2. You are going to make some pages for a magazine and also a website.
You are going to learn how to use Photoshop, InDesign and website builders.
You will take your own images, write your own words and create your own work.
You will need to think carefully about the type of magazine you want to make. You need to
be able to write about your subject and take images so think carefully. I would recommend
that you choose a genre of music or a film magazine.
Images can be taken in the photography studio or on college grounds during lesson times.
You may choose to get images in your own time.
3. • Front cover
• DPS
• Website pages
• Own images (or at least predominantly your own
images)
• Own written work
• Any genre you like (choose wisely)
4. Task 1: Research. Looking at existing magazines and their websites. Looking at audience too.
Task 2: Proposal.
Task 3: Production research. InDesign and Wix.
Task 4: Planning.
Task 5: Production.
Task 6: Evaluation.
5. Task 1: U6 1.2
Research existing magazines and their websites. You should concentrate on areas such as
typography, colour scheme, use of imagery and written language.
You should also look at their audience. Use media packs to help you understand who they
are.
6. Content Research:
Print and digital word products have 4 basic types of content.
• Images
• Words
• Colours
• Fonts
These 4 elements will be carefully chosen to appeal to the products audience.
Although there are only 4 categories, there are endless combination possibilities, giving
media producers an almost infinite number of options.
7. Conventions:
• Colour scheme:
• Some are loud, bright and attention seeking. Some are muted and restrained. Magazines
of similar style tend to follow similar colour schemes.
• Photography:
• Candid pictures of celebrities or high quality photo-essays? Photographs are a good way
to grab the audiences attention.
• Writing style and language:
• Each media text uses specific language to target it’s audience. Products adapt their
content to match their audiences expectations.
• The text is often written to reflect the way the audience might write or speak it.
• The style of writing and the language used a tabloid newspaper like The Sun will be
different to that used in a broadsheet newspaper like The Daily Telegraph.
8. Text/Picture ratio:
The amount of text in a product compared to images is another convention and audience
expectation.
Fonts:
The font choices in a product help it appeal to an audience and let people know if they will
be interested in it. Metal Hammer and Kerrang use sharp, spiky and aggressive fonts which
reflect the style of music they cover and fit in with the sorts of fonts bands use to promote
themselves.
Mode of address:
This is the way the magazine addresses it’s audience. Some use a direct mode of address,
using words like you and yours.
Others are indirect.
Some address their audience in a formal way.
Others are informal.
9. Magazine conventions:
There are clear conventions that appear on or in most magazines. Whilst they
are distinctly different in terms of code, the technical elements are the same.
Masthead
Cover lines
Images
Bar code
Blobs and stars
10. Codes:
Codes are signs which create meaning. They can be technical, symbolic or written.
• Written –type of words and language that are used and the way they are used
• Symbolic – the use of connotation building on our own cultural experiences
11. x
Written:
Pull quotes selected to appeal to the
audience. Use of word free to entice. Other
aggressive bits of language.
Symbolic:
Dark colour scheme drawing influences
from horror film genre. Ripped appearance
to image. Degraded font with blood or rust
stains on it. All work together to reflect
music covered.
12. Written:
Informal, casual language. Sensational pull
quotes.
Symbolic:
The use of tape measure is perhaps the
ultimate symbolic symbol when talking
about the female body.
Use of traditionally feminine colours.
Torn effect on image at top of the top
illustrating a story about a couple breaking
up.
13. Look at magazines and make notes about what you see. Look at a broad range to help you
decide what kind of magazine you want to make.
You can learn a lot by looking at lots of different types of magazines and taking influence
from a wide range of sources.
14. Task 2: Complete a proposal where you will discuss your main idea for your magazine. U6
2.1
You might consider the following:
• Working Title
• Audience
• Rationale
• Project Concept
• Evaluation
You should suggest how you will solve any problems creating your work.
15. x
Working Title:
What is it called? This can change if you think of something better later.
Audience:
Who is your audience? Be very detailed; age, gender, social status, psychographic etc. Use
the Audience Classifications PowerPoint on Blackboard to help you develop this section.
Why would your project appeal to this person? Discuss each audience element in relation to
content (why would your product appeal to the age group? Why would your product appeal
to the gender? Etc.)
Rationale (approx. 100 words)
Review your progress throughout the year- what skills and knowledge have you acquired?
How has the subjects you have studied this year informed your choice for this project?
What have you studied and how will it have a direct impact upon your project?
Project Concept (approx. 200 words)
What is the concept for your project and what are you going to make? What research will
you need to conduct and how will it help you make your project.
Evaluation (approx. 50 words)
How do you plan to evaluate the work? Reference conducting on-going evaluation and your
final self-reflection, analysing your work and its outcomes.
16. Task 3: Production research U6 1.2
Produce a double page spread using InDesign
Produce a website mock up (3 linked pages) using any website builder you want. Wix,
Wordpress, MoonFruit…
These tasks allow you to do practical research, exploring and experimenting with software
you could use to complete your project.
Make notes on your findings and keep your experiments.
17. Task 3: Production research U6 1.2
Use the InDesign guide PowerPoint on Blackboard to help you with this.
There are also some existing resources which can help you which comprise of some images
and text that you can use to make a double page spread. You can use these resources or find
your own.
For your website, use how to guides and instructions available from the different website
builders. You should use at least one. Using more than one lets you compare the different
systems and find one that works for you.
18. Task 4: Planning U6 2.1
Generate ideas for your project.
Undertake appropriate planning for your project.
It is suggested that you make flat plans for your magazine pages. You should also document
how you will get hold of images.
You could create a style sheet, to ensure that fonts and colour schemes match.
You should create a website plan, to show how the pages link.
Create copy (written words) for your DPS and website.
24. Style Sheet:
Style sheets help you to keep a consistent style across your different products.
By having specific colour information, such as the hex code, you can ensure your are using
the same colours in all your work.
Keeping a record of fonts is a good idea too. That will also help you be more consistent.
Masthead: Magneto
Headlines: Franklin Gothic Heavy
Body text: Helvetica
25. Website map: This helps you to organise the pages that you want to make and how your
website pages will all link together.
26. Copy:
Copy is the written elements of magazines and websites.
You will need to write some copy to fill your pages alongside the images you make.
You could make the main cover story the subject of your double page spread.
Generate some ideas, perhaps do some further research and then write it up. Depending on
your layout, your subject and your audience, you need about 700 words or so.
Don’t forget to think about cover lines for your front cover as well.
27. Task 5: Production U6 2.2
Produce a front cover and a DPS for a magazine and also a website (3 pages minimum).
You should use your own written work.
You should use predominantly images which you have taken although stock/sourced/found
images are acceptable in addition to your own images.
28. Task 6: Evaluation U6 2.3
Evaluation of your work.
Analyse the effectiveness of solutions to a visual-based and interactive problem in creative
media production.
Compare your original intentions and plans to what was achieved in your final product.
Reflect on the postproduction process, any issues or problems you encountered, the
effectiveness of the product and possible improvements.
29. Content Evaluation:
In making your print and digital word products, you have used 4 basic types of content.
• Images
• Words
• Colours
• Fonts
These 4 elements were carefully chosen to appeal to the products audience.
Although there are only 4 categories, there are endless combination possibilities, giving you
an almost infinite number of options. Discuss how you used these and how that compares
to existing magazines and websites. Analyse the effectiveness of your solutions to your
creative media brief.
30. When you made your work, you will have either followed or challenged convention. Use
your work to discuss its strengths and weaknesses and compare what you did to existing
professional practice. Analyse the effectiveness of your solutions to your creative media
brief.
Conventions:
• Colour scheme:
• Some are loud, bright and attention seeking. Some are muted and restrained. Magazines of similar
style tend to follow similar colour schemes.
• Photography:
• Candid pictures of celebrities or high quality photo-essays? Photographs are a good way to grab the
audiences attention.
• Writing style and language:
• Each media text uses specific language to target it’s audience. Products adapt their content to match
their audiences expectations.
• The text is often written to reflect the way the audience might write or speak it.
• The style of writing and the language used a tabloid newspaper like The Sun will be different to that
used in a broadsheet newspaper like The Daily Telegraph.
31. Text/Picture ratio:
The amount of text in a product compared to images is another convention and audience
expectation.
Fonts:
The font choices in a product help it appeal to an audience and let people know if they will
be interested in it. Metal Hammer and Kerrang use sharp, spiky and aggressive fonts which
reflect the style of music they cover and fit in with the sorts of fonts bands use to promote
themselves.
Mode of address:
This is the way the magazine addresses it’s audience. Some use a direct mode of address,
using words like you and yours.
Others are indirect.
Some address their audience in a formal way.
Others are informal.
32. Codes:
Codes are signs which create meaning. They can be technical, symbolic or written.
• Written –type of words and language that are used and the way they are used
• Symbolic – the use of connotation building on our own cultural experiences
33. Final result:
I want to see lots of work covering all the things you did from research to proposal, from
idea generation to planning and finally your production work.
How effective have you been?
Look for positive elements you can take forward to future projects.
Look for areas of improvement you can work on in future projects. Consider practical
solutions you can implement to help you in the future.
Compare your work to exiting professional work. It will help you understand where you are,
and where you need to be.
Loads of screen shots and images and lots of detail.
