Front Cover Layout

Prodution Techniques

When the magazine has been designed on Adobe InDesign and ready for distribution, I need to take the following production techniques into consideration for the final product.

Technical codes in print products

Paper weight

Paper is classified in 'grams per square metre' or 'gsm'. The standard photocopying paper is 80 gsm and glossy brochures may use 120 gsm.  Above 150 gsm the paper becomes thin card.
At a practical level, the weight of paper is important if it is going to be mailed out.  If the product is heavy, the postal costs will be higher.  However, heavier paper can feel more luxurious. Thinner paper can suffer from 'see through' or 'bleed'.

Half of the double page spreads in my magazine will be a full-page advertisement, so a bleed is necessary to avoid a white border around the advertisement when printed.

Coated and uncoated paper

The cheaper paper e.g. newsprint is 'uncoated' and porous; the ink will tend to spread because it is absorbed by the fibres. Ink is less likely to spread on coated paper.  You also have the option between 'glossy' or 'shiny' or 'velvet'.

Size and shape 

Paper sizes in the UK are now standardised into the 'A' and 'B' series. The 'B' series is slightly larger than the A4 standard which is used for most academic purposes.  Books and magazines may use older sizes such as quarto or royal.  A4 is typical for magazine paper production but tend to signify an educational or 'amateur' product.

Chafford Hundred Magazine and Wolverhampton West Magazine are printed on A5. I also plan to print on A5 to make the magazine more portable as it will be small enough to fit in the readers bag without taking up too much space.

Analysis of Regional Magazine's Winter Editions

Winter edition from annnnnika

Magazine Name and Logo

To decide the name of the magazine was difficult because I couldn't choose which of the possible names I preferred the most.  So, I decided to distribute a survey with the three options.  The majority preferred 'Unwind Wolverhampton' with 'Company Wolverhampton' as the second most liked.  Due to the consumer feedback, the name of my magazine will be called 'Unwind Wolverhampton'.

The initial choice of this name was because the magazine is supposed to read during leisure time and 'Unwind Wolverhampton' suggests the magazine is telling the reader to get comfortable and take time out of their busy schedule to read the magazine.

Logo

The first logo design would be the general logo for the magazine. However, because the seasonality of my magazine is winter, I have changed the colour to white to signify, wintery conditions such as snow.  The original blue is a soothing colour to encourage the consumer to relax whilst reading the magazine.  From the logo the brand identity will be established.  I will use these fonts throughout the magazine for headings etc. keeping with the white black and shades of blue.  

My chosen font style for 'Unwind' is 'Snell Roundhand' because the curling letters suggest 'unwinding' and relaxation.  The font for 'Wolverhampton' is 'Baskerville'. I think this font is makes the magazine more sophisticated and is also clear to read.  This font will also be used for sub-headings and the main text.  

Layout for the Contents Page

I will only feature one article in my final product for the brief however this will make the contents page very bare.  To avoid this, I will find other stories in the West Midlands and feature them in the contents list to improve the magazine's legitimacy and make it seem less of an 'amateur' production.

Wolverhampton West Magazine Contents Page Analysis

The Bristol Magazine Contents Page Analysis