This document summarizes the process of creating a magazine cover and contents page for a college magazine using Adobe Photoshop and InDesign. Key steps included taking photos with a digital camera, using Photoshop to design the magazine cover masthead and layout, and InDesign to organize the contents page into columns. Strengths included an eye-catching color scheme and professional-looking cover photo. Weaknesses could be addressed by adding more cover lines and increasing the masthead size. Overall the document evaluates the technologies used and lessons learned in constructing the magazine pages.

1. AS MEDIA STUDIES PRELIMINARY TASK
The cover and contents of my college magazine…

2. In what ways does your media product use, develop
or challenge forms and conventions of real media
products?
Masthead
Coverlines
Medium Close up
Rule of thirds
Plain background
FRONT COVER SIMILARITIES…

3. The use of colour schemes for my
magazine cover is rather bright
and colourful so it‟s eye catching,
although “Fashion” magazine have
used a more calm and cool colour
scheme which also stands out
because it‟s on a white background.
I have used a medium close
up shot of a male student
who has direct eye contact
with the reader which makes
it more direct and is giving
a more friendly approach.
Whereas “Fashion” magazine
has used a medium close up
of a famous celebrity who is
looking elegant and fresh faced
which suits their magazine
genre perfectly.
My college magazine has a
barcode whereas
“FASHION” magazine doesn‟t.
FRONT COVER DIFFERENCES…

4. STRENGTHS:
• The fact that I have used bright colours on top of a
dimmed background makes the magazine seem more
alive and eye-catching, creating an interesting affect.
• There is not a lot of dead space on the cover,
however, it isn‟t overly full with information either.
• In my opinion, the medium close up shot looks quite
professional and it works well with the genre of a
magazine because he is a student from the college.
• Important words have been emphasised such as
“free” by being in a different colour so it stands out.
WEAKNESSES:
• I could have used a few more coverlines included
on the cover to entice the readers more.
• An improvement could be to increase the size of
the masthead a little more to make it more
noticeable and clearer.
• I could have included a bit more information to fill
up a little dead space that there is.
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF MY STUDENT MAGAZINE COVER…

5. Both magazines have the
initial masthead on the
contents pages.
The text layout are
roughly the same due to
the fact they are organised
into columns.
Each of these contents
pages have images which
give an incite of the
magazine issue.
CONTENTS PAGE SIMILARITIES…

6. Vogue contents page gives
away more information that my
student magazine.
My magazine contents page
shows to be more colourful
and attractive to the younger
audience whereas “Vogue” is
more simple and seems to
target towards the more
mature and older age.
CONTENTS PAGE DIFFERENCES…

7. • The layout of my contents page is set out into the rule
of thirds which makes it easier to follow and read.
• I think I have used to right amount of images for a
contents page because it gives a little incite into the
magazine but at the same time it doesn‟t give too
much information away.
• The page numbers are easily readable and affective.
• Another strength would be that I have included huge
magazine information such as the magazine website
and phone number at the bottom right hand corner to
further advertise the “REVELATION”.
• I could improve it by spacing out the headings of
each section and moving them a little bit away from
the pictures so it doesn‟t look too squashed.
• Only a small colour range has been used and it may
look a bit better with a more variety of colour.
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF MY STUDENT MAGAZINE CONTENTS…

8. What have you learnt about the technologies from the
process of constructing this product?
Finally, I extended it further and This print screen shot shows
I used Adobe added “FREE” to advertise it as evidence that I have included a
Photoshop to create and well as including a banner at the barcode and the number and date
design my own student bottom. of this particular issue.
magazine cover.
Throughout this process
I have learnt new skills
finish
and how to develop a
new media product.
STAGES…
start
Firstly, I went onto file and then Secondly, I used the textbox to Then, I started including the
placed my chosen medium close create and design the masthead coverlines and main sell line and
up shot to Photoshop. for my cover. edited them to individually stand out.

9. ALSO ON ADOBE PHOTOSHOP…
I edited my masthead and added several different affects
to make it more modern and original. I did this using a
tool called „fx‟. The image to the right shows the effects
which I chose to you for my masthead.
I used many different pieces of technology throughout the
process of constructing this product and one would be a digital
camera. This was used to prepare and take the images needed
for my magazine. It tested me on using the camera to capture
multiple camera angles and shots such as: close up, medium
close up, medium shot and a long shot. By using the camera
myself, it increased my skills as well as making sure the
photography was original and my own. Whilst taking the
photos I was also acknowledging the rule of thirds and aiming
for a MCU. Furthermore, I was able to give the student- who I
chose to model for my magazine-clear instructions as where to
stand such as in front of a plain background, so there wasn‟t a
huge interference when it came to editing and adding text and
also to smile so they seemed friendly.
USE OF THE CAMERA…

10. I used “In Design” to create the contents page for my magazine.
The first thing I thought about was arranging the boxes to make
sure they were organised into the rule of thirds. I also thought
ahead about the colour scheme I was going to use and I decided
to keep it the same as the front cover to keep it looking
professional and not too tacky by using a wide range of colour.
I think one of my main strengths was Once I had placed an image into “In Design”, each
making sure all the text was lined up time they would appear to be to big to fit into the
and arranged appropriately as well as boxes so I had to resize them by making them
making the page numbers a different smaller. I experimented with quite a few different
colour, font and bolder to make them fonts but come to the conclusion that it looked more
stand out more. I could have improved professional with only a limit of two. To conclude, I
my contents page by adding an affect or found “In Design” quite difficult and complicated to
two to the images such as rotating them use being as I have never used a piece of technology
a little or edited them into a different like this before, however, by the end of the task I had
shape. However, I think I used the learnt a variety of new skills which I hope I can
correct amount of colour variation. develop further in future.
USING IN DESIGN FOR MY CONTENTS…