Preliminary Task

For a preliminary task, we made a college magazine. We were divided into teams and had roles split up between us - though we all had input on each page. I took main charge over the front cover whilst another member of my group took focus on the contents page.

Front Cover Flat Plan

For the front cover I will be using a dominant image to take over the whole page, this helps to ensure reader interest. as the image will stand out the most this way. The larger the image is, the easier it is to see the subject. To make the image stand out the optimal amount, I will make sure that the image is vibrant and colourful. I want the model (myself) to have an interesting facial expression. I have considered a classic invitational expression but decided instead to take a shot looking towards the trees, as if not focusing on the camera, as if the photo was taking casually of someone admiring the school, but I will leave my body open towards the camera. As my arms are by my side rather than folded or together, my body language will be open and inviting, not closed off. This invites a reader to come and look at the magazine. In terms of accessories, I will have my backpack slung over one shoulder, which adds to the casual look I was aiming for. I will also have my student ID, to make it clear that I am a student - therefore I match the age of my T.A. This is useful as the subject should be relatable to the T.A. The green also adds a splash of colour, which provides visual interest - especially as it is a contrast to the blue surrounding it. The angle of this dominant image will be taken at eye level to draw the readers attention to it - once more, this is very casual. It's like something you that you could see just walking around college instead of a stand-out photo taken from an odd angle. The fonts used for the masthead will be bold as it helps it stand out the colours will match the college as then it becomes more branded and more recognizable by students it will also include the college logo to again to help students recognize it. Most font colours used will be a blue that is similar to the college colours but slightly different shades to help it stand out. The writing will have a white tinted background to help the readers read the information more clearly - as the image has darker section. There will be two sub images just below the masthead, having them just above being central means that readers attention will be drawn to them, which will cause interest. More sub images are appropriate for a younger audience. I went with two sub images as I felt that matched young college students - who are still 16, 17, 18 and therefore drawn in my images - without overusing it and making the T.A seem like children. The main sell line and pull quote will have block coloured backgrounds one blue with white writing and one yellow with black writing to help the text stand out and to draw the readers attention to the magazine and the titles. Blue and yellow are contrasting colours and this will create visual interest.

Front Cover 

This image had to be edited to make it fit the page in the way that I wanted it to. The top portion of the image was stretched out, though I didn't stretch the subject as this would ruin the look. Next time, I would take the image in such a way that it would fit the page without editing. 

As you can see from the original image, it as quite saturated and dull. I feel as if next time, I could use costume and makeup to make the image less dull instead of relying completely on photoshop to brighten the image up. My costume, whilst casual, could have been better if I'd been sporting clothes such as a school hoodie. 

Another thing I would do differently is search for more fonts as I'm not too fond of the default ones I have used. Ideally, I wanted a stamp looking font such as this one:

But I didn't have time to search website for a downloadable font. I would've also liked different fonts for the pull quote.

If given more time, I would have liked to have focused on making the diagonal text boxes blend and look more professional. They do look slightly out of place and not very much like something you would find in a real magazine. 

EDIT: Another thing I didn't realize until after my analysis was that I'd not included a price or a barcode. This must be in my final product.

 Contents Page Flat Plan

My group decided to take a simplistic approach with my contents page, as it's purpose is to direct readers to articles and simplicity can aid readability. This contents page will have a purple background, as my team chose a purple and blue colour scheme. Purple and blue are two colours that look aesthetically pleasing alongside each other. They are also both royal colours often used in the marketing of luxury items (alongside black, which is also used heavily) and therefore makes our school look to be a higher standard and makes our magazine look professional. We used white as a font colour as this is a colour that really stands out against a purple background it is easier for the buyer to read. The images link with what is in the list of contents and they also link with what is on the front page. The lighting for the library photo is artificial lighting, which can be controlled somewhat more than natural lighting but not as much as studio lighting, and the lighting for the arts building was taken with natural light, which can look excellent and make for very interesting shots but is very temperamental. We had damp weather when this was taken and the sky was quite overcast, so this could have been better. We also took it at a good time of day, around 10, so the sun was already in the sky and it was light out. If it were too early or late, the shot would've been compromised. The font is quite bold so help it stand out on the page. It's also a very rounded font, which seems less professional than a straighter font however it is more readable. As detailed in a study which you can read more on HERE rounder fonts are considered to be easier to read for dyslexic people and other people with reading difficulties. Though comic sans is considered very, very unprofessional - it is regarded as one of the easiest to read and easiest on the eyes. Rounded fonts on the contents page make it more suited to its purpose.

Contents Page

Although I do like the simplicity of this page, I worried that it was a little too simple and could've had more going on. We could've had an editors note or more pull quotes. In my final product I will have more going on. My concerns with fonts, images, and colouring also apply to the contents page. 

Final products: