Magazine Progress- Double page spread

So far for my double-page spread, I have created the layout on how these pages will look like, and later this week I will be finishing it up by writing the article.



Here is how it looks so far:

From my previous research on the double page spread's of travel magazines, I am using the technique that many of them use, which is including several pictures. This is done to entice the viewer to what is being presented and encourage them to visit the destination. In the first page, I will be including a brief explanation about Miami to introduce the reader about the place that they will be seeing. I did not want to start suddenly on the main places I will be talking about, since I believe it does not create a "flow" through the article. In the other blank spaces I will be writing a summary about these attractions explaining the activities they can enjoy doing.

I started off by creating the layout first before writing the article because I believe that it allowed me to have everything organized and allowed me to have a preview on how my pages would look like. This rough draft of my double page spread may change after having my article, but the only thing I would change is perhaps taking out some pictures, but still have enough to attract the target audience.

Moreover, one thing that I found difficult when setting up the spread is editing my pages. This is because I wanted to have the pages side by side and edit them, but Canva (the platform where I edit the magazine) does not let me have the pages side by side. Creating these pages have been a little bit of a struggle, but hopefully it will get easier once I work on my article.

Magazine progress- Table of Contents

Since the cover page is practically finished, this week I worked on and finished my table of contents. 

Previously when doing research for my table of contents, I saw several types of formats to set up this page in the magazine. I preferred using the columns format, where the list of page numbers and their descriptions are in columns underneath pictures that will be later seen. I also preferred the preview format where many pictures that will be featured in the magazine are place throughout the contents page. When making this page, I realized that using these formats was difficult to make. Therefore, I incorporated some ideas of both layouts and made my own. Since my magazine is about travel, I wanted to include a few pictures of different places my magazine is going to cover.  So I included pictures that I took from past trips.

When creating page numbers for the magazine, I spaced out the number range since I believe the articles an the advertisements would take up that many number of pages . My double page spread which will be about Miami, will probably be around 3 pages, however the page numbers are subject to change since I am not completely finished with the whole magazine.  I decided that my overall magazine will not have many pages in general since it will be relatively new and this will be one of the firsts issues to entice viewers.

For the articles that will be discussed on the magazine, I got my inspiration from the photos I took and also travel magazines in the website issuu. This website allows others to access magazines digitally for free. I would browse the articles in the magazines to get inspiration on what I could talk about in my magazine. I wanted to feature in my magazine tips for traveling and traveling inspirations. 

Lastly, for my contents page font, I wanted to use a sophisticated and elegant font to invite the reader to look more into the magazine. I believe that they type of font that I used  appeals to my mature target audience which is from years 18-34.

Cover page process!

I have finally begun the process of editing my magazine!

I am using the graphic design website "Canva" to create the magazine since I have done projects with it before and finally know how to manage it.  This website also has several templates to use and choose from which has also influenced me in creating my magazine styles.

So far I have created the cover page of the magazine. I made two different versions so I could decide in the end which style I preferred to continue my magazine with.

I chose to use an image of the lighthouse in Key Biscayne in my cover page since it is one of the places that will be mentioned in the article. I felt that the beach atmosphere fit with what I will be talking about which is Miami.

Moreover, I chose these fonts for the magazine because I wanted to portray a sophisticated and elegant mood to my magazine. My target audience is from ages 18-34 which is why I did not want to use anything that seemed immature or informal. The fonts are a key feature to any magazine, it gives the first impression.

I wanted to create a simple look in the cover page to invite readers to not overwhelm the reader with so many things happening at once. Overall, I believe I am going to choose the second cover page because I believe that the first cover page may not appeal to many viewers of my target audience since it does not look as inviting as the second one.

Photo editing

Yesterday I transferred all of the images from my camera to my phone and finally started editing the pictures I took in Miami last week. With the help of tutorials on Adobe Lightroom CC I was able to understand how to use the features on it and make my pictures look nice and vibrant for the magazine.

When looking at all the photos that I took, I noticed that a few images came out dull, not as I expected them to be. As I played around and tested a few tools recommended by the app I was able to make the images look brighter. Making the images bright is important for my magazine because I want to express the sunny and luminous nature of Miami. Images in travel magazines are most of the time vivid to spark interest in the viewers. Also, I will be editing most of my pictures to create a sense of consistency throughout my magazine, but I will make sure something in every picture something stands out. For example, in this picture I made sure the sky colors stood out and in another picture I would make another element stand out.

Before

After

Overall, I am glad that I chose Adobe Lightroom cc since it has helped improve the quality of my images.

Traveling article tips

One major component of my magazine is the article on my double page spread. Since I do not have much experience writing articles, I want to do research on travel magazine articles in order to create an interesting story and entice my viewers.

In order to create a well written travel article I must have a clear storyline. This means that I have to have a main idea of the article and write about it without getting sidetracked. Since, my double page spread article is meant to persuade and inform readers about the city of Miami, I cannot get out of topic talking how the beaches in Miami are similar to other beaches in another country or city. The sole purpose is to inform the reader and attract the viewers about Miami itself.

I also learned that with any article including those about travel, my first paragraph is extremely important as well as the whole body of the article. The first paragraph grabs the reader's attention, it is the first impression to the whole article. If the paragraph is written poorly, this could impact the amount of readers of the article. According to the websites I researched, using a vivid language throughout the story will keep the readers intrigued and want more.

Finally, another tip that I read in order to write a successful paragraph is to have it proofread by another person as well. This is because often times a person may not see the error they wrote unless another set of eyes reads it and points it out.

These tips will hopefully help me when creating the article for my double page spread.




Resources:
“10 Tips for Writing Travel Articles.” Wanderlust, www.wanderlust.co.uk/content/10-tips-for-writing-travel-articles/.


“How to Write a Travel Article: Keep It Practical.” The Travel Writer's Life, 19 Apr. 2017, www.thetravelwriterslife.com/write-travel-articles/.

Second Peer Review

Yesterday in class we had our second peer review session. I sat down with a few classmates and we discussed our process on our projects and gave each other advice. I recently started the production process and have not yet started on my magazine editing, so I was unable to show as much as I wanted to. However, I did show a template from Canva ,the editing platform I will be using, that had a lot of elements that I looked for in a magazine. This template has minimalistic style that makes the reader enjoy the pictures shown and also enjoy the magazine's content. My peers commented on how they would like for me to incorporate elements from the template, but not use all of its features because they believed that if I could create aspects from other magazines it will be more unique.

After explaining what I have done with my magazine and what will be in the future for it, my classmates recommended that I should be starting on at least a page on my magazine since the deadline is quickly approaching. They said I was on the right track since I have most of the images that I will feature, but I need to start putting the magazine together.

The beginning of the production process

Now that I have several pictures to choose to be in my magazine, I need to decide what platform I will be using to edit the images.

I don't know a lot about photo editing and which apps are the best, so I looked on a few websites to see the top ones mentioned. Most of the websites repeated the same apps on the Iphone called: Google Snapseed, VSCO, Darkroom, Adobe Photoshop Express, and Adobe Lightroom CC. I downloaded all of the apps on my phone to test out how they worked and thankfully and the apps were free and did not require any paid subscriptions. To test out the features in the apps, a picture from my trip in Miami and ruled out the ones that were complicated to use.

Ultimately, I tried out all of the apps and I found that Adobe Lightroom CC was the perfect app to edit my photos for the magazine. This app was simple to use and included helpful tutorials to edit a picture. In addition, it made my pictures more vibrant and clear than they were.

Sadly they do not have this app for computers, so it will be a tedious job to edit my pictures and transfer them all to my computer (where I will be doing all of my magazine editing). However, I am glad to have found an easy photo editing app for my images.




Law, Tom J. "The 17 Best Photo Editing Apps for iPhone and Android in 2019." Oberlo. 18 Dec. 2018. Oberlo Dropshipping app. 17 Mar. 2019 <https://www.oberlo.com/blog/best-photo-editing-apps-iphone-android>.


"The 10 Best Photo Editing Apps For iPhone (2019)." IPhone Photography School. 05 Feb. 2019. 17 Mar. 2019 <https://iphonephotographyschool.com/best-photo-editing-apps/>.

A day in Miami

Yesterday's visit to Miami was a success! I was able to take plenty of photos in the places that I wanted to feature in my magazine.

Just like I planned, I began my adventure visiting the Key Biscayne lighthouse. I walked around the state park where it is located and eventually visited the monument. During my time at the park, I was able to climb the stairs of the lighthouse and take pictures from a nice high view. Being hundred of feet  high I was able to take many pictures from a high angle that I did not know I could take! If I were a few minutes late, I would not have had the opportunity to take great pictures at a high angle. In

At the top of the lighthouse

After spending a few hours in the park taking pictures of the lighthouse and its beaches, my family and I made a slight detour, catching a quick bite at a restaurant. Eventually, we made our way to Upper Buena Vista and Miami's Design District. Both of these places were close to one another and we did not have to face the challenge of Miami traffic when hopping from one to the other.

Upper Buena Vista was a little crowded than I expected it to be, but I still was able to get worthy pictures.

 Upper Buena Vista

Miami Design District was not really crowded, but I often had to wait for people to move from the frame. This place featured many eccentric pieces of artwork that I plan on featuring in the magazine. Everything here was relatively close to one another and it did not take a lot of time taking the pictures as it did back at the state park.

Miami Design District

The last place that I visited was The Lincoln Eatery, these pictures were shot during the night which was perfect since it was not an outdoors location and had its own bright lighting. Trying to arrive to the eatery we had sit in traffic for a while since it is located in South Beach, a busier part of Miami.

I was able to get a lot done yesterday and have plenty of pictures to work with for my magazine. Which is why I decided that I should start working on my magazine and not feature the Vizcaya Museum on the magazine.

Things to consider...

Before visiting "The Magic City" (what Miami is known as) I am planning a little bit more for my shoot day tomorrow.

I plan on going to Miami early in the morning in order to take pictures of the many places that I want to go to.  I will be starting off by going to the lighthouse in Key Biscayne since it is the one that closes the earliest, and then making my way to the other places I want to feature in my article. In terms of lighting, I do not mind having pictures of Miami of different times of the day. However, I do not want to have many of my pictures during the night time because I want to convey Miami's beautiful and luminous sunshine.

Just like any well known city, there are tourists everywhere! I will be mindful of them when I am going to take pictures in Miami. I have decided to not have many people featured in my pictures because in the many pictures and travel magazines I have seen, not many people are in the images used. This idea will be a little difficult to accomplish, but I hope I will be able to get at least a few pictures with not that many people in the way. 

Production equipment

Tomorrow is the big day! I will finally take pictures of several places in Miami.

The equipment that I will be using for the images on my magazine is my Iphone 8 and my mother's Canon Eos Rebel T5i. I am fortunate to be able to take pictures with these cameras since it produces a high quality image. This is an essential aspect that I had to take account when I choose this equipment because a travel magazine's (and any kind of magazine) images are a main focus. With blurry or poor resolution of photos the magazine will not look very pleasing. Thankfully, both of these cameras are light and portable and will not be struggle to take around with me.

I was planning on bringing the tripod with me to the places I will be going to. However, I decided that taking a tripod would be bad idea. I believe that taking handheld cameras will be less of a restraint and will be less uncomfortable since I am going to be moving around a lot. In addition, it will be a bother to haul the tripod everywhere and set it up to a certain size all the time. Just bringing my phone and camera will be a better way to take my pictures. During this trip, I plan to not face any problems with my equipment. I will have everything charged and ready to go for tomorrow. I will also try to be cautious and aware of my surroundings when taking pictures in the beach or anywhere else in order to avoid any mishaps with the camera.

What's next?

I finally have an idea on how I am going to create my magazine and what I am going to do, but now I have to start planning my production. Next weekend I plan on visiting Miami and take pictures that will be mentioned about in my magazine. I look forward to taking these pictures, however I should come up with a plan on what places I am going to visit. I won't be able to visit them all at once so I am planning on going another day as well.


The places that I plan on going to are:
-Upper Buena Vista
-Miami's Design District
-Key Biscayne Lighthouse
-Lincoln Eatery
-Vizcaya Museum

I am going to these specific places in Miami because I want my double page spread (which is the main focus of the magazine) to be about unique places to visit in Miami. The places that I listed of course have several tourists visiting each day however, they are not infamous attractions in Miami like Calle Ocho or Wynwood Walls.

Hopefully when I go next weekend to these places, I won't face any challenges with the crowds when I take the pictures.

Double Page Spread

The double page spread includes the main story of the article and interesting pictures pertaining to the article. So far I know what my double page spread article will be about which is unique places to go in Miami. However, I am not really sure how I am going to set it up in the magazine, so I looked up double page spreads to see different ways to approach the design. The main thing that I focused on when looking for ideas in the design, is that the text location should be read naturally to not confuse the reader and to incorporate several pictures in it.

The digital magazine publisher, issuu helped me find several double page spreads from magazines.

One of my favorite spread is from the magazine escapism

This spread has several techniques that I would like to use in my magazine, which is the use of several pictures and allows the viewer to read what the spread is about easily and not get bored. This double-page spread gave me the idea of what I may want to do for mine.




Another magazine spread that I enjoyed is from the magazine lonely planet

This spread also gave me an idea on how to approach my design since it uses a different technique. This spread places its text on top of its images, but it does it in a way that the reader can read it without difficulty. In addition,  the spread does not include many photos, however it entices the reader to keep on flipping through the pages by the aesthetically pleasing pictures.



Resources:

“Digital Publishing Platform for Magazines, Catalogs, and More.” Issuu, issuu.com/.

Square Up Media Ltd. “Escapism - 2 - Toronto, The Great Outdoors.” Issuu, issuu.com/squareupmedia/docs/eto2.

Table of Contents

Although it does not get the attention it needs, the table of contents is an important aspect of a magazine. This part introduces the viewer in what to expect in the magazine and it also sets up the style. Having a dull table of contents with just numbers and words, the reader would not be intrigued in the rest of the magazine. Which is why I researched ideas and ways  to make my table of contents creative yet informative.

In one of the websites that I discovered it mentioned I should introduce picture, colors, and interesting graphic designs to make a creative table of contents. This is very helpful to keep in mind for when I am in the production process of my magazine.

In another website about the contents page it listed several layout ideas that could be incorporated into my magazine. A few that caught my attention was the preview of images and column layout. I believe that both of these layouts could work for my travel magazine since it would be introducing the magazine in an interesting way, capturing the attention of others.

Preview Image Layout

The preview of images layout sets up what articles will be shown. In this layout I can add nice pictures that will be featured in my double page spread. The images can attract viewers to read more and view the pictures.

Columns layout

The columns layout is a simple technique to use and honestly works with every magazine. I believe can pair the columns with any other layout I want and still make it interesting. I really like how this table in contents in set up because it makes you feel curious to look at all the other pictures and information in the magazine.





Resources:

“5 Pro Tricks to Instantly Improve Your Magazine Layouts.” InDesign Skills, 27 Mar. 2018, www.indesignskills.com/inspiration/magazine-layout-design/#.

Jose, Maria. “Designing the Perfect Table of Contents: 50 Examples to Show You How – Learn.” Learn, Canva, 28 Oct. 2018, www.canva.com/learn/table-of-contents-design/.

Peer critiques

The other day in class, my teacher Mrs. Marchetti put us into groups to show what we have done so far in our projects and share our ideas. In this little critique I went over what my travel magazine will feature and how I will perhaps make my cover page. Several of my classmates enjoyed the idea to show several places that are not very popular in Miami as part of the main focus of the magazine. In addition, they helped me look for other locations that could be mentioned in my double page spread. 

I was really glad that I was able to get some feedback from my classmates because it is great to bounce off ideas with other people to give you inspiration. I believe it helps you take a look at your project in a different way that you could not see before. When showing the rough draft cover, my classmates gave me a few pointers on what I could incorporate in my cover page. They advised me to have my cover lines in larger font and maybe add a few more cover lines even though I am trying to go with a minimal/simple approach for my magazine. Moreover, they made me think about what else I should feature in my magazine. For example, they got me thinking if I should do this issue solely on Miami or if I should make it a general traveling magazine.

Overall, this peer review was helpful since it allowed me to collaborate with my classmates and get feedback on my project.

Cover page planning

I finally got to plan my cover page and I cant wait until production!!

Here is the rough draft...

Starting off with the masthead, I wanted to come up with a simple name for my magazine that is easy to say, read, and remember. This is probably going to be the actual title for the magazine, but I still have a list of names that I am considering... I will probably decide once I get to work with the images and actually make the magazine.

The main focus of the project will be about places to visit in Miami, but not common "touristy" places. I want travelers and tourists to know and appreciate the little attractions Miami has to offer. One which is the lighthouse that is going to be in the cover image.




I have not decided what I will write for my other cover lines yet, but I will perhaps include traveling tips and  Q & A's from experienced travelers.

Lastly for my selling line, I wanted to create something that informs readers that my magazine can metaphorically take them to paradise.

Cover research

Before I move on to plan my magazine, I wanted to see helpful tips and ideas that I can benefit from to make my cover page. I found a few websites that guided me in making my cover. They emphasized the true importance of cover images and how they are the key of first impression to the magazine. The cover should contain the main topic covered in the magazine and be pleasing to intrigue the viewer to want more.

Another helpful tip mentioned is that magazines that use the pop of color as a style in the magazine are often a good idea in that they catch the reader's attention.A magazine's font is also an essential aspect in that it could interfere with the reading and it brings on a different mood/tone to the magazine. Speaking of style, it was also mentioned that if a style is used it should be consistent throughout the magazine. These are all helpful ideas that I may incorporate in my magazine.

In addition,  I found a few interesting cover page looks on my Pinterest account. These cover images followed a few of the conventions that the websites went over.



 For example this cover page that I found on my Pinterest follows the pop of color technique with the font color and the landscape image to attract viewers. In addition, the font style is unique and it changes the mood of the magazine making it more peaceful. This magazine follows a minimalistic style that I really enjoy and may incorporate to my magazine cover.









Resources:

“10 Tips for Designing High-Impact Magazines.” Design & Illustration Envato Tuts+, design.tutsplus.com/articles/10-tips-for-designing-high-impact-magazines--cms-25956.


“Magazine Design: 9 Incredible Tips You Can Try Now.” MagLoft, 29 June 2018, www.magloft.com/blog/incredible-magazine-design-tips/.

Travel magazine but what is the main focus?

Living in South Florida fortunately gives me the advantage on creating my travel magazine about cities around here.  Throughout my time here I have visited cities such as West Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, and Miami. All of these places have great potential to be talked about in my magazine. However, I believe I should choose a city that I am most familiar with and it will be Miami. This city is just forty minutes away and it won't be much of a hassle to go there!


I have the city I am going to talk about, but... I am not really sure what I should include in the magazine. Which is why I did research on travel articles. Most of the articles I discovered featured relatively the same thing. These articles were about new/upcoming places that the magazine promotes, others are about a number of touristy attractions that people can enjoy in a certain place, a few mentioned helpful tips on traveling, and someone's experience visiting a certain place.

I believe that these articles have been helpful because I now know what direction to head. When writing my double-page spread as well as coming up with different article, my magazine should feature various information.


Resources:

“Travel Articles.” Travel + Leisure, 2018, www.travelandleisure.com/travel-articles.

The Target Audience

Now that I am going to make a travel magazine I can’t wait to start making it! However, before I begin planning a cover and all that fun stuff I should learn a little bit about the target audience in travel magazines. This is important because I am able to get a general idea of who views travel magazines and be able to attract them to mine.

Thankfully, I was able to find plenty of information on the target audience with the use of
National Geographic's media kit. These are documents that businesses publish to provide the public with information on their products.

According to National Geographic Travel magazine media kit:

- 34% of the viewers are from the age range 18-34
-the average magazine reader is 45 years old
-they have a high percentage of employed workers that view it
-about 53% of the readers are male and about 46% is female 

I believe I am going to use the same target audience as theirs, since a younger audience is an easier approach since I am young as well. This information directs me to what content should be featured in my magazine.

“NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVEL MEDIA INFORMATION KIT.” National Geographic Travel, 2019, www.nationalgeographic.com/mediakit/assets/img/downloads/2018/NGT_2018_Media_Kit.pdf