Q7 Evaluation: Looking back at the preliminary task what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to a full product?

Q7 Evaluation: Looking back at the preliminary task what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to a full product?


When looking back at the preliminary task i did of the college magazine, i'v realised i took somethings from it and kept them in mind when creating my music magazine.

Through the time that i was creating my music magazine i took some time to think about things that i could improve or do better when looking back at the first days when i was doing my preliminary task - The college magazine.

Compared to when i did my preliminary task, I learnt in order to produce an effective and professional looking magazine i needed to use my music magazine conventions guide. I also learnt that another way to produce mgazine products of a good quality i had to assure that the main type of fonts i used for all my products were sans serif and consistent. This is because it gives the magazine a much more modern feel, of which many music magazines give off to their readers. I also learnt that i needed to keep in mind what happens to magazine pages after they are produced (printed), therefore i made sure that i brought in any images and text that was near the edge of the page so they would not be cut of when any of the pages where printed.

One of the things that i made sure i needed to have had under control was my planning , time management and organisational skills. This is because i noticed when i was doing the preliminary task i did not really keep them in mind therefore which meant i rushed my work when i could have done it way before the deadline to make life easier for me. Also because i had noticed that some of the tasks i had to complete for my preliminary task i had not finished completing them. The most important thing i learnt from my preliminary task was that when the time came for taking pictures i needed to have selected and made my models aware of the time and place in which i was going to be taking the pictures as to avoid confusion. Also i had to make sure that they were all dressed appropriately as i was doing a photo shoot for a music magazine and not for the fun of doing so. When i took the pictures for my preliminary task i didn't really put that much thought into how the quality of my pictures would be after i had taken them. Therefore i had problems when editing them because i realised most of them were out of focus.

Because of this i had to be very careful when taking pictures for my final task. Even though i had been taught how to use a camera for my preliminary task, when it came to doing my main task i noticed i took pictures and most of them were out of focus. I then decided to go and talk to my teacher and ask for help and advice on how to improve the quality of them. In doing so i then went and planned another photo shoot and gathered my models again and managed to take pictures that were of a better quality compared to the previous ones i had taken. Another issue i had with the pictures i had taken for my preliminary task was when i was trying to choose which images to use for my college magazine some of my pictures did not come out as i had planned therefore which meant there was a shortage of pictures that i could have used. Therefore during my music magazine photo shoot i made sure that i took as many pictures as i could that related to a music magazine in the given time period. This meant i had to make sure my models knew what they were doing and were ready to take their pictures as soon as i called them up.

Another thing that i learnt during my preliminary task that i was able to take on with me when doing my main task was my photoshop skills. I noticed that by the time i was creating my music magazine i had familiarised myself with how to use many of the features that came along with photoshop. This was a good thing as it meant that i could edit and create my music magazine to a much better standard compared to my college magazine. For instance i used  the spot healing brush tool quite a few times in order to make sure my pictures looked more professional compared to my college magazine pictures.

For my final task i also learnt how to produce a double page spread as well as have the opportunity to either invent a story or go and interview an artist that was the same age as the target audience for my magazine. This was a nice experience as i never got the chance to write and design a double page article for my college magazine. From my preliminary task, i have also learnt that in order to keep my teacher up to date with the work that i was getting up to during my 4hours of study time for media.


These are the images of the products i produced before i did my resit as well as the comments i got from my audience at that time.

Front Cover

Strengths

Many of the audiences like my front cover and the layout of it, aslo how the main image is over the masthead. They also like how I've used the colour scheme because all the colours go well together. Many also like how i have used different fonts and sizes as it makes my magazine front cover appealing to the readers. My audience also liked the positioning of my main model and thought his pose is quite appealing as he is quite good looking.

Weaknesses

The audiences think that the background of my front cover is too dull. Some of the audience also thought that my front cover would have been better if it had a section that talked about a competion inside the article. This is because they think that this would be able to attract more readers. The audience also felt that the price should have been written or pasted somewhere on the front cover as to be aware of how much it would be when purchasing it.

Contents Page



Strengths

The audience like the way the contents page looks. They also like how i have 'features' and 'style' as  heading as they think it makes the features of the magazine easier to read as they are clearly organised. 

Weaknesses

They however feel as if it's too simple and plain and doesn't really look like a typical music magazine contents page. Others also feel as if the white background is too plain and it would be better if i had used a different colour other than white to make it more appealing 

Double Page spread

Strengths

Some of my audience said they liked my double page spread, especially the layout that i used and the models i used for my images.

Weaknesses

They however do not see the point of the picture at the bottom of the left hand page of my double page spread, however some think it's creative as they hardly see such in many magazines.

After deciding to resit my coursework i made improvements to what i had previously done. I used the comments and feedback i got from my peers and target audience at that time as well as now as to help  me produce my New Final Products for my music magazine. These are the images and feedback comments i recieved this time around.

Front Cover

Strengths
Some of my audiences thought the layout of my front cover was good, they also felt that the structure that i used was original, yet nice and simple. The colour scheme that i decided to use this time around was also favoured by most of my audience. The audience also felt that i used a good use of music magazine front cover conventions.

Weaknesses
Some of my audiences felt that my front cover was quite plain, some suggested that i should have included a puff, used a different font for the yellow text, increased the bevel on the text i used for my coverlines and added more texture to the blue background. Some of them also felt that i made the top part of my page quite plain, especially the left side that is next to where my main image is paced.

Contents Page

Strengths
Most of my audience thought that i used a good layout and colour scheme. They also thought that the images i used were paced on the page in a good way.

Weaknesses
Some of my audiences thought that the use of hyphens in my contents page could make it appear to be quite unprofessional. A few also thought that the layout was too structured and the use of the colour blue was a bit too much. They also thought that i should have used colours that contrast eachother abit more and that the font i used for the coverline sections could be softer.

Double Page Spread

 

Strengths
My audience felt that i used a good layout and colour scheme for my double page spread. They also felt that the use of pictures were good as they look in focus and well presented. Some of them also thought that it was good how my columns looked professional and how the pullout quote was well positioned in the article. The title i used was also liked as it appears to be precise and pulls the audience into wanting to read the article.

Weaknesses
Some of my audience felt as if the small image i used on the left hand page at the bottom was not needed. Others also suggested as mthe article is about a 'rapper' the main image should focus on mainly him. Some of them also felt that i could have improved my double page spread by brightening up the use of colours on the page as to make it more appealing.