Three Original Photographs

These are three original images that were

taken at a gig i went too this year.

(featured bands: Escape the fate & Funeral For A Friend)

Front Cover - Annotation 1

This is an annotation of the music magaszine NME. this gives me an idea of what my end product should look something like. doing this has helped me find out that i should choose what is featured on the front cover carefully as it can sometimes come accross different to the audience compared with the image viewed by the editor.

(Due to not having an A3 scanner at home there is a slight gap between the two sides)

Mock Magazine- What I have learnt.

By making a mock magazine it has helped be discover new types of software like Photoshop, different layouts a magazine can have, what makes a good main image photograph and that a simple font for the masthead is just as effective as using an uncommon internet font. By doing this process I learn different tools and effects I can use on Photoshop to give a more professional outcome of the front cover.

Photoshop is a photo editing software which allows you to use different effects and tools to edit an image. It helped me discover new tools that I will be able to use in the future when it comes to making my music magazine. I discovered that on Photoshop everything on the page is  a different ‘layer’ and that each layer can be edited and changed by clicking on the layer without it effecting any of other layers. If you want to move a layer, you have to click on the layer down the side bar of the page, each layer has a small image of what each layer is so you know exactly which layer you need to move. Furthermore, each of the layers are also labelled ‘layer 1,2,3..’ if the layer is an image and if the layer is text then the name of that layer is just the written text on the page I found out that the ‘lasso’ cut tool allows to cut out a specific shape on an image, I used this tool when adding the background of the front cover, I was able to cut bits of the background off so I could mould it around the main image, again giving a more professional outcome. The ‘sponge’ too allowed me to lighten dark areas on the main image eg, the eyes, so that they stood out more and looked more piercing. The ‘blending options’ that were available to text came in very useful when creating the masthead and headline on the main cover. The blending options allowed me to emboss, highlight, indent, etc the text so that it would stand out from the page and give it more of a 3D effect, I used this on both the masthead and headline. Photoshop also offers a wide range of fonts to choose from, so it was hard choosing one which was suitable, I ended up choosing the font ‘veranda’ as I found out that most magazines use simple texts like this and it is just as effective as using an uncommon internet font. I decided to choose this font because it is simple and easy to read for everyone, whereas if I had used a text with joint-up hand writing style some of the target audience may not have been able to understand what it says, so it was important to choose a simple text.

I learnt from this process that the main image is very important. I chose to do a main image where the person was looking directly at the camera so that when it was put onto the front cover it was looking directly at the audience, so it engages with the reader and makes them want to pick the magazine up to have a look at it. I chose to take the photograph outside using the natural light as sometimes using a flash can sometimes give an image too much exposure. The location was important, so I chose to take the image be outside in the main yard of the college as it is a recognised part of the college. The model in the image is smiling to give the college a positive attitude for the college and showing how settled in and happy she is to be at the college.

Overall I am pleased with the result of this mock magazine as it was the first time I have properly used Photoshop to create something like this and it helped me learn new tools that I can use in the future for when I make my music magazine. I now feel a lot more confident in making my music magazine as I know what is expected in the front cover, main image and contents page. 

Flat Plan; Front Cover & Contents Page

This is a Flat-plan of the front cover and contents page of my mock school/ college magazine. I did this by sketching out where everything is situated on the page like the masthead, headline, main image and sub images. Where an image is meant to be I wrote a brief description of what the image will be so I know exactly how the final outcome will look like. After sketching these images I scanned them into the computer. I chose to sketch the Flat-plan rather than create one using software on a computer because it is easy and straightforward and meant I didn't have to spend as much time on the computer. 

Expectations of a School Magazine

Most importantly, the magazine should not have a cost and must be free to all pupils and parent. A typical school magazine would be expected to publish information about the school, staff and pupils.The front cover could be bright with vibrant colours to catch the attentions of the target and primary audience, the pupils. Parents would be the secondary audience of the magazine so it would be important to include informative information. The magazine should contain a contents page which tells the audience exactly what to expect inside the magazine and what page they can find the information. The language used in the contents page and throughout the rest of the magazine should be informal to make the audience feel like they have a connection. It should include lots of images for the pupils to look at as sometimes it may make the text more understandable and it makes the magazine more enjoyable to look at. Furthermore the text should be readable for both male and female students and be appropriate for all age groups within a school. The magazine would include articles about the school and any new facilities or equipment now available. Information should be included to inform the pupils of any clubs, social and extra-curriculum activities which will take place within the school. It should include different areas of interest so there is something that interests all pupils who read the magazine, this would mean that they would want to read the next issue to see if it continues to entertain them. a school magazine should also include games and puzzles which can help the children learn and have fun at the same time. it is important to use words like 'you', directly talking to the reader making them feel more involved and makes them feel like a part of the school community.

Mock School Magazine Contents Page

This is a mock-up of a school magazine contents page. I created this contents page by using Microsoft office, I chose to use this software as it was quicker for me to create a contents page using this rather than using Photoshop. I did not use photo shop because there is not enough photos and text that require the editing equipment of Photoshop. I have made the text red to match with the masthead of the front cover, creating a house style for the magazine and sticking to the same colour pallet. I added a border of coloured pencils round the top and bottom of the page as these are often associated with school work as it can sometimes involve ‘colouring in’. I also added the logo of Sunderland college as the magazine is all about the Bede campus of Sunderland college, hence the name of the magazine is ‘READ BEDE’

School Magazine Front Cover

Mock up Front cover of a magazine for school/college. i used photo shop to create this front cover and used my own image of my friend Amy as the main image. i created the magazine with a typical layout of a magazine and made sure that the main images was the focus of the magazine. i learnt new skills using Photoshop like how to add and edit text and how to cut, edit and paste pictures on the page. i also figured out that the everything on the page of Photoshop is a different 'layer' so when moving an image about the page you have to click on that layer to move it. The layers are also shown in little images down the side of the page so it is easy to work out which layers are which. There are many different fonts so it was difficult to pick just one but i eventually settled with the font called 'veranda' as it was simple and easy to read. i chose the colour red for the masthead because it stands out on the page, using blue for the headline of the front cover as the two colours go together. i put the date on the front of the magazine because this is essential information. i also incorporated a 'free pen and pencil' inside the magazine as it is associated with school/ college.