EVALUATION QUESTION 7LOOKING BACK AT YOUR PRELIMINARY TASK, WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE LEARNT IN THE PROGRESSION FROM IT TO THE FULL PRODUCT?

PHOTOGRAPHY On my preliminary task the images weren’t of a high quality. This is because the images were taken on an IPhone as opposed to a professional DSLR camera, like my final product images. This does not conform to the typical main image convention on a professional magazine as you often find images being high quality and captured in a studio. However my images weren't taken in a professional place either. I did not understand that you need to have a appropriate background for your images or else this could cause issues later on in the creation process. On top of this, lighting was an issue during the day of photography for my preliminary task. With taking these images in college there was very little natural light. This meant that I was left with dull grainy looking images therefore giving a slightly rushed and unprofessional look. During my preliminary task I did not make sure that I had a range of images this then resulted in a large amount of the images being a long shot. With this in mind I took extra time to prepare my photographs for my final product.

PHOTOGRAPHY PROGRESSIONFrom my preliminary task I have become more aware on how to take an image suitable for a professional looking magazine. Not only that but I have become more aware on how important images are to a magazine. They attract the audiences eye and keep them interested throughout. In order to have the best possible image I booked out a photography studio at my local university which also provided a camera and lighting. Here I was able to seek help and guidance on how to use different light settings. By using a studio I not only achieved professional looking images but it also allowed me to create different moods and feelings in each image. This will be more appealing to my target audience as the low key lighting that I decided to use in my photograph can connote mystery and being clam. These are positive connotations therefore resulting in higher sales of my magazine.

Preliminary Final Product

FONTSIn my Preliminary task, I used minimal fonts. Once having got feedback and looking back at my cover and contents I decided that this looks plain and doesn’t grab the readers attention the way that I would like it to. In addition to this, the font that I used was also bland and isn't particularly easy to use. I used the same program as I did in my final product (Dafont) however I did not know what fonts would match each magazine. The colours that I used seem to be slightly over powering and takes away from the sell lines and image itself. In my final product I made sure to use a variation of fonts to highlight different words and draw attention to something specific. This is a method used by various magazines, especially in music. During my final product I was more aware of how a specific font could change my entire theme. In addition to this I had to experiment with what fonts suited my magazine. This is because I have a main image with various textures so some fonts do not show up. I did not find this happened in my preliminary task. In addition to this, I set the colours of the font to my house theme, making the four main colours stand out and represent my brand.

EDITINGFor both my preliminary and final product I used Photoshop to edit these magazines. I could use the software when I was creating the preliminary task however I was slow and didn’t have a large understanding on how to use it. For example, I would not name my layers. During the creation process of my final product I spent a lot of time practicing this allowed me to progress resulting in a more professional looking magazine.

LAYOUT AND STYLEOn my preliminary task my lay out was very basic. I didn’t take into consideration that certain conventions needed spaces on a page. For example, my sell lines on my front cover seemed to take over the image and therefore seemed to be cluttered and messy looking. However, in my final product, I have more information on the front cover but it doesn’t seem to look cluttered. This is because of the way I placed all my sell lines, I made sure there was enough space between each and that nothing was taking up too much space.On top of this I have discovered the importance of alignment. On my contents page my numbers are placed in various placed on a page as opposed to being lined up as they are in my final product. This would make it difficult for a reader to quickly find a specific article and therefore put off readers. I made sure that I had all my text on my contents page within my final product. I would not have known the importance If I hadnt made this mistake in my preliminary task. I personally feel that this has been a massive progression in making my magazine look more professional.

LANGUAGEAs both of these magazines had a similar target audience, I found it was appropriate to use similar language in both of them in order to directly contact the target audience. However one of the magazines was a slightly more professional format so I felt like the language needed toning down slightly. Despite this, the preliminary task still allowed me to prepare what styles of language I could feature within my final product. In both magazines I use personal pronouns in order to directly address the target audience.

CONCLUSIONOverall, I feel as though I have progressed massively from my preliminary task to my final product. My knowledge of conventions, photography, language and layouts has developed and helped me create the most professional looking music magazine that I could. I tried to use as many featured that I had learned about throughout the process. Through trial and error I have discovered what each convention consists of or requires in order to look professional. I have used the feedback that I received from my preliminary task to better my creation techniques.