Creating the Double Page Spread

This is the program I have decided to use to create the first version of my double page spread. I am using  Microsoft Word 2010. I am going to create the things that I think are necessary on the page and from there I will arrange them in a way that I think looks good but I am going to create a minim of 4 different ones and from there as a group we will take the vote as to which one will be the final piece.

This is the title of the documentary ’The History of Mann' we have chosen this title because it suits what we are covering in our documentary and it is almost a play on words. The Manx or traditional way of spelling Man is Mann and we have used this so that it shows we haven't just looked at the certain parts in history but we have looked at a lot of different things. It also makes it seem more Manx in a way tend the Manx people are very proud of their heritage and there is a massive base over here to have as much of anything that is Manx. This is really good and means that we already have an audience base for our documentary.

 I think that sticking with the Manx theme is really important; because of this I am basing the colour scheme on the Manx Flag. The colours used in this are red, yellow and grey.  I have included a picture below. I took this picture myself, I used a Manx flag and pinned it to my bedroom sealing and tool this picture.

I have included a picture of our presenter out in the field in France. I think this works well as it shows that she is active and very interested in her field of work. The little paragraph at the side is almost like an introduction to what is going on with 'Dr Eleanor Bennett' and it summarizes what the whole article is about. I have put this on the left hand side of the page as this is the side that most people look at when they are reading and as you read left to right and this is the normal way to lay out a double page spread.

I had to plan out what kind of questions I am going to ask in the interview and since we are trying to appeal to a younger audience I decided to base the first questions on making history come to life using basic language so that the majority of people from all ages understand it. In the top right hand corner I have listed the 7 areas that we are going to cover. I plan to have a picture of all 7 different areas and include them on the double page spread.

I have chosen a selection of images from the trips around the Manx Heritage sites and different Manx events throughout the year.

The Ben My Chree Leaving Douglas

The Old Man Bus's

The Light House

The Steam Train

The Bushy's Beer Tent During T.T

The Quay in Dougals

Niabyal

A T.T Racer at Quarter Bridge

Close View of Peel Castle

The View of the Promanade

Distant View of Peel Castle

Rushen Abbey at Night

Add caption

The Queen Inspecting The Guard
All of these pictures I have taken myself, however there is one image that I might use and that is from when the Queen visited the Isle of Man in 2003 I have taken it from the Isle of Man Guide. I am aware that all of the images are meant to be taken yourself, but the fact that the Queen visited the Island on its national day is a very rare event and it will most likely not happen again while this monarch is on the throne. So it would be impossible to take an image like this myself. 

This is my first idea for the arrangement of the images. I thought that using an images for each of the 7 topics would work but it looks over crowded and it doesn't look professional. Maybe if I cut down the images and used ones that are not as well recognized it would make the article more interesting. 

This is a close up of the second attempt of my images. I used more images that are not as easily recognized but I am now 100% sure that any more than 4 images for this article (not including the one of Dr. Bennett) is to many.  Some of them are worth keeping such as Rushen Abbey at night, Niyarbl, Peel Castle. These are unique images and they might attract an interest as they are taken from a unique angle. 

This layout with the large image of peel castle looks a lot more professional than the previous one. I think that the text layout needs a little bit more work but the bigger image defiantly works a lot better than several smaller images. I think I will use one or two smaller images but that is it. I think that if i include to many images then the content of the magazine will not be sufficient enough to look professional.

The plan of the seven episodes looks a lot better in the center of the page than at the side. I haven't fitted it in with the colour scheme yet as I am not sure if I am going to keep this idea. I think that the program does need to stand out so people know which episodes are most appealing to them. I am undecided as whether or not to put a basic Manx theme behind it or just leave it as a block colour, I am going to try it out and see. 
                                                                                                              

As you can see the Manx theme has not worked as well as I thought it would. The text is very hard to read and although it does fit with the Manx colour scheme that I am going  for it doesn't not fit with the  overall article and this is why I think that it is not the correct one.

On the left is the colour that I have chosen for the small rectangle on the article that will be telling the readers what will be happening in each episode. I think that the yellow works well with the red and the colour scheme bring across the Manx theme really well, it also looks more professional than the Manx Flag. Which is what I was aiming for. 

I think this looks very professional and i plan to add a couple more questions and i also plan to possibly add a few more pictures maybe just one or two usual ones so that people don't recognize them and its intrigues them.

I have added the image of Niarybal as it is a beautiful place but it is also somewhere on this Island that isn't very well known and it is a shame. I think that including it in the article would be a good idea and would confuse even some Manx people.

                                                                                               

I have placed the rest of the text on the other A4 side. I have left a small space in between the images and the Documentary episode context box on purpose  That is where the bend in the magazine is going to be and I don't want to have information or images ruined by the page turn or the staples depending on where in the magazine it is.

This is my finished double page spread, I am very happy with the professional content and the layout. I am going to see what the group thinks about this and if we feel that there is anything that we need to changed or tweak slightly then it will be done.