Evaluation 7

EVALUATION 7 Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel

you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Preliminary Task

Sixth form Magazine, front page and contents page:

Improvements/ progression

Preliminary -FrontPage Looking back at my front cover, I can see that I have significantly improved

on design ideas and technologies, such as Photoshop and iPhoto, which were editing software's I found difficult to use initially.

The fonts and information on this page are very plain and not particularly eye catching, as I have only used one font, and have kept the same colour. Due to this, my masthead seems to blend in with the rest of the magazine, and not particularly stand out to catch the readers eye. This lack of aesthetics would damage the success of my magazine if it were to be published.

I feel that the puffs of information are very suitable to the genre of the magazine, appealing to the readers and their interests, although they do all look the same, so they do not particularly stand out amongst the others.

My main image, I feel is the most successful part of the magazine, as it directly relates to the genre of the magazine, providing a good representation of a student in sixth form. The model is directly facing the reader, encouraging them to read the magazine. It also shows a happy student, enjoying her studies, which is not always a stereotypical idea of a teenage student, promoting the school further.

The whole design of the front cover is very basic, and not particularly enticing, as my Photoshop skills during the preliminary task were pretty weak. I had had little editing experience, so there was little effects/ graphics on the front cover, just basic puffs of information.

Music magazine- FrontPage

•My music magazine has a very professional and sophisticated magazine style that relates strongly to the magazine genre and it’s audience. This was present in my preliminary task, however, since my Photoshop and editing skills have improved, the whole design and layout of my magazine has too.

•The puffs of information on my FrontPage are presented in a much more creative way, making the magazine more aesthetically appealing and interesting, by using a range of different fonts and colours, as these stand out more to the audience/reader.•These kinds of changes show that I have learned more about typical magazine codes and conventions according to their genre, in order to make the magazine more appealing to their audience. Factors like direct mode of address were present in my preliminary task, however, I have improved upon these foundations to present a more professional looking main image that is more colourful and enticing to the reader.•This magazine cover also shows the editing skills I have learned, as there is a big improvement of both design and layout, especially with the different graphics and effects that make the magazine look more effective, like putting information in a ‘sticker’, which makes it stand out more, or highlighting certain words, such as ‘YOU ME AT SIX’. These were ideas that I hadn’t really considered in my preliminary task.

Preliminary - Contents page My preliminary contents page was a lot more successful in terms of editing, after my

FrontPage, as I was a little more confident with using Photoshop. However, compared to my current music magazine contents page, there is, again, significant improvement.

I was pleased with the layout of this page initially, as it was the first magazine I had edited, however, as I have progressed with my music magazine, and analyzed the layouts of current music magazines, I have conformed to more professional codes and conventions to produce a more sophisticated, well layered page.

Both my contents pages were suitable to the codes and conventions of their genre of magazine, however, the improvements are down to my improved editing skills and design skills. I have had to consider elements such as continuous colour schemes, house styles and suitable fonts, all to produce a more professional magazine, which I feel my contents page shows. With the help of my better editing skills on Photoshop, I was able to precisely create the magazine I was hoping for. Alongside this, my photography skills have also improved, so my magazine contains a lot more professional looking images that add a higher level of sophistication to both my contents and front page.