Two Page Spread

I'm a little bit frustrated because I can't think of the right layout for my two page spread. I've tried various designs but nothing seems right. I have decided that the story will definitely be "Ask the personal trainer" but I'm not sure how to present this story. Since this is more of a body building magazine, it is aimed towards men. This has caused me to have some trouble thinking of a design that is more on the simple side, but not overly simple.
For the actual content on the two page spread I have questions and answers, a little bit of background information,  and even a recipe that is recommended. This is all already written on the two page spread, now I am just trying to format and make a layout that feels right.
I have started placing the picture of the nutritionist/personal trainer that I showed in a previous post and it all seems to be working well. I am trying to just take it from there.

Progress

I've made some great progress. I was able to finish up my cover and I'm really happy with it.

The cover ended up being a little bit different than I planned but overall it came out even better than I expected.

I decided to carry out my color scheme throughout all of my magazine, making it all black and green. I was able to make the shade of green the same one as one of the ropes that is being held in the pictures I took. Being able to match the green I used in my layouts to the green in the picture is what really convinced me to continue this color scheme.

I realized I really needed some more pictures for my two page spread and table of contents. I didn't want the pictures to just be of a person so I will try to get some pictures of work out equipment and protein shakes. These are all things that are mentioned within my magazine so I feel as though they should be represented through pictures too.

Two page spread

Today I continued to photoshop some pictures that I will include in my two page spread.  

I have also decided that my two page spread will be a sort of advice column where you can ask a nutritionist questions. I have collected a variety of questions from friends and family that they would be interested in asking a nutritionist and sent it Jose Vallejo who will be the featured nutritionist.

I sent the questions today and expect the responses back by later today or tomorrow. From there, I will be choosing what questions/responses I'm going to include on my spread.

I also asked for some random tips that can be included on the page so that it's not just questions and answers.

A small area of the spread will be dedicated to giving some information on the featured nutritionist, giving some background information, etc. This way, people will know a little bit about the person they are receiving advice from.

This is the picture of Jose Vallejo that will be included along with the information about him.

I'm excited to add the information and continue working on the spread.

Progress editing pictures

I'm so happy with my progress so far.

I managed to take a couple of pictures in my garage. The back drop wasn't the best but it was the only thing I had available that would make the background black. 

Yesterday and today I have focused on editing some of the pictures of photoshop, including my cover picture.

I'm really happy with the way the cover is looking- I also found the perfect font for my title. 

Now I'm trying to focus on setting up my cover lines.

As for the color choices, I think I'm going to stick to green, black, and white. After testing various combinations, those are the colors that match best with the pictures I have taken and will continue to take.

Table of Contents research

I found a very informative article explaining how to make a Table of Contents page.
This article explains how to create a TOC page by using the program InDesign which is one of the programs that is available to me.
The explanation used to describe a table of contents page in this article gave me the idea to include advertisements that surround the actually stories. I will include the advertisements by entering them in a hidden layer and later including them in the TOC, as recommended by the article.
 (Creating a table of contents. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2015, from https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/creating-table-contents.html)

 (May/June 2014 Table of Contents. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2015, from http://www.eatingwell.com/food_news/eatingwell_magazine/current_issue/mayjune_2014_table_of_contents)

When it comes to actually listing the page numbers and stories, this is a format that I would look to follow. The picture of this TOC page from a Health and Wellness. While I may not be looking to use the same simple font, the general format is what I am looking for. This type of format will be surrounded by multiple images, more than likely including a few advertisements.

Additional research for magazine cover

I have been brainstorming on different types of shots that could be used for my cover. I have decided that it'll definitely include a single person engaging in some sort of action. Most likely lifting a type of weight. As for the color scheme, I have found that black and yellow is very powerful, therefore, I might lean towards including those colors more- especially for the cover.

"Yellow - is the most visible color and is the first color the human eye notices! Yellow, the color nearest to "light" leaves a warm and satisfying impression, lively and stimulating and in many cultures symbolizes deity. Dark yellow can be oppressive while light yellow is breezy. Yellow's stimulating nature and high visibility to the eye is the reason why many road signs are bold yellow (contrasted by black text). Yellow birds, flowers and skies are sure to be eye-catchers just because of the way the mind and eye works!"

 -The Psychology of Color. (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2015, from http://www.moosepeterson.com/techtips/color.html  

Each magazine issue will be covering a specific type of exercise or body part. This will she accentuated by the cover image and the cover lines.

As for the header, I think I will include it in the center of the magazine cover. The image that makes up the cover will be placed in front of it, most likely covering a portion of the title of the magazine.

Magazine Article Ideas

After researching a few more magazines pertaining to my topic, I have decided I will include articles regarding meal plans. These will include what you should eat before and after a workout in order to get the most out of workouts.
I think this addition and overall topic would have success due to the growing relevancy in today's society as more people to get fit and healthy.

I'm considering interviewing a nutritionist in order to obtain information regarding the meal plans. I have seen this done in Shape magazine and bodybuilding.com. The colors I will potentially include for the layout of this article will be bold and passionate.
Along with the meal plans, I will include multiple tips in order to motivate readers.

Magazine Cover Research and Ideas

For my AS Level project magazine layout, I wanted to do a topic that is relevant and becoming more popular in society. Fitness and Health are two things that I have grown to love and I share the passion with various family members. This topic has also gained popularity recently and has become more prominent in today's society.

I've started looking up various and health and fitness magazines and came across multiple themes that I appreciate.

My cover is going to be bold since the magazine will be focusing on different routines and tips to follow in order to gain muscle, be lean, and get toned.

I have started looking for fonts on dafont.com. I was recently introduced to the website and have found multiple font possibilities that would really come across as bold.

As for color schemes, after looking at other health and fitness magazines and body building magazines I will be leaning towards shades of green and blue.