Thursday 9 February 2017

Fixing Page Numbers

Looking at my magazine, I realised that there were massive inconsistencies with my page numbers and where I put them, so I have now fixed this issue as you can see below:
I realised that the page number and website display on my contents page was on the wrong side. The contents page is page 3 so therefore it is on the right side of its double-page spread, which means that the page number should also be on the right side. I have also changed the colour of the page number and website display to the shade of red which matches the red box at the top of the page. This is because I couldn't use black or white because of the contradicting colours of the background and cover model image, and the fact that yellow was too bright and not visible enough on the white section, so I used the only other colour within my house style which thankfully is a lot more effective. Also, the first page of my double-page spread introduction to the interview as well as the interview page itself should be on even-numbered pages as they are on the left-hand side of their spreads. Therefore, I have changed the page number that the cover story starts on to page 88 rather than 87.

On my double-page spread introduction, I originally didn''t add page numbers because I felt they wouldn't be necessary. However, looking at the pages, I changed my mind and implemented the page numbers in the bottom corners with the magazine's website next to them, like I have done for the other interior pages that I have created. For page 88, the display is white because I tried using black and it did not blend well with the photo. I mistakenly stated originally in the contents page that page 88 was actually page 87, but this has now been corrected, both on that page and this page. The page number displays are on opposite sides of their respective pages which creates a more symmetrical design.

On my interview page, in the bottom-left corner, I have changed the page number from 89 to 90. This is because this page is on the left side of its spread, which means that it is an even-numbered page.




Interview Page Improvements


For my interview page, I decided that the photo of my cover model was too small and didn't fit the style of the page as a whole. Therefore, like the double-page spread introduction, I included a photo from a recent photoshoot with the cover model involving him standing in front of a graffiti-covered wall. This time the graffiti in the background is different to create variation. The words 'Fed Up' can be seen next to his head. This relates to the interview as he talks about how he is fed up with the amount of money musicians and actors get paid. The model is looking away from the camera and in a different direction, suggesting that he is thinking about his dreams. I have also added a page number and the website in the bottom-left corner.

Wednesday 8 February 2017

Double Page Spread Improvements

This is my improved double-page-spread introduction to my interview page. This was improved through my own review and not from the target audience. The main change to this spread is that I have used a completely different image of the cover model, from a recent photoshoot involving him standing in front of a graffiti-covered wall. I prefer this photo because the black-and-white photo, despite conveying an image of darkness and struggle during the cover model's life, didn't match my house style and was too much of a contrast to how colourful my other pages are. I have used the house style on this page as I have implemented a red box with yellow text that says 'Flow Exclusive'. The use of this entices the reader to read on as you cannot read it anywhere else. I have also used a darker shade of red for the title as well as making the two names at the bottom red which makes them stand out more. The darker shade of red resembles blood which connotes to violence, a regular theme in both the upbringing and music of rappers.

Contents Page 2 Improvements

For my second contents page, the second interviewee claimed that there was enough room to include another feature in the top section of the page. Therefore, I adjusted the position of the bottom image and lowered the sizes of the text to create extra room. I used this extra room to add another feature which is located at the end of the magazine. I was originally planning to leave this feature out of the contents and include it as a bonus article at the end. However, the available room allowed me to fill the gap with an article that could attract a lot more readers as it concerns political issues. I have also changed the font of the regular features in the list and removed the message underneath the social media pages.

Tuesday 7 February 2017

Contents Page 1 Improvement

The improvement that I made to the first contents page was minor but effective. I increased the size of the cover model's image on this page. This gives the model more exposure but also makes him more intimidating as it looks like he is closer to the reader.

Monday 6 February 2017

Front Cover Improvement


The first interviewee advised me to make the image of my cover model on the front cover brighter, so I took this idea on board. To make the image brighter, I used the Shadows tool on Photoshop and increased the percentage, which gave the image this effect. I also removed the social media logos from the bottom-right of the cover. The reason why I did this is because I have included these logos on the second contents page as well as the names of the magazine's pages as there is more space on that page; the logos on the cover looked unnecessary and cramped.

Sunday 5 February 2017

Adding Yellow Text

In my post about members of the target audience giving their feedback, the third interviewee mentioned that the white text that I used could be a different colour; yellow was his suggestion. I felt that yellow would be an effective colour as it is often seen as a colour that vastly improves the vibrancy of a product. Therefore, I took the interviewee's advice on board and changed all white text within the boxes to yellow, as you can see below, and I am very happy with the result as a whole.







Wednesday 1 February 2017

Evaluation Question 6: What have you learnt about new technologies from the process of creating this product?

During my project, I learnt how to use several different technologies available both on the Internet and built in to the computer. For my magazine, the technology that I used for the majority of my magazine was Adobe Photoshop.

I used this technology to create the full designs for my front cover, contents page and double page introduction to the interview. I had used Photoshop a little in the past, so I had an idea of the basics of the platform. However, this project allowed me to explore the platform deeper and use new features. For example, on my front cover, I was able to adjust the opacity of the eyes so that they were more visible which created a more mysterious feel to the image. Tools such as the Text Box, the Paint Bucket and the Smudge tool were also incredibly helpful and effective for attempting to create a realistic final product.


Another platform that I used was InDesign. Unlike Photoshop, I did not have any previous experience with InDesign. However, I was quickly able to learn  the basics of it, such as placing an image and adjusting the size to match my interview page.



In terms of technologies on the Internet, I have successfully worked out how to use Blogger effectively to display my work. This is an incredibly useful tool because it allows teachers and also other students to easily look at my work to either look over it or take notes from it. Along with Blogger, I have used several different websites in order to present my work on the blog in different ways. These websites are SlideShare, Prezi, PowToon, Emaze and SurveyMonkey.


SlideShare gives you the ability to upload your created PowerPoints to the website and then use them in your blog or another form of display. I had a small experience with this website, so uploading my presentations were a breeze.




Prezi is a website in which you create presentations in the form of flow charts or spider diagrams which can display all information on a topic or different sections of an answer to a question. I had no experience of using Prezi before this project, but the website is easy-to-use and presentations are quick to make.





PowToon is a website where you create a presentation incorporating cartoons to make them more entertaining. There is also  a timeline so you can add features of a slide one at a time which can be very effective. Again, like Prezi, I had not used this website before this project, and it was harder to grasp than the other.


Emaze is a website where you can create simple presentations with certain themes, whether it be the colours used or the backgrounds used. For someone with no experience with this website, it was extremely easy to grasp, as it contains no gimmicks like PowToon for example.


Finally, SurveyMonkey is a website in which you can create your own questions and answers in the form of a survey and post it online. I used this website specifically for my questionnaire concerning the readers of the magazine and what they want in it. Creating the survey was easy and free, and I have no complaints about it.


Overall, through this project, I have learnt that presenting your work can be a lot more interesting and refreshing by using these websites and programs that I have talked about. Not everything has to be typed up with absolutely nothing else to make it stand out.  These technologies can really up your presentation game and achieve more success.


I FORGOT TO MENTION in the podcast that I used Youtube to upload my video response for Question 1 as well as using Adobe Premiere to edit the video originally. Premiere was tough to use at first as I had no experience with it, but after about an hour I had learnt the tools that I needed to edit efficiently. Youtube is a site that I use everyday so it was very easy to go onto the site and upload the video. I also used Google for any research that I needed. I had no issues with Google as I use it multiple times a day.