cover and is too thin and hard to read. I like the colour scheme of this magazine however, with my original colours of dark blue, white and black being used. I am happy with the positioning of the coverlines and the overall arrangement of the cover. I will now take some more photos to use for my cover, contents page and double page spread. I have also changed the tagline to 'Music is our calling'. This is because I feel it has a direct address to the audience with the word 'our' and as my target audience are people who connect with their music, the overall message of 'music is our calling' is something they would most likely agree with. 

Second Draft

Second Draft

My second attempt has better features than my previous one, however the image used is not as good and the colour scheme is not as appealing. The layout of coverlines is better and I added a white background which helps it look neater and more professional. For my next attempt I will find a better picture and use a colour scheme that uses black, white and one other colour rather than the mixed, dark colour scheme of this one. 

First Draft

First Draft

I have put together a first draft to try and work out what works and what doesn't so I can use it in the final outcome. In my opinion the colour scheme has been continued nicely throughout the cover with the main colours being white, black and purple. There is a lack of consistency in the text font which might not look good to some people. I like how the smaller images have been added over the top and the image used for the cover. The coverlines need to stand out a bit more and I should probably add more of them. I would also rather have a white border around the page to make it look neater.