Evaluation (Split Up Version-Part 7)

Evaluation (Split Up Version-Part 6)

Evaluation (Split Up Version-Part 5)

Evaluation (Split Up Version-Part 4)

Evaluation (Split Up Version-Part 3)

Evaluation (Split Up Version-Part 2)

Evaluation (Split Up Version-Part 1)

Fifth Draft Front Cover (Final)

Third Draft Double Page Spread (Final)

Fifth Draft Contents Page (Final)

Double Page Spread Development Process

Contents Development Process

 

Front Cover Development Process

Fourth Draft Front Cover

Third Draft Front Cover

Second Draft Double Page Spread

Second Draft Front Cover

Second Draft Double Page Spread (without photos)

First Draft Double Page Spread (without photos)

First Draft Contents Page (without photos)

First Draft Front Cover (without photos)

Magazine Mock-up Contents Page

 

Evaluation of the Preliminary Product

         

Front Cover       

 I have spent my time to create a magazine cover that would be appropriate for a school magazine therefore, I have decided to use some elements form other school magazines. I searched for a range of different styles of magazine covers and found that none of them have a barcode due to the fact that school magazines are usually free and are handed out to the school students to read at the end of the day. For this reason, I have not involved a barcode onto my design; therefore there is also no sign of a kicker with a price. This therefore allows the magazine appear more simple than a professional magazine in shops as they look more busy with their banners and kickers that inform the target audience of their cheaper prices which, grabs the attention of a target audience. It is for this reason that unlike a real magazine, I have chosen to place my masthead near the bottom of the cover.

This is because school magazines are handed out instead of placed on a stand, making it easily noticed which magazine it is. On the other hand, this makes the magazine stand out more as this makes it unique and therefore more interesting for a target audience to look at which, is the aim for a real magazine, while a school magazine would focus more on the information inside rather than the presentation. Like all magazines, this one has a banner which I have decided to add and used it to give the message “everything around you” which gives the message that school surrounds out with chances to get a good education as long as you work hard at it therefore, you can’t let opportunity slip away. This is an educational message given by a school to persuade others that their school is the best can therefore, tries to get the target age group to go to the school while professional magazines say things like “Best magazine to read” or “exclusive interview with (name of celebrity) only in (name of magazine)”. This is done to persuade people to buy the magazine itself which is not the focus of a school magazine. A school magazine is certain to have a photograph of a student at the school and for this reason; I look a photo of a student working, to make the magazine more down to Earth. It is also better to have this image as the target audience can relate to the product better, as the person on the cover himself a student going to the same school. The subheading involves “new record GCSE results!” This is done in the style of a list, making it look more formal and easier to read, giving information about the school. However, capital letters are not used (apart from GCSE) to make the product look more laidback and informal, to connect with the target audience who are young and want to relax at a time when there are GCSEs to revise for.

I have tried to create a magazine that focuses on the ethos of my school. Looking at the school website that the school itself believes in respect, dignity and pride to show everyone that our is proud of itself, it has high expectations of its pupils and expects for people to dress smartly, be well behaved and work hard. The school website it set out neatly and is made easy to understand therefore, I have made my work simple with easy to read fonts and a neat layout. I have used colours including red, which represents bravery and pride onto my front cover, to give out a message that the school only expects the best behaviour and that the school gives students a good education to have a good future. White has also been used to suggest that the school is up to date and youthful, showing that school is for people still in their youth, therefore showing innocence the cover. The black and white photo makes the school traditional and presentable, allowing the overall look show hard working students who learn new skills but also have a modern touch to show that the school can keep up with our generation.

 

Magazine Mock-up Design 3

Magazine Mock-up Design 2

Magazine Mock-up Design 1

For my course work, I have begun a project to create a music magazine. I have chosen to do a magazine on Pop music for a target audience of teenage girls from the age of 13-16 years old.  For my first mock-up design, I have experimented with a medium close up shot using a photo of Katy Perry as the main photo. This way, I have a better idea of what type of shot I want to take for my final project.  As seen on my pervious posts, I have designed a masthead (logo) that will be on my final design. The name my magazine is “mash” as in mash-up which proved to be the most popular after asking my target audience which logo they preferred out of all of my designs. The colours I have chosen are blue, pink and purple.

Blue is often referred to as being a colour better suited for males; however it also appears as a calming colour, giving the feeling of being young, refreshing and natural making it relaxing and also appears to look modern, matching the target audience. Although the colour is known to be targeted towards males, if the colour is made into a lighter shade, the natural look increases becomes a colour that is approved of by females.

Purple is a colour which gives the idea of being proud. This is the target of all magazines, so that they can stand out from the crowd and seem more appealing to read. Purple is a colour of  fantasy and magic, showing a sign of originality, creativity and fresh new ideas, matching the fact that I would like to create a magazine that is different so stand out but not too much to make it dislikeable. The colour itself is known to be more preferable to females when in lighter shades.

Pink is an innocent colour known be aimed for females. The colour is known to be, when in lighter shades to be something that looks gentle, kind, and sweet and bubbly therefore is better known for being on products for little girls. It is used for female products. When this colour is darker it looks like the colour purple, so gives a more supernatural appearance.

It is well known for a masthead to be in a square or rectangle. For this reason, I wanted to create a mast head with a modern look therefore; I used three circles combined to create my logo. I made the logo so that each circle goes down at an angle to make it look different and individual from magazines that are already on the market.

Most magazines on the market have a banner to give information on the content of the magazine itself. It is common for this banner to be a long rectangle that goes across the bottom of the screen. It is for this reason that I have created a banner on my magazine cover. Instead of using a rectangle in one colour, I wanted my banner to have a modern appearance by giving it a new and different look from a traditional banner. I did this by creating a circle pattern that matched the logo both for its shape and colours.  I over layered this with text, in forming people of the person in the main article. Therefore I wrote “Katy Perry” in text that is bigger from the rest of the fonts to make it look more important than the rest of the cover. To allow it to standout, I made the text black to match the hair colour of Katy Perry to allow it to fit in better on the page. I found it difficult to find a way to make the black easy to read on the blue part of the banner, so after experimenting with the Fireworks software, I finally discovered that I could add a white glow effect around the text to make it easier to read. I did the same to the date and issue number, as this made then standout better.

The subheadings are written in white to match the logo font, but also to make it easier to read as they are written over Katy Perry’s hair. I place the subheading here so that they are out of the way of the main photo so that we can focus more on it. However, this method of presentation makes the subheadings look like a list, making it boring and not interesting to look at. It also makes the other side of the cover look too empty.  

It is also noticeable that I didn’t involve a barcode. This because some magazines choice not to put the barcode here and put them only the back instead. However, this makes my cover look less professional and makes the cover look empty.

Over all I will take into consideration the positives and negatives of my design, and use them to make a second mock-up design.

Photos that will NOT appear in my magazine

Looking at this photograph, it is clear to see the reason why it was not used. Although each model is close together, they look somewhat uncomfortable and don't feel like they connect as girl band, taking away the main idea of the photo. The lighting is good but one girl on the far left is partly cut off the shot, making it seem like she is not equal to the others which differs from the point of a girl band, and the idea of a good friendship group. It also does not look professional due to the girl being cut off, plus, I feel it would have been better if the shoot was taken from higher up; therefore the girls look lower and may give a more natural look to them lying down. It would have been better if the girls were positioned closer together to make them connect with each other more.

This photo is bad in quality. There is too much happening in the background and the lighting is off, making everything look slightly yellow in colour. In this photo, I asked the girls to jump together so that can get a photo while they are still in the air. However, I took this photo too late which meant I took the photo after the girls landed on the ground, making the photo took blurred as well as the girls looking uncomfortable. The photo is also slightly off angle so goes not look like something that would be placed in a real magazine for the market.

This Photo is a lot better than the second photo. The lighting is better and we are able to see everything better however it is clear that, one of the girls has her face covered by the another girl's hands, blocking her form view, and not making her look equal or someone you can identify, because we cannot see her. There is a lot happening in the background and the girl in the front has her feet cut off the shot. This does not give a professional appearance therefore; it cannot be used for the final product.

Photos that Will be used appear in my magazine

I find that I really like this photo as it differs from most of my images, yet fits in well with the overall theme for the magazine. The photo shown will have a high chance of being used for the front cover of my magazine, as it has such a positive appearance that could attract the target audience. The shot is a high shot, which would usually suggest weakness, saying that the girls are not strong at all, however this differs with what the girls are doing. They have arms around each other, smiling while giving the camera full eye contact, suggesting that they will stick up for each other when times get tough, and support each other when needed, while keeping positive. This shows that they will not let what others think stop them from being themselves. This gives the idea of a good role model for the next generation of females. The lighting is good and can be worked with in editing for the final product. All of the girls are in shot and all look perfect for the look at a teenage pop band.

 



For this photo, the look of the models matches the band name "CHILLAX" which, is a two words put together to make one words. These words are "chill" and "relax". Both words mean the same thing and so go well together. The girls themselves look both chilled and relaxed as they lie down, resting their heads on their hand as if they don't care what people say, they are just going to happy and be themselves. The shot is at a level height to the models, making it easier for the target audience to relate to them and to find them more likable. The lighting is good in this photo and there is no blurs to prevent anything being difficult to see.

This photo is of one of the girls on her own, making her seem more independent, therefore looked up to more by the target audience. This is a medium close up, displaying plenty of detail of the face and what she is doing, giving her more personality. She gives the camera eye contact and places a hand on her hip to show confidence. She is smiling to showing she is happy in life so attracts more of the audience. There is good lighting for the shot again and no blurs with great focus on the model.

Preliminary Product Audience Feedback

Magazine Masthead Ideas (Colour)

Magazine Masthead Ideas

Preliminary Products

Colour Symbolism

Purple

 

Purple is a colour which is used for products such as Cadbury chocolate because it gives the image of loyalty. As well as loyalty, the picture gives the image of pride, and suggests fantasy and a world of the supernatural, often used for magical creatures such as dragons and wizards, linking to the fact that the colour is well known to be the colour of magical items, but also a colour that to some seem more preferable to females but also appropriate for men when in a darker shade. It is a can be a happy colour if a lighter shade, but a darker shade can give it a darker, more mysterious look, giving the idea of evil.

   

 

Red

 

A colour with different means. It can mean hate, dominance, loud, intimidation, danger, death, fear, anger, power, fast and pure evil because of the fact the it matches the colour of blood, linking it the violence, with the fact the colour looks so strong and powerful  to the eye. On the other hand, this colour can mean love, romance due to it being the colour of roses, excitement and heat. This colour can be seen as beauty or hatred, depending on a someone's point of view and where the colour has been placed. It is seen to some people, a colour better for women when it comes to romance therefore on female magazine, and linking to the idea of love, put on valentines cards.

 

 

 

Yellow

 

This colour is often used on signs as yellow gives the idea of needing to take caution in the area so should therefore take care. This colour is demanding like red, but also bright giving the idea of stupidity, however, it is mainly known to be a colour that represents warmth, thrills, youth, humour, innocents, energy and happiness, which why smiley faces are usually drawn and coloured in yellow. This colour gives the idea on sun light to show it is heat, and is often used on products of children.

 

 



 

Blue

 

Blue seems very calm and natural like the sky and sea, creating a relaxing atmosphere. This colour is known to be more appropriate for males, unlike pink which is seem as being for females. This colour differs from red as blue is seen as being slow, quiet, cold and wet. This colour is normally used in bathrooms because of this and is normally seem on products aimed at males. It also appears to look very professional and modern, is used on technology.

 

 

 

Green

 

Green is a colour that means peace and respect, but also seems natural as it matches the colour of plants. For this reason, the colour is used for the recycling logo. It shows happiness and pleasure and being good and innocents. It is a colour that is used to represent good luck, so wear the colour in hope of having a good future. This colour stands out from the colour red, so is used for exit signs in case there is a fire.

 



 



 

Pink

 

Pink is an innocent colour known be aimed for females. A natural pink like the pink above, looks gentle, kind, and sweet and bubbly therefore is better known for being on products for little girls. It is used for female products. If darker, it can look sexual and more dangerous  and outdoing. As a darker colour, it looks closer to the colour purple, so gives a more supernatural and magical appearance.



 

White

 

Is white a colour? Some would say no but in this case, let's say "yes". White is a colour that has an empty, blank feeling that suggests loneliness and sorrow, usually used to show open space, and is used  most of the time as a background colour for writing and images such magazines. It is known to be the colour of ghosts, linking to the look of emptiness and the sense of being lost. It seems when looking at it this why, to be sad and depressing but on the other hand, it can bring joy too. It is known to be a colour that shows being good instead of evil, and relaxing and also seems to comfort people as it reminds them of light, that can guide them to a safe place. It seems an innocent colour that seems light like clouds that have the same colour, therefore white is used a lot for products such as low fat yogurts. It seems gentle and harmless, usually used as a colour pictured to be in Heaven, giving it a peaceful, pleasant and natural look. It is for this reason why it is like purple, for looking magical. White seems like a very calming colour, used to relax therefore, is used a lot in bathrooms.

 

 

 

Black

 

Black is also questioned for being a colour but, once again we will say that black is a colour. Black is known to be the complete opposite to white. Where white is light, calming and seen as being good, black seems heavy, harsh and being evil. It appears to be very depressing and hateful like the colour red, but looks very cold and unpleasant to look at unlike red. It seems mysterious and scary, like walking around alone at night, as all you can see is the colour black, unsure of where you are or if what is out there with you. This is why black is used in horror movies. Black seems very depressing and lonely, like white, which is why death is said to be in the form a white skeleton wearing a black cloak. Black is a colour representing the unknown, which is what scares people the most, and therefore is said to mean danger. Black differs from white as both look so different from each other, make black the best colour to used on a white background. It is also used to make things stand out, like the outline of a cartoon character or a font for a logo.

 

 

Orange

Orange is a warm colour as it looks like fire and reminds people of the sun and leaves in Autumn, making it look natural. The colour looks energetic and fun, also well as looking funky, as well as appearing healthy and engaging therefore seems appropriate for young children as to looks youthful and cheerful, suggesting excitement and adventure. On the other hand, orange can suggest a lack of any serious intellectual values and therefore gives the idea of bad taste. The colour is bold and powerful, making it eye catching. For this reason, the colour is used for logos and used for cones on building sites and roads, to stand out from the darker and duller colours. Lighter oranges are known to be soothing while darker oranges look comforting, spicy or even earthy, linking the natural look.