Final Double Spread

Out of all the magazine tasks I was most excited to work on the double spread since we had not designed them as a preliminary task so this would be the first time I'd be designing one. I was not, however, anxious, since I had spent ample time planning out all the elements and their positioning on the double spread.

I started off by creating a new file with the dimensions of 10.9 inches for height and doubling the width into 10.8 inches in accordance with the dimensions on my magazine. I kept the resolution at a reasonable 150 pixels/inch.

Next, I added margins in this file, one in the middle to distinguish between the pages and then margins on 0.2 inches from the sides, two on the widths of the page and some three columns for the body copy and the content box I planned on adding later. This would ultimately bring neatness and uniformity to my body copy and double spread.

Keeping in accordance to my theme, I used the paint bucket tool to colour my page black, symbolising the shadows and darkness (which I had used in my cover too) which in turn symbolised the ignorance of the people. The black was crucial as the element of the reflected rainbow spectrum of colours was to take up the majority of the page and the black background itself, symbolising the power of youth especially once it has risen and recognised it's own potential.

After that I decided to add my anchoring image. The image I had chosen was an over the shoulder shot of my model playing an instrument (her ukulele) creating empathy for the artist as well as giving an insight into how exactly it is that she brings this social awakening, the article is about which in this case is through her music.

I opened the image with the shortcut Ctrl O and used the move tool to then drag the image on the same layer as the file of our double spread and adjusted the image with the help of the transformation tool (Ctrl T) onto the right page of the double spread.

After that I added the title of the article, 'Stand. Rise. Regroup', the same words I had utilised for my main cover line to create a sense of an ongoing narrative and for it to be easily recognisable to the readers who may be looking for the cover story. It is for the purpose of being one of the first elements to catch the eye, that the font size for this is 57.79 pt, making it the largest textual element on the page. I decided to keep 'Rise' in red for the same reasons as to why I kept it red on the cover. I added the title with the help of the text tool. I decided to have the title frame the anchoring image, all of it starting from the left side to create uniformity and neatness.

Next I added the standfirst with the help of the text tool by clicking and dragging till a text box of appropriate dimensions was created. The standfirst was larger than the body copy but significantly smaller than the title (17.34 pt) as not to attract more attention but to still be the second textual element the eye drags too since its situated right underneath the title. This too was in white font, same as the title to stand out against the black background.

After that I added a quote from my article which I felt best represented the indie artist being featured. I placed that on the bottom left corner juxtapositioned to the positioning of the title. I kept this in 'Times New Roman' too, further aiding the simplistic beauty while retaining it's edge due the serif font.

I also added the same rainbow PNG I used on the cover of my magazine, showing it reflecting off the indie artist. I adjusted it by using the transformation tool (Ctrl T) at times distorting it and making it larger in size so it covers both pages. The rainbow symbolised the colour of youth, their rigour and potential especially once they rise up.

Then I added the body copy to the left page by utilising the text tool, clicking and dragging till text boxes of the needed dimensions were formed. I used the font size 11 pt and kept the font colour white which made the text stand out against the background and also symbolised good. The body copy also utilised 'Times New Roman'.

The first secondary image I added, a mid long shot, was in the second column of the left page, under the text. I chose this picture because I felt the purple tint only aided to the rainbow aesthetic as well as the bright colours not limited to the plants in the background and the picture itself  captured the essence of the artist well.

I then proceeded to add a content box in the last column with the help of the rectangle tool, colouring it red in accordance to my colour palette to include Emily Demona's tour dates. I wanted to add a border of sorts so I decided to add an inner glow with the opacity of 58%, the size of 9.

At this point in time, I realised that the first page of the article should be the one with the anchoring image and so I inverted all the elements by rearranging them with the help of the move tool and some elements like the rainbow PNG i inverted by using the flip horizontal tool.

I also added the heading for the tour dates in white in accordance to my colour scheme. I changed the font to 'Lemon/Milk' to distinguish it from the rest of the text with the help of the text tool.

Another change I made was, making the margins of the three columns on the right page equal whereas before the column with the content box was significantly narrower.

Another addition was the page number in the footer on the lower right corner of the right page with the help of the text tool and changing a key word in the quote 'dreaming' to red to make it stand out.

Later I added the second secondary image on the page, a well taken wide shot at an eye level angle symbolising how she and her audience are equals. It shows the artist in an environment different from the stage, humanising them and creating a good contrast. 

I then fixed the spacing of the body copy by setting the tracking and kerning to 0 and the leading on auto and the paragraph settings to justify to last left and unticking the hyphenate option in the character and paragph palette.

ADD TEXT HERE

After that I added another fitting quote from the article, highlighting the intentions of the featured indie artist. Much like the first quote I coloured one key word red to make it stand out. The font, however was 'Lemon/Milk' to match the theme that all the text enclosed in the rectangles would be in that font, creating regularity.

The next step was to add more of the body copy to fill out the spaces left behind. I moved half of the body copy present in the second column to the first by coping (Ctrl C) and then pasting (Ctrl V) it on   text boxes I made with the help of the text tool by clicking and dragging under the text in the first column. I also typed in more text in the second column on the spot at first in the same text box as present in the second column by selecting it and dragging down its lower corner downwards and then in a new text box, created to accommodate the shape of the overlapping content box. I also added a text box in the third column under the content box, which talked about the artist's tour.

Next I added the tour dates in the content box, detailing areas both local and international, she'll be touring as well as the dates and exact locations where she'll be performing. The city and countries along with the dates were in red in accordance with the colour scheme to stand out also in 'Lemon/Milk' with the font size being larger than the body copy as to be distinct. The font size for the city, country and address is in 13 pt but the city and country is bolded in order to be more prominent while the date is 10 pt since it'll only be needed if the area is that of which the reader belongs to or can visit thus secondary info. The city, country and date are in white while the address is in red, making the readability better and the information more prominent since its being framed.

I'm gladdened that the double spread has turned out well and how I wanted it to even if it is a little different from how I planned it e.g a third secondary image. I might make some refinements later.

The final result: