Now I had looked at the conventions of a contents page and the type of catchy headlines used, I was now ready to begin drafting mine for my magazine. Below is my draft one and the improvements which I can make to it.

Please click on the page to open it up as a pdf.

What works?

• The large heading clearly shows what this page of my magazine is. It is also quite unique and interesting as it runs across three lines.
• The colour pink runs throughout and fits in with the colour scheme of my magazine.
• The image used is large and interesting. It catches the readers eye.
• The headlines are catchy and are clearly labeled with page numbers.
• The entire page is quite minimalist which avoids any confusion or boredom from too much text.

What doesn’t work?

• There may be too much pink making it a little plain.
• There is only one image.
• The number of articles are uneven. If I add an eighth, there will be four on the top and four on the bottom.

So what are the improvements to be made?

• I need to add a page number to the bottom right corner.
• I can add another headline to fill the gap in the bottom left corner.
• I could add something interesting in the background to add more detail to interest the reader.
• I could add another image or two to intrigue the reader even more into reading the articles.
• I could add/change the colour of the title “contents” so there is more difference and less of the same colour.

I have looked at examples of contents pages but what is it?

Well a contents page is basically a menu of what is included inside of a magazine. The technical conventions are:

• The contents title
• Page numbers
• Catchy headlines to draw in your reader
• Interesting and relevant photos
• Colour scheme that follows the rest of the magazine
• it should be one page found on the right hand side on the fist page

Looking at examples, the most successful were those with lots of images and enough (but not too much) text.

Below is some examples of ideas of layouts that I might try out. My favourite is the second one as although it contains the conventions, it is unique and interesting. I have also got some examples of catchy heading that will work in my magazine. My favourite is “They sang with who!?” as it is very mysterious and makes you want to read on.

Now that I have basically finished the front cover and double page spread, I am now ready to start my contents page. To get some ideas of what I could do, I looked at some examples. This is shown below.

From the examples, I can see that the most successful ones have:

• Images of the relevant stars to grab readers. The images also make the pages more interesting to look at.
• Clear page numbers so that the audience knows exactly where to look for something.
• Pops of colour that makes the page aesthetically pleasing but also links in with the theme and genre of pop.
• A clear layout. Although I like the “we love pop” contents, it is almost too busy. I don’t know where to look. However it is very fun and links in with the genre well. The contents in the top right is quite unique and interesting however it could be difficult to interpret and it does not link in with my genre of pop.
• Most contents pages are one page however there is one with two. This could be due to the magazine being larger but it does allow the information to be more clear. I think I will do one page though as the amount of information is almost overwhelming.

After my second shoot, I realized that the image I had used on my front cover was not eye catching enough and did not grab the audience as much as I hoped it would. I think this was due to it being black and white however the image in colour was not quality enough.  (I have used the black and white picture for my double page spread as I still really liked the image.) I have changed my main cover star which means that I had to play around slightly with some of the other features but overall I believe it has been improved for the better. I have also added a plug which links to my double page spread. This will hopefully interest my audience even more into picking up and buying my magazine.

Please click on the cover to open it up as a document.

Here is the second draft of my double page spread:

Please click on the pages to open the document up.

I have improved it by:

• I have changed the picture. This has got pops of colour which links to the shapes on the pages. This image is more interesting than the previous one as it has more character and is more fun. This also makes it relate more to the pop genre. This will hopefully grab my audience into reading the article. I have also added a drop shadow to it to give it a 3 dimensional appearance. This makes it seem more realistic and less flat and boring.
• I have added more shapes (to the first page) which enables the pages to flow and link together.
• I have made the title more compact which makes it more unique. The “&” overlaps slightly to make it more interesting.
• I have made the quote bigger which will hopefully hook the reader when glancing at the page.
• I have added a stand first which is large and eye catching. It isn’t too long which will hopefully draw the reader into reading the article.

All of these improvements have composed together to enable the genre of pop to be expressed. This will hopefully allow my audience to want to read the article and will interest and educate them.

Although I have improved my double page spread, there are still small adjustments that I will make. For example, the line spacing of the stand first will be reduced as it is quite separate. This will just make it seem more clean and put together. I am also undecided whether the & sign should overlap on the title so that may get changed.

After composing the first draft of my double page spread, I then received feedback on how I could improve it. below is the improvements given from my peers and teacher.

• Compact the title (so the lines are closer together) so that there is more room for the drop capital to be big enough.
• Change the Image to one from my first shoot as the model is the same on the front cover and double page spread. (as I have updated my front cover)
• Make the quote even bigger to make it stand out
• Add more shapes to make the two pages link together
• Add a by line

From receiving this feedback, I am going to use it to improve my magazine double page spread. Due to changing my front cover, I am going to use the photo that was originally used on it in my double page spread. This image will be black and white with pops of colour. This colour will then match the shapes placed in the background; linking my image and page together. Using the improvements above, I will hopefully be able to attract my audience into reading my article; which will then hopefully accomplish Blumler and Katz’s “uses and gratification theory”.

Here is the first draft of my double page spread. I am very happy with it so far. There are a few things I need to add (such as a by line) and some improvements to be made but I am currently quite pleased how it is going.

Please click on the document to open it up.

After assessing my article, I then edited it using the improvements I decided to make. Below is my new and improved article.

Please click on the document to open it up for easier reading.

I improved my article by:

• Adding a catchy title (linking to a part in the article).
• Made sure each paragraph started off differently and interestingly.
• Making certain sentences shorter and easier to understand.
• Giving some context of where the interview had taken place.
• Improving some vocabulary to make sense or so that it didn’t repeat.
• Added more gossip and personal life in. I hinted about having some bad friends, and changed the name of my boyfriend so that the audience are even more interested.
• I took out most of the brackets as I had overused them.
• Add a closing sentence to finish the interview off from the journalists perspective.

All of these improvements adds more interest for the audience which will hopefully keep them entertained and informed throughout the article. Hopefully it will enable talk to family and friends based on what has been included and released by the artist.

With this article, I could add even more gossip to create even more excitement from my target audience. This will ensure that Blumler and Katz’s uses and gratification theory are achieved; especially the entertainment section. I will also need to make sure that the article is laid out on the double page spread in a way that is interesting and easy to read. The font will need to be clear and the photo used alongside the article will also need to be interesting and must link in with what has been written.

Now I have finished writing up my first draft of my article, I am now able to look for improvements (from personal preference and peers) that I can add or change.

My draft is featured below along side a voice memo of myself reading it aloud. When speaking, I was able to realise if certain sentences didn’t make sense, if words were repeated, if I missed capital letters etc. These mistakes are also spoken about in the voice memo.

Please click on the document to open it up.

As well as reading it myself, I also sent it to be evaluated for any improvements that could be made my teacher. Below shows my drat article after it was commented on. This was helpful to do as although some comments were the same as what I discovered I need to improve, I also recieved new improvements.

Looking at the improvements recommended to be made, I will need to:

• Add a name of my article (the “10 million and counting…” idea I quite like)
• Make the introduction and conclusion set the scene. (presence of journalism)
• Change the openings of some of the paragraphs and certain words as they repeat.
• Reduce the amount of brackets used (as there are a lot!)
• Possibly add some more details of her life to add interest
• Proof read for capital letters and certain punctuation