Preliminary Project - Evaluation

The final version of my magazine cover follows the typical conventions of a magazine as it follows a particular theme, including the colours of the font and the model's corresponding outfit. The headings are a slightly larger font than the summaries so they're easily identifiable as titles and are also a different colour so the readers know where the titles stops and the summaries start. It's also rather tidy, with the headings neatly in line with each other and on either side of the page so that there isn't too much on one side. Another convention which I followed was including a bar code in the bottom right corner, and what issue the magazine is, along with the date of the article. These little things make the big picture look more realistic, and more like a professional magazine. A final convention which I followed with my magazine cover were the subtitles - they're short and snappy yet put across what the magazine is about and what sort of features the readers will be able to find in it. They've mentioned most things which students tend to worry and care about, e.g. revision tips, whether or not you've made the right choice, alternatives to university, etc. so it would be appealing to my target audience.

General conventions which I used with my magazine cover follow as:

• A big, eye-catching title
• A picture which is relevant to the theme of the magazine
• Several subtitles with brief summaries of what the issue will include, e.g. tips and advice
• The subtitles surround the picture so it doesn't completely block out what the main focus is
• A bar code
• An issue number and date
• A competition to attract readers

 

The thinking behind these design choices was that the model herself is the age of the target audience, so if they see this in a shop, they might find comfort in knowing that they're not alone in their worries. Then, with the pose that she's pulling, it shows her looking through her notes at her school, so it's a casual everyday thing for most students at the same level as her. Furthermore, the colour of the font indirectly matches her clothing, so it shows a theme going on in the picture. This also means that there aren't too many colours splashed about on the page, so it's not in-your-face, but it's still eye-catching.  The bar code is placed in the bottom right, as opposed to 'on the back' to fill the empty gap which was beneath the titles. It also makes the magazine itself look more realistic and professional as it's a common convention amongst popular magazines to have the bar code on the front.

I think I was effective with my time management - I didn't leave the photography too late, so I had enough time to make several drafts and decide which was best. With my research, I think I gathered enough to get a grasp of who my target audience is, what they'd want from a college/sixth form magazine and what direction to take it in. When I work on my main coursework portfolio, I'll have to plan my time carefully so that I don't spend too much time on one element, e.g. researching, but not enough time on another element of it, e.g. the editing of my photos and putting it all together. 

During the working of my main coursework portfolio, there are multiple things which I will improve on, such as the quality of the photos, the theme of the magazine and knowing exactly (or roughly) what I want my end product to look like. Without an aim, I don't know where to start for my photography, which is an inefficient way of planning and going through with my coursework. So for next time, I will make several real mock-ups so I have a general idea of what to achieve.  

Overall, I think my finished page was rather successful as it follows the conventions of a magazine without looking over-done. The contrasting colours of the background with the font makes it easy to read the writing without too much of a struggle as well as it matching both the name of the magazine and what she's wearing. As well as this, the quality of the photo is quite good; it's not perfect as it wasn't taken professionally with the correct equipment, but it's not so bad that the picture isn't blurry and unrecognisable - this is something which will be improved on when it comes to my main coursework portfolio.