1. Construction Diary for Contents Page
Before I created a
page for my
contents page, I
chose what main
image I wanted to
include on the page.
As I want my image
to take up the top
half of the page, it
had to be a
landscape image. I
chose this one as I
like the composition and expression/pose of the artist and the use of the setting. Before I
edited it, I resized it to make sure it was the right size to fit in the top space. I then edited it
using curves, levels and the clone stamp tool to even out any blemishes. I also
decided to add another layer and paint on the hair to make it stand out more
against the rest of the image, which
is quite dark. I also selected just the
clouds so I could intensify the shadow and light to make the image more
dramatic.
Once I was happy with
how the image looked,
I made the contents
page and used the fill
option to make it black
to fit in with the colour
scheme. As I want a
boarder separating the
image from the rest
of the page and also
to act as a frame for the other images I plan on putting on the contents
page. To create this, I used the shape tool and made a rectangle for the
boarder, then added the square on top. I chose to do these red as it
stands out boldly against the black.

2. I then edited the rest of the
images I wanted to include on
the contents. I did not have a
specific plan or pattern for the
images – such as black and white
– so I edited them to show them
best and to go with the features.
I did not spend as much time
with these images as I did with
the main one as they are smaller,
so I just used curves, levels and unsharp mask for these
images. Once I had edited these images, I dragged them
onto the contents page. I wanted the images that are
there to go with a feature to have a even
red boarder around all of them, so I made
sure that they all had correct space. I
chose these images on purpose so that I
had one portrait and two landscape to fit
in well. To make sure these images were
the correct size, I used the Free Transform tool to scale
them. For the editor’s image, I positioned it roughly in the
correct place, as I knew where it was going but I did not
know exactly due to the fact I had not yet added text.

3. I then added the editor’s note. Although I
had not yet added the contents list, I knew
what was going to be in the magazine as it
was following my flat plan. To make it
clear it was the editor’s note and that it
was for the readers, I made the “Readers”
part larger to make it stand out more. I
then fitted the text around the image to
link the image more clearly with the
editors note, as they are not in a separate
box. To make it seem more personal and
less formal, I used a more informal handwritten style – compared with the font style that
has been used throughout the magazine so far – to sign the name. This
creates more of a connection with the editor and the audience, and
makes it clearer that the editor’s note is their opinion. I decided not to
include my last name in the editors note as having just the first name
makes it seem more informal. I decided on putting the
editors note in the bottom right corner as it is the
editors opinion on the features, so should be read after
the listings.
Once I was happy with the position/size of the editor’s note, I
added the listings. I done this differently to how I done it for the
mock magazine. For the mock, I listed every single feature in the
magazine, and it took up two columns and made the page look
too cluttered and full on. So this time, I decided to just put in the
cover features and the features that have an image on the
contents page. I also added two more features that were not
advertised on the cover/have an image, as it looked too empty.
To keep with the consistent font style, I used the “Capitals” font
again. I made the writing white so it is the same colour as the
editor’s note, and having a lot of red writing would look too
harsh, and people would not want to read the magazine. To
make the page numbers clear, I used red and made them one
size bigger so they would stand out – but not so much that they
would look stupid or separate from what
feature is on that page. I then made sure that
all the features were inline together.
I then added the header/page title to the banner. I chose to it white
rather than black because it keeps the writing consistent. I used the free
transform tool to get the text to fill the banner as well as making the font
size bigger did not stretch the text without making it too wide.

4. Once I was happy with the layout, I then added page numbers to
the images and the logo to
the page. As
the rest of the writing on
the page is white and in
“capitals”, I wanted to keep
this the same for the page
numbers. Although the
page numbers are in white,
I did experiment with using
black and changing the
positioning of the numbers
on the image. I decided
against this, as it would mean that the font
colour and positioning for the numbers would be inconsistent, whereas if
they were all white, then they could be positioned in similar places. I chose
to put page numbers on the image as it creates a stronger link with the
features – especially with the main image as it strengthens the link
between the cover, contents page and the double page spread. This is also
helpful to the reader as it one of the artists in the images in one of their
favourite artist, they can find the feature more easily.
I then added the logo to the top left corner. I positioned it here as it is
where it looked best, as I did experiment with having the logo at the
bottom left corner of the main image, and also on the top right corner.
As I cut the logo out from a jpeg – due to
the fact I made it previously – it means
there was some white space left, so
I used the eyedropper tool and the
spray style brush to cover it up.