This is the list of things I will improve on.

FINAL PRODUCT

I decided to change the font on my contents page and DPS as I felt that the font I had before did not stand out enough to the reader. I feel that the new font that I selected is bolder and appeals more. It adds something to the page and it makes it appear less bland.
This is my final product.

edited work

This is my updated contents page and front cover. I have moved the cover-lines around so that they are all in line with each other, so that it looks more organised. I have also added a price and date next to the barcode as I had forgot to do that before. I decided to keep everything else pretty much the same as I was happy with it's simple appeal.
With the contents page, I decided to re arrange the images and also improve the quality of the image. I also added some more text so that the reader gets more information when they are reading the contents page. I also included images of social media icons towards the bottom of the page, along with a website.

finished DPS and contents page

This is my finished DPS and Contents Page. I decided to stick with the theme of red, white and black throughout my magazine. I kept the pages red so that they are bold and eye catching. The text is black and white so that it is easy to read and stands out against the red of the pages. The theme is fairly simple, much like the front cover. This is because I didn't want the pages to appear too busy.

finished front cover

This is my finished front cover. I decided to keep it quite simple, with a few coverlines. I stucked with the theme of black, white and red, as I felt this would fit with the theme of my magazine. I believe that the red, in contrast to the black and white, stands out.

this is my progress so far on the cover of my magazine. It is obviously not finished, as I have a lot to do.

Magazine Flatplan

This is a printscreen of my flat plan. I decided to put things such as fanmail towards the back as they seem to be the things that appeal less to readers. I also included a free iTunes voucher, as it attracts a reader more if there is a small gift inside of the magazine. I included quite a few adverts in my music magazine, and also included things such as 'best artists of 2015' and 'album reviews'. I decided to have around roughly 30 pages in my music magazine.

Photography

I shot my photos for my front cover, contents page and DPS on last week Tuesday. I got the shots I needed for everything. I made my model dress in simple clothing that also fit with the vibe of the magazine. I took mainly mid shots and some close up shots. I may use the close up shots for my contents page. My model dressed in mainly neutral colours which would not distract from the other features of the magazine.

We went on a trip to Regent Street Cinema to watch an interview with journalist Anna Smith. She gave tips on what questions to ask the person you are interviewing, and also told us what makes a good article, etc.

We had a tutorial in the photography studio in this lesson. We were shown how to use a DSLR camera correctly, and were also shown the photography equipment that we will be using and how to look after it correctly.
The different lighting settings were demonstrated and so were the different pieces of equipment.
Things we learned were;

• the model has to be up to 5 or 6 feet away from the backdrop, otherwise unwanted shadows will be created, etc.
• the button on the top is called 'Godlocks'. The little  button in the corner turns flash on.
• Lights go off when you are ready to shoot

Initial Ideas for my Magazine

Today I began thinking about the genre of my music magazine.I decided on hip-hop and R&B, and decided that my target audience would be 15-24.

Evaluation

Evaluation

For my college magazine, I wanted to achieve a look that didn’t appear to ‘amateur’ and something that appealed to students. I wanted to do this by using a proper image that was taken on a plain background, so that it is suitable for a front cover, etc.

I think my colour scheme is good as it contrasts with the colour of the folder that she is holding. I think that I did fairly well in designing my college magazine, as this is the first real thing that I designed on Photoshop and not InDesign. I think that the image I used on my front cover was taken at a good angle (mid-shot). The person I used is looking directly into the camera and smiling, which makes it appear similar to a college magazine. There are simple colours used on this magazine, with only 2 colours being used (purple and white.)
I think that the text I used was suitable, as it was simple and nothing too fancy, and it did not distract from the cover star of the magazine.

However, I believe that there are some things that I could have improved on.

·        I could have made the image slightly brighter, so that the cover didn’t appear quite so bland.

·        I could have also included some more things on the cover to make it somewhat more appealing, for example, I could have advertised things such as competitions, etc. I could have included a puff, which could have added a slight splash of colour to the front cover of my magazine.

·        I could have also included some other cover-lines, ones that are more fun and appealing to students.

However, I do believe that the magazine cover I created was of quite a good standard, as I had very little experience in creating things on photoshop.

College Magazine Cover

This is the college magazine I designed. I did it using photoshop, which I learned to use a few days ago.
I used a mid-shot of a student that I took myself, and matched the colour scheme with her clothes and folder; purple to match the folder and white to match the background and her shirt.
I included the date on top of the barcode, so it is similar to that of a real magazine.
I made the masthead bold and fairly bright so that it stands out, and I made the cover-lines both white AND purple, so that they contrast with each other, and so that the whole magazine isn't too plain.
I decided not to make the cover of my magazine too 'busy' as it may distract from the main image of the student, which I want to be the main focus of the cover. In the bottom right hand corner of the page I included a link to the school's website. I felt that this was appropriate as it is a college magazine.
The cover-lines I included were education related, such as Revision Tips, Exam Guide and Resources, which fit with the college theme of the magazine. I did have some trouble with the sizing of the text and being able to fit it all in without it looking slightly cramped but I just downsized the text to make it fit in.
The main coverline I used was 'Top 10 Tips For Success'. I used this as I thought about what would appeal to me and other students, and this seemed right as everybody wants to succeed. I made the barcode fairly small so that it is not the main focus of the cover.
I am happy with the finished product and thought I did quite well designing my first magazine using photoshop, as I was not very familiar with using photoshop to design things until recently.

College Magazine

This is a rough draft of my college magazine. I found this picture of a student online and I will be using a student from Leyton on the cover of my magazine.
This is just a rough draft of what I will be designing. I chose a colour scheme to include in my draft, and I used blue to match her jeans, and green as it coordinates well with the blue. When I design my real magazine it will most likely have a different colour scheme, depending on the picture I use.

Today I went out and found a student to use on the cover of my college magazine. I got her to hold a book so it looks like quite a conventional image that would be used on the cover of a college magazine. I took it against a white background so that it is suitable for a front cover.

Cover Page XXL

This is the cover of XXL that I am analyzing, It features a close up shot of the artists' (in this case, Future) face.
The color scheme is white, red and black.
The masthead is covering the top of the image of the artist, but this does not distract from the image of the artist himself. The text is white as it is bold and stands out against the red of the image. This was done to catch the eye of the reader. The coverlines are also white, like the title, however these are done in a smaller font so that they do not attract too much attention from the main focus of the cover.
a gutter has been used in order to keep everything in line.
The price is next to the barcode and is in small print so it is not an important factor of the magazine.
The font remains simple and consistent throughout the cover, with coverlines being kept to one side, giving the cover a tidier, neater look.

XXL was first released in 1997, and was published by Harris Publications. It featured Jay Z on the cover. XXL also releases an annual Top 10 Freshman List, which features up and coming rappers.


Future is looking directly into the camera with a fierce and bold expression, perhaps showcasing his stamina and his place in the music industry, perhaps showing that he is confident and that he is here to stay. He has hints of black in his clothing which co-ordinate with the color scheme,
The cover is pretty much very simple, with the image of Future being fairly big, but the rest of the cover being quite simple, perhaps highlighting the fact that he is a very big face in the music industry, and that he is a straightforward person.

From what you can see of his clothing, it resembles that of a stereotypical pimp. It also resembles 1980s hip hop/rap culture and clothing, perhaps symbolising that he aims to be an iconic face in the industry. The genre of the magazine is made clear to be hip hop and rap, as indicated by the coverlines and main image.

photoshop practice

This is the product of my first time using Photoshop. I learned how to use rulers and layers, and also how to erase and layer text. I learned how to place an image and stretch it without it being pixelated. I also learned how to insert and edit the text and its colour.

DPS

This is my DPS. I used a red background so that it would catch the readers eye, and I kept the text black so that it is easy to read. I sorted the text into columns, so that it is organised and set out like a real magazine. Like most magazines, I included and image on one page, accompanied by a bold title. 

we analysed a double page spread and learned conventions of it, such as the layout, etc.

College Magazines

Similarities:
College magazines are similar to music magazines in the sense of things such as the positions of the masthead, cover lines and images.
There tends to be one big image in the middle, as seen with all magazines. The masthead tends to be very big and bold, occasionally with the image covering a small part of the text.
There are usually quite a few coverlines on both music and college magazines, and the magazine/front cover tends to have a colour scheme. as shown in this example, the colour scheme is green, blue, yellow and red.
music magazines also have a colour scheme. the colour scheme depends on the genre of the magazine. for example, if it is a rock magazine, colours that are frequently used include red, maroon, blue, etc..



Differences:
With music magazines, the images tend the be a close up shot, with the artist looking directly into the camera, and are rarely smiling in the photo, whereas with college magazines, the person on the cover tends to be smiling.
Music magazines have better quality photography than college magazines do. Music magazines have better lighting, too, as they tend to be put together by professionals who are skilled in making magazines.
If the star on the cover of the music magazine is photoshopped, it tends to be a very well done job, whereas if college magazines are photoshopped, it tends to show easily, as shown in the picture of the college magazine at the top of the page.
Music magazines are neatly organised, with cover lines placed carefully and the colour scheme is carefully put together.
This music magazine uses quite a few colours, but the cover does not look too 'busy' as most of the background is completely black and white.
The coverlines on music magazines are neatly organised, whereas the coverlines on the college magazine are very disorganised and are not placed in a way that looks good.

Analysing magazines

This is the contents page we analysed on Mondays lesson. We looked at different magazines and their contents pages, and how they were arranged. For example, whether the pictures were layered and not in chronological order, or if they were neatly organised with columns and pages in chronological order.  The magazine we looked at had a rather messy style, with the images layered and not in any particular order. 

Media Blog

Hi and welcome to my media blog where I will be posting my work for you to view.

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