Evaluation of Preliminary Task

EVALUATION

The aim for task three was to create a college magazine front cover and a contents page. I used Photoshop to create my cover as it allows you to manipulate images and I used InDesign to create the contents page as it allows you to achieve even layouts and a clear design. I was hoping to use as many conventions of covers and contents pages as I could because I wanted to achieve a professional look. I got knowledge and some ideas from other college magazines that I have looked at in class. This allowed me to understand the conventions of college magazines. Baring in mind this was the first creative task I have done, there is a lot of space for improvement and this evaluation will help me evaluate my work in detail and set targets for the next creative task.

What Went Well? (Font Cover)

The first thing that I have done was take some images. I have used a female student for my front cover. I wanted my image to reflect college students so I decided that she should have a bag on her shoulder, her ID card around her neck and hold some books. I also told my model to smile. This was successful because I got the image I wanted to have. The mid-shot of my model was taken on a white background which means that I did not need to crop out the image out of its background. However I did use Photoshop to make the background lighter and make the background look whiter so the image was manipulated a little. I added the masthead at the top of the page in the left hand corner. I then used the eyedropper tool to choose the colour of it because I wanted the masthead to be the same colour as the bag. This was successful and allowed me to set out the colour scheme. The last letter of the masthead was on top of the model’s head so I used the rubber tool manipulate and to rub out the bottom half of the letter. This made the masthead look like it was behind the image which looked natural and professional. I added cover lines that were relevant to college life and I added them on both sides of the cover. The main cover line was placed in the middle and was white. This allowed the main cover line stand out and the placement of it highlighted that it was the main cover line as it was separated from the rest of the cover lines. In addition I also added a bar code, issue date, price and a website. The price, website and the bar code was placed at the bottom of the cover but the issue date was placed at the top. I chose to include these things because they reflect the usual conventions of magazine front covers. Finally I used the traditional three colour scheme, the colours that I have used are: burgundy, white and black. The three colours allow my cover to loom neat and simple but also effective. Overall I believe that my front cover clearly reflects the genre of the magazine and I have been successful in producing a front cover with the right conventions.

What to Improve On? (Front Cover)

First of all I could improve my front cover by making the gutter smaller. This would provide me with a bit more space and I could make the cover look bigger. The feedback that I have received also mentioned that it is hard to read some cover lines. Therefore I could improve this by increasing the font size of the text so it becomes easier to read and I could also change the colour of the text. Instead of using black text I could use a brighter colour that would be more visible. In addition I could also consider the positioning of the cover lines, meaning that I shouldn’t place them on the main image but place them all on white background in order for them to clearly stand out and be visible. I could improve my cover by adding a skyline above the masthead. This would make my front cover look more professional. To add to that I could also add a puff which would enhance the cover. All of the listed things above would allow me to produce a better looking magazine front cover.

What Went Well? (Contents Page)

Firstly for my contents page I took some images that were relevant and reflected the genre of the magazine. I used one page for the contents page which allowed me to have enough space for all the information I wanted to include. I also used grid lines which guided me to an even layout, it helped me to position everything in an equal way. I was successful at using house style throughout task three as I have used the same font as I have used for the cover. This makes it look professional. I have used different subheadings which means I included three different columns that helped me to organise everything. In addition to that, I included page numbers that were listed in chronological order hence my contents page looks neat and organised. Furthermore, I have added numbers on the all of the images and this reflects a convention of a contents page. Finally I have added an editor’s letter on the right side of the page. Below the editors letter I added social media logos. This is advertising social media and is telling the readers that the magazine can be available on social media which is quite popular. This is a common convention that successful magazine use so I decided to use it too.

What to Improve On? (Contents Page)

The contents page needs improvement, therefore one thing that I could improve on is the use of colour. I could add more colour to the contents page so it looks more attractive and less boring to look at. The use of more colours would also make certain sections stand out more and become more eye catching. In addition, I could make the subheadings a different colour for example blue or red. This would allow the subheadings stand out more. The other thing that needs to be improved is the visibility of the numbers on the images. Some of the numbers are hard to read so instead of having the numbers black and positioned at the bottom of the image, the first thing I could do is change the colour of it for instance to white and increase the font size. I could then position them at the top of the image in the left hand corner. This would allow the numbers to easily be read and spotted. I could also make the contents page a double page and include more images which would make the contents page look visually busy and would create an idea that the magazine has a lot to offer.  Lastly I could change the background of the contents page and get rid of the white background in order to make the contents page look more exciting.

Key Points for Development.

1.    When creating the main task I should definitely consider the font size of the text and the     positioning of it. I need to make sure that all my text is clearly visible and easy to read.
2.     I  also need to make use of all the empty space when creating the main task so it does not look plain and boring.
3.   When creating the main task (contents page) I need to make sure I use more colours and images so it looks visually busy and exciting.
4.   Finally when creating the main task (front cover) I need to use all conventions of music magazines and make sure I include a puff and a skyline so it looks highly professional.