Music Magazine Flat Plans

As a way of planning my designs and layouts of my front cover, contents page and double page spread, I have created three flat plans which can show a brief idea of what  want my magazine to look like. My front cover includes the essential elements of a basic cover, including factors like a masthead, cover lines and a main image. My contents page includes more content, as this is expected for a contents page to include a range of information on the whole of the magazine. There a lot more sections on the contents page as I have tried to position it in a way that it would look professional but also helpful to the reader to look at and to find specific features. My double page spread is influenced by many magazines that include an interview, that spreads the content out on two pages.This looks effective as it allows the page to be not boring, but interesting to readers. Hopefully I will go by these flat plans and try to incorporate as many of these ideas as I can, to allow it to be as professional as possible.

I looked at current Hip-Hop contents pages, and took this conventional design for my magazine. The basic design is that the list of articles will feature on the left and will be organised with the use of boxes or titles so that the reader can easily find what they re looking for. I will then show a dominant or main image on the left of the page, that will show links to the mainz article on the double page spread further on in the mag. My masthead once again will be featured t the top left of the page, while also leaving room for another title or subhead that will read "contents page" so that it is clear and easy for the reader to recognise and find. The colour scheme will initially accompany the colours that the images present, while also keeping it traditional by adding colours that link to the genre like black, white, and grey. Again I have additional but essential infer lil the hoot credit, to show that the magazine is professional

I have designed my masthead in a way that has echoed ideas of traditional Hip-Hop magazines. I know from professional Rap magazine "XXL' that their masthead is in the top left hand corner, like I have featured mine. By doing this the masthead looks bold, and is eye-catching to readers, and also connotes ides of the genre, as it looks powerful and fierce. I know that from my research, most of the sell lines for Hip-Hop magazines are featured on the left, which is why I have added my main sell line on the left under the masthead, as this is a common convention for the Hip-Hop prints I have looked at. The sell lines that show ideas of articles inside the mag are also featured on the left, while individual names of artists featured in the articles of the magazine is usually shown in a list form on the right, which I have presented as over lines on my flat plan. My dominant image will cover the whole of the front cover, and will feature a female model. This image will suit the chosen colour scheme which will include colours such as black, grey, red, white and gold. I will make sure I do this through the manipulation of costume and makeup. I have also added little details and common conventions to this page, such as the barcode and essential information, which are small details but essential to the magazine and making it look professional. 

I have added a range of traditional conventions to my double page spread. The main sell line or article name will feature on the top left, as well as the subhead below, that will give a brief of the article. Below I have added written content, as for a double page spread it is essential to add as much written content as possible. The article will be based around a new female Hip-Hop artist making her way onto the scene. I will show her within my dominant image that I will show between the pages. As well as these conventions , I will use pull quotes to also show written content, and to also show ideas of the artist. I will also feature a column of written content on the right hand side of the page, this will make the age look fuller and more professional and informative.