Saturday 8 October 2016

Main task

To design a front page, contents page and double page spread of a new music magazine. All images and text used must be original, produced by me - minimum of four images.

RNB


These genres are represented in this way for the purpose of attracting the audience through the conventions of a front cover magazine such as features, mise-en-scene and colour scheme. RNB is the genre I am interested in investigating for the design of the final products.





Contents page






The contents pages above include most conventions and conformities that  we as an audience would expect to see, like the connotations that reflect the genre of the magazine such as the colour scheme and camera framing for the genre of these contents pages.

Double page spread








Thursday 6 October 2016

Final product


Evaluation

What have you learnt from completing this task?

Firstly, I have investigated and retained the many conventions for the front cover of a magazine and learnt what they are used for in terms of representing a particular style or genre. Secondly I have learned about the technical terms used to create a meaning for the audience and how to create expectations through the conventions and mise en scene on a college magazine. Thirdly, I have become more experienced on Photoshop as I have learnt through media what tools should be used on the software to make a conventional college magazine front cover, I have some experience on Photoshop but no matter how long you spend using it, there is always something new to learn, like the stroke tool that I have used on the feature stories on my front cover. I am very confident that the skills I have learnt have been beneficial and will enable me to create a more developed style for my next project.

How have you used technology?

I used my own technology Sony a6000 camera to take the photographs for the front cover allowing me to produce the camera angles and quality required.  I felt that this technology provided more scope than a phone camera. I also used the computers and software available at college to edit the front cover using Photoshop and sourcing google images.  The mock up front cover is a digital draft which itself illustrates the use of technology.

What conventions have you used and why?

  • Mast head - this was used to create the full width title for my magazine front cover across the to of the page. 
  • Main image - I decided on a main image of a student that conveyed the genre of the magazine and framed it to suit the convention.
  • Main feature story - this relates to the main image on the cover and is in a bold font to indicate it importance and to draw attention from the audience.
  • Sub Feature stories - I made reference to features inside the magazine with snappy/catchy titles to spark interest and engage the reader and persuade them to purchase/read a copy.
  • Barcode and price - used as a reference for the purchaser and data for the retailer at the bottom right corner in a horizontal format.
  • Issue number and date - used to keep people up to date with the releases of the college magazine
  • Colour - this relates to the genre of the magazine as colours are subliminal in terms of message.  I chose blue, yellow and white as the colour scheme as they create a positive feel and are often used in this genre.  They also compliment the main image.
  • Font type - I used three different font types on the front cover to show significance on the page.
  • Secondary image - The image that usually relates to a feature story on the front cover.

What would you change if you were to  do this task again?

Feedback during the task made me review the orientation of the barcode which I changed to be horizontal and agreed this was more appropriate for this cover. On reviewing the final piece I would change the framing of the main image by using a medium shot more in line with the waist and this would bring the image forward on the page.

Creating/designing product (print screens)







Digital draft for front cover


Digital draft for Contents page


Photographs for front cover

I  considered using this photograph because of the codes and conventions linked to it, including the book as it associates to college. It does relate to existing college magazines but I didn't like the costume and the position of my model.
This photograph was taken the very next day, the result turned out  it turned out to look the best out of the four photos that were taken. This is because I considered the framing, lighting and positioning a bit more then in the previous shot. The overall look of the photograph just seemed more conventional in my opinion.
Very similar to the shot above this one was also a consideration for the final piece. However I decided that this one was a bit indirect then the other so it wasn't chosen.
I thought that my subject looked far too uncomfortable and that he was making more effort then was needed to engage the viewer, he is looking directly in to the camera and the photograph is framed terribly.

Digital draft for Double page spread


Basics of Photoshop


Mise en scene and location ideas

My initial thoughts on the location was to use my colleges campus as my setting for the front cover of the final product, so I decided that I would use a blue wall at the entrance on campus as the background for it as I was not that comfortable with using a busy background to show the codes and conventions for this type of magazine. Instead I used one prop a casual costume and colours to create the connotations and denotations that the audience would expect to see on a conventional college magazine.

I decided that my main image should be wearing casual clothes because it is conventional for a subject on a college magazine to be wearing everyday clothes as the connotations that we link to college is that the environment is less strict and to show independance.






I used the back pack prop to show the link to college and education as most people carry one round when they are carrying documents, pens and other utencils for college life.

Camera framings

 Extreme close up

 Close up
 Medium close up
 Long shot

 High angle
 Low angle
 Two shot
 Image framed to the left 
Image framed to the right
Central image

Feature story ideas

1. Nus cards available on campus now!
2. Clubs and societies you can join to inside this issue
3. Bus timetable and routes for college students
4. Success stories from former students
5. Support is here to help those with any extra requirements
6. A survival guide to college life
7. Food for thought
8. 10 best ways to keep on top of things
9. How the new students are finding college life so far
10. Trips abroad with college

Colour scheme





Name ideas

1. On campus
2. The agenda
3. Aspire
4. Youth central
5. College life
6. Education central
7. The News Crew
8. Trends of today
9. The Edu Copy
10. Youth pulse
11. Inspire
12. College pulse
13. The College Knowledge
14. The College Chronicles
15. The College Bulletin
16. The College Courier
17. The Updater
18. Reality Bytes
19. The News Crew
20. College Calls