Main Brief

To design a front cover, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine. All images and text must be original, a minimum of four images must be used.

Evaluation

What have you learnt from completing this task?
From this task i have learnt how to use photoshop to create different types of magazine covers in order to find one to suit the magazine genre. In this case it was a college magazine therefore i learnt how to create a front cover and contents page which includes feature stories to relate with the audience, an image which is a person of the same age and things that the audience would be interested in this was also done using the technique of pull quotes on the front cover, doing all this but also making sure that the magazine still looks professional. 

Also i have learnt the definitions of conversions and different conversions such as;
Mastheads
Skylines
Footers
Main Images
Feature Stories 
Plugs 

I have learnt the way these conventions are used and where they are placed and why in the media. I learnt which conversions were also the most effective and which fonts and colour schemes work well together for a certain type of magazine.
It has not all been difficult what i have learnt, i have also learnt the basics like what media is and the different ways in which it can be used.

Also i have learnt what semiotics are and the ways that they are used in advertising and the definitions of denotation and conitation. I learnt this through picking apart different parts of a poster in order to find out what it suggested and what it meant. 

How have you used technology?

I have used technology for every part of this task. 
I have used; 
A camera; to take the pictures for my product.
A computer; to use the software for my planning including my mood board and drafts for the magazine.
Photoshop Software; to make the magazine itself.
The internet (Blogger); to upload and store the task.

I have used a camera to take my camera framings and the front cover/contents page images which are of a student holding a folder as it relates to the task. I downloaded the images onto the computer in order to use them on my college magazine. Later I download them onto Photoshop to make the magazine itself. I used many different techniques on Photoshop in order to make the front cover and the contents page of the magazine look more professional. After making the magazine on Photoshop I downloaded all my planning and my final product along with the drafts on my blogger account. 

What conventions have you used and why?

I have used many different conventions these include; 
A masthead; i have used this as it tells you what the Magazine is about in a way, what it is called, and it also tells you who it is for as the masthead is wyke weekly therefore it is for students who go to wyke college or would like to attend wyke college.
A skyline; The skyline says "Here to tell the weekly goings on at wyke" this has been used to show what the magazine is about. 
Feature stories; The feature stories are some of the main articles in the magazine, these are also used as pull quotes to make the target audience want to read the magazine because of what it is about. 
A main Image; The main image is there either to show that the main story is about students and studying or to show that the target audience is students.
Also the basics such as a date and barcode are there because they are things which we generally expect to see on the front of a magazine.

What would you change if you were to do this task again?
if i did this task again i would want to change basically all of it because i would want to know how to use photoshop better to create a better final product, i would also want to produce better images which look more blended into the back ground. I would possibly use a better colour scheme or use a full image from the background and also use different fonts as i do not think it has turned out as well as i would of hoped.

Magazine Front Cover

Introduction to Photoshop

This is my first College Magazine Draft on Photoshop. It include a Masthead, Skyline, Main Image, Date, Feature Stories and Plug.

Front Cover images (2)

This is a medium close up 

This image is a Medium close up 

This a medium/ long shot image 

This is medium close up

Semiotics

In media semiotics are the science of signs, they are consist of denotation and conitation. Denotation is what it is and the conitation is what it means, a rose for example, the denotation of this is a flower which has leaves and thorns on its stem and red petals whereas the conitation is love.

Planning

There are many things needed to think about when making a College Magazine which i have shown here; these include the colour scheme, the masthead, the plug and then feature stories. 

Front cover images

In this image it is a medium close up 

This image is also a medium close up 

This image is a happy medium close up 

A central medium Close up 

This image is more of a long shot

This image is a long shot 

 

This image is medium/ long shot

 These are multiple possible front cover pictures for my college magazine. They are mainly all medium close ups because that is the ideal image type to go on a front cover of a magazine. 

Magazine Cover, contents and double page spread digital drafts

Framing Images

This is a Central Image 

This is an image framed to the left

This is a Medium Close up

                           

                            This is a two-shot image

                                                         
                                                           

This is a long shot

                             

                                  This is a high angle shot

This is a close up

                           

                                 This is a low angle shot

Image framed to the right

Extreme close up image

  

These images were taken to demonstrate how it is possible to take different types of photos and how the angle of the photo can possibly change the image as a whole.

Magazine Conventions

Moodboard

This is a mood-board of possible things which could go in my college magazine this includes clothes, makeup, different bands etc. this also includes colour schemes which i could use for my product.

Preliminary Task

The preliminary task is to produce a front page of a college magazine, a mock up contents page and double page spread.