3. Research
• Strengths –
One of the strengths of my research was investigating existing products. By
looking at past products that were already successful I could take inspiration
as well as change the product so it suited my content and needs. For example
looking at the poster design I really liked the colour scheme and the low
opacity overlays so I used them in my poster however I changed the idea
enough to create an original idea. Another strength of my research was my
survey which I conducted amongst the class. By creating a survey and
recording all the information I could easily see what people would want to
see in my magazine and how they would like this information shown. One of
the most helpful things I asked on my survey was the cost people would pay
for a magazine as well as what sections people would like to read.
4. Research
• Weaknesses –
One of the weaknesses of my research was the techniques research I did. This
was mainly because I focused on very broad techniques as well as techniques
I didn’t even use. For example with research techniques on the interview I
didn’t really focus on anything specific I just research how to do an interview
however this covers a lot of aspects without focusing on anything I might use
myself. Due to my technique using any general interview it doesn’t really
relate to gaming and therefor it wasn’t as helpful as it could have been. What
I should have researched was more the type of questions and how to ask
them to get the most out of the interview. By doing this it would have most
likely lead to a higher quality interview. As for researching techniques I did
not use, this related to the logo. By not actually creating a logo in my
production this feels like a bit of a wasted technique research however it did
benefit me in aspects such as looking at colour schemes and other areas of
design
5. Planning
• Strengths –
One of the strengths of my planning was creating a detailed schedule. By
creating this schedule it allowed me to have a goal each week and broke up
this project very nicely. Due to splitting this project into specific areas such as
giving a set week to producing my front cover it meant I had a main focus for
that week and allowed a better quality product as I don’t have to split my
time between several projects. Another strength of my planning was the style
sheet I created in order to get an idea of colours to use in my product. By
creating this style sheet it meant when it came to actually creating my
products I already had an idea of the colours I wanted to use and which
colours worked best together. This helped a lot when it came to picking
images for my products as I knew what colours they would either have to
match with or contrast against.
6. Planning
• Weaknesses –
One of the weaknesses of my planning was my flat plans for both the front
page and the double page spread. I created 2 flat plans for my front cover and
1 for my double page spread and I didn’t use any of them to help with the
actual creation of my products. If I was to use my flat plans I could have
possibly produced a better look front cover and DPS however there is no way
of knowing that for sure. Another weakness of my planning was the lack
detail with the front cover font. I just made a selection of fonts and didn’t
explore how the colours would look with the font or which colours looked
best. If I did this it would have saved time on my production.
7. Time Management
Personally I think I could have managed my time a lot better during this
project. I found that due to underestimating how long my production would
take I have left little time to do any improvements. To prevent this from
happening in any further projects I will make a full hour by hour Gannt chart
and be more realistic with how long each task would take and be more strict
with sticking to the schedule. If I had more time for my production I would
have most likely created a logo for my magazine company in Adobe Illustrator.
By doing this I would have been able to add it into my already produced work
to be treated as a watermark. Also with more time I would have most likely
improved my front cover by adding more detail to it and making it less
simplified.
9. Technical Qualities
I chose to compare my magazine front cover with one from one of the largest
magazine companies, PC Gamer. One of the similarities of the front covers is
the layout. Both front covers follow the very widely used, masthead at the top
with the main image in the centre. To further the similarities of the layout
both magazines have a cover line above the masthead as well as a news puff
in the corner relating to something else included in the magazine. The
continuation of colour scheme throughout the front cover is also something
both have in common. The differences of both front covers however is that
lack of side stories on my front cover, it has a lot of blank space whereas the
PC Gamer front cover is covered with at least 5 side stories 2 puffs.
11. Technical Qualities
I chose to compare my double page spreads with a gaming double page
spread as well as a lifestyle interview double page spread. There a quite a few
similarities between all the double page spreads. One of the main similarities
is the continuation of a colour scheme throughout the DPS. For example on
the Dolly Parton interview all of the accents and highlights are in red which is
the same with my DPS in which all of the accents are purple. This is good as
everything flows and brings everything together. Another similarity is the
layout of my Major DPS and the Dolly Parton DPS where there is a page
dedicated to the text and the other is for an image. This is common with
double page spreads as it gives each page a separate focus however both
have a link. The differences of the double page spreads is the amount of
splash quotes and side mentions that are on the gaming DPS and the Dolly
Parton DPS. Another difference is the infographic that is on my CS:GO DPS.
This is something that isn’t extremely common on double page spreads.
13. Technical Qualities
I chose to compare my PLAYERUNKNOWNS BATTLEGROUNDS (PUBG) with a
Bioshock poster. There is a lot of similarities between these posters as this
was some of the inspiration for my own poster. The most noticeable similarity
is the layering of each part of the image how there is images inside of images.
The use of a skyline is also something that is very similar between both
posters. The differences of each poster however is that the Bioshock is a lot
simpler than my poster. This is because in the Bioshock they use only
silhouettes with block colours whereas my poster has a background that is a
screenshot straight out of the game with the colours drowned out.
15. Aesthetic Qualities
I am quite happy with the outcome of my front cover, I think all the colours
work well together and nothing is out of place. I also like the bottom headline
how it curves around which is quite unique in a front cover where it is
normally straight lines and blocks. If I was to improve my work I would
definitely add more to it such as more headlines and story lines that could go
along the side of the front cover. This is because right now it feels very simple
and there isn’t enough going on. This isn’t good as people buying the
magazine will want to know why its worth buying and if there isn’t a lot of
stories they may not buy it. To make this improvement I would simply fill the
blank space with either puffs containing information about a specific page or
just text going along the side of the front cover.
17. Aesthetic Qualities
For my CS:GO Major double page spread I am again quite happy with the
outcome of the overall piece. It follows quite a common layout with a page
dedicated to images and a page dedicated to text. One of the things I like
most about this DPS is the infographic that is something quite unique in
magazines, along with the infographic I like that the colour used for the
background is the same as one of the prominent colours in the image. If I was
to make any improvements to this DPS I would want to add more images to
the left side as it doesn’t show that much about the article. To do this I would
fade the bottom of the left page where there is quite a bit of dead space and
add 2 more images relating to the article.
19. Aesthetic Qualities
For my Interview double page spread I am very happy with the finished
product. Out of all the pieces I did for my FMP this is the one I am most proud
of. The reason for this is everything is my own work and has a full interview
that I conducted in it. All of the pictures are my own and the interview
questions were written by me and also conducted by me. The main thing I like
about this product is the unique layout as well as the continuing colour
scheme that runs throughout the DPS. If I was to improve anything for this
double page spread it would be to try add more images. To do this whilst also
keeping the same amount of text I would have to reduce the text size. I want
to keep the same amount of text as this was what I designed my whole piece
around. Due to the person I interviewed being so enthusiastic and had a lot of
knowledge on the topic which is why I want to keep all the text. I would also
add the images in the middle of the text using the text wrap tool that is in
InDesign.
21. Aesthetic Qualities
For my PLAYERUNKNOWNS BATTLEGROUNDS (PUBG) poster I am quite happy
with the outcome as I produced something that is what I had planned. I like
how the poster incorporates many elements of the game and it unique in its
design. I also like the textured background and it makes the whole design less
flat and gives it more depth. If I was to improve this poster I would probably
remove the scenic screenshot that’s inside the helmet and instead keep it full
red. I would do this because I feel there is too much going one with the
helmet design and the colour grading of the screenshot inside the helmet
makes the silhouettes of the buildings harder to see. To do this improvement I
would simply remove the layer that is of the landscape.
22. Audience Appeal
For my front cover it appeals to my audience for many reasons. One of them
is the bright colours that immediately attracts everyone's attention. Due to
my magazine having quite a wide range target audience I designed it to look
neutral for example the masthead has a very simple font so everyone
understand what it is whilst also incorporating a common gaming design of
having harsh edges. The content of my front cover is also something that
would easily appeal to my target audience as most people wanting to read a
gaming magazine will recognise the main image as a well known eSports
event organiser. The poster however is a bit more niche and wont appeal to
as many people as the front cover. Due to my poster being quite abstract it
wouldn’t be easy to understand all components from a none PUBG players
point of view. However people who do play the game would easily be able to
pick apart each element and would appreciate and understand it.
23. Audience Appeal
Both of my double page spreads follow a similar style in that the text size and
layout is the same for both. Both of them would appeal due to the headline of
each DPS. To support the headlines each DPS has at least one large image
that relates to the headline and will further appeal to people who play or are
interested in gaming, which is my target audience. The amount of text on
both double page spreads appeals to a more older audience as there is quite
a lot of reading that younger people might not want to read. However to
further my target audience on my CS:GO Major DPS I included an infographic
that appeals to more of a younger audience as it is short facts supported by
images. On my Interview DPS I included more images that will again appeal to
a younger audience that would rather look at images than read large amounts
of text.
25. Feedback 1
• What did you like about the product?
– I really like the fact you have used the purple from the
pictures to the text and backgrounds of the double page
spreads I also love the designs of the logos and the poster I
can see you have gone into a lot of effort Into designing it.
• What improvements could have been made to the product?
– Maybe add a bit more to the front page other than that it
is really good piece of work.
26. Feedback 2
• What did you like about the product?
– The style of the magazine feels really authentic and gives a
very professional feel. I like the way you have really
targeted the content of the magazine towards your target
audience by using familiar colour schemes such as GAME.
• What improvements could have been made to the product?
– No improvements to the things you have done but to
further the project maybe create a website
27. Feedback 3
• What did you like about the product?
– I like the clear and strong structure and the colour scheme
further shows it.
– The layout of the first DPS looks extremely close to a
professional product.
– The cover has plenty of well laid out cover lines and
information that clearly shows what is featured in the
product.
• What improvements could have been made to the product?
– Some of the headers for the articles on the DPS would
benefit from being equally spaced as it will help the work
look more structured and cleaner.
28. Peer Feedback Summary
• What do you agree with from your peer feedback?
I agree with many of the points that my peers have made. For feedback 1 I
agree strongly with the lack of information on my front cover and that it
would benefit with more information. I also agree with the use of purple
throughout being a positive thing as it shows continuity. With feedback 2 I
again agree with the use of purple as a colour scheme and that it targeted my
target audience with the use of a common business colour scheme such as
GAME’s. Finally for feedback 3 I agree with having a strong colour scheme and
structure throughout my double page spreads. I also agree with the layout of
the Interview DPS being very professional looking.
29. Peer Feedback Summary
• What do you disagree with from your peer feedback?
There isn’t many points I disagree with for my peer feedback. One of the
biggest disagreements is on feedback 3, they stated that my front cover has
plenty of cover lines throughout however personally I think I have a
significant lack of cover lines on my front cover and that there is too much
blank space and I think it looks too empty and the spacing between cover
lines isn’t its strongest feature.
Editor's Notes
What were the strengths of your research? How did your research help your product?
What were the weaknesses of your research? What could you have done better/improve? What effect would this have had on your product?
What were the strengths of your research? How did your research help your product?
What were the weaknesses of your research? What could you have done better/improve? What effect would this have had on your product?
What were the strengths of your planning? How did your planning help your product?
What were the weaknesses of your planning? What could you have done better/improve? What effect would this have had on your product?
What were the strengths of your planning? How did your planning help your product?
What were the weaknesses of your planning? What could you have done better/improve? What effect would this have had on your product?
Did you manage your time well? Did you complete your project on time or would your products have improved with additional time?
What would you have done if you had more time to produce your work?
Compare your work to similar existing products and discuss the similarities and differences
Put your final piece(s) in the centre of a page alongside an existing product
Use text boxes and arrows
Compare your work to similar existing products and discuss the similarities and differences
Put your final piece(s) in the centre of a page alongside an existing product
Use text boxes and arrows
Compare your work to similar existing products and discuss the similarities and differences
Put your final piece(s) in the centre of a page alongside an existing product
Use text boxes and arrows
Compare your work to similar existing products and discuss the similarities and differences
Put your final piece(s) in the centre of a page alongside an existing product
Use text boxes and arrows
Compare your work to similar existing products and discuss the similarities and differences
Put your final piece(s) in the centre of a page alongside an existing product
Use text boxes and arrows
Compare your work to similar existing products and discuss the similarities and differences
Put your final piece(s) in the centre of a page alongside an existing product
Use text boxes and arrows
Does your work look good? Was it creative? What aspects of your game’s visuals do you like? What would you improve? How would you improve it?
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses
Put your final piece(s) in the centre of a page and analyse them
Use text boxes and arrows
Does your work look good? Was it creative? What aspects of your game’s visuals do you like? What would you improve? How would you improve it?
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses
Put your final piece(s) in the centre of a page and analyse them
Use text boxes and arrows
Does your work look good? Was it creative? What aspects of your game’s visuals do you like? What would you improve? How would you improve it?
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses
Put your final piece(s) in the centre of a page and analyse them
Use text boxes and arrows
Does your work look good? Was it creative? What aspects of your game’s visuals do you like? What would you improve? How would you improve it?
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses
Put your final piece(s) in the centre of a page and analyse them
Use text boxes and arrows
Does your work look good? Was it creative? What aspects of your game’s visuals do you like? What would you improve? How would you improve it?
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses
Put your final piece(s) in the centre of a page and analyse them
Use text boxes and arrows
Does your work look good? Was it creative? What aspects of your game’s visuals do you like? What would you improve? How would you improve it?
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses
Put your final piece(s) in the centre of a page and analyse them
Use text boxes and arrows
Does your work look good? Was it creative? What aspects of your game’s visuals do you like? What would you improve? How would you improve it?
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses
Put your final piece(s) in the centre of a page and analyse them
Use text boxes and arrows
Does your work look good? Was it creative? What aspects of your game’s visuals do you like? What would you improve? How would you improve it?
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses
Put your final piece(s) in the centre of a page and analyse them
Use text boxes and arrows
How have you appealed to your target audience? What specific bits of content would appeal to your target audience.
Refer to your findings from your questionnaire.
Put your final piece(s) in the centre of a page and analyse them
Use text boxes and arrows
How have you appealed to your target audience? What specific bits of content would appeal to your target audience.
Refer to your findings from your questionnaire.
Put your final piece(s) in the centre of a page and analyse them
Use text boxes and arrows
What changes would you make to your product based upon your peer feedback and why?