Front Page Construction

After dragging my image into the photoshop document I free transformed it and extend it upwards and outwards to make Joe have more presence as well as dominate the canvas. This was done onto a blank background and I used this as a background copy and placed a drop shadow on my model.

After placing the image onto a white blackground (to make it seem more crisp) taking inspiration from magazines such as NME. The corporate identity I decided to also take inspiration from Q and NME by putting the masthead in a burgundy/ wine colour box. After testing out a number of fonts using a website I decided on one which could be the face of XLR.

I used the 'American Purpose' font and put XLR in caps to really iterate the title and branding of my magazine. I also put a banner across the bottom of the page which I have seen several times in my research by using the rectangle tool. I had to 'cmd' then free transform it for it to be a suitable size and fit evenly. By using the colour sampling tool I could repeat the colour at the top with the banner to create a continuous and consistant style.

I continued with the 'Amercian Purpose' font for the information in the banner screening across the bottom of the page which is simply for additional notification of what is in the magazine but is not as important as the above. I created a text box and opened a new layer and positioned the ' Teddy-I'll do it alone' text as a priority as it is the strapline and main feature of the issue. By using 'Alias' it gave the strapline dominance and priority. It is a playful yet tasteful font whih displays the text evenly as well as strongly.

I then continued to position the artist's names of who were featured in the magazine under the strapline. By using the alternative fonts it gave a diverse approach and was far more interesting to look at. The artists that I used fit into my alternative/indie rock genre. Artists such as Wretch 32 were placed in to make it slightly more interesting which I noted when seeing artists such as Jay Z and Tinie Tempah in 'Q' in my research. Fonts: 'OCR A Std' and 'Krungthep'.

I then began to lay over the remaining features on the right side of the model and did this easily by using different text boxes for each so maneuverability was less difficult (Font: 'Optima') The obstacle I had to overcome was finding a colour that would stand out on the shirt as it is rather dark but I wanted to keep into my theme. By choosing a silver and white this was achieved and still followed the house style. I also again used the rectangle tool to create a border for the 'upcoming artists...' which I had been inspired by in a issue of 'Q'. It looks organized and smart.

The final stage was applying the finishing touches such as the barcode. I kept with my font and just simply enforced the 'XLR' brand by mentioning a website www.xlr.com along with the issue number and date which is a must on any magazine. All in all I think this is very professional looking and relates all the way back to my initial research as well as keeping constistant throughout.