2. Compare against initial plans and intentions.
I think my products reflect my plan and intentions quite well however I think the product would have benefited
from a more professional looking website, I think a more traditional style would have worked a lot better
rather than the ‘scrolling’ style I used.Within the website I kept more or less to the initial plan using the flow
chart I created to layout the grounds of my website. I wanted my website to be themed more about the
tutorials and less about the magazine and therefore removed the ‘magazine section’ and replaced it with a
simply button reading ‘subscribe’ which takes you to the bottom of the page where you can enter your name
and e-mail address to receive the E-magazine.
I also changed up the double page spread, instead of having body text on both sides of the double page
spread. I had one large image on the left page showing the final product and the title and on the right side I
had the body text and images next to the text visually explaining the tutorial. I did this because the image I
used was cut of on one side, so the image had to be placed in a corner. I don’t think it looks bad though I can
imagine if I had used a Different image I could have given the page a cleaner and divided the pages up better to
result in an overall cleaner and more professional looking product.
Creating the products was a lot of fun however I think they could have benefited from having a ‘client’
someone that gave feedback on the product and commented on aspects they liked/disliked. I think it could
have created a better-rounded better honed product. I think it would have benefited both the planning and the
product as it there would have been a dialogue, a back and forth where I could have adjusted the product and
developed the product past my own horizon and ideas.
However since the product was of course not professional or for a client of any kind this was not really possible,
other than asking class mates or the relevant tutors what they thought.
So for my next project I will definitely try to ask as many people for their opinion on whatever it is that I am
making.Though they again, won’t be clients, it will help me extend the idea beyond my ‘blinders’ when it
comes to the project. As a second third or fourth opinion can never harm, If I choose to run with it is ultimately
my choice. But the input is/ will still (be) useful.
3. Reflect on post production.
(add screenshots)
Cover Image
I began creating a few different cover images before I made one which I thought looked professional and clean
enough.
Originally I wanted to create some sort of landscape/mystical cover image(see next slide), out of the 3 images I
began I only finished one (the bear) all of the images I began creating didn’t look or feel the part, overall I think the
problem was that the images were to dark or there was too much going on, compared to the portrait headshot, it
is very bright and minimalist, there isn’t much going on yet it is still very clearly Photoshopped.This was good for
the cover image as the image had to display and reflect the magazine, which is about Photoshop however it also
had to be simplistic enough so that text could be placed around it, all the while still looking clean.This is why the
headshot Photoshop was the most appropriate.
To create the image I used royalty free images from Pixabay and edited them using Photoshop. During the process
of creating the cover image I acquired a few new skills within Photoshop which is good the biggest one being
creating a double exposure image as I had never created one. I also feel like I learned a lot about what makes a
magazine cover stand out, though I may not have been able to create a magazine cover that conveys this I
definitely know more about magazines and marketing in general than before the project started.
The cover image itself I intended to use as images as ‘shortcuts’ for the reader to decipher what was within the
magazine, rather than having to read the text (see my first attempt, pg.6) when asking for feedback it became
apparent that this wasn’t a great idea and my tutor helped me make the whole cover more simplistic by removing
lots of the images, cutting down and shortening the ‘blurbs’ while trying to focus the who cover, on the image and
the brand name.The image itself was enlarged as well as the Masthead. The text received highlights so it stood
out from the background and instead of having the cover story in the bottom left it was place across the image to
soak up as much attention as possible. I would say all of these images were positive, they simplified the cover all
the while making it look cleaner more legible and it added professionalism.
7. Reflect on post production.
(add screenshots)
Double Page Spread
Since the cover image was a double exposure image I decided that the DPS should be a tutorial about how to
create a Double exposure image, as it would tie them together nicely and give the cover image a purpose other
than ‘to look nice’. However I didn’t want to use the same image and I wanted to create another image with more
complexion. So I followed the same steps however this time the image of the subject was one that I shot myself
and I added smoke to the head of my subject, so when I clipped the ‘overlay image’ to the subject it smoothly
clipped onto the smoke which created a very unique looking effect that I was quite pleased with. It made a
Photoshop job that was quite easy into something that looked far more professional and complex than it really
was. It also made me realise that something as simple as, drawing in some smoke, could change the whole
dynamic and overall mood and tone of the image, as without the smoke the image would probably still look good,
but for the lack of a better way of explaining it, I think the image would have no ‘wow factor’. I think the second
double exposure definitely looks messier and perhaps a little bit less professional, but I learned far more while
making it and it was a good experiment, and therefore I think it is my favourite.
When it comes to the actual design of the DPS itself I am not sure I am 100% happy in hindsight I wish I had
created a DPS that was more white/light purple, as it would have gone with the theme of the website and
magazine cover the page layout I don’t mind to much as due to the image I used it would have been difficult to do
it any differently, unless of course I made the image smaller and placed the text around it, though I think the large
image on one side and the tutorial on the other makes for an effective DPS. I think the images on the side work
well in combination with the text to explain what is happening as well as give a visual guide. Overall I think the DPS
achieves its purpose quite effectively, however subjectively, I think it could have been in a different style.
10. Discuss other issues or problems I faced.
The main issue I faced was WIX and creating the website in combination with the some technical
aspects.The biggest hurdle was constantly changing monitors this might not sound like a big
problem however it really was. One lesson the monitors would be high resolution 16:9, the next
lesson the would be low resolution 4:3 and sometimes 16:10 this meant on every monitor the layout
of the website changed and I had to change font sizes gaps between images change the layout of a
page etc. It would have been preferable to have consistent monitors in terms of aspect ration as we
wouldn’t have needed to spend as much time double checking things rather than just getting on from
where we left off.
The issue I found with wix was that I kept wanting to do stuff but it was always a paid feature for
example the Before and after slider I could only use once even though I wanted to use it for all the
images. Obviously if I was working for a client or a company the company would have paid the fee (as
they would have for stock photos etc.)These small things didn’t detrimentally impact the final
product but are definitely factors to consider when trying to objectively look at the product and
where it lacks.
Another minor issue was time due to the so called ‘Beast from the East’ that hit the UK we missed
nearly a week of college.This simply meant we had less college time to plan and produce our product.
It was not very difficult to catch up and get more or less back on schedule.
The last problem I faced is the previously mentioned ‘client feedback issue’ as much help as the
tutors, classmates and to a degree your own mind is.They simply aren’t as committed or interested in
the product as the person who is trying to sell the product.This issue obviously cannot be fixed until
you really do have a client and the project isn’t ‘pseudo’ other than trying to get the opinion of as
many people as possible, which I will do for the next projects.
11. Analyse the effectiveness of the final product.
I think the product works quite effectively it is straight forward and there is not much(if any)
room for confusion about its purpose.
The website:While it is clear what the product is I think the website is not as easy to navigate or
understand as it should be. I think it lacked in ‘user-friendliness’. It looks nice but is
uncomfortable to use and get around. I think this to a degree is personal preference but I recon
if you place the looks of the website aside, it works quite well. I think the different pages flow
into each other reasonably well, the site only opens a new ‘section’ of the website where it
makes sense, and everything (tutorials, magazine subscription, forum etc.) is simple enough to
access.
Cover Page: I think that my cover page is the strongest part of my product though I am not
entirely sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. I think it definitely represents the product very
well and it is blindingly obvious by the Masthead and cover image that this magazine is about
photoshop add in the tagline and you know that it is about photoshop tips and tricks.The blobs
and stars only re-assure you of this.Though the cover is very simplistic I think it works well an
the rest of the products are also fairly minimalist.
DPS: I would say the DPS definitely effective. Its purpose is obvious and there is no effort in
figuring where it begins and ends.The images at the right hand side, evidently work as a picture
guide while the main image on the left hand side is the main image which the DPS is about (the
DPS is also the cover story) the smoke coming of the head which is the ‘merging’ into the
text makes it evident that this is the image which will be used in the guide.Overall I think
the DPS is effective, however it could do with looking a little less serious though this is
preference and subjective.
12. Discuss possible improvements.
I think I the product would have benefited from better content. I think I was too driven by
creating a product that looked good than a product that made sense. For example the
website.Though I think it looks nice it isn’t very effective at ‘selling’ the product it doesn’t
have anything that sticks out and overall just doesn’t reflect or represent the product.
I think I should have spent more time creating content that reflected the product better.
Rather than content that was just there to fill a gap that was empty. I think the best example
of this is right here: https://samuel-schoettner.wixsite.com/photshoppeddood/blending-
modes the tutorial here barely explains anything it pretty much just tells the reader to ‘try it
out yourself’ which isn’t much of a tutorial.
I also think my product could have improved from separate mind maps for each of the
products (DPS, cover image and website) this would have meant I could have developed the
products separately and therefore in more detail.Which would have lead to a more sharp cut
and better designed final product, where each aspect achieves what it is designed to do,
completely and without any room for error.
13. Identify what I have learned.
I learned mostly about magazine design, I didn’t expect there to be so many aspects to creating
an eye catching cover page. Of course I expected that you had to put thought into it but things
Like the rule of thirds or ‘the left third’ etc.Though I don’t think I acquired many new
photoshop skills (other than the double exposures) I think I furthered my knowledge on them
and new ways in which I can apply them to my work. And as always also learned new keyboard
shortcuts which will be handy in the future as it will speed up the production process.
One new thing that I did learn was how to blend images together by matching colour
temperature/colour balance, by using the selective colour tool (tutorial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SBgHDwt16s )Though unfortunately I didn’t get to apply
this to my work, it is still an extremely useful tool that will most certainly come in very handy
when creating and editing images.
Ofcourse I also learned how to operate InDesign on a very basic level, however I need to spend
a lot more time with it in order to gain some confidence while using it. Ofcourse I also learned
how to use Wix though I wouldn’t regard it as much of a skill as it is very basic and not hard to
learn.
Overall most of the knowledge I have gained over the rotation is about visual design/visual
marketing. I think the things I have learned will resurface quite regularly as lots of them are
‘interchangeable’ and can be applied to different forms of media and advertisement.
