Focus Group

Positives

Front

Cover
House Style and Colour Scheme:
My focus group agreed that the main house style and colour scheme
fitted well with my overall plan and design of my front cover: The
colours link well together and almost tie in the style and colour of
[the artists] dress

Image and Composition:

The group specifically liked the composition of my artist on my final
front cover due to the connotations expressed through the image: a
strong and independent artist who isnt afraid to be herself, she
looks like she is born to perform, and She fits in easily with the pop
genre style of the magazine.

Masthead and Typeface:

Praise was given to the interest of my typeface for the Masthead and
how it represented two different genres almost in one, further
expressing how the magazine caters for more than one genre of
music overall: I like the boldness of the word Pop, but the style of
the word Illustrate is also eye catching and gives a different edge to
the magazine cover.

Negatives/ Improvements
Main Coverline:
Due to the composition of the front cover, the main coverline
overlapped the pattern on the artists dress making the smaller word
Introducing slightly more difficult to read/ makes it stand out less:
Ella-Naomi stands out with some ease on the front cover but the
word Introducing is a little more difficult to read due to the
overlapping of pattern and tones of the dress and the dark colour of
the word Introducing
In order to correct this in the future I would have either increased the
weight or size of the word Introducing, taken another series of
images with a different outfit that is more easy to see text over, or
changed the tonal value of the dress manually in order to lighten it
so that the dark writing would stand out more easily on the cover.

Colour Contrast:
Despite liking my actual house style and colour scheme of the
magazine, it was questioned about the tonal contrast of the cold,

Contents:
Positives
Continued Colour Scheme:
The focus group liked the continued use of the colour scheme from the front cover which allowed the magazine to flow better: The
continued use of blue, green and purple on the contents page helps link the front cover with the inside of the magazine, I think, I like how
the colour is subtly placed on the contents page and isnt too in your face; its used to highlight the main titles of the articles and content to
catch your attention

The Use of Multiple Images:

The use of more than one image to catch the attention of the audience and make the page more colourful was liked by all of my
focus group as well as the difference in images ranging from a landscape to a concert to individual artists created more interest in the
images rather than just keeping to one type of photograph throughout the whole of the contents page: I like how your attention is drawn to
the bigger image of the main artist/ article who has an entire side of the contents page to herself, but you still have different images such
as of the concert to add interest to the contents page, I like the sectioning created by the use of the images to break up the look of the
contents page and to break up the heavy blocks of information.

Readability:
Due to the easy layout of my contents page and the use of images to separate the bigger sections of text on the page, my focus
group agreed that the contents page is easy to read and therefore is attractive to the eye: The fact that the main blocks of text are
separated on the page allows them to stand out individually better than if they were crowded together and allows them to be read more
easily, The images help to separate the text and therefore make the readability of the contents page greater.

Negatives/ Improvements
Lack of Obvious Main Article:
On the contents page, the main article (Introducing Ella-Naomi) is not properly stated that it is the main coverline on the front cover
and so is not as obvious as to what is the main article within the magazine: The main article, although made bolder on the right page of the
contents page, doesnt stand out as well as I think you could have made it, There is nothing to show that the article in bold is the article
from the front cover and is the main article within the magazine.
Given the opportunity, I would use another puff or an extra piece of text in order to highlight that Introducing Ella-Naomi is the main
article within the magazine and is the article from the main coverline on the front page.

Repetition of Some Content/ Articles:

The have been some small repetitions of some of the featured articles within the contents page such as Touring with Ella Eyre and
Comeback Central as I have given these separate areas of the magazine contents page so that they stand out on the contents. However, I
have also repeated them within the main list of all of the articles within the magazine so that the contents flows and is easier to understand.
You have repeated some of the contents of the two featured articles in the magazine on the main list of articles within the magazine.
In order to correct this, and make it different so that I did not repeat a part of what I have already included, I would use a different
wording of how to describe what is in each of the two repeated sections so that there is no instant repetition of information on the contents
page.

Size of Social Networking Site Logos:

My focus group felt that the size of the social networking site logos I have used on the bottom right of the contents page are too big
and could easily be smaller as they do not need to take up so much room as they are almost universally recognized to begin with: I fell that

Double Page Spread:

Positives:
The Image Flows Well Over the Two Pages:
The image I selected for the double page spread was designed to flow over the two pages without the face of the artist becoming obscured
by the center fold which my focus group agreed enhanced the overall look of the double page spread as this allowed a clear barrier between
the artist image and the actual article: I like how the artist almost has an entire page to herself and she is not obstructed by text, she is
easy to see and acknowledge, I like how, although the artist doesnt really cover the whole of the two pages, the images flows between
the two pages making the double page seem as part of one whole, main page.

The Continuation of the Colour Scheme:

Following on from the front cover and contents page, I continued with the use of a cold colour scheme for the double page spread and
continued to use blue and purple as the main colours on the double page in order to allow the theme of the magazine to flow properly: I
like the continued use of the colour scheme from the front cover and contents page as I think it helps the magazine to flow better.

The Sectioning of the Pages to Focus on the Different Content:

I have kept the majority of text on the right hand side of the double page spread and have therefore kept the majority of the main subject in
the image on the left hand side of the double page spread in order to separate the text from the artist and to highlight each part of the
double page and show individual, although equal importance, of the artist and the main article: I like how the artist covers the page and
stands out the on left without being obscured by the text and I also like how the text is then easy to read without having to read on or
around an image which would make the main text more difficult to read.

Negatives/ Improvements:
The Change in Typeface:
Due to the design and editing, I had to use a different typeface for the main title and pull quotes on the double page spread, which
my focus group agreed lacked a flow to the rest of the magazine and separated the double page spread more so form the contents page
and the front cover: By using a different font to the title on the front cover I think you have made the double page look slightly less
relatable/ less linked to the front cover and main title.
In order to correct this I would have to create my own typeface to us in the magazine, which I had not enough time to design and
complete, but given more time this would be something I would do so that my magazine is able to link properly throughout the front cover,
contents page and double page spread.

The Weight and Size of the Font:

The focus group believes that the weight of the title on the double page spread means it does not stand out on the page as much as
it perhaps could and if I were to increase the weight of the text them the title would stand out more on the page. They also agreed that the
main pull quote is also a similar size to the title of the article and therefore does not allow it to stand out as much as it should on the page:
A thicker title would allow it to stand out better on the page as well as being the same style as the pull quotes does not separate it and
allow it to stand out as much as I think it should.
In order to correct this I would add further weight to the title of the double page and make it bold in order to separate it further from
the pull quotes and make it stand out more on the page.