Evaluation of preliminary task.

For the preliminary task i had to make a student magazine. I firstly had to take my own pictures of a student in college, which had to be a mid-shot, so i took some pictures of my friends in various poses and places to give me lots of choices, also it went well for the student theme. I then made the title, which i chose the to colours tie with the image, which brought on the style of my magazine. I then created my cover lines to go on my magazine, and made them the same style as my title but white so they stood out, which then made the theme for my magazine, exams, be apparent, so that everything on my pages was about the exam season and so it made the issue date appropriate.

I learnt many new things with InDesign, which will help me with my music magazine.
I learnt how to;

• Add effects to text.
• Fade backgrounds and shapes.
• Make processes quicker, so i can achieve more in a lesson.
• Feather edges so its not so harsh.
• Apply shadows.
• How to bring images in and change sizes.
• Apply colours.

I will use all my knowledge for my music magazine task, to make a music cover, contents and double page spread. I can use my knowledge in the way that i can add effects to make it look different, and eye catching, this will all help me create a theme and brand for my magazine.

finished contents page.

I have finished my contents page, by adding in
page numbers, and titles,
I added some shadow and glow effects to the writing,
to make it look professional,
and I made the numbers white to not make
it look like a lot of block text.

contents page.

So far for my contents page, I have done the same style masthead, and title,
so that they both link in with the front page, as well as the purple theme, so i made the
background fade, so that the purple continues through,
without having a block colour, so that it looks clean and professional,
I have added in a picture of a student reading to match the purpose of revising.

contents page flatplan.

The basic layout of my contents page.

finished magazine cover.

I have finished my magazine cover.
I have included;

• shortened cover lines
• magazine slogan
• issue and date
• masthead 

I feel that my colours work well and compliment each other, without being gender specific.

The writing stands out from the page, and easy to read as the cover lines have an outer glow an are white against the dark background, an the slogan and date has a satin effect and are bold colours.

Magazine cover: day

Today i added in my picture, for the main image, to the size of an A4.

Then i added my masthead, in Comic sans and learnt how to match the colours of the purples from the jumper, i also added shadows and satin effects to the masthead, and then finally titled it to 20, to give a more modernised look.

I then added a purple column on the left hand side, also in the matching colour, and made the gradient fade out, for a base for my cover lines, so they stand out more, and it looks tidy.

Today i have managed to add a couple of cover lines, which i shortened them from my previous notes as they were too long, but now you just have to glance at them to get all of the information of what they are about with minimal words, i added an outer glow, to give a more professional look, and to make them jump out of the page.

Preliminary task: proposal

My magazine is aimed at South Downs College students at age range of 16-18 year olds, and this issue will be about, how to revise, exam tips and resources.

My cover lines are going to include such things as:

-Are some foods better than others for revising?

-How much sleep should I be getting?

-The best 10 ways for revising

-The best hints and tips for exams

-How time should you revise for?

-Pull out revision schedule

-Get the balance right between work and play!

I chose MYsdc as it’s almost like a logo, simple, easy to read and easily identifiable.  I want to give my magazine an up-to-date design, which would make students pick it up and read. The reason why I put MY in capital letters is so that it emphasizes the fact that it Is about the students and helping them with their questions, which all links to south downs college, by sdc, so that they know that all the information included will be relevant to them, such as exam times etc.

The fonts that I will use will all be fuss free, bold and simple, so that it’s very eye catching, and doesn’t take effort to read.
The masthead is in the font named MV Boli
The cover lines will be in bold and italic for headings and descriptions, so that it’s clear and easy to read and will be in the font:  Comic Sans MS. The colours will be in yellows pinks purples and blues, so they tie in with the theme, of being bold, clear and fresh.

The masthead will be in purple as it will tie in the image by the purple jumper, the blues created by the light and carpet, and the purples and pinks in the feature light.

I have rejected titles such as;

·       South Downs, my South Downs College, South Downs magazine, SDC – because I felt some were too long, o impersonal that didn’t connect with the reader.

My magazine will be A4 portrait and my chosen image will take up the whole page. I have chosen A4 as its not too big, so they can easily put it in their bag and not take up space, also if I made it smaller it would make it harder to read, and take away the whole fresh look to the magazine.

I would have this magazine released seasonal, so that it covers important and relevant information that the students will want and need to know for the season to come.

On the contents page, my colours and fonts are going to be continued throughout, so it will be clear and tidy, and Im going to include little images from pages in the magazine to make them want to read on, and know what to expect.

Preliminary task: chosen cover image.

i have chosen this image because it is a very strong main image,
as it has the college in the background, showing the link to 'sdc',
as well as giving many interesting angles, shapes and light.
The main image is relaxed and its is what the
eye is first attracted too, and links to the 'MY', as it is a
current college student during their day.
I also like it because its got the white ceiling at the top
leaving a good canvas for the masthead, and also
being tidy on the left for all the coverlines.

Preliminary task: cover images.

i love the way the eye is guided
to the main image by the hand
rail, i feel this gives a dramatic
effect.



this is a very strong main image because
it has the college in the background,
giving many interesting angles, and the
main image is relaxed and its is what the
eye is first attracted too.






i like the different focuses in this image,
and it guides your eye to the main image,
however the text on the sign would
interfere with the left third.

 


this picture is very strong as it has
interesting angles in the background,
but is not taking away from the main image
of the student.



i like this one as i tried to incorporate
the exam timetables, as that's
what this edition is about.



this image i feel is very strong as
your main attention is on the student,
and the activity is revolving around
studying.



Preliminary task: initial ideas