Ethan Stair - AICE Media Studies

  Magazine Cover     This is what the magazine cover looks like now, it may under a few changes however it should relatively the same.     At first all I had was the background. I then made a placeholder for the name of the magazine. I decided on the colors from the main image (Samus, from the video game Metroid Dread) Red and Blue. These are also two out of the three primary colors so they have some contrast, especially next to the helmet's yellowish the character in the main image is wearing. Then proceeded to procrastinate until I had a name. It then looked liked the image below. I moved it to the top left to resemble another gaming magazine logo PC Gamer.  Notice how the logo is at the top of the page? Especially the memorable "PC" part in red     The next step was to start adding the details. I then added two advertisements, a review for the game featured in the cover image, and new information a game the has yet...

 Magazine Design and Layout     Magazine layouts are very important as it's what your audience see's throughout you magazine. The layout is how the pages in magazines are structured. There are many different ways to handle the layout of a magazine, here are just a few. 1:  Mix in Textures      Mixing textures and artwork is a great way to grab visual interest in a magazine. While this image in particular is a cover pager, it can be applied to one pager while the one next to it contains the text, or applied in smaller amounts (such as images next to the text). Though this would be hard for a gamming magazine, it's possible given the right circumstances. 2: Subdued  Images With Bold Typography     This bold font against the blandness of these photos is really eye catching. This attention on the page is a great way to lead in to hook or strong point while retaining the viewers awareness. This would be great from segments...

 Color Theory in Relation to Magazines     Color theory is a surprisingly intricate science. Certain colors work well with each other and others don't. There are may different ways colors can work with each other (Color harmony or scheme) such as complementary, monochromatic, analogous, and a several more. These different color harmonies are used for different effects to add different feelings to a piece. A way to visually represent colors harmony would be a color wheel. This shows colors moving in a circle. With this circle it becomes much easier to determine what colors have a greater harmony.   Different Color Harmonies Complementary: This type of color harmony is a perfect contrast. With the colors being exactly apart from each other. When these colors are next to each other they make each other pop out and become easy to notice.  Monochromatic: These colors are different variations of the same color (Edits in tints and hues). These naturally...

 Understanding Font Psychology     People can interpret anything form a product into an emotion. We react to little things so dramatically that anything be a big factor in the success or failure of a product; magazines are no exception to this. Fonts, while simple on the surface, are a big part of a magazines. They're what the reader is seeing constantly throughout the article and have psychological effects on the reader. Certain fonts can pull certain reactions from the reader.  Font Anatomy     Fonts have have different spacing and effects to them. There are many elements too, these include serifs, cap, height, ascender, and descender to name a few. Fonts and Their Effects     There are many different kinds of fonts, also known as typefaces serif, sans-serif and script; they are many fonts under these  categories.  Serif: It's used to represent respect and trust in a brand. This typeface is great for law firms...

 Conventions of Gaming Magazines Games are very different than more common types of media (e.g. movies) and because of this, gaming magazines are also structured a little differently. The Central image doesn't always have to be a person, rather major elements of the game, or interesting visual art are often chosen over a person.  There is often competition between gaming brands (Nintendo, PlayStation, X-Box or even PC) so that is also reflected in the cover and throughout the article, however this is more common in the major competitors magazines (less so Nintendo's magazine after the 90's). Puffs are extremely common in gaming magazines. They are used constantly for advertisements,  and attempts to sell the magazine. Mastheads make up much of the top of the magazine, occasional overlap of the main image occurs, however (like the magazines below) do not always have Everything else in those magazines follow similar  conventions. The contents pages may have i...