Preliminary Task

Evaluation of magazine – Rachel Collins

For my preliminary task I made the front cover and contents page of a student college magazine called Zine. Since it is a college magazine, the target audience of the magazine was young males and females who attend the college or are thinking about attending (i.e. Year 11’s applying for college). It would also attract parents of potential students as they may wish to see how the students interact with one another. 
In order to appeal to my target audience, I used bright colours of both blue and pink so as to appeal to both genders. I used more blue however, as it appeals to both genders whereas males are rarely attracted to pink. I also tried to make the colours of the magazine correspond with one another and therefore used the pipette tool to use the blue from the background of the sky. I continued to use this blue throughout the contents as well. 
Although I have had previous experience in using Photoshop, I still benefited from making this magazine as I learned skills I did not previously have such as removing an image from its background using the lasso tool. I also learned how to use the layer function on Photoshop effectively.
Through making this magazine, I have learned that the positioning of images and text can greatly affect the aesthetic qualities of the magazine and that certain convention of magazines must be followed or it will disorientate the reader.

If I were to do the preliminary task once again I would use more male images so as to make it clear that this magazine is a unisex magazine.  Instead, on my music magazine I will use a greater mix of males and females where appropriate. I would also make the images clear and as perfect on the photograph as possible beforehand so that there is no need to edit them at a later point. 
Although there are a lot strap lines, in the music magazine I will use more strap lines as well as a more clear cover line. I also want to use more pull quotes so as to make it clear that the interview is real and interesting as the pull quote will show that it is a real person rather than an article about them.  Instead of putting the barcode at the top of the page, I will put the barcode at the base of the magazine which is a common convention of music magazines.
On the contents page I will include a by-line at the base of the page which is a convention of many music magazines as well as captions underneath the images, especially the entry point.

In conclusion, although I am pleased with the skills I have acquired using Photoshop and I am pleased with the quality of my final piece, I will make many improvements on my music magazine as well as following the conventions of a music magazine, rather than a student’s college magazine.