Candidate Information

Candidate Name: Jessica Rose Church
Candidate Number: 6015
Center Name: Wilmington Grammar School For Girls
Center Number: 61119

FINAL PIECES

Evaluation Question Seven

Looking back at our preliminary task, what do you think you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Looking back at my preliminary task I have learnt many things including how to use In Design and Photo Shop for my music magazine. Going into my preliminary task I was very unsure on the task and of how to complete all the aspects. After completing the product I decided to start organising and planning my work for my main task.

In my main task I was focused and knew exactly what I needed to do in order to create the desired magazine cover. I have become familiar with blogger and the idea of posting all of my work, at first it was confusing and I found myself losing work; however, after asking other members of my class how they were coping I began to understand the concept.

I have learnt how to layout texts and images in a magazine format which makes them easier to read and simple to understand. I was able to create a double page spread which contained images and text which matched well together and I was proud of.

Overall, I feel I have created two very sound peices of work and when looking back and comparing my work, I am happy with the outcome.

Evaluation Question Six

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

I constructed my product on a program called In Design. At first I was not very aware of how to use this program, it was completely alien to me. However I began to familiarise myself with the program, and learnt the functions of each button. I am pleased that I was able to correctly do this, in order for my magazine to reach it's best potential.

I edited my photographs in Photo Shop

One of the main tools I became accustomed to using was the 'brush size' tool as I was using the 'clone tool' to take away the majority of the imperfections of shadows and disfigured lighting in my photography. I changed the brush size to fit my image, and the opacity guide made it far easier to control the density of colour I was manipulating with.

These are the three tools I mainly used; The Eraser Tool, The Paint Brush and The Clone Tool. I used the eraser tool on my models hair to erase stray bits of baby hair and loose ends, it was very helpful and I doubt my magazine would look as it does without using this. I used the paintbrush to keep the background of my images clear without shadows; this was a great way of readjusting my photographs. The main tool I used was the Clone Tool. I became aware of this in my Preliminary Task and I was astonished at the difference it made to my photographs.

I used these function boxes on In Design to change the fonts of my magazine. It was really easy to understand compared to the other functions, I found In Design much easier to use than Photo Shop also. Each box contains a different tool to change the shapes and texts on my magazine.

Evaluation Question Five

How did you attract/address your audience?

Evaluation Question Four

Who would be the audience of your media product?

The target market for my media product would be teenagers from fifteen to nineteen or twenty year olds; mainly the people who are interested in festivals, mainstream chart music and celebrity gossip. I chose this age because I am in this age bracket and so I already know the types of layouts that people my age would like and understand. I did not want to make my magazine cover too girly, however after looking back at my research, none of the magazines had a set colour for each one, and the colours varied on the artist on the cover.

Evaluation Question Three

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Evaluation Question Two

How does your media product represent different social groups?

View more PowerPoint from Jess-Church94

Evaluation Question One

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real products?

After researching music magazines it became clear to me that I needed to use bright colours, large fonts and interesting images in my work for it to be around the same level as a real music magazine. I was really interested in the idea of news bulletins in my work, and of how to add this to my own creativity. I added a competition to my contents page which I thought provoked attention to my page and made it more intising.

I have not particularly 'challeged' any part of the music magazine industry as I feel that by sticking to the regular types of music magazine would create a sound product. I found it extremely difficult to make decisions about fonts and colour and so having a class full of people who were creating the same sorts of things was very helpful as I received many opinions on my work.

Whilst going through my work I found it important to keep going back and comparing my work to my research; I did this by comparing my own photography to the real images I had found in my research.

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

Construction: Double Page Spread

The double page spread in my magazine will be about my second model. As she is on my front page, and this will show continuity. I may use my first model for my contents page for a variety in images and style, as both of my models have different looks.

I have been editing my images on Photo Shop which I would like to add to my double page spread. Here are the images I have been editing:

The first image (left) has potential to be in my magazine, however the shadow and uneven background which is unacceptable for a magazine. I have edited this in photo shop to a more satisfying image.



I have also edited this image in photo shop to match the other one shown above. I would like to use both of these on my double page spread as when placed next to each other, they give off the impression of the model looking back at herself, almost in a portrait reflection.



This print screen of the models mouth shows the detail in which I have photo shopped the image. I have painted the whole background the same colour to decrease the uneven lighting in the photograph. I haven't decided on the background colour of my double page spread yet, so by doing this makes it easier for me to adapt my photographs onto the page.

Here is the first print screen of my double page spread; I have incorporated the large 'L' letter; as my models name is Lily, once I saw this magazine spread with a giant 'L' on a double page spread I thought it worked really well with the colour scheme. I would like to incorporate something along these lines into my own work.

This is a print screen of the developments I have made to my double page spread. I changed the background colour of my photographs to white, so that they do not stand out as much as the pink. I have used the two images of the model looking at each other as I feel this will go well with the overall image and style of my music magazine. The larger photo on the outskirts of my magazine pages conveys the manipulation I have been doing with the photographs, as I firstly attempted to have a large image on one side of the page. However, I came to the conclusion that the image I wanted to use was boring and wasted space.

There are thick and thin black lines going horizontally across the page as I would like to do another photoshoot and use the images for this, I would also like to seperate my title from the article as I feel it is effective and eye-catching. My research portrays this.

I have added a heading/quote and summary paragraph to my double page spread to summarize the content of the article about the music artist. I have re-arranged the two images of my model on the pages for a different layout, however I am still unsure on whether this is useful or not.

I have been experimenting with five different fonts for my double page spread. I want the text to be clear and quite plain so that the pages are easy to read and not too confusing. I would like there to be a clear colour scheme and no blank spaces.

This is a zoomed in version of my chosen fonts, for the moment I have kept the fonts black for a more classic look. I chose this font for a title as it is clear and concise. I have made the artists name stand out with the same font used on the frontal magazine cover to show continuity, and so the reader can distinguish who the double page spread is about.

Here is the full view of my double page spread, it portrays the two chosen images in a different layout. I prefer this layout as if this was a real magazine the page would fold directly in the middle which would enhance the idea of the images looking at each other. I like the plain background on these pages however, I think a block colour background would maybe work better for my music magazine.

The first colour I tried to use was a deep brown, I chose this as it was plain and simple yet I felt it may work well with the black font. I have also added a large calligraphy 'L' to the right hand side of the page which is evident in my research. However, I think this colour is a bit too dark and dense for both pages. I may just use it on the left page, if other colours are unsuccessful.

This is the first half of my double page spread. I have added the first photo graph and text of an interveiw with the same model from the front cover. I have added a large, bold quote to draw attention to the reader. I have also put a black border around my photo graph to highlight it's importance on the page.

This is a close up of one of my quotes from my double page spread. I used quotes from in the actual article and placed them near the place it had been said, so that if the reader was interested in this quote they would be able to find the subject easily.I used the same theme of colours throughout my double page spread.

This is a screen shot of the bottom half of my double page spread. It shows the photo graphs facing each other, which I thought was interesting and different. I used different italics in the text interview, to convey when the artist was talking and when the interviewee was speaking.

CONTENTS PAGE

Construction: Contents Page

My contents page needs to contain the following:

- A title

- 1 or more images

- a print screen of my frontal magazine cover

- a clear colour scheme

- clear information about what is inside the magazine

First Developments:

After looking at my research I noticed that in 'Kerrang' magazine the side of the contents page had a ripped paper effect. I wanted to incorporate this into my own magazine cover however after trying different tools, effects and even searching on line of how to make this effect.

I used this 'Lasso Tool' to create the attempted ripped effect on

the above print screen of my contents page.

However, after much deliberation I have decided not to use this layout in my magazine contents as it is too much hassle and in fact does not fit very well with the theme of my magazine.

My new magazine layout is going to be plain and simple, I want it to be easy to read and interesting. I have started with a clear heading and I have used the same font and text from the frontal magazine page to show continuity. However, I would also like to convey an image of my front magazine page on the contents page, as many music magazines do this.

I have altered the contents page so it now portrays an image of my front page; I have been deciding which font to use. I would like the fonts to be easy to read but not boring.

I have decided to place a large 'V' on the contents page to symbolise the name of the magazine. I got this idea from an actual music magazine called 'VIBE' which does this on every issue. This is clear in my contents page research.

I have laid out the basic features of my contents page, the music magazine has to have up to and including fifty pages on the contents page. Instead of wasting space by naming every page in this potential magazine, by naming the 'features' of the magazine, gives the reader an opportunity to go to the page they have seen on the contents page.

This is a more zoomed in version of the contents page, it looks really plain and boring at the moment. I would like the magazine to have colour and boldness, however I am very indecisive and cannot choose which colours to use.

I have changed the 'What's Inside' title to the same font as my magazine title to show continuity. I have changed the background to grey just for the moment to see what the effect was instead of plain white. I have also added a large 'V' and made it transparent so that the features can be seen on top of this.

I need to use one of my own photographs on my contents page, and in my previous work I have stated that I would use a different model to add variety to my magazine. This picture is from my first photo shoot of my first model. She adds a different style to my magazine, which is good. I have changed my contents page quite rapidly as on a second look I thought that the previous page was quite amateur and the colour is still 

pale and boring and I would like to develop this.

I like this layout much better than before, the boxes for contents writing are clearly laid out and there is a main feature in the centre of the page. I have made the title larger to draw attention to the reader and added a news bulletin which are seen regularly in contents pages of music magazines; this is supported in my research. All I now have to do is add the text onto the page and it will be complete.

I have added a fictional paragraph about the 'music artist' on my contents page. The font I have used has been used on my frontal magazine cover and my double page spread, this conveys continuity in my work. I now need to add the 'Features' of my magazine, which will fill up the plain spaces in the three separate rectangles at the bottom of the page.

I have filled in the information in the 'Features..' section, so that the readers are aware of what the magazine contains. I have placed a print screen image of my magazine cover on the contents page as this shows continuity in my work. I have made the numbers bigger to draw in attention and the writing is clear black with a plain white background. At first, I did expect this to be quite boring however the stark opposite colours work well together, I think it looks simplistic and interesting, which I am happy with. All I need to do is add the finishing touches by referring back to my hand drawn designs and adding more information.

I have rotated the print screened image of my music magazine cover anti clockwise by nine degrees, to add effect and I have seen this in my prior research and in the past when reading magazines. I looked back at my hand drawn designs and in those I decided that I would put a competition in my magazine for a member of the public to win a chance of featuring in the '100th Issue.' I feel this would intrigue the public into purchasing my magazine, and the added intrigue would also come from the bright and bold news bulletins which I have added after seeing them repeatedly in other magazines which I have researched.

Contents and Double Page Research

Research into contents and double page spreads used in published music magazines. I will look at the layout and colours of each image and comment on the effectiveness, and whether or not I think it would be suitable to use this information in my own work.

I really like the effect of colour and the simplistic value this contents page has. I would be really proud if I could create something like this, however it is professional and I will try to incorporate the simplicity into my own work,  with my own creativity.

This contents page is also simple and effective, I do not like the photograph used, I think it's too plain and uninteresting; however the overall layout of the page is good and I think it would be worthwhile for me to look into, with elements such as colour scheme.

This contents page has a torn up effect and the ripped edges is an idea I would really like to add to my own work. However, I am very aware of the ability and expertise needed to create work like this and I would try my best to incorporate this into my own work. The only negative about this contents is that the genre of music from 'Kerrang' is much more rock and indie based compared to my pop magazine.

This is probably my favourite contents page because the photography brings the page to life, provoking attention and the 'features' column does not just list pages, it highlights the important information throughout the magazine. This is something I would like my contents page to contain.

I like the colour scheme on this double page spread, all of the writing is clear and easy to read. I appreciate that this genre, again, is not the same as my magazine however I can learn ideas about colour matching and layout from these pages which I think would be very useful.

The idea of an image covering a page and a half of the double page spread is good, however I do not feel inspired at all by this double page spread. The colours are matching, but at the same time look dull and old fashioned. I would like my double page spread to have bold colours and quotes that catch the readers attention.

I enjoy the simplicity of this layout/design. The title being in a defined box sections the paragraph making it clearer and conveys the importance of the writing. I like the picture, however I still feel that this double page spread is very bland and maybe needs an added colour in my opinion.

MUSIC MAGAZINE COVER

Construction: Music Magazine Cover

I am roughly putting together my frontal magazine cover. I have two photographs which I would like to use, so I am going to place each one surrounded by the fonts and advertisements on the front page, and then ultimatley decide which one looks better.

First Photo:

In this printscreen it is clear to see that I have been manipulating the font title on the magazine cover. I decided that the font colour I have chosen did not match my two chosen photographs, so I have changed this to match the colours in the photograph.

Second Attempt:

In this print screen I have changed the font size, colour and tilt. I am unsure on the colour of the title, however I think for now this font is better than before.

Second Photograph:


I chose this photograph as the model is further away from the camera, and this gives more opportunity for there to be writing and advertisements around the image. The background is also brighter and more eye catching.

Additions to Front Page:

I have added the models name to the music cover, to draw in attention from the reader. I will continue to experiment with fonts and layout.

I have been developing my front page on 'InDesign' whilst referring back to my previous research of magazine covers. My frontal magazine cover is nearly done, I will show print screens of these developments.

                             

As you can see I have other text boxes containing my magazine name in different colours, this is because the font colour I first chose was red which did not match my magazine background. I have now chosen colours from the models outfit so that nothing clashes. I will go on to manipulate the layout of this page until I am happy with the outcome. I am aware that the cover is very girly and pink, however the target market for my magazine are young teenagers and girls are much mroe likely to buy pop music magazines compared to boys, as they contain gossip, life stories and some fashion.

More developments:

                       

After looking back at my first layout of the frontal magazine cover, I have decided to change the layout. This is the new design that I have been manipulating:

                                 

I decided to change the font and layout of the magazine cover as the newer layout is easier to work around and fits the specification of a music magazine more, in my opinion. 

This is my newest version of my front cover compared to my first attempt:

I will now carry on editing the cover by adding information about what the magazine contains around the edge of my image. I have added a coloured circle with information about a recent music artist inside. This is eye catching and contains a different font to those already on my front cover, the colours are also similar which conveys continuity.

This print screen portrays a zoomed in version of my frontal magazine cover, I have been adding information around the image. The information I have added is about summer festivals which relates to the music theme of my magazine. I have been deliberating which font I should use, however ultimately I have chosen one which suits my cover best. I have also added a quote from the model/artist to intrigue the reader

                                  

                          

I am satisfied with this product, I have asked for contructive criticism from my teacher and peers so I can make the cover as best as I could. After a few minor alterations of colours and spacing, I was able to create my final cover.