Color Scheme of Magazine

In designing the magazine, I preferred to keep the colors consistent. However, while it may seem plain or boring, I find that it is more organized and simple. It has a minimalist style. It also keeps from jumping out with an overwhelming of colors or information. White is also included on the color scheme however, placing it in the post would have it disappear.

Double Spread Page - Layout (Part 2)

This is the second page of the double spread. This page only consists of graphics and text, I made the decision not not add more images of the person being featured because I felt that it would take away from the story being told.
I started with a page that has the light blue color as the background.

I then made two separate columns like the first page. At this point I also implemented the feature story into the pages. I also placed a page number at the bottom right corner. The font style is the same as the first page but the font color I decided to use black and not navy blue because I felt the navy color would be to hard to read since the background color is also blue. After finishing the text, the page once again looked plain so I added stars. I made the star color white and made the transparency also to 51.

This is the outcome of the second page of the spread. Even though it doesn't have any images, I like that there are no distractions from the story. The stars add a little more vibrancy to the page and doesn't let it look so plain.

Double Spread Page - Layout (Part 1)

Using Canva, I started with two separate pages. I wanted to continue the navy blue and light blue color scheme, I made the background color of each page those color.

Since I already have the image, I will only resize the image so that it would fit a majority of the first page of the double-spread. This page will consist the navy blue background, the title and the text.
The bottom of the page that consists of empty space is where the feature article will start and continue on into the next page.
The font for this page will differ from the next page. Since the background is navy blue, I made the font white so it would easier to read. I also chose a simple font, Montserrat Light so it could be legible.

This the the title of the feature article. I placed it on the image on the white background. The title is noticeable, especially since the font color is also navy blue. For the font type, I used the Playlist Script, just like the masthead title for the cover page. Since the image shows the model dressed elegantly, I felt as though this font style went along with the elegant theme.

Upon completing the first page, I realized it looked plain. I decided to add graphic to the background of where the text belong. Since Canva supplies different graphics, I used their stars template. I increased the size of the stars and changed there color to the light color blue. However, since the font text was white, the light blue stars would blend with the text and make it hard to read. To fix this minor issue I adjusted the transparency to a 51.

This is the final outcome of the first page of the double spread.
The next post will go over the second page of the spread.

Double Spread Page - Photo Shoot

For the feature article, I decided to use only one photo that the featured person would like to use. The image provided was one from her Quince, a celebration of a young girl transitioning into a young women.

She chose this image because this is when she felt the most love for herself. She felt beautiful and empowered. She was proud of herself despite all the obstacles she faced.

The image itself does not and will not be edited in a way. Even though she is wearing make up and has her hair done, it does not go against the magazines message. The magazine is to have teens feel comfortable in anyway that they feel comfortable, so if they wish to wear accessories such as make up, they can. Its about spreading positivity on body imaging.

Double Page Spread - Development Planning

Since this will be a double page, this is where the feature story will be placed. There are different ways to layout the double spread, so I need to make sure the photos I take compliment the page as well as the story being told.



Models:
The model used for the feature page will be the same model on the front cover. I decided to stick to the basics of magazines where their front cover holds a photo or wording for the feature story. This is used to attract attention.


Font:
The font will differ depending on what part of the double spread aspect it will contain. For instance, the heading of the page should be a bigger and colorful font, one that differs from the background of course, but subheadings which is typically used to describe the part of the story that is being told. Subheadings can also be questions. Despite that, the subheadings will be a different color as well as a different font different size. The font characteristics that will be needed for the actual feature will be a basic font that is legible and stands out from the background.

Photo Shoot:
This photo shoot will differ from the others. Since it is a feature story, I want the person who is being features to be comfortable with the image, plus I want it to be an image that has a major significance to them and that is represents their journey as well as their accomplishments.


Layout:
The layout will be different than a normal magazines double spread since I am considering going for a more square shaped magazine. I realize going for a different shape may attract attention and it will make the magazine more unique.
Going more in depth with the double spread, I really like the layout I have placed on the left. Its simple but can get the point across. However, where the feature story will take place, it seems like too much words. I will be sure to use a different layout and try to add more photos of the model or some graphics to add color to the pages.









Sources

Nikola. (2013, May 4). Magazine Spreads – Good and Bad Practices. Retrieved from http://www.magazinedesigning.com/magazine-spreads-good-bad-practices/

Feature Story - Article

*In making of the article, I would go back the the person interviewed and receive direct quotes from her that were not in the responses from the original interview.




Beauty isn't everything. Especially not to Bella Garcia, a 15-year-old girl who learned this lesson at a what could be considered a young age.

"True beauty is from within. Not how tall and skinny you are or how soft and straight your hair is. It's about the type of person you are, and I'm happy that I have come to learn that myself."

However, Bella Garcia wasn't always so positive when it came to her body. She went through the challenges of growing up within a society that valued perfection. Most of her challenges came from how media represents teen girls and the part was how people she knew, her family and friends, talked to her when it came to her body. 

"I was always the chubby one. My mom kept saying it was baby fat, trying to keep myself positive about it but I knew it was a lie. When my friends would talk about my weight I would laugh with them. I turned it into a joke so no one would  make fun of me... I thought it was helping, but in reality I just kept hurting myself."

When a word is repeated over, and over again, it becomes to feel true. It becomes a part of you. And it certainly does not help when your family mentions it many times.

"Whenever I was meeting with my elderly relatives, they would always call me "gorda" which is Spanish for fat. I would usually brush it off but I knew deep down it hurt." Bella would try to tell her family how those comments made her feel, however she felt they never really understood.
"My mom would tell me to brush it off, to ignore what they are saying... I tried but it never really worked. I would breakdown. That's how I started falling into a pit of self-hatred and it seemed like there were no escapes."
That was until things turned for the better.
"I started listening to K-POP. There are many groups that make music for this genre but there is one particular group that had moved me the most, BTS."
BTS is a famous K-POP group in South Korea consisting of seven members. They differ from many popular artists from today by making songs about self-love and never giving up on your dreams.
"I listened to there songs. They were so moving, every once and a while certain songs would pop up and I would just cry. Of course, while becoming a fan of K-POP I was ridiculed by everyone who disliked it. Thats when I learned not to worry about others peoples opinion because they will always have something negative to say whether it's about you or about something you love. There is always negativity."
That wasn't the only thing Bella learned from the K-POP group.
"Once I became a fan, after looking at all their translated lyrics, I realized I needed to make a change. I was worthy. I also wouldn't be the first person to learn to love themselves from BTS."
Once gaining the motivation she never had before, she decided she needed to make a change about the way herself and the only way that was going to happen was with her.
" I started by thinking positive thoughts about myself. Whenever I tried on new clothes, I would always think of something negative however, every time I had a bad thought, I would prove that it was a lie... I had to keep in mind that these "teen" girls were edited into perfection. I am human and it would be impossible for me to ever look like that. Not even with all the plastic surgery can change who I really am."
Bella has stated numerous times that the journey to self-love is not easy and will most likely not happen over night. Even her own journey isn't complete.
"I can say that I have improved and I am more optimistic about myself than I was before. I am more determined about not forgetting that I am loved by others and most importantly that I am loved by myself."
Despite still learning the aspects of self-love, Bella wants to help other teens and guide them into loving themselves. According to Bella, society and media representation is one of the main issues as to why teens are suffering with low-self esteem. That teens harm themselves in order to become perfect and its an issue that hasn't been seriously addressed.
"Society needs to step up in a lot of different ways. As a diverse society, we need to become more accepting of others, no matter their shape, size, color. In the end, we are all human and we live on the same planet. It's pointless to bring each other down."

Feature Story - Interview (Part 2)

This is the second part of questions and responses from the person I interviewed.

• Is there any steps of the process that you may have wanted to do differently?                              - No, I wouldn't. Even though I encountered most of my journey alone, I was finally comfortable enough to open up more with my family and friends. I was also able to help them by showing them what I did and suggested to them to use my method, which is listening to music, thinking positively about yourself, and in the end, just not to care about what other think.                                                                                                                                                 
• Would you recommend others to do it as well?                                                                              - I would, however I cannot guarantee that it would work everybody. Everyone is different. How they process things is different. What they listen to, how they think, etc. We are all different. Yet, if they are willing to try anything to boost their self esteem, to reduce the self-hate, I think its worth a shot.                                                                                                            
• Did this process work for you?                                                                                                       - I'm still in the process because well, it just doesn't happen over night. I can say that I have improved and I am more optimistic about myself than I was before. I am more determined about not forgetting that I am loved by others and most importantly that I am loved by myself.           
• What would be your advice for those who are struggling with low self-esteem?                          -
• What steps do you think society needs to take in order to improve the views of body imaging?  - Society needs to step up in a lot of different ways. As a diverse society, we need to become more accepting of others, no matter their shape, size, color. In the end, we are all human and we live on the same planet. It's pointless to bring each other down. As I mentioned earlier, we also have issues with media representation of teen girls and teen boys. Media companies need to understand how their marketing tactics are in fact harming those who they want to be potential customers. If we saw more people on T.V. that looked like us, we wouldn't have so much negativity among ourselves.