What I Have Found Out Through My Double Page Spread Research

Through my double page spread research I have found out that I should always follow the codes and conventions of a double page spread to ensure that mine succeeds. So generally being written in columns, title is big and bold and stands out from the rest, it is often located in the top left hand corner or in the center of the page.

The image of my double page spread to fit with the style of the article, for example it should be inviting with a sense of warmth so that my target audience feel comfortable when reading it therefore giving them more confidence, because if they feel uncomfortable then they will lose confidence. The shots for my images should be either mid shot, establishing shot or close up, these three shots I believe will make my audience feel more connected to the article.

The text arrangement is important, it should be easy and simple for my readers to follow and should not be complicated making it have a flow.

Finally through analysing other double page spreads I believe I am now ready to start planning my own.

Look Magazine Double Page Spread Analysis

 

Above is an analysis I have conducted of Look magazine double page spread. By doing this I am able to see what other magazines of the genre I am following have done so that my double page spread reaches its best potential.

The layout to this double page spread is very different to the ones I have previously looked at, because this one has smaller articles relating back to the main article in comparison to the other ones which are just one article. There is another title on the left hand page half way down written at a slight slant with a white background covering up part of the model making the title clear. There is a clear difference between the articles on this page due to the sub headings highlighted in orange clearly separating them.

The title is located at the top of the page in big capital letters following the usual conventions of a double page spread by grabbing attention this way. The title is in black apart from the middle word “big” in the different colours, orange pink and red, this makes this specific word stand out against the rest of the title. The insight to the article is at the side of the  article where the eye direction of the reader would follow on to, this is different to the other double page spreads that I have looked at because the insight to those are situated underneath.

The colours used throughout this article are orange, red, white, black and pink, these colours are all colours that when used together are quite summery but more of an exotic summery associated with morocco and places like that. The text is mainly black with important parts in red and are slightly larger, apart from on the left page where the text is over the model so is in white so that it is readable against the colour of her hair.

Looking at this double page spread has given me some ideas about my own because of its difference to the others that I have looked at.

Mise-En-Scene in a Double Page Spread

Mise-en-scene is very important in the images used in a double page spread, the pictures need to be inviting therefore creating a sense of welcome to the audience. If the pictures look inviting it gives off a sense of warmth making the audience feel more positive about the article and more connected to what the article is about. Therefore the images should be set in bright warm surrounding and not in a dark and dangerous looking environment, unless it fits with the theme of the article.

Therefore as I am designing a teen magazine the mise en scene should be warm and inviting making my target audience feel comfortable, as if they feel comfortable they are more likely to find a sense of confidence where as if they feel uncomfortable they may become reclusive to the article completely going against what I am try to achieve.

Cosmopolitan Magazine Double Page Spread Analysis

Above is an analysis I have conducted of a Cosmopolitan magazine double page spread. By doing this I am able to see what other magazines of the genre I am following have done to ensure my double page spread reaches its best potential.

Jessie J… Superstar Rising, is the title of the article and is situated at the top of the right hand page, it is in two different formats of font with Jessie J in italics and Superstar rising normally, this separates the two and with her name above it shows importance.

The article follows a colour scheme of black and orange with the text in these colours, the article is an interview with the questions in orange and her replies in black clearly showing the difference between the two. The colours of the font compliment the grey background nicely and stand out against it. The colour scheme is continued to the model, Jessie J, with heavy black eye makeup and hair with an orange/coral lipstick, bringing the whole articles appearance together.

I love the way that the colour scheme is completely followed throughout the entire article even to the finer details such as makeup. I hope to follow a similar pursuit with the colour schemes continuation with my own article.

Image and Body Text Arrangement

When placing big blocks of text, try not to break them up. You should not throw elements on a page just for the sake of throwing them around. Let it have a meaning. A flow. If you put barriers on the page, reader will have hard time following the flow of the story. Keep the flow of the text columns tidy and even.

Things should be simple, and you should simplify the design by aligning the columns at the top and placing images above them. In this way reader will have no problem to follow the text part of the story. Therefore when designing my double page spread I will use a simple outline to plan my article and see what design looks best.

Readers Eye Direction

Readers concentrate on the top parts of the double page spread. This is the first place where their eye will stop when they skim through the pages, so you cannot start your story by placing headline on bottom right page. This is not natural starting point. It is not good design if the reader has to search through the page to find most important thing (if there is no image on the page), and that’s the headline. It is even worse if you put the headline at the bottom and you put beginning of the story on top of it.

This is not a natural way of reading the story. Everything should have flow. You should work your way from the meaningful top left and then continue to the bottom. Headline, introduction and then the main article.

Photo Shots for a Double Page Spread

Photos for double page spreads can be taken in a range of ways including:

·            Mid shot

·            Close up

·            Long shot

·            Point of view

·            Establishing shot

·            Extreme close up

 

I plan to take my photos in a range of different shot angles; I plan to do this to give me a variety to enable me to choose the most suitable pictures for my magazine. My billboard consists of a mid-shot, so where you can see the models face and shoulders, this is going to be the basis of my front cover, and I intend to use similar shots for my double page spread, but also with more of a variety of shots.

Vogue Magazine Double Page Spread Analysis

Above is an analysis I have conducted of Vogue magazine double page spread. By doing this I am able to see what other magazines of the genre I am following have done to ensure my double page spread reaches its best potential.

Survivor, the title of the article is written at the top in large bold capital letters which makes it instantly eye catching to the readers, underneath is an insight as to what the article is about, this needs to be interesting as the readers will read this first and it will determine their minds as to whether they will continue reading the article or not, this is written in italic and it stands out against the other normal font, overall giving it a vintage feel.

The large letter “I” marks the beginning of the article again giving it a vintage feel. The text is separated through two columns with the same continual font throughout giving it a vintage feel yet again.

On the opposite page the model covers the entire page, which gives the impression that this is the main article of the magazine, showing importance and emphasis on the model. The models outfit compliments the vintage feel of the article and compliments the duck egg blue background, with the white on the opposite page, the red shoes add a pop of colour to the article and finish off the vintage theme of the double page spread.

I like the way that this article is set out, with the vintage theme and the use of colours, especially the way that the brief insight is separate and in italics.

Codes and Conventions of a Double Page Spread

Codes and conventions that are included in a magazine are created to insure that there is a formality between issues, I will use the codes and conventions so that my magazine and a real style magazine will have similar features therefore if I were not to use a formality readers would not be able to identify my style of magazine.

Code and convention rules for a double page spread include the magazines generally being written in columns, this is normally done to break up the reading so that the reader is not reading across a page but reading down in small blocks to create more of a variety compared to normal reading articles and books. The conventions of a title are that it is big and bold and stands out from the rest, it is often located in the top left hand corner or in the center of the page. The title is to let the readers know what something it is, sometimes giving them a sort of indication of what is going to be on the inside.