Double Page-Spread for music magazine - Rhythm

For my double page spread, I was very unsure what to do for it. I knew I wanted the same font and colours so there is that clear narrative going through the magazine. I then asked my Mum and she thought a competition or a questionnaire was a good idea so my ideas grew from there. As D.J Howell is the main character in my magazine I decided to ask him questions. I then came up with an idea that the questions could be in a competition, I found 1 other contender who is very involved with the Hip-Hop music at an amateur level, 'Joe MC'. Who ever answered the most correct answers won the Hip-Hop crown and my other idea was to include a record contract so there was a lot at stake! It was best out of 3 and D.J Howell came up on top both times and became the Hip-Hop king winning 3-0. After the result i decided to talk about the artists in depth because that way the reader will be able to understand why they answered the way they did and to feel involved with the artists life, which is one of my main targets for 'Rhythm'. My favourite aspect of my double-page spread is the 3-0 at the bottom. The colouring is in army colours so its shows that the competition is vital for their career's. I also like that there is a lot going on in the spread because normal magazines have very busy double-page spreads, so its realistic.

The fonts I used were, abite, 28 days later, defused, soul mission and base2. These fonts were used throughout the magazine. The reason for choosing these fonts is because they’re very urban and rough around the edges, just like the majority of my target audience.

My double page spread is different to other magazines; however ‘Vibe’ used Jesse v Obama. Mine was more head to head and straight to the point without dwelling on it. I believe that is what the targeted audience want. I have done some research however I have asked Hip-Hop fans for their opinion and they think it’s great. Questions i asked are at the bottom of evaluation. When using the software ‘ AdobeIndesign C2 ‘ I did not know how to make the font wider, because it was very squished together, but still readable which is the main thing. After completing my double page spread for ‘Rhythm’ I was very happy with the outcome. But being it be my own work I knew I maybe slightly bias so I went round my college finding people, I asked 2 Hip-Hop fans, boy and girl and 2 other people who are not such big fans of Hip-Hop, again boy and a girl; Hip-Hop fan 1 (Daniel Woods): Yes, brilliant! Exactly what I would like to be reading about, Artists going head to head, Love it! Hip-Hop fan 2 (Jade Townsend): It looks very sophisticated and well thought-out. I like the colours used and how it is laid out. It does look very busy however it’s very clear what is happening in this double page spread. Other music fan (Jake Powell): Well it does look good, but I can’t really read the red bit, so maybe widen the text or enlarge it. Other music fan (Emma Cook): The text is very small, on the other hand it looks like a real double page spread you would see in a published Hip-Hop magazine.

After receiving this feedback I would definitely make the font much bigger and wider, because Emma Cook struggled to read it, however Jade Townsend thought it looked very sophisticated and very well thought out, but maybe this is a negative because it doesn't look urban enough. But Daniel Woods who is a young black man who i mainly target, really liked the magazine so i was extremely pleased with that.

With this feedback i am pleased but i would maybe put more text in to make it look more rough and urban because comments from Jade made me feel i have over thought the spread. Also i could have changed the font to maybe a different colour because it is quite a challenge to read it clearly. However i am happy with the overall outcome of my double-page spread.

Contents page for music magazine - Rhythm

For my contents page I had a fixed idea on what I wanted it to look like, I made sure the image was similar to the front cover so there was a clear narrative running through the magazine. I made sure ‘D.J Howell’ was wearing the same ‘hoody’, and was in the same surroundings for example, the brick wall. When analysing previous magazines such as The Source and Vibe, they both had clear narratives from start to finish, you can see this below in my blogger where I analysed the magazines in great detail. So that is what I’m trying to do with ‘Rhythm’.


My contents page is similar to The Sources contents page; (image of The Sources contents page in blogger below)however mine is slightly more urban and concentrates more on The Hip-Hop music rather than the life and politics of Hip-Hop. For example the contents page's main focus is the playlist whereas The Source's main focus is all about the Hip-Hop culture. This is what makes my magazine slightly different but will still appeal to Hip-Hop fans, and will look different and fresh in the shops. In AdobeInDesign C2, I put a transparent box on top of my image to lighten it up. When trying new things with my image I learned many new skills on the software, such as the editing to font and colour and just tidying up my overall contents page. When flat-planning my contents page I knew I was trying to be similar to The Source’s layout. I wanted to do this because I wanted my magazine to look original. But the image and font, colouring and surroundings are a lot different. Also the information showed on my contents page clearly delivers the message that ‘Rhythm’ is all about music. After completing my contents page I wasn’t to happy with the outcome but all I wanted for my contents page was simplicity. I asked 2 Hip-Hop fans, boy and girl and 2 other people who aren’t such big fans of Hip-Hop, again boy and a girl; Hip-Hop fan 1 (Daniel Woods): I like the way you have the same colours in the contents page and the front cover, using gold throughout the magazine represents the richness which I think is cleverly done. I also like the image as well because he being my age aspires me even more! Hip-Hop fan 2 (Jade Townsend): I think your magazine will appeal to many Hip-Hop fans, especially young men, because having a 17year old as the main image is very aspiring to young men. The thing I like the most about the contents page is its very simple and sophisticated so it shows that ‘Rhythm’ is serious about the music. Other music fan (Jake Powell): Personally it’s not my cup of tea if you like; however it is easily identifiable as a Hip-Hop magazine. I probably wouldn’t buy the magazine but I think Hip-Hop fans will. Maybe there could be a little more going on as well. Other music fan (Emma Cook): Looking at the contents page, I am now interested in what’s in store and would like to read more! I love how urban the magazine is, it comes across very well. I would buy the magazine if it was in the shops at a reasonable price.

Taking feedback into consideration I would probably make the contents page a little more complex, because i feel there could be more going on due to Jake Powell's comment, but i am static about the other 3 peoples feedback, it makes me feel as if my magazine could actually have a success. If i were to go back and make changes i would probably add more text and maybe another image so its less boring, but i would still keep the same idea because it has the basics which is essential in a contents page.