The last pro forma for my print project.

1. Evaluation
Spencer Fox

2. Research
Strengths:
• Each magazine was successful and from the same genre I wanted to
recreate with my own project
• The analysis was in-depth enough for me to understand the pros and cons
of the layouts of the front covers and double page spreads
• The audience profiles were very detailed and allowed me to identify my
ideal demographic
• The analysis of the photos allowed for deeper meaning to be added to my
own photo, which represents the athlete jumping past expectations due to
his small stature compared to his preferred position on the court
• The magazines I chose were based around a small variety of sports and
fitness, not just basketball, meaning I was able to use other familiar and
successful techniques when using images, fonts, colours and when writing
the article itself

3. Research
Weaknesses:
• I needed to analyse more actual articles in order to capture the tone to
use for my own article. This may have improved the overall quality of my
double page spread
• I may have benefitted from analysing different genres of magazine, like
film or travel, and utilising their best features and aspects of their layouts
and add them to my own piece
• Analysing an actual printed magazine may have also helped me as I would
have an updated experience of being the part of the audience I’d be
aiming for as my demographic
• My project would have been improved if I had further analysed how each
of the magazines appealed to their respective demographics
• Finally, my research analysis could have been far more detailed

4. Planning
Initial Plans.
Strengths:
• My mind maps had lots of detail, often with long threads of aspects I could
write about and design the magazine around as well as giving plenty of
options if I chose to go down a specific route within a genre itself
• I had a wide range of topics in my three mind maps (photography, film and
basketball)
• The analysis of my mood board was very thorough
Weaknesses:
• I could have done with more in depth information in my schedule to set
specific time goals
• My mood board wasn’t particularly inspiring whatsoever, baring in mind that
I’ve never resorted to a mood board before for inspiration or motivation

5. Planning
Production Experiments
Strengths:
• Analysis of the production of the practice front cover included a lot of detail
regarding the various tools I used while creating the cover
• The cover itself looked very professional
• The colours were all sourced from the original image, meaning it all flowed
smoothly as you looked from coverline to coverline, section to section
• My front cover reflection clearly displayed my intentions
• My analysis of the double page spread near-fully detailed the my process
while creating the DPS
• My DPS reflection was honest and goes heavily in depth about my
experience with the software and my preferences

6. Planning
Production Experiments
Weaknesses:
• Two of the blobs separating two coverlines weren’t on the same line
• The grey blob slightly clashes with the gold writing in the bottom left of the
cover
• My front cover reflection was brief and blunt, despite detailing my full
intentions
• My DPS reflection was dismissive of the opportunity to become familiar
with software that was fairly new to me, meaning I rejected the chance to
learn more facets of how today’s media is created
• The DPS reflection also missed out various aspects of my text alteration, like
increasing the size of the first letter of the article using the “paragraph”
window tool

7. Planning
Proposal
Strengths:
• Every word count required for each section of the proposal was hit by the
approximate amount
• My audience analysis goes into extreme detail, specifically describing the
perfect demographic for my project
• My rationale added context to my skillset going into the creation of the
final pages of the magazine
• The project concept section perfectly matched my final product
Weaknesses:
• I used too many words to advertise my own basketball prowess during the
project concept
• I went slightly over each word amount, despite being “approximates”

8. Planning
Pre-Production
Strengths:
• I made multiple variants of front cover options and double page spread
options
• I explore my opinion of both front cover options using technical aspects of
the pages
• The audience/reader is addressed when referencing the layouts of each the
front cover and double page spreads
• The layouts themselves were perfectly set out for me when I got around to
the production segment of the cover and double page spread and I didn’t
need to change too much until I decided to change the final cover

9. Planning
Pre-Production
Strengths:
• I made multiple variants of front cover options and double page spread options
• I explore my opinion of both front cover options using technical aspects of the
pages
• The audience/reader is addressed throughout the analysation
• I finalise my choice with a detailed paragraph that includes my opinion of which
layout is proven to be successful
• Each of the DPS options are explained in an in-depth paragraph each
• My favourite is clearly set out in the text
• All the layouts themselves, both the DPS and front covers, maintain
professionalism and yet are simple enough for all audiences that lie in my
demographic
• Each of my content explanations include plenty of detail regarding how I will
acquire the content I need
• I had many solutions to any potential issues I may have encountered at any
point during the production of my magazine
• All health and safety issues were addressed and had avoidance plans
• The logo I created ended up being used as I thought it was unique and
recognisable as well as being directly linked to the magazine’s content

10. Planning
Pre-Production
Weaknesses:
• My writing appears casual at times
• There’s at least one instance of a typo/grammatical error which makes a
sentence difficult to read
• There was no planning layouts for additional pages, as if I had no confidence in
my time management, which I normally have full confidence in, or didn’t expect
to be able to make additional pages with the photos I aspired to take
• I didn’t write as much content for the double page layout as I did for the front
cover layouts
• I could have gone into more detail about the kind of photographs I needed
during the ‘content’ slide of the pro forma
• I could have added more content title, like ‘coverlines’ and other text-based
cover aspects
• Two of my potential issue solutions were essentially the same despite being two
different issues
• More potential issues could have been covered in the table

11. Time Management
Overall, my time management was very good. During production in particular,
I worked efficiently enough to allow myself enough time to design two
additional pages, a contents page and the free training guide I advertised on
the front cover itself, that would be a part of the full issue itself if I were to
create it.
I also completed all other tasks in the pre-production and research stages of
the project.
If I were to have more time during the production stage, I would add multiple
more pages to create a prototype-style magazine to read through or give to
friends and family in order to see how the magazine would be read and who
would be interested, but also receive feedback and change certain aspects of
the cover and all its content.
Despite finishing with plenty of time before the deadline, I would have
definitely preferred to take some photos in the studio rather than using
photos from the same photoshoot. This would mean that I would have gotten
a front page image that would’ve resembled the professional magazines that I
had analysed in the research stage and planned to model my own project
after.

12. Technical and Aesthetic Qualities
Masthead at the top
Cover athlete
Main article
coverlines on the left
Athlete’s name
in the top left
My front cover is very similar to that of the 218th edition of SLAM magazine, as you can see form my annotations. The main similarities lie with
the coverline placements and colour scheme. The differences lie elsewhere. The style of displaying the issue number is very different in that
SLAM bases there release schedule around numbers, rather than the month of which it is released, despite being located in the top right on both
front covers. The images used are also taken in different formats: SLAM 218’s front cover was taken in studio, whereas mine was taken mid-
warm up as an action shot. Both covers have coverlines that act as a dramatic subheading to the title of the athlete’s name like a movie poster.
Instead of having a separate logo, like my magazine, SLAM’s unique font is the recognisable factor that people see and remember. I personally
really like the aesthetic of my front cover
Studio photograph
Action
shot/active
photoshoot
Recognisable Logo
Recognisable font
“other articles”
lining the right
side of the page
Both colour schemes
almost entirely
revolve around blue
and orange, which
complement each
other
Issue date/number
in the top right
The coverlines have a
blocky font with a black
border
FreebieCost and barcode

13. Technical and Aesthetic Qualities
Cover athlete
performing
their athletic
abilities
Main article lining the
background image
Both my own and Muscle and Fitness’ double page spreads feature photos of the cover athlete performing the athletic task that the article is featured around.
The images themselves are very different, two of my own are in a photoshoot style, but the main background photo is an action shot, however Muscle &
Fitness’ DPS images are all action shot relating to The Rock’s training regime for that day’s arm workout.
I personally think my DPS looks fairly professional, particularly with the article columns being at a lower opacity allowing parts of the backgrounds being able
to be seen. I also like how I added the polygon surrounding the logo in the top left to increase visibility. I believe that the columns take up a little bit too much
room towards the middle of the image and not enough of the athlete can be seen as the ball is almost entirely cut out.
Action
shot/active
photoshoot
Image fully takes up
the DPS
Lots of blank
white space
Magazine logo
Subheadings for other
topics mentioned in
the article
Colour schemes all
relate to the image
Training guide

14. Audience Appeal
As my target audience is teenage males,
many of the demographic will be young
ballers looking to improve their game,
which means this free training guide may
bring in the demographic even if the rest
of the magazine doesn’t.
This coverline may be
relatable to various members
of my demographic who feel
they are better than what the
consensus opinion of them is.
The ‘only’ makes the
younger readers feel as
though it isn’t too much
to pay for the magazine
and free training guide
Some of the “other articles”
also directly communicate
with the reader, asking them
questions and particularly
addressing them when
referring to the outdoor
courts “NEAR YOU”.Most of the players in my
demographic will most likely
play in a CVL league, perhaps
aiming to join their local NBL
team. This would show that
making the jump is possible
and has been done before in
a short amount of time.
The cover image itself may appeal to the
reader as jumping to grab the rim with
ease is closely connected to exciting
athletic plays, like dunks or volleyball-like
swatting blocks. It may also represent
jumping past expectations and reaching a
high goal.

15. Audience Appeal
This may relate to
members of my
demographic who
are also undersized
basketball players
This section of the article
is short and doesn’t
prolong the story, so my
demographics'
stereotypically short
attention spans aren’t
lost.
The images here of
me in my standard
clothing show that I
aren’t too different
from the readers as I
wear similar clothing
to them despite being
a national league level
athlete.
I listed my past statistics and
accolades as that puts in perspective
my impact on each game as well as
interesting the reader as they are
often very comparative to other
players from different leagues.
The article itself may interest my
demographic as it can be considered
relatable due to the height I was at the
time, despite being tall far my age, (6’1”
at 15).
The ‘i’ logo is a shape
that the reader would
recognise as it is the
area known as the
“key”, found on the
basketball court.
The informal setting throughout the quotes
from the ‘interview’ imitates how the reader
would talk to other players about basketball.