Final Post

Hi and welcome to my as media blog. Bellow you will be able to find the process of my music magazine, my planning and the evaluation questions I have answered. I hope you enjoy scrolling through and reading what is put and that it is easy to read and find the things you need to find.

Thanks, Victoria.

Evaluation Question Seven

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Front Cover:

Looking back at the original front cover to the one I have created now you can see the difference and the growth within the Photoshop skills then and now. The images differ in the sense that the original magazine photoshoot was not planned or thought out, the background is messy and makes the text hard to read due to the dark background and text on top. Not many colours were used in the preliminary task it was just the simple orange and black.

In the music magazine I have used various fonts from the basic Photoshop fonts available and from the website "DaFonts.com" I felt like with different types of font it will improve the magazine and help with the target audience. 

The layout of the magazines haven't changed too much but I feel like I have advanced in the way that my Photoshop skills have improved and I now know how to target my audience, I feel like I rushed the preliminary task but took more time with the music magazine. With the way the magazines differ it shows what I have learnt and how I have improved. 

Over all though the change doesn't look drastic from just a look, if you pay attention to the detail you can see how my Photoshop skills have improved also how my knowledge of magazines and audiences and how to attract the intended audience has had more thought involved than in the preliminary task. 

Contents Page:

Just like my front cover looking back and the preliminary task helps to show improvement and how to improve your magazine to make it grow and be exactly how you desire.

The first thing I notice would have to be the colour scheme, similar to the front cover in the preliminary task the colours orange and while play a main factor with some purple, I clearly didn't think about how the colours would be together but in my music magazine I made sure the colours went well together and there were more than just two. After the colours you focus on the images and you  can see how in the preliminary task the images were not taken by me but off of the internet, the amount of images used are the same which I think is a good amount for a contents page. 

The fonts on the original are very basic and dull, there is only two types of fonts used and in the music magazine there are 4 or 5 different ones used, there's also a lot more information on the second one which I think helps with the target audience as it shows that it can offer more to other people. The way the information is set out is pretty dull but easy to read in the music magazine the layout of the information is still basic, as in its in the same place easy to find, but with adding shapes and different colours it at least makes it more fun to look at and makes it look more full and interesting.

Over all I think just like in the front cover this shows the skills learnt and improved in Photoshop and in how to address your audience and achieve your target audience.

Evaluation Question Six

Evaluation Question Five

Evaluation Question Four

Evaluation: Question Three

Evaluation: Question Two

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

To find a image with a similar pose to my model was quite difficult, but after a while of searching I came across this image of Pixie Lott who is a well known pop artist, though the images are not the same they are similar. For example both artists are using their hands and arms in the shot so it is not just their body, by using their arms they create triangles which keep your eyes focused on the artists and not going around the page, both images are mid shots of the artists facing the camera, with their arms up it makes them seem very open and like they are an open book and are not hiding things from their fans, the posture also makes them seem very relaxed.

Keeping the artists at eye level helps with the audience to connect with the artists. The lighting of the images are not the same, this is due to the fact that the image of Lott was probably shot in a studio whereas mine was shot in a basement, I think that with different lighting it helps you understand, for example with the basement lighting the artist is seen but not exposed completely to the audience which keeps a bit of mystery behind the artist and does not fully reveal who they are inside, this also helps with the artist having said he is just a normal guy, it helps him seem more down to earth because he doesn't need a big studio to have a photo shoot he can do it anywhere, this helps with the down to earth as some artists are very demanding and refuse such things.

The costume in both images are very different, the gender of the artists play a big part in this as Lott is wearing a dress, my artist is wearing a shirt and jumper, this make him seem quite simple and gives him a smart look, the way he is dressed could relate to his fans as its not posh or too out there, its very down to earth and simple which means his fans could also look like that is they wished to. This helps with showing what genre the magazine is because it makes it seem mature which is what the magazine is, a mature pop magazine. The hair also play a big factor in the image as in the image with Lott her hair is a bright blonde and down, also with the position of her arms and hands, which is holding her hair it almost makes her look confused, whereas in the magazine to the left the hair is dark which also adds to the mystery of the artist but also helps make his features stand out bringing emphasis to his face.

Evaluation: Question One

Changes To The Magazine

After receiving my feed back I went back to my magazine and changed a few things to make it better.

On my double page spread I made the gaps between the columns bigger so it defined the separate columns better, I also added photo crediting my final step was adding the "available on Itunes" box and the text "Limitless".

On my contents page not a lot of stuff changed either, but after my feed back I wanted to make it the best it could be. I used my Instagram account to upload my photos used to make it seem more realistic and then I screen shot them using my phone. I also like my double page spread added photo crediting and changed what it said underneath the pictures to "Darnells mystery girl revealed" to make it more interesting.

My front cover was the biggest change, I changed the image and the size as it was not the correct size for A4, I created a new canvas and put my new image on that and then moved the things from my previous front cover to the new one, resizing and changing the colours as I went along. 

Update

After receiving feedback from my teacher, I have realised numerous things need doing, so instead of dong an weekly plan I have chose to make a list of everything that needs doing and checking to have my magazine and blog up to a near perfect standard and done on time. I will be updating on which things have been done and completed and will show the changes if there is any and then carry on working on the list as such:

1.  Spell check my double page spread story 
2. Change the posts with multiple images into a gif 
3. Upload feedback on my drafts 
4. Include more technology; Poll Junkie, Slide Share
5. List of props
6. Add photo crediting to images taken by me
7. Enlarge the columns on my double page spread 
8. Make the font on the front cover larger and add another colour
9. Re shoot my front cover image 
10. Add messages near photos
11. Include website name on double page spread and contents  

Weekly Plan

As I not done a weekly plan since I started my magazine, I decided to do one as an update after I have completed the magazine to show what my next stages are.
In the week coming up I will send my magazine to people to receive feed back on what I can do to improve the magazine and to see what people like most. I will more or less send my images via Facebook or text message. After receiving the feedback I will change what people think needs changing to fit my audience needs.

Music Magazine

Double Page Spread Process

Double Page Spread Process 6

This step I decided to add the same arrow I had on the contents page and simply opened it up dragged it to the double page spread and then filled it in black, I then also added a website name by making a text box the text was size 10 and I used stroke at size 1 to make it stand out a little more the text was "Century". For my final step I added a text box to add the artists name and typed "Darnell" I used the font "30 days ago think brk" at size 97pt.

Double Page Spread Process 5

This step was pretty straight forward I added the last of my text and then created a rectangle and made it blue and then I added a text box and typed in "Page 22" and then I duplicated it and changed the text to "Page 23".

Double Page Spread Process 4

This step was the same as the previous stage, but I made a space half way down in my text to add a quote, the text is all the same but the quote is size 25 but "time" is 25. I made this stand out more as most magazines with interview have a q

Double Page Spread Process 3

This step was simply filling up of the page, I had my interview already written I just used copy and paste to add a section of the interview, I then changed the colour of the text of the interviewer and made it a dark blue and then because the text did not go round the image, I used the tab button and space to move the text over so it went round the shoulder and arm of the model. I also made the "D" a little bigger, around size 20 pt while the rest was in 12pt all of the text was "Plantagenet Cherokee" 

Double Page Spread Process 2

In this step, I wanted to add a quote for the main interview, I used the text "Retrohand" at size 80pt, I then I changed the colour on "normal" to white and then added boxes underneath using using the rectangle tool and changing the colour to the one under normal.

Double Page Spread Changes

I decided not to use the original plan I had for the double page spreads as when I took my picture I couldn't do my original plan and due to the fact in one of my mock ups I didn't think about the image I was left with one so I'll stick to it to some degree but the text may be different.

Double Page Spread Process 1

This is the first stage, I opened up and a3 sized paper then opened up my image and dragged it across and sized it up with the canvas.

Double Page Spread Story

Darnell is living the life most of us dream about, screaming fans, the endless nights on stage doing what he loves and here at Stargazer we have the privilege to have our very first interview with the rising star himself 

Goodmorning! It's so lovely to finally meet you! Us here at Stargazer are loving the new single "Limitless". It must be daunting having phone calls for interviews on the radio and from magazines especially since you're so new to the business

D: Thanks Im glad people like it! It was pretty daunting to start with, everybody wants to know things about me, it's pretty weird, I mean Im just a normal guy. But I guess it comes with the job, I just never expected the single to do that well and the album, it's extraordinary! 

Can I just say for somebody who's still touring, you look remarkably well! How is the "Beyond Boundaries" tour going? 

D: Thankyou! I try to keep healthy because there's so much to do all the time, tour is great though! I'm loving going to all these beautiful places and meeting all these wonderful fans 

That's sweet, at least you're enjoying yourself! So what's the craziest thing that's happened on tour so far?

D: It's not too crazy, there was one crazy fan though. Around a month ago I was leaving the arena to go to the hotel and this fan came running up to me asking for an autograph which was pretty normal but then he began to turn while he took his top off, I was taken back especially when I saw the tattoo of my face covering most of his back, I still signed it though but it was pretty uncomfortable

Oh wow, that is pretty crazy! So the album is doing pretty well it's in the top 5 still right? How does that feel?

D: Yeah, it is still in the top 5, Im still pretty stoked about it! I figured since I was pretty new that I wouldn't be this popular but I guess people actually enjoy my music

Speaking of music, we know that you're on tour right now but are you planning to start your next album soon or are you just focusing on tour?

D: Right now Im just focusing on the tour, I mean it's taking all of my energy and time now, but Im always starting songs if I have some lyrics in mind, but it's nothing too serious.

Well it's good that you're always writing so you're always prepared for the next album but considering how hectic tour would be is it hard to get some chill time?

D: Well because I get on with every one on tour it's pretty calm when we're on the road so I guess when we have the long drives it's the only time I get to relax and be a normal guy

How does it feel to be as popular as you are now I mean it must be different?

D: Well it's very different, I mean sometimes It seems like Im gonna crash and burn but I feel like this is my time. I'm gonna get to the top and Im gonna be the best I can be

Well it's good that you're gonna try the best you can, but with all the competition shouldn't you give more than what you can?

D: Well since I'm just starting up, I don't wanna give everything I can away I want to keep some surprises up my sleeve, so when the competition gets tough then I can pull out some stuff and shock everyone 

Well that seems like a very good plan, but moving away from competition, how about collaborations?

D: Well I haven't got many on my album right now but I'd love to work with Bruno Mars maybe or even magic I feel like for musicians in the business right now they're up there, I admire Bruno he's a talented musician

Contents Page Progress

Contents Page Process 8

This was my final stage, I added another grey box by using the rounded rectangle tool, I then used the font Palatino Linotype at size 14 and made "only £5.50...." bold so it stood out against the white box I also made with the rounded rectangle tool. I then created a box with the normal rectangle tool and made it a almost white grey colour and then opened up two photos I had on my phone which I had taken so I opened them and then dragged them onto the contents page and rotated the light grey box as well as the picture of two people to fit inside the box, with the other picture I simple just made it smaller. I created a text box with the text "New girl?!" in and used the font "Forever Young" size 18 pt and created another box underneath it. I then created my final text box at the top of the page above the itunes sign which was the font "Lucidia Fox" size 14pt. I then got a arrow from the internet and then used the fill tool to make it black and moved it around till I had it the way I wanted it, my final stage was the duplicate the pink and white boxes again and typed in the number 22 in the same font and size as the others "Forever Young" at size 20.

Contents Page Process 7

In this stage similar to the other recent stages I was focusing on filling up the grey box with information. I added another line where the this week ends and the specials begin to separate them, I add 50 must have songs and then use the rounded rectangle tool to create the boxes around that. 

Contents Page Process 6

This step involved changing font and adding more text. I decided to change where the text about Mars and Cyrus were, as I wanted that to be part of the specials for this week instead of the featured. So I moved them away for the time being and added the charts and celeb gossip. I created a box by using the rounded rectangle tool and then I made it pink and duplicated it for the next one, I then used a text box and type "the charts" at size 15pt and in the font Kalinga which is the same font for all in this area, I then created another box and typed the information in about the charts and used size 14 pt and the same font,  I then repeated this process for the celeb gossip. I also duplicated the pink and white boxes so I had multiple ready.

Contents Page Process 5

In this step I added more information, I created text boxes one about Miley Cyrus where "Miley Cyrus" is size 15pt in a different box and the rest of the text is in a box underneath which is 14pt and in the the text box about Bruno Mars, is the same, the name in 15pt and the information in 14pt all of the font is "Comic Sans MS" and I also duplicated the pink and white boxes again by using alt so they are not uneven, and moved them to the image at the bottom. I created another white box to put under "this week" and made a line using the line tool to separate each part of the contents. 

Contents Page Process 4

In this stage I wanted to add the "Behind the scene" taster so I opened the image in another page and then used the magic wand to cut round the image and then after deleting the background of the image I dragged it to my contents page. I then resized it and used the shift button so it doesn't lose the shape, I then added more text in the same font and size but moved all the text to the left instead of having it centred and then I duplicated the pink and white boxes and the numbers abut changed them to 29 instead of 22, I then moved "Cover story" to the left side and used the rounded rectangle to create the box underneath, I also went to the internet to get an "available on itunes" box to show that the new single is available for download. 

Contents Page Process 3

This stage I added a lot more, I added a curved rectangle to add a background for my writing, I made it the same grey as the previous grey box. I also made the "Contents" thicker, to do this I just made the stroke bigger around 4. My next bit was adding the page number, I used the same colour as the pink box and then added a text box inside using the font "Forever Young" at size 20pt and then I added the text "Cover Story" and rotated it using the corners of the text, this font was the font "New Garden" at size 25 the same with "this week". For the smaller writing which is the information for each section, the writing is "Forever Young" at size 14pt. I also created two smaller boxes by using the rectangle tool and made them the same pink and white used in the other boxes and then made a text box over it and typed 22 at size 20.

Contents Page Process 2

This step was more about focusing on the detail around the top area, I added a drop shadow to the text "Contents" by double clicking the layer and then selecting drop shadow. I wanted to add something to make it more colourful, so I went onto the rectangle tool on the left side bar and created a rectangle the length of the page and made it grey, I then made another one a lot smaller making it pink and a final one making it white. I then made a text box over the white box and used the font "Young Forever" at size 38pt, which I also got from "Dafont.com".

Contents Page Process 1

In this step I was just focusing,on the masthead, I opened up a new file using "U.S. Paper" then I went onto "Dafont.com" and chose the font "New Garden" I downloaded this font and then after making a text box for the C as I wanted it bigger I made it 194pt and the "ontents" was size 89 pt, I then moved them to the desired place.

Front Cover Process 15

In my final stage I focused on adding finishing touches, such as adding stokes to my writing and changing the colours of the "unseen..." and adding "50 must have songs" both with the colour red and stokes, I also added a "PLUS" and an "AND", sizes of these were 15pt and the sizes of the "unseen.." and "50.." was size 21.

Front Cover Process 14

During this stage I chose to add a give away and a text that was about an unseen photoshoot. To do the give away circle, I went to the left hand tool bar and selected the shape tool and changed it to eclipse and then made my circle, I changed the inside to white and the outside to yellow. I then added a text box on the inside which was Arial size 21pt.

Front Cover Process 13

During this stage I did a few things such as the date, the price, the issue number and the featured artists. I created different text boxes for each one, the font for them all is Arial. The featured artists font has a stroke on so it would stand out more and you wouldn't lose it while looking at the front cover.

Front Cover Process 12

In this stage I chose to change my masthead, to do this was pretty simple. I deleted the previous masthead and created a new text box and had "stargazer" written inside, I chose the font "Cooper  Black" size 82pt. The colour didn't need to changing so I tried something new, I went to the warp text tool which was at the top where you change the colour and font ect. I selected "Arc Lower" and made it to how I liked it. I then double clicked the font layer and added styles such as Bevel and Emboss and the ones shown in the picture above.

Front Cover Process 11

In this stage of my front cover I decided to add a quote from the interview with the artist, to do this I created a text box, one for "I feel like" the next for "this is" and used the font "my boyfriends handwriting" at size 29pt and then created another text box with "my time" and used the font "arial" and had it at size 39.

Front Cover Process 10

In this process I decided to add my models name, to do this I had to go on to 'Dafont.com' to find the font I wanted and after downloading my desired font I went back on to Photoshop and selected the text box tool and then made a text box with the writing 'Darnell' in and then selected the font 'My Boyfriends Handwriting' and then made the font size 48pt. I also selected the writing and went to the colour box and changed the colour to white. I added effects such as bevel and emboss, stroke and drop shadow.

Front Cover Process 9

In this process of my magazine I chose to add the issue number, price and date. To do this I added a text box and wrote the desired text inside then made them smaller and moved them to where I needed them to be. The font for all of these were 'Ariel Black' and the size for the date was 8pt, the issue number was 9pt and the price was 6pt.