Primary Research - Classic Rock Analyses

Primary Research - Wire Magazine Analyses

Primary Research - Clash Magazine Analyses

Evaluation Question 4

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

I learnt about various file types and their uses. .PNG maintains transparency, .JPEG is what the file should be exported as to be an image, .PSD files can be opened and edited in Photoshop.

I learnt how to customise my blogger theme with a custom theme, using HTML to edit widths and aesthetics of the page. I also learnt how to embed videos and pictures, as well as add tags and create posts.

I already had existing knowledge of both Photoshop and InDesign, but I did learn some more intermediate skills which are explained in the ‘Skills Development’ tag. I shared these skills with the class, helping them with issues ranging from rasterising layers to creating shapes. In InDesign I helped more with formatting pages and assisting with grids.

Photoshop doesn't possess formatted grids which is a problem when aligning text and images. I used rulers in an attempt to keep my lines crisp and clear. Photoshop was very effective with image manipulation, allowing the use of transparent layers and other editing tools which aren't present in InDesign. When creating a front cover next time, I will use Photoshop for editing and manipulating images and text, and then export these files into InDesign to create a more structured layout.

InDesign's main strengths are the grids and columns which can be altered and formatted. This means a clearer, more structured layout which is effective especially for the contents page. One difficulty I discovered in InDesign was the image quality. Even when exporting the final product I found the image file to be of a lesser quality than the photoshop exported file. This may be down to the fact that Photoshop retains the pixels per inch better than InDesign, and next time I will attempt to transfer the final InDesign document to photoshop and compare the exported file qualities.

I was conscious to present my work creatively, utilising Issuu, Slideshare and Prezi to name a few. I had never used these programs before, and learnt to export my files as .PDF’s to save the formatting options. Prezi is an interesting presentation program which I mainly used to illustrate points.

In this exercise, I merged existing Photoshop and InDesign skills with new presentation skills using online programs.

Evaluation Question 3 Contents Page

How did you attract/address your audience?

Evaluation Question 3 Front Cover

How did you attract/address your audience?

Evaluation Question 2

Evaluation Question 1

Contents Page Final

Revised Contents Page Flatplan

Deciding that the previous content page did not suit it's intended purpose, I drew up a new flatplan, which is more image-orientated. A smaller font size is featured, allowing more room for article insights and page numbers. Also an editorial section has been added, giving a more personal engagement between the publication and the reader.

Contents Page (NOT FINAL)

Strengths:

• Clear main features, with extra information.
• Continuation of house style and colours from the front page.
• Integration of a rigid grid, encouraging accuracy.
• Large text which is recognisable from a distance.

Weaknesses:

• Unconventional, making the page difficult to read, as well as being unfamiliar with the readership.
• Only image largely obscured from title.
• Lack of page numbers/content/features
• Overuse of large text doesn't flow with selectively large text featured on the front cover.

Personally, this piece was originally too simple, and ended up being more focused upon graphics than readability. A contents page should be easy to read and informative, and I felt that the lack of highlighted content within the page defeated the original purpose of this page. This is not my final contents page.

QR Code

.PNG File

Contents Page Flatplan

Dimensions used on flatplan:

• Width: 210mm
• Height: 297mm
• Margins: 10mm
• Bleed: 10mm
• Columns: 3
• Gutter: 5mm

These dimensions come from a modal range of data I gathered from other magazines, including: Fabulous, Cosmopolitan and 25 Beautiful Homes. As I discovered when creating the front cover, sticking to the flatplan religiously is often difficult, so I expect to make some alterations with these figures when I come to designing the contents page.

A simple flatplan allows me to express creativity further, as I am not limited by a strict guide. I decided to include three columns, leaving me the option to include a flannel panel or social media contact should I deem necessary. The title (Contents) was placed at the bottom as it is clear from the content what the page's intent is. However, should the article list be altered, I may move the title to a more conspicuous position.