Front Cover Research & Development

Here are some Motorcycle Front Cover Page Research

Based on my research, the contents page for motorcycle magazine has conventions of using: white colour masthead, banner at the bottom, using buzzwords (new, top-end), puff (circle with information inside), barcode, main cover image of a motorcycle, putting coverlines at the top, and not using skyline, dates, and strapline.

 Here are a few sketches and pictures of possible front cover ideas that I'm going to use for my magazine

 5 Thumbnail Sketches

Sketch #1

Pictures #1

Reflection: The photo looks better than I imaged it to be. I believe the use of the low angle was a great way to help increase the intimidation look which I love. I feel as though there could be something under the main cover line such as more coverlines or more pictures perhaps.

Sketch #2

Note: I wanted to make the subject look like it's leaning over with the motorcycle but this is what I did without overcomplecating the sketch

Picture #2

Reflection: Eventhough in my sketch, I put my main coverline on the bottom half of the page, I change my mind and positioned it on the top half because I felt it looked better. Looking at this again, I believe the use of borders and more coverlines to fill up the empty sapces ,on the bottom half, would make the cover more alive looking.

Refining

Reflection: I tried adding a banner to the bottom half of the magazine to fill up the space and I think it doesn't look that empty now. I feel like the picture on the bottom is slighty off since I wanted to use a photo where the audience can see the wheels of the motorcycle but that's the best picture for now. I also changed the typeface of the headline which I like since it suits the theme of the magazine. Futhermore, my teacher told me to move the main cover line to the right side since he said that it is too close to the headline which I understand (so that the viewers attention doesn't focus entirely to the top left but to the whole magazine). The main takeaway is that, I love the addition of the banner since it doesn't make the cover look monotone but I dislike the picture ,on the bottom, so I'll find a better one in the future.

Reflection: I like how it turned out, just needs a few more adjustments and feedbacks from my teacher and friends. I would like to change my colour choice since I believe it's abit too bland (black and white), and I might add more colours such as red because the side claw like marks are red. Then, since my main cover image is low quality in the beginning, I used an image enhancer website to increase the quality. Also, I'm not sure where to put my main coverline because it covers the claw marks on the side (I'll have to discuss it with my teacher) - but so far so good.

Reflection: Based on the feedback that Ireceived from my teacher and friends, they said that my main coverlin was covering the motorcycle too much so I decided to move it to the bottom left. I like this design even more. Then, I change the picture on the bottom right to show some variety and different story. Also I remove the big banner and replace it with a small one so that it looks more professional. Additionally, the buzzword (new) inside the puff (cicrcle) adds some colour so that the front cover doesn't look boring. Lastly, I'm still not sure what to put for the 'features' in the banner so I use 'touring with homies' for now - I'll probably change it when I find a better phrase.

Magazine Layout Tutorial

 In this post I will demonstrate some basic design skills that I learned in class

1) I started by sketching. I didn't like this because I'm not good at drawing but I discovered that the drrawing doesn't need to be detailed as long as I brainstorm some magazine cover ideas.

2)  Then my teacher told me to experiment with some default layouts. They look very bad.
This is some images and texts that my teacher provided:

My first attempt

My second attempt

3) Next, my teacher taught the class about:

+ borders 

+ hierarchy of type

+ typeface

+  colour

With the help of these, I made my front cover slightly better

                                                BEFORE                                                 AFTER

Reflection:

I enjoy experimenting the different layouts of magazine covers. I prefer experiementing the layouts in the computer because it is easier to do but I also like the freedom of drawing on paper. I would do sketch more often on paper if I my drawings are better. By doing this activity of sketching and improving it, I get to see what I did wrong, learn from my mistakes and make each cover better than the last. 

Location Scout & Risk Assessment

 These are pictures that I have taken for my magazine and it's risk assessment

 LOCATION #1 

Turning Point on the road at Teras Ayung Residence #1
Purpose of the shoot:	To take the background picture of my motorcycle magazine cover so that it would confrom to the convention of a motorcycle magazine and to make my subject (ZX-14r motorcycle) look in a favorable way.
Media Language:	sunny, clean roads, outdoors, empty, asphalt road
Pros of Location:	+ Rarely any other cars or motorcycles passing by + Easy access (near to home)
Cons of Location	- Cannot control the lighting  - Cannot control weather
Alternative location:	On the main road (outside of the residence), in the garage
RISK ASSESSMENT
Potential Hazards	Cars, motorcycles, & bicycles passing by  Pedestrians  Animals (stray dogs, cats)
Evaluate Risks	Since it is a road, cars and motorcycles will pass by and might cause a crash to happen It could put pedestrians at risk since they might not know a motorcycle is coming their way Animals would be a nuisance to the photoshoot since some might run after the motorcycle which will ruin the picture and cause harm to the animals themselves
Control Measures	Check the surroundings of the location to make sure no one is near the turning point
Implementation Timeframe	The next 2 days, I'll do the photoshoot

Location #2

Turning Point on the road at Teras Ayung Residence #2
Purpose of the shoot:	To take the background picture of my motorcycle magazine cover so that it would confrom to the convention of a motorcycle magazine and to make my subject (ZX-14r motorcycle) look in a favorable way.
Media Language:	sunny, clean roads, outdoors, empty, asphalt road
Pros of Location:	+ Rarely any other cars or motorcycles passing by + Extremely close (near to home)
Cons of Location	- Higher chance of cars and motorbikes passing by since it's the main road of the residence - Cannot control the lighting  - Cannot control weather - The house in the back is my neighbour, so if motorcycle is too loud (when doing the photoshoot), my neighbour will get mad at me
Alternative location:	On the main road (outside of the residence), in the garage
RISK ASSESSMENT
Potential Hazards	Cars, motorcycles, & bicycles passing by  Pedestrians  Animals (stray dogs, cats)
Evaluate Risks	Since it is a road, cars and motorcycles will pass by and might cause a crash to happen It could put pedestrians at risk since they might not know a motorcycle is coming their way Animals would be a nuisance to the photoshoot since some might run after the motorcycle which will ruin the picture and cause harm to the animals themselves
Control Measures	Check the surroundings of the location to make sure no one is near the turning point
Implementation Timeframe	The next 2 days, I'll do the photoshoot

Reflection: My location choice are all similar so the risk assessment and its contents is basically the same. I can see why this activity can be useful for bigger projects in the future since analysing the risks of the location can prevent any unecessary injury when doing the photoshoot. However, I feel like this location scout and risk assessment acitivity is just common knowledge and I would subconciously be aware of the risks without making a table about it.