Task 4 Evaluation for preliminary task

My evaluation for the preliminary task/ college magazine

 

What went well?

Photography - the images were taken with a white background this made it easier when placing the photos onto Photoshop this also meant that it was easy to build up layers as the background was plain and there wasn’t anything going on in the background which meant that the main image was the centre of attention. I had used an image of a boy on my magazine to show that both girls and boys are interested fashion also this means it will reach out to a bigger variety of people.

Image manipulation- I learnt the basic steps on Photoshop which I then applied to my work. By pressing ‘Ctrl + T’ and then the shift key, this made the images bigger but it also kept them in proportion.

Page layout- I had designed the cover page and contents page on a piece of A4 paper before I used Photoshop and InDesign to actually create it, this meant that I had a brief idea of what I wanted my final model of my cover page and contents page to look like. I didn’t completely follow the plan but it was similar and it kept me focused.

Use of text on cover page – I had used basic font and also more of a fancy font, the basic font was for the coverlines, the issue number and date, the pricing and also the masthead. The masthead used both basic and fancy because I wanted to put emphasis on the word ‘chic’ and show the fashion basis by the type of the font. I only put 3 coverlines on the cover page so not to clutter up the page so the image is still visible. I had used rulers on Photoshop to make sure all of the coverlines were aligned with each other to make it look more professional. I had decided to put the masthead over the image because it was the first issue of the magazine which means it’s not well known and gives people an idea of what the magazine is about just from the name of the magazine.

 I chose to make the magazine free as it is the first issue, this was done so that it can build up a fan base and gives people a little taster about what the magazine will be like in future issues, I can also get an idea on what sort of people are willing to read so that I can think of a reasonable price to sell it at.

The colours I had chosen for my colour scheme were black and blue. Each I thought of changing the colours. I chose two colours because they are neutral colours so that the magazine can appeal to both genders.

The layout I used on InDesign to make my contents page was very simple. I had made 3 main textboxes; these had the names of the articles, the masthead and the word contents. On the contents page I added 3 images, as an insight into what those articles will be about. It also made the contents page nicer to look at. With the cover lines and the article names on the contents page, I had written the name of the article and then what’s going on in the article or what it’s about.

What do I need to improve on/ 3 targets?

My first improvement would be to add more colours as I seem to keep the background minimal and stick to white. I’ve also decided that when I do my music magazine that I will have a colour background to make the magazine more appealing.

Another improvement would be writing my information more in depth so as to provide the readers with more information, also not to just keep going on about one little detail but to broaden the topic.

My final improvement is to add more general pictures (that can be aimed at everyone) onto my contents page to show more of a variety in the magazine. As well as that it would have made the magazine have more of a mixture of features e.g. sport so that both boys and girls would want to read it.

The improvements seem to tie in with the 3 key points for development as I can take the improvements into consideration so that I am able to strengthen my work.

 

 

Task 3 Preliminary Task

 These photos are showing the process leading up to final college magazine cover page and contents page.

A draft of the cover page

 

A draft of the contents page

 

These next photos were the steps I took to create the cover page and the final copy of both the cover page and contents page

 

 

 

 

Task 2 Press Pack

This is my annotated press pack for a jazz music magazine in general not a specific jazz magazine they were impossible to find.

Task 2 Case studies

These are the case studies I had done in advance to producing my magazine.

This is my case study for Living Jazz magazine -

In this edition of living blues, the masthead is partly covered by the main image. The masthead isn’t a simple font, this gives the magazine a different look as most magazines have basic font. This font may have been done to fit in with blues music style. The main image is mid shot, the image is of a man and he is staring at the camera smiling this makes the magazine more inviting to the audience. There’s a saxophone as a prop, this is denotation because it is well known fact that saxophones are mainly used for blues music. The lighting is on the whole frame so that the type of music is portrayed by focusing on the man’s outfit and instrument. The main coverline is the biggest font on the page and the rest of the coverlines are in the same size font as they are not as important.  All the coverlines are on the left hand side of the cover, which means in a shop all the info will be visible. These are also aligned. Lower left third is made up of the barcode, magazines website and prices of magazine. The colour scheme is white and red. These colours may have been chosen because they are generally associated with blues/jazz music. This magazine cover page features a skyline above the masthead this gives more space to show more articles featured in the magazine. This also could be an important feature or it could be about a well-known jazz musician so it’s placed there instead the other coverlines are.

The contents is 1 page, however it is separated into two. 1 half has text and the other half has an image of a man holding a saxophone.  The magazines masthead is in bold red font at the top of the page. The text is aligned and the there is only one column. The name of the person featured in each article is in bold black font, under that there is a little description/ teaser about the article this is in a smaller font.  The background of the picture fades into a lighter colour behind the text. The main image is smiling at the camera which could show he’s happy about the music he’s done. It also gives the contents page a relaxed atmosphere. The sections separate the features up so that if you want to focus on a certain section it’s easier to find as they are all put together. The main section is of all the artists featured in this issue and the other sections have much smaller font which shows that there is a lack of importance or it’s not as interesting as the other features. The masthead on the contents page is a different font but the same colour to that of the front cover; this is done so the reader can associate the two pages.

 

Well the articles in this magazine tend not to be double page spread so I chose the pages with writing and numerous images. On the left hand page there are two images in black and white these are of the musician performing at previous times in his career. On the right hand page there’s a colour image of him performing once again. I think the images present progression throughout his career as this is what this article is about. Images of his CD’s are also included on the right hand side page. The beginning of the article starts with a drop cap. This is done to enhance the text (making it eye-catching). This technique is very common when starting an article. The texts on both pages are separated into 3 columns, which are aligned with each other. Captions have been used to describe the actions going on in each image. The article is about the life and career of Ernest Lane. The language at the start is quite informal; I mainly think this because he had begun his sentence with ‘yeah’ however on the right hand page it is what the person who had written the article had said so this it made the language quite formal.  The tone used by Ernest Lane himself was a proud tone and also amusement and the tone of the author is quite respectful and also inspiring.

This magazine is published by the centre for the study of southern culture at the University of Mississippi. It was founded in 1970 by Jim O’Neal and Amy Can Singel. In 1983 they donated the publication rights to the University of Mississippi.

This is my case study for Jazzwise magazine

In this edition of jazzwise the mast head is white and is a large basic font. The main image covers part of the masthead because it must be a popular magazine for the audience it’s aimed at so they are likely to know the name of the magazine anyway. However it is only partly covered so the title is still visible enough to read. The colour scheme is mainly two colours orange and white. The main coverline is in the biggest font and this is because it is about the man on the front cover. The main image is looking straight at the audience this is known as direct address this is done to stimulate interaction with reader. In the lower left third there isn’t a free giveaway attached but more information it starts off with ‘plus’ as to say that this is bonus information and is as good as a gift. In the coverlines there’s a mention of various Jazz artists which will attract people who know these musicians and take an interest in Jazz. The teaser for the main article is above the main coverline which makes readers want to know more about the article.

 

The contents page is only 1 page and is very basic. There are no sections on this cover page which separates the features as all the articles in this magazine are similar. The three colour, colour scheme has been used on this contents page, the colours used are white, orange and yellow. The image has been positioned in the middle of the page and is looking straight at the audience. This links to the features as he is a jazz artist and the features are all focused on music. He is holding a saxophone (prop). The lighting focuses on the musicians face. The shot is a mid-shot this was done just to get the most important parts in the frame. The layout of the page is very simple; it is separated into 3 columns and these are aligned with one another. The text is spread around the image of the musician as to not overlap the image this makes him the main attraction of the page.

 

he image is based on 1 page however the instrument (prop) being held is positioned above the article. The main image is not looking directly at the camera but his eyes are sort of glancing at the camera. The lighting once again focuses on his face so we can see his facial expressions and also cheerfulness as it gives the image a happy feel. It is mid shot so we focus on the most important part of the image which is his facial expression. The masthead is based on the image of the man which immediately catches the audience’s eye as there is an obvious contrast between the text which is cream and pink and the man’s shirt which is black. It is organised into columns which are all aligned with each other, it looks organised and nothing like a free form article. However at the beginning of the article there is an introduction which is aligned with all 3 columns but is not in a specific column. There is a textbox which is a bright colour positioned in the second column, which would attract the reader’s attention which will make them read it and it could provide a quote which makes the reader want to read the article, I am unable to read the actual quote as there is a restriction on what articles you can read as you have to subscribe, that’s why I’m guessing there is a quote. The mode of address used is formal language as this magazine has the feel that it’s aimed an adult audience. The tone is positive as they expressing the love for Jazz music.

 

Jazzwise magazine is published by jazzwise publications limited. Jazzwise publications also publish sheet music, books, software and other music related items, this relates to one of the cross media interests they have which is jazzwise direct which publish and sell the following items. Also another cross media interest is jazzwise education this is when they have courses/classes on to train people who want to become jazz musician.