Evaluation powerpoint for Print Project

1. Evaluation
Jack Hickman

2. Compare Initial Plans/Intentions
• My original intentions for the front cover that I used in the final product were to use dark and light colours because it would attract the viewers
attention and draw their eyes to what I want them to see. This was successful because there were aspects of the front cover that used light and dark
imagery however, the dark colours vastly overwhelmed the cover compared to light colours. This was effective because the reader would be drawn to
the light colours as there are less of them to see. I had intended for the content of the magazine to be obvious from the cover page; this was apparent
from the use of an image of God of War, the listing of upcoming games to the left to grab the readers attention by using brief summaries of the games
that were listed, the use of a strong masthead that sets itself apart from the rest of the front cover and being somewhat similar to the flat plan I
designed as well. The only thing that didn’t make it through from both my mind map and flat plan was the use of smaller images that would be
positioned on the front cover. I did not add these in because I felt that it would ruin the feel of the magazine therefore I removed them entirely. There
were also some minor additions I made to the product that were not in the planning and that was the list of consoles the magazine covers and the
game highlights that would be shown in the magazine. I made these changes because I felt that such additions would benefit the audience as it
would tell them what console the magazine supports as well as the games that would be listed in the magazine.
• My original intentions for the double page spread were the use of headlines to show the audience what the particular pages cover. In my case it was
the interview. There were a lot of things that I didn’t add to the DPS from my initial plans and the first of those was the use of different images and
game play. I didn’t add this in because the software I designed the DPS on wasn’t big enough to have loads of information and images on at the same
time otherwise you would struggle with reading some of it. Another aspect that was not included was the light colours in the background and this was
not included for the reason that I had forgotten to add it in entirely. The flat plan for the website was where a lot of the final ideas came from as it
was simple and easy to translate over. This is because the flat plan only made use of the interview and it had enough room to be able to see the text
without having to shrink any of it down.
• My original intentions for the website that carried over to the final design was the design for the homepage which was the use of big images that
stand out and text to help explain what they are for and how relevant they are. The contact page was also brought over from the original design and
remains intact as it transitioned from the planning to the final product however, there wasn’t a lot of designing done with this page in the first place
but, I still managed to create it in the end. The Information and about page did not make it to the final version for the simple reason that there wasn’t
much time too include it all so, I swapped the two of them out for a sale page just so, I could get something interesting into the website. The dark
colour scheme was also kept from the original plan as intended just so the design is similar to the front cover of the magazine. The flat plan was also
slightly different from the end product which is mainly due to the template that I had picked which can effect the general layout of the product but, it
still came out ok.

3. • The first process for my production is of the front cover for the
magazine. I created an A4 Photoshop document and added the
image from the game ‘God of War’ you see here into the 1st layer
after colouring the background black. After this I added the God
of War logo to the bottom middle of the page and had to crop
out any of the white that had appeared. This took quite a while
as I wanted to remove all of the white from around the logo and
the use of the magic wand tool would remove some of the logo
as well which is wouldn’t work so, I had to remove all the white
by had with the eraser tool. I settled with this image because I
felt that the still shot of the action would be a good way to
interest the reader into buying the magazine and the logo tell
the audience what the name of the game is. This is often done
by gaming magazines and perhaps all magazines by placing a
Game, movie or celeb as the focus of the magazine to draw the
audience in to see what it is about.
• The tools I used in this process:
- The selection tool to move the image and logo into place.
- The magic wand tool to erase some of the white where possible.
- The eraser tool to erase some of the white.
• So far I am fairly happy with the way this has turned out.

4. • In the next process for my front cover I added text and
a bar code too it. The first major improvement is the
addition of the masthead and the metallic design was
also added here. This was done by adding 3 clipping
masks to the masthead layer and adding noise,
gradient and stroke to add a metallic like effect to the
masthead. This same technique was used on the
cover line just above the masthead and the text
showing which consoles the magazine supports. A red
box was added to the top left of the page and black
stroke was added to help the box stand out from the
magazine background. This box will be used for the
issue number that I will add the next time I start work
on the magazine again. Some text was also added to
just below the game title at the bottom of the page
which is a small sentence that I had put in for
advertisement purposes. Some red and grey text was
added to fit the colour scheme of the game title.
Lastly, a barcode was added to the bottom right of the
page just to add some authenticity too it.
• Tools that were used
- Selection tool- to move the images and text around.
- Stroke- help the images and text stand out from the
background image.
- Text Box tool- used to add text to the document.
• So far my work I am fairly pleased with my work and
hope that it looks fine after it has been made.

5. • This is the last process for the front magazine cover.
Quite a lot has been added to it here. The first of
which is the web link added to the top right corner of
the front cover. It is small and quite hard to see but, it
is there. The second thing that was added was the
issue number which is number 5 and here for no real
reason other than the professional look to please the
audience. The second major thing that was added was
the text to the left which lists all the games that
would be shown in the magazine if it were real
followed by some extra information on what each
game is about however, the text used is short yet
snappy and appeals to the audience because it
explains some of the details of the games in a way
that advertises the product very well. There are also
some highlights that were added to the bottom of the
page which simply includes all of the games that I
would have wanted the magazine to have.
• The tools that I used
- Selection tool- Was used to move the text around
- Text Box tool- used to create text boxes to write text
in them
• As the final process and the finished product. I am
happy to see that it went well and I am very happy
with the way that it has turned out and hope that the
other two products can meet that.

6. • This is the Double Page Spread for project. Because of
how long it took me to make it I have decided to use one
slide for the whole thing other wise nothing could be
written on it. The first thing I did was create an InDesign
document and add two pages too it. After this I added the
text that I had added the interview plan that was made
during planning to the document and changed the font to
a font that was easy to read yet, had a unique design that
fitted with the gaming theme. This was followed by
changing the colour of the text to white and adding a
black outer glow to help the text stand out from
background. After this I added in the background which
was a light and dark background so, I could use some
contrast that would help make the product look better.
After this I added a title to the DPS just so the audience
knows what the content is about before reading it
followed by the addition of page numbers to add to the
authenticity of the magazine. This was ended with a
picture of one of my peers that was added to the bottom
right of the page.
• Tools that were used
- Selection Tool- tool used to move the text and image
around
- Text box tool- tool was used to add text to the document
• My thoughts and feelings on this magazine are
disappointment as I was unable to use the design I
wanted to use due to time constraints and the document
not being big enough for small text. Wish I could have
done a better job with this.

7. • This is the first process for my website and it is the first
page of my website as well. The first thing I did here was
create a background in Photoshop followed by filling in
the entirety of the page with black. I then added a new
layer and added lines in to the document at weird angles
all over the page and added a metallic effect to them. This
was followed by me copying the front cover magazine
over to save some time. after adding the background into
the website I began changing the colours of the magazine
to black and white as I believed that it would fit with the
colour scheme of the background but perhaps some
lighter colours should have been added too. These colours
were added to the navigation bar and the over all text as
well. After this I added in several images form Google that
fit with the gaming theme. These games are all upcoming
games that are going to be coming out at some point or
another. The images themselves haven’t really been
placed properly and some proper organisation would have
helped but, I can’t do anything about it now. A
subscription box was also added to the bottom of the
page where people can place their e-mail addresses to
sign up to the newsletter.
• Tools that I used
- Text box tool- used to create text for the website
- Selection tool- Used to move the text and images around.
• So far, I would say that I’m ok with what is going on here
but, some changes will have to be made to help with the
websites organisation.

8. • This next process is of the 2nd half of the first website
page. The first thing I did was add some text to the
website and added in some headings to help pique
the readers interest. I then added my front cover from
this project too it and tried to make it look like I was
selling it via the website. A black box was added and I
entered text that would make it seem like the website
was giving discounts on its magazines however, I was
unable to get the link to the sale page to work so, I
decided to leave it and to come back to it later when
the general design of the website was complete. I also
added the same image of the peer from the DPS and
tried to advertise the interview in the magazine. I did
this because I want my work to link together. I
finished it off by adding some text describing the
interview towards the bottom right of the page.
• Tools I used
- Selection tool- tool was used to move the text, images
and shapes around.
- Text tool- tool was used to create the text for the
website.
• My work so far has been ok and I am happy with it
but, I can’t shake the feeling that something is missing
and that something else should be put into the
magazine.

9. • The next process is of the 2nd page of the website. Not
a lot was done to design this page so, there may not
be a lot to talk about. The first thing I did was add a
white box to the centre of the page and the text sale
to the top of the white box. After this I added in a sale
section to the white box so, I could add in some things
that could be sold here. I decided to go for games as
having to create multiple magazine covers would just
run my time into the ground. The games were Halo 5,
Horizon Zero Dawn, Assassins Creed Origins, Final
Fantasy XV and some others that I forget. I added the
images into the image section for each respective
game however, they did not show up as you can see.
After this I added the price in to each section and
added a discount to the prices to give the impression
that the games were being sold at discount prices as it
is a sale.
• Tools that I used
- Selection tool- I used this tool to move the text and
images around
- Text box tool- I used this tool to add text to the
website
• I’m not that impressed with this page but, I don’t have
a lot of time left so, I should move on when possible
and this really can effect the product that I am
making.

10. • The last process is the third page of the website. I
started this process off by adding a white box to the
website, the same one from the previous page, and
adding it to the page. I added some black logos to the
bottom left of the page to advertise a fake face book,
You tube, twitter and Patron account. After this I
added 4 comment fields to the website and titled
them name, email, subject and message as I wanted
to make this website page as authentic as possible.
After this I added some text to the left of these boxes
and added some customer information regarding
what to use this page for should anything happen to
the product. This is listed under customer service and
order tracking which discuss the reasons as to why
you should contact them e.g. Dissatisfaction with the
product or wanting to know where your order is.
• Tools that were used
- Selection tool- Tool used for moving items around the
page
- Text box tool-Tool used to write down text
• Not very happy with the outcome of the website for
the reason that I add to rush most of it just to finish
on time before the Easter break. If I had more time to
finish the product to a good standard then I would.

11. Problems that I faced
• The main problems that I faced when working on the front cover
production for the project was how I timed my self as it left me with no
time to complete any of the other products for this project which ended up
making the others seem rushed. I suffered problems when designing the
DPS as I didn’t have a lot of time to make it or to design it and when this is
paired with my issues designing it due to the software limitations and my
difficulty getting a design down; It becomes a big problem that can limit
the potential of the product. The problems with the website were again,
the lack of time that I had brought upon myself due to the time it took to
make the front cover. Another issue was the website template that I picked
which limited my design options and forced me into a design that I didn’t
necessarily intend to use so, I pretty much had to start the idea from
scratch and the limited time did not help either.

12. Effectiveness of Products
• The front cover is effective at multiple things. The first is the masthead which uses a metallic design to draw the audience in and
the size of the masthead also helps in doing so. The metallic design of the masthead is unique to some degree and the uniqueness
of it also helps to draw the audience in. The Cover lines use reds and greys which match the title of the game and this is effective
at drawing the audience in as red is a danger colour that draws people in fairly easily. The background of the front cover is also
effective because it is a still shot of action which is used to intrigue the reader and make them feel awe. The front cover also uses a
fair amount of text too but, in a way that’s not overpowering to the audience and doesn’t cause people to be put off by it. The text
also uses shadow to help the text stand out from the background as well as using stroke and some glow effects. The lack of images
is also good for organisation and helping the product seem easy to read as if it did have loads of images on it then the product
would come across as un-organised mess. Like I have just stated, the product is fairly organised which helps the audience read it
without worry.
• The effectiveness of the DPS starts with how simple it is as a product and this is good because it allows the product to not
overwhelm the audience yet, it can still be a negative. The background was designed to make the text in the product easier to
read for the audience as black and white are simple colours and I also wanted to keep the text as one of these colours. The one
image can be seen as an issue as it is pretty strange to have such a big image in the DPS but, this can make it easier to handle and
adds to the simplicity of the product. The title and page numbers help the audience see where they are in the magazine so, they
don’t get lost, if that is possible, and they can always find the contents page because of this. If I had made it.
• The effectiveness of the Website starts with the colour scheme which is simple and doesn’t do any harm to people who have
colour blindness but, this can make the product bland and un-appealing to some. The product uses various images to try to
advertise those games however, they are fairly un-organised which can be more of an issue. Still though, the images do help the
audience get a grasp of what is to come. The way the page advertises other parts of my project is also pretty good as well because
it shows the way my products are linked together and how they are relevant. The website also uses the sale page to sell games
which is an effective method of making money for the company but also as a way to advertise certain games to the audience as
well. The contact page is also effective as it allows the audience to contact the site owners for issues and this is paired with the
way the page is worded to be as friendly as possible.

13. Improvements for production
• The first improvement for production can easily be how I time myself for
future products as finishing the front cover didn’t leave me with much time
with the other products and this nearly jeopardized the project for me so,
for future projects I should work on how to time myself properly especially
considering the fact that I will be moving on to the FMP soon. The next
improvement is easily going to be to find better software to make the DPS
on as I found that InDesign was ineffective at the job and it would have
been much better if I had used Photoshop like I did last year instead. The
next improvement can be to pick a better website template as the one I
had picked forced me to choose layout that I wasn’t fond of and it made
the whole process pretty painful so, in future I should really look at what
I’m going to pick when designing a template.

14. What I’ve learnt
• The things that I have learned from this project for my FMP is to time myself
properly and focus on practical work as written work can be done pretty much
anywhere compared to practical work. Planning should take some time to finish
but, not nearly as long as the production work should be as it is fairly important.
When making multiple projects, I should focus on the main one rather then the
secondary one but, if all the products are just as important as each other; I should
focus on them all and give all of them equal time to get them done to the same
standard. If I’m having issues keeping up the, I should leave some of the work as
homework instead as it can really push me back quite far. I’ve learnt to pick the
right template and to analyse them before starting just in case it turns out to be
one that I don’t like. Utilize free time well as it is very important to get it all done
and not slack off at any point during the project otherwise my overall grade may
suffer. For the FMP I should aim for distinction and try to focus on that grade
solely as it is a bar that I have set for myself and one I must get. To do this I should
focus on what the mark scheme wants rather than what I want to write down as
that’s the only way I can get the grade.