Preliminary Exercise.

these are my pictures for my preliminary. i cant upload the final piece because of the programmed i used to make it.

FINAL PICTURE.

he looks uncomfortable here, so i decided not to use it.

i couldnt use this because theres too much going on, clothes wise.

EVALUATION :

My project was too produce a front cover for a college magazine/newsletter. This involved taking photographs and designing the final piece.
I had a lot of difficulties throughout my production because at first i didn’t realise how important the planning would be. The photography was the hardest part because i didn’t realise that i wouldn’t just have too find somebody who would co-operate with me and behave accordingly, and also that i had too be aware of the background and surroundings. The position of the model had too be comfortable and not on an awkward angle, or looking nervous. I took numerous amounts of photographs, and although i personally liked them, they were not suitable for the project requirements.
I realised later on that the clothes the models wore shouldn’t really have labels or offensive context written on them, to overcome this with the final photo i decided too use, i asked him too remove his scarf and turn his t-shirt back-to-front too give me a ‘blank canvas’ as such too work with.
Too assemble my project i used ‘microsoft publisher’. The photograph was a little bit too dark so i increased the contrast and brightness slightly.
I decided too stick to the same font throughout because it looks formal and respective, and although it is aimed at students mostly, parents could possibly see it, and it should be kept too a respective style. The font used is ‘Ariel’, and this is in normal style.
I placed the title onto the black part of the picture because i thought it looked like a chalkboard, which fitted appropriately. I don’t particularly like the background of the photograph because there is a bit too much going on, next time i need to produce a cover, i will ensure that i choose a plain background with no distractions. There is a piece of wood running down the wall which looks like it is implanted into the models head, it does however look like a classroom environment, which is what we are aiming for.
I have kept the titles too a minimum as too not clutter the cover up and make it difficult too look at. The model looks friendly and his body position is at a comfortable angle, portraying the college as a friendly environment.
I have included a black and white copy of my final piece and labelled the texts and fonts etc.
I think my final piece turned out ok, but i think it could have been better, and like i already mentioned, next time i will be able to plan better and too not make the same mistakes i did this time.

Absolute Final Double Page Spread!! :D

after some constructive critism, i was advised that the spread didnt have enough writing, so i added more in. this is my final piece. :)

EVALUATION.

During the planning and production of my magazine i encountered a variety of problems. i have learnt a lot about the media and publishing. i have also realised that in order to produce this effectivly, i should be more organised and do in-depth research and planning.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

my target was to plan out, design and create an alternatice music magazine in the similar style 'NME' and 'Kerrang!'. these magazines are aimed to both genders around the ages of 14 - 25.

my magazine follows the conventions of existing media products. the use of colour in'Kerrang' is quite dark and gothic, as it is aimed at people who are into heavy rock music for example, whereas ''NME' uses whites, reds and other bright colours. i chose 'Kerrang!' as a media product to study becase i liked the simplicity of the layouts, also 'NME' for the same reason.

i have used bright colours throughout the whole production, as i think this eye catching and pleasing to the eye.

i think the target audience for my production, are male and female teenagers from a 'scene/emo' genre.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

definiton of scene :

Scene kids are called scene kids mostly for the music they listen to. The term "scene" comes from the music scene. scene kids go to most gigs and are very involved with the music. scene kids were a lot of bright neon colours and are still interested in looking good.

scene kids are often confused with 'emo' kids, but there is a big difference...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

definiton of emo :

Genre of softcore punk music that integrates unenthusiastic melodramatic 17 year olds who dont smile, high pitched overwrought lyrics and inaudible guitar rifts with tight wool sweaters, tighter jeans, itchy scarfs (even in the summer), ripped chucks with favorite bands signature, black square rimmed glasses, and ebony greasy unwashed hair that is required to cover at least 3/5 ths of the face at an angle.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

i think i have targeted my desired age group, as the image is of a female teenager, and my magazine is aimed at teenagers. in one way, as she is closely age related, potential customers may look at it and think 'i could be like that' etc.

the photograph i used on the cover is quite different to the usual style's of music magazines i have researched. i personally feel that the image i used, and having it so close up, is probably something that would be used in a fashion magazine for example.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

as my main article is about 'Acid Barbie' i felt it appropriate to use an image of her.

i used a female for my production, because i think in general, boys and girls are more attracted to a female being on the front cover.

where as girls look at it for the envy, or the fashion outlook, boys are more sexually inclined to purchase it if they feel attracted to her.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

i wanted my image to be black and white, and then the surroundings in colour. i think this is effective because this way i feel the titles stand out more, and you can notice them at glance. i kept my title black, and had the shadowing text in colour because i think it pops. as my magazine is called 'ELECTRIK' i designed a lightening logo, which fits in perfectly.

i wanted to keep my magazine from looking busy and cramped, therefor i kept the information on the cover to a minimum.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

i used the same font throughout the whole production (arial) so it was quite elegant looking.

for my contents page, i used the same logo as the front cover and tried to use the same colours, i used the image of boyband'JAZZYFIZZLE' as they are one of the main extras in my production. the band index is a simple yet important feature, that helps direct readers to the correct page that their favourite band may be on. this can also be offputting because they may pick it up, and see nothing about their favourite band and put them off purchasing it. i think however, it is more effective than uneffective, and is a positive include.

as advertised on the front cover, you can win gig tickets, so i made this quite big inside, as it is a mean feature.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

the double page spread, i think follows the normal conventions of already out there magazines. with plenty of imagary and enought text to please. i made my background black, so that the text stuck out more. i wanted a big image of 'Acid Barbie' as she is important, because the article is about her. i used smaller images also, once again, for the appeal to both girls and boys.

i used the same title for 'Acid Barbie' as the one for 'ELECTRIK' on the front cover, and i think this is effective as it is the main purpose for this interview.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

the extra page i used, is once again simple but effective. the colours and text for the naming follow the convention of the rest of my magazine. i wanted it to look laidback and fun, therefor only having simple but interesting questions into the personal life of Jake. i used the image of him alone, rather than the whole band, as it is only him we are speaking to and therefor the reader understands and doesnt get confused.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

During the designing and production of this product I have realised how important the planning is. the main discovery i felt i had learned about, was photograpy and how important mise en scené and background is in each photograph. that is why i chose to take my photographs in the studio with a plain white backdrop. this ensures that there are not distractions and anything that shouldnt be there.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

i have learnt a lot more about abode photoshop, which is the only programme i used for my production. i have learnt how to import text files off the internet and use them in photoshop, which i didnt know how to do. do this i had to so some research in google, and find a decent tutorial.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

i think the main of media institution that might distribute my product would be quite well known and a global institution like 'ITC Media'. ITC Media has been delivering integrated design and marketing solutions to a wide range of clients since 2002. Since this time, ITC Media has evolved from a graphic design studio to a full service marketing ranging in magazines, television radio and newspapers.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

i think my final piece and my preliminary work are a lot different, in a good way. i did my preliminary at college, therefor did not have access to adobe photoshop, like i do at home. therefor i was limited to what i could do with the editing process. my preliminary exercise is quite simple and not very creative or attractive, i have only been able to use simple fonts and colours and a basic layout.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

FINAL PIECES.

FRONT COVER :

CONTENTS PAGE :

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD :

EXTRA PAGE :

Pricing Research.

i completely forgot that i had to do some pricing research.

i asked people from the age ranges of 15 - 19, both male and female, and here are my answers:

Grant - 19 : £3.50

Luke - 17 : £4.00

Helaina - 18 : £2.00

Leigh - 17 : £2.60

Bekkie - 17 : £4.00

Steven - 17 : £3.50

Tom - 16 : £3 - 4.00

Carrie - 15 : £2.00

Extra Page.

this is the final design for my extra page. its no different than the others except i had forgotten to place the leadsinger layer onto it.

here is the second shot of my extra page. i have added questions in, that are not majorly important. just an outlook into his life. i have kept the colours simple and the text simple also as to not distract the viewer. as my magazine is for both genders the colours suit both sexes.

this is the plain layout for my extra page. i have kept the titles the same way throughout the magazine as to keep it professional looking. the colours behind the title are the same colours that are on the front cover and the contents page.

Contents - Final Production.

this is my final design. i kept the colours in blocks and used bright but normal colours. i only used one picture so that it didnt make it look cramped and clumsy. im really happy with the way this looks and i prefer it to my plan.

i restored the colour back into this, and i think it looks a lot better. i added the red and green lines across the bottom to break the white up a bit more.

i like this version, but i dont like the black and white as my front cover photograph is black and white and i thought it would make the magazine look really dull.