College magazine evaluation

The purpose of this post is to evaluate my front cover and contents page of my finished  college magazine.

How does my magazine follow the codes and conventions of a college magazine?

Front cover:

-My magazine front cover’s main image is a medium close up of one of the students at college this fits in with the codes and conventions of a magazine because it fits in to the typical magazine look.

-I have also put the title at the top of the cover so that it fits in with the codes and conventions, I also made the title big, bold and a different text to the rest of the magazine to make it stand out and so that the readers eyes are immediately drawn to it.

-I have also used a banner at the bottom of the page; the purpose of this is to make the information on it stands out but also is one of the main codes and conventions needed on a magazine.

-I have also put the barcode at the bottom right corner of the cover; the purpose of this is so that it fits within the normal magazine aspects.

-I also made it so that the main image overlays the logo/title of the magazine, the purpose of this is so that even though the logo isn’t fully visible it is an easy recognisable logo so it will not matter.

- I have also used puffs, which attract the viewer to pick up the magazine and make them want to buy it to see how they can get it

-I played around in Photoshop until I get the magazine exactly how I wanted it to look

Contents:

-I have used 3 columns on my contents page so that it is easily readable by the reader. This fits into the codes and conventions of a typical magazine because they normally have 3 or 4 columns on there contents page

-I have used several images which link to the tagline I have used so that the reader can get an insight into the story and therefore it makes them want to read on

- I have also used the line tool on quark to split up each story line, the purpose of this is so that the text is easily readable and doesn’t clump and make it look like there is too much information of the page

- I tried to use a number of different tools on Quark to create my final product

How have I used new media technologies to create my final product?

Photoshop:

-I have used Photoshop to manipulate my main image so that it had a plain coloured background instead of the white wall that was originally there.

-I have chosen a text to use as my logo/title for the magazine and this text font will not be used no-where else in the magazine expect for this title

-I have gained a number of skills on Photoshop aswell as developing the skills that I have before.

-Lasso tool- I used to this to select the background of my main image and then used the feather tool to feather it and the fill tool to change the background colour

Strengths:

-I’m a quick learner so I find it easy to just have a mess around with all the tools until I find the one that will do what I want

-I already have skills in Photoshop so this can make it much quicker for me to create my front cover

-I have worked creating a music magazine before at high school so I already know some of the codes and conventions that need to be added using Photoshop

Weaknesses:

-Sometimes I take too much time trying to make it look perfect and keep messing around with it for a while

Quark:

-I have learnt how to use the basics of Quark in order to create a successful contents page

-I have experimented with different setting to create my overall final design

 -I have learnt how to import pictures and resize them

-I have learnt how to format text to have drop caps; the purpose of this is to make something bold and big and to stand out

-I have also learnt how to change text styles, colour and size

Strengths:

 -I find the programme quite easy to use, so therefore I can finish my work quickly

Weaknesses:

-I’m not confident with all the tools, as I have never used it before

-Some of the tools can be tricky to use

- It was difficult to change the sizes of some photographs, as they would only go as small as a certain size

Using Pentax K100D:

-I have been able to take photographs which are of a high quality enough so that they are good enough for my college magazine

-I have been able top take images at different angles/shots to suit my magazine

Strengths:

-It’s my own camera so I’m used to using it

-It’s easy to use

-I can take high quality pictures, which means I will get a better edit

Weaknesses:

-Large photo files, they take up a lot of space

Overall I think that this project went successfully as I managed to stick to my deadlines and create a magazine cover and contents page which fits in with the codes and conventions of a normal magazine. I think that also beacuse i have created thiks magazine before starting my music magazine it have give me the chance to try a new programme (Quark) and know how to create a magazine which fits the codes and convetions.