Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you

feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full

product?

Comparison

The preliminary task was to produce and research a college magazine front cover. Looking back at my preliminary task, I can see how I have improved, this has made me realise what I have learnt over the past months. Having the right type of photo is key for having a successful magazine, if you don’t have a good image it will effect the entire operation. For example, if you have a dull image it wont stand out or attract the audiences attention, this will also effect the text and quality of the magazine. I learnt from my research that my magazine needed to have no more then 3 different fonts, as this makes it unique and adds continuity to the magazine.

In my research, I found out how to make my magazine effective. I did this doing a LIIAR analysis on an existing front cover, contents page and double page spread. LIIAR analysis stands for, language, ideology, institution, audience and representation. Doing the preliminary task helped me to develop my technical ability, which inturn enabled me to improve my skills and produce a better final product.

I have learnt that the research process is the most important part, this is what will make your product realistic and help you realise what it is you need to attract your specific target audience and make a profit. Along with making me realise and understand how to ‘target’ my target market, using aspects like Demographics- to make sure your price range fits your audience. I have also learnt the importance to research the conventions of magazines which is what makes the magazine realistic and eye catching, which changes a product from being amateur to professional. Things that would seem simple to the untrained eye like the placing of the masthead, or image, are crucial to the effect it has on the audience. The masthead in my music magazine is placed correctly at the top and in the middle of the page, where as in my college magazine, it is in the top left corner, which is not as conventional, and does not look realistic. On closer inspection, I can see that my college magazine does not include the price, an issue number, or a website address, these things are what make the magazine a lot more realistic, and professional. In my college magazine, I placed the date at the top of the page underneath the masthead, this is not conventional, and takes the emphasis, and effect off the image and masthead. The text in my college magazine does not follow conventions, the font does not stand out, and the colour is very difficult to read. I have included these aspects in my final product, and I believe that it looks considerably better for it.

This now looks a lot better as it is conventional and isn’t as eye catching.

BeforeAfter

Throughout the process of the preliminary task and my final task, I think I have improved and learned the most about Photoshop. As you can see, there is minimal editing on my preliminary task and it looks very amateur, whereas if you look at my final front cover, it appears professional, as I have taken into account all my research that I have completed and included all the conventions that I can. Photoshop has helped me because if you look at my original image, it was very bright, and it had lost most of the models features, whereas now, after adjusting the contrast levels, the colours appear bolder and the image sharper.

Feedback

Once I received feedback after producing my first draft of my front cover and double page spread for my music magazine, I made drastic changes to improve the appearance of my front cover and double page spread ,and made my products look more conventional. Therefore this source of feedback has been very effective and important way in relation to progressing throughout the stages of production. For example the change of my front cover:

Before my feedback After my feedback

Overall, I have learnt how to design/ create a magazine by researching the music and media industry, and I strongly feel that my media experience and skills have strengthened throughout the course, using a new and varied range of technologies. I have also learnt the technical process required in creating a popular and profitable magazine. I have developed my knowledge of the media industry, and now have an understanding of the impact that a well produced product can have on the consumer, and also the music industry itself. If I had an opportunity to create my college magazine again, I would change my image, so that the model was in the middle of the page, as this is more conventional, and my sell lines would be spread out more; rather than all on one side.

Conclusion