Preliminary task evaluation questions

Prelim task evaluation questions

Did you plan your magazine? If not, what have you learnt about the importance of research and planning?

Regrettably I did not plan for my school magazine; I now see the importance of planning as it would have helped me have a sense of direction when making creative decisions for the cover and being able to put pieces together more quickly and make the finished product look more tidy and clean-cut. I have also realised that planning of the content for my magazine (the subheadings, stories and information on the contents page) would be useful in the future as I will waste less time looking for ideas to adapt and fit to my magazine.



What technology did you use to complete the task and how did you use it?

I used Serif PagePlus X6, it is an updated version of the software and the tools it provides are very easy to use. I used it to create a background that was continued for both pages I created, to insert front for the Masthead and smaller headings. I also imported an images I took and even edited the one used on the cover so that it would have no background; this made the magazine look cleaner and more professional.

Did you encounter any difficulties? If so, what were they and how did you overcome them?

I struggled at first to remove the background from the image I used on the front page of my magazine; the software was new to me and it took me a while to get the hold of it but I managed to overcome the difficulty by asking my classmates who had already mastered the skill needed. I struggled to think of ideas for my headlines and where I would place them on the front page, I decided to take ideas from other magazines that I had seen with good layouts. For my contents page I struggled to decide on my choice of photos as I wanted them to represent the audience my magazine was targeting yet at the same time draw people in; I decided on using photos of students at the school so that the people reading it would increase the likeliness of them purchasing the magazine.

How successful was your magazine? Please identify what worked well, and with hindsight, what would you improve/do differently?

I think that my magazine was fairly successful as it meets the specification for the task and I believe that it is a good representation of what a school magazine would look like. I think that my layout worked well as it includes many different aspects yet I think that it could be improved as it doesn't seem very aesthetically pleasing. I think that this is due to the colour scheme and I would change it so that it is less bright and contrasting. Another thing that I would change is the amount of gaps in the page, I would fill these with more graphics so that there is more advertisement of the magazines content and less space is wasted.

What have you learnt from completing this task? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework, do you think?

I have learnt that research and planning plays a vital part in creating a magazine cover and that I should have done some before jumping into the creation of this product. I have also learnt a lot about colour schemes and the importance of aesthetic in a magazine as this is a key feature of getting customers to pick yours over other magazines. When completing the rest of my coursework I will take what I have learnt into consideration and sue it to improve my approach. I will plan and research extensively before I start my coursework and this will help me create a magazine that more correctly suits my audience.