Evaluation - Finished Preliminary Task



FINAL FRONT COVER OF MY MAGAZINE 



The central Image above is a screenshot of photoshop which presents my final front cover of my magazine. As evaluated before it holds all the same information alongside the same stages of processing my magazine. After recieving positive feedback and end results from my media teachers I felt it could add a final touch, and that would be adding a bit of colour. Although previously stating that the grayscale colour allowed for an 'old school' style I felt that the contrast between the blacks greys and whites did not recieve the overall effect I was hoping for. Therefore I used the 'duotone' tool from photoshop to add in a touch of maroon like reds and lightly coloured mustard yellows. The overall effect this leaves, I believe, is greater than before, it breaks up the magazine, allowing for the puffs to have a sense of colour and to stand out more. Overall the use and knowledge of photoshop has allowed me to create this effect which is complimentary to my original starting draft ideas. This is my final desgin of my magazine front cover.

In future, for example when producing my media coursework - a music magazine, I will take the ideas and skills I have learnt front producing this preliminary task and take things further by ensuring I can make a better and more positive result. If I was to do this particular task again my first to ensure would be that the central image is taken with a good digital SLR Camera in order for the image to be clear and not pixilated when zoomed in or focused. For this task I used an ordinary camera which inevitably decreased the overall professional effect of the magazine. I would also look into focusing more on using the ideas provided by other magazine companies, although I used the idea of a fashion section taken from other magazines and produced onto my own, I feel I could expand on this to create a sense of professionalism. Again I would perhaps look into focusing using the magazine as a colour tool, instead of leaving the magazine set to a grayscale colour, or, like I did, using a duotone tool, I would leave the image as it once stood and add varitey of exciting colours to allow the reader to be more focused, however for this I was sticking to a sophistaced and formal aim and I think I have achieved this well.

As a final conclusion I am extremely pleased with the end result of my preliminary task - producing a school magazine cover. The audience, inevitably, was aimed at young female sixth form students. I think the use of reds and pinks as tones adds to the feminimity of the piece and particularly adding in the fashion style section allows for the audience to be narrowed down and to reach the female section of sixth form students. Having a specific age group, between sixteen and eighteen, allowed for the magazine to be slightly more sophisticated than if it were for younger school students, I think the exclusive cover story reaches the need for this. Also, as it was a school magazine I felt it needed to have some light hearted sections within it, therefore I presented the magazine with a section specifically dedicated to the latest music around. Lastly I felt the magazine needed to have a unique selling point, therefore, steming from my original ideas, I kept it 'old school', which I felt was achieved by the colour tone and the use of font types. However I believe its main difference from other students magazines is that it is written from the mind of a student itself, hence the strapline 'From An Insiders View'. I felt the audience would be able to relate to the magazine if it was written from a student. Therefore I feel I have met all the needs I originally set out and am pleased with the overall design of the magazine front cover, enjoying completing the task as well as expanding my skills on photoshop and opening up my mind to the world of media.