What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Preliminary Task…This is my college front cover and contents page. It represents my development of skills and knowledge of magazine construction from the contrast from this to my new music magazine piece. From looking at my college magazine, the over use of font had been used too heavily, the colour scheme is over-exaggerated in terms of the amount of colours involved on the front cover. I have transferred some aspects of conventions across from my first front cover such as the plug, using varied size fonts and the use of black headers and footers to emphasise the font on them.

Process of Front CoverFrom the process of constructing my music magazine front cover, I have learnt new ways of using various software programmes to increase my authenticity and professionalism of my product.

The process of constructing my front cover was established from the use of firstly my planning and research, which helped me in creating my ideas for the piece. I then used the software Photoshop to start constructing the front cover. I learnt the processes from the creation of my preliminary task, which gave me a strong starting position. The print screens of part of my front cover construction/process conveys how I have adpated my skills on Photoshop and the knowledge of conventional features to alter my front cover to fit certain criteria to fit in with my target audience demographic. For example, the female student aged target audience is being attracted from the use of the bold colour red, and I featured this within the model, the texts and the plus extra sign, back grounded with outer glow effects. This represents how I have learnt new skills in using photoshop as beforehand I didn't know how to use Photoshop in this way.

Process of Contents Page

The construction of my contents page also took place using the same software as my front cover and double page spread, PhotoShop helped me in creating a more authentic and professional front cover because of all the features it has. From continuing to learn new skills on the software, I began to add further photos to increase its exciting mise-en-scene and to reach out to my audience to provide them with various elements to look at. I also used mircosoft publisher to create ‘previously published’ editions of RM to increase the realism of my piece. I filled up the footer section of the contents page to decrease white spaces and to increase it’s colour use. The extra images all link in with the music genre therefore is conventional for my piece. I also maintained my interest in including digital natives and making RM more accessible on other media platforms, therefore I added a web address for the magazine, and I encouraged the use of social media networking sites, therefore increasing the popularity and accessibility of the magazine on these varying platforms. If my magazine reaches more people, it will become more noticable, resulting in a recognisable brand identity.

Process of Double Page Spread

The process of the double page spread was more difficult from that of the front cover or contents page, I did not complete a college magazine double page spread therefore my knowledge at first was more limited. My construction was made entirely on PhotoShop like both of my other pieces. The software allowed me to mix up my layout and structure when I decided to change it. The text was formed from word Publisher as it provided the conventional column structure writing style that’s necessary for typical double page spreads. My first draft was overly simple and contained too much white space, I then changed these buy increasing the font boldness and style of the text to make more of an impact for it. I also added the secondary images in order to eliminate the white spaces that had previously made the piece boring. I then implemented further black highlight quotes, I made this blocks from the rectangle tool on Photoshop. Then to get rid of the white spaces further, I included a large J signifying the letter of the name of the music artist, I found this tobe a common feature on some double page spreads. Finally, in my final product I changed my layout completely by mirroring the piece to stop the crease of the pages effecting my main image. I also deleted the extensive use of quotes to make the piece less confusing as it would have been unreadable due tothe turning of the page crease. I also changed the main masthead/title of the piece and made it more stylish and funky for the audience to have more sections to look at.

Technologies UsedI have developed my use of technologies through from my college cover and contents page to my new music magazine piece. I have shown my skills on software such as PhotoShop, PicMonkey, Blogger and Prezi. These forms of technology have aided me in the construction of all of my pieces. I have represented my work through Prezi, Publisher, Blogger and PowerPoints, which have provided clear structure to my blog and the presentation of my work. Technologies like memory sticks, cameras and SD cards/readers, have enabled me in uploading and saving my work within software files and transferring my images taken on the camera, through SD card readers shows that I have adapted from my college magazine as I did not have this knowledge or use similar hardware/software devices in it’s construction. In creating my music magazine I have obtained more skills than previously as there was more demand for this type of skill in order to finish with a suitable, authentic and professional product. Therefore, I extended my use and influence on Photoshop and blogger, therefore using this software increased my skill, enabling me to increase professionalism across all three pieces of my music magazine. I also made use of taking further images in order to increase my scope of image variety and representing to the examiner that I am able to take varied shots that can be used throughout any of my pieces.

Developments I have developed my knowledge and skills in many ways from the construction of my front cover, contents page and double page spread. From looking at my preliminary task, it conveys how I have improved my skills in creating an authentic and professional piece. For the music magazine I wanted to maintain a piece centred around realism, and imagining it on an actual magazine shelf, competing with other brands. My developments are evident in the new technologies I have used, which are software programmes such as PhotoShop, PicMonkey, Prezi presentation, but contrasted from my preliminary task, in my music magazine I have adpated and used memory sticks hardware devices, SD cards and readers. I have provided and constructed much more detailed and extensive planning and research, which helped me in knowing how to start and finish constructing my product and how to make it suitable and conventional for my target audience. I have also included a deeper analysis of my evaluation to convey where I have shown my progresses and the full extensive details of the whole creation of all three products.