Weekly Update - 28. 11.16

Last week was full of writing! I finished comparing my different magazine genre's which allowed me to understand the small details needed to ensure a magazine is successful. Additionally I finished my feedback summary where I concluded all of the feedback which I then need to take on the improvements and follow through onto the next magazine. Lastly I created what we call a 'Frankenstein' front cover which is where I used a few different magazine parts (masthead, flash) and created somewhat of a collage/mixture to form a new magazine. I done this for both the contents page and front cover and then also analysed each aspect which allowed me to think about the effects certain features on a magazine can have on the consumer. That was all, lots of typing and analysing. Check next week for more updates. Byeee!

Comparison of two contrasting magazines

This is significantly different from the magazine below as you can visually see both of them have completely different target audiences. This is due to the colour schemes and main images being different despite the layout of them being somewhat similar. Both are good magazine front covers as they both best fit their audience well. Although within the rock magazine the colours are quite dark and harsh where as the classical magazine is darker colours but the brown is more of a warm colour. Additionally the rock magazine is not as organised as the classical magazine which is also simpler but still effective, you can see the classical magazine contains a lot more content and information on the front cover.

Rock Magazine:

This magazine consists of quite dark colors which is stereotypically associated with rock music. The main image has layers with what looks to be a band and then another rock singer in the foreground. You can see that it looks somewhat chaotic due to there being a lot of different images scattered around, yet the layout still looks somewhat organised as the flash and the features/regulars are all on the left hand side. Also the bottom strapline is quite informative and tells the target audience what the magazine includes inside. This intrigues the reader and allows them to be more interested to buy it as it is a 'souvenir special'. The is at the bottom but due to it being a bright color ensures it stands out similarly to the masthead as it is quite a large bold font. The color scheme makes the entire magazine stand out because the colors contrast significantly, making the magazine look intense. The barcode does not look realistic however still links with the theme of looking messy. The magazine looks like the magazine only cover a particular genre of rock and therefore limits the consumer.

Classical Magazine Front Cover:

 This magazine is based on classical music which you can easily gather from the masthead clearly displaying what genre of music it is aswell as the main image using a violin as a prop which is associated well with classical music. The main image is also placed somewhat in the centre to ensure it is simple and the main focus of the front cover. There are not as many features and regulars which you would expect to be informative on this front cover, although there are a couple of secondary images to intrigue the reader interested in the potential content of the magazine. There is not a bottom strip however there is a top which is brief but also tells the audience a little about what is inside. The flash however is not as bold and big therefore they do not want it to be the main focus to attract readers.  The colour scheme is mainly neutral colours, consisting of brown, creams and whites other than the brand logo 'BBC' which ensures that people are able to easily recognise the magazine.

Feedback Summary

My audience feedback was videoed on my phone where i asked them to tell me what is good and what is bad about both my front cover and contents page. From my audience feedback, it has allowed me to understand clear improvements that most people have mentioned. A vital improvement was for the colours of the information and content to be darker to further enhance and make it clearer and easier to read, therefore when completing my next magazine i need to make the writing colour clearer to read/ darker however still remaining vibrant. For this magazine in particular the colour grey is too light and needs to be darker but still remaining within the colour scheme. I also found that another criticism was to include the price of the magazine itself which is significant to apply to onto a front cover to ensure that my target audience are aware of it if needed. Referring back to the content and text one person gave feedback that i needed to enlarge the text as they found it slightly difficult to read, this was on the contents page. For the next magazine i need to make sure i am aware of the size rather than reducing it to make it all fit onto the page as it was difficult for them to read. Although from the feedback my target audience also gave positive feedback and said the layout of both the front cover and contents page as it looked well organised. Therefore for my next magazine i will also try to implement this layout however adjust it to ensure that that it relates to the topic which will be music. I also may adjust the size of the main image to allow it to not be the main focus. From the feedback people also said the pictures/images were also good.
Overall i need to make sure for the next magazine i need to consider the details to enhance the design of the magazine, for example the the colour, including the price, effectively adjusting the content to make it appealing to the target audience and social media/links for people who are interested.

Audience Feedback

For my audience feedback I have filmed 5 people who have given me critical improvements to better the magazine for next time.

Feedback 1:

Feedback 2:

Feedback 3:

Feedback 4:

Feedback 5:

Contents Page Frankenstein

This is a collection of 2 different magazines in somewhat of a collage, below i have analysed the different magazine elements and what is best for a magazine.

Front Cover Frankenstein

This is a collection of 2 different magazines in somewhat of a collage, below i have analysed the different magazine elements and what is best for a magazine.

21.11.16 - Weekly Update

Finished my preliminary task! So this week I finally completed both my front cover and contents page using Photoshop. When doing this process I had to plan for my photoshoot, this went well when we were in the studio as we were all fully prepared and had all of the props needed to create a good dynamic, ultimately producing a good picture which I used for my main image. I needed to also learn how to use the camera and ensure the background was clear as I knew this would make it easier when editing. This was my first magazine I've created so I had to quickly learn the basics of how to use Photoshop. At first it was difficult but l quickly gathered everything to produce a good outcome. Last week I also completed my audience feedback which allowed me to gather improvements for when I next do a magazine, I filmed what people said so I could gather all of the information of what was good and what needed improvements. I've began to analyse two different contrasting genres of music magazines. This meant that I could understand the layout and what details are used to create a good quality magazine (I need to finish doing this, this week). That's it from me check for more updates. Byeee!

Contents Page

This is my contents page for my preliminary task:

My contents is clearly following through with the same theme of colors and fonts to match nicely with the folder in my models hand. When looking at this I can visually see that similar to my front cover I needed to enhance the colors to ensure that the content and text including the regulars/features attract the target audience and remain to be bold and clear to read. Therefore a darker color would contribute to this. Additionally the page numbers on the contents page need to look more organized as from afar the pastel color allows it to blend in with the page and visually looks random. Completing my contents page was a lot quicker to design and simple as I did not want it to be too packed with text as well as me being able to understand Photoshop, which allowed my to know which tools would benefit the page. This was useful when editing the image as I could erase any blemishes and remove the background easily. I am satisfied with the images chosen which I took however the bottom left corner does not look very bright nor vibrant. Therefore the next editors part I need to ensure the font is bold and looks intriguing to read. Although, the use of the fun image below does enhance the positive view of the magazine I want to portray. I like the fonts I have decided to use as there is a variety to make it look more interesting. However there is quite a lot of content and writing on this page which causes it to look quite overbearing, therefore I need to ensure I write briefly to still intrigue the audience to want to read the rest of the magazine.

Front Cover Page

This is my front cover page for my preliminary task:

My front cover looks very pretty due to the pastel colors showing a clear target audience however I feel that as an actual magazine it needs to be slightly darker but still use quite vibrant colors to ensure that features and regulars for example stand out. I found that my skills using Photoshop have significantly improved as I was unsure how to do this at the beginning, but have found that I have created a good school magazine using a variety of tools on Photoshop. The main image I have used, clearly demonstrates the concept of my magazine being based on style and dress codes for school however still includes positive content about what to or not to do for your 6form school. When looking at my magazine I have realized there is no clear demonstration of the magazine being based on 6 formers only, therefore to improve this particular magazine I need to ensure I display the logo or harris federation 6form logo to create a clear representation of it being based for 6formers in particular. Although, the name for the magazine has '6F' in standing for 6form therefore the association is still there. Furthermore for my next magazine I design I need to ensure that the main image is the main attraction however the regulars and features are too. Therefore I could improve this by making them darker and the masthead bigger to bring the attention more towards the content of the magazine. Also there are no social media links for the magazine which is important to include in every magazine. The flash is not very intriguing, which is something I could have enhanced by enlarging the font for example or choosing a brighter color that stood out more prominently. This is similar with my bottom strip, although it is bright I needed to make the font bigger and/or bolder to make it stand out further as it is meant to display and attract the target audience. All the other aspects of my magazine have mirrored my flat plan, color scheme and my overall plan therefore I am satisfied with the progress of this being my first magazine created.

14.11.16 - Weekly Update

My magazine front cover is finished. Using Photoshop I was able to learn the basics of how to create my front cover ensuring that I still used colours from my colour scheme. Using tools like: the spot healing brush, eyedropper, crop tool, magic wand, horizontal type, rectangle (shape) etc. At first I was testing what each tool done which allowed me to understand quicker how to use them, Last week I also chose my main image for the cover which is vital, I decided to use a picture with 3 models rather than 4 as it needed to take up less of the cover and allow space for the Articles etc. So that was everything last week I finished my front cover and next week I need to complete the contents page. Byeee!

07.11.16 - Weekly Update

So its been 2 weeks off from AS media! But I have been considering and still thinking about my magazine cover and I'm ready to get back. So get ready for more posts and updates. Byeee!