FMP

1. Experiments
Tamzin Twose

2. Process
For my production experiments I felt it would be a good idea to experiment with logo
and banner creation, as I would like to find a way to make it look professional and
attractive.
The first thing I did was look through the DaFont website for different fonts that I could
potentially use. I downloaded several fonts and installed them and then I created two A4
documents in Adobe Photoshop. Using the text box I wrote out all of the fonts, using the
name of the brand, so I could clearly see if they looked good or not.

3. Process
After removing some of the fonts I didn’t want, I tried experimenting with colour blocking.
To do this I created two rectangles using the rectangle tool. I want to use orange in my
colour scheme so I picked out a shade of orange that I liked using the colour picker tool
and then tried contrasting it with the “gamers” part of the name, in a white font on a
black background. This didn’t look too bad, but I decided to try another colour that
contrasts well with orange. I chose a shade of blue that worked well with the orange, but I
feel that actually this makes the logo too colour blocked and in fact it may be better to not
have a background, at all.

4. Process
Next I tried altering the text of the top
font. I like the effect of the parallel lines
around the text, but I felt the original font
was too squashed together.
In order to alter this I changed the
vertical scaling of the font to make the
text taller, which then made it look much
more appealing.
The only issue I have now with this font is
that it is too blocky and sharp. From
looking at other gaming magazine
mastheads, they tend to have bold but
more rounded fonts, so that gave me the
idea that maybe I could try recreating this
effect on a nicer, more rounded font.

5. Process
1
2
For number one I tried drawing the
top lines free hand by using the
line tool and setting the height to
10 pixels. After drawing them I
realised that they weren’t long
enough so I had to use Free
Transform in order to make them
longer. I then duplicated each line
layer so that I could use the same
underneath the text. Also, I don’t
think I created the lines thick
enough.
For number two I tried the effect
on a different font and this time I
used rulers and guides so that I
could see where to start and end
the lines and this helped massively.
I also decided to try making the
lines thicker by setting the height
to 15 pixels. This looked much
better and worked really well with
the bold solid font.

6. Process
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
For my final experiment on the brand logo style, I
made duplicates of the lines and text by
selecting them all and clicking duplicate layers. I
then used the move tool to reposition them
below the original and repeated it so I had a few
sets to try different variations. I also labelled the
two different fonts so that I don’t forget which
ones they are.
From looking at all the variations together, I am
drawn to using the Quantify font in my main
design, however it will depend on how that font
works with whichever background image I use,
as the cracks in the font will make the
background image bleed through.
Also, I can’t completely decide on a colour
scheme as it may not contrast well with the
colours in the background image, but at least
now I have an idea of what styles I could use.
I particularly like numbers 3, 4, 7 and 8 and will
consider these styles when making my final
product.

7. Process
To ensure I had a clearer idea of how I wanted to set up my magazine
cover, I experimented with the layout within my pre-production by using
the drawing tools within Microsoft PowerPoint.
I could have created the experiments in Adobe Photoshop, but I felt that
wouldn’t have been an effective use of my time, as the experiment wasn’t
about using the tools in Photoshop. It was about working out how to setup
the magazine cover layout and to ensure I set it up in a way that followed
existing conventions of magazine cover creation.
I used the Quantify font from my masthead/brand name experiment so I
could see how it would work on an actual cover, but I adapted it slightly by
adding a duplicate behind, slightly out of place, and alternated the colours
to create a shadow. I also created two solid lines across both words,
instead of two shorter lines the length of each word, which I felt worked
better to emphasise the brand. I coloured it blue from my colour scheme,
but I’m not sure that I like the contrast of this with the masthead colours
and I think it detracts the focus from the brand name.
I created a circle for the plug and gave it a blue outline to emphasise a
Simulation Special and I gave it a white background so that it would stand
out from the stone coloured background and then centralised a text box
within it.
I also created a teardrop shape in the bottom right-hand corner for the
competition plug and added in a temporary headset image, to signify what
the audience could win. I used the teardrop rather than a circle to
symbolise having the circle up to the edge. This is a common convention
that PC Gamer uses, which was the most popular choice of existing
magazine in my audience survey results, so by following a similar
convention I know that my magazine will better appeal to my target
audience.

8. Process
For the feature image, I added a picture of the character which was
attached to a stone background, which is widely used with images of the
characters. I really like the effect having this background creates and how it
compliments the existing colour scheme. I may consider using this as the
background for the actual project.
To stick to the common conventions of magazine cover creation I placed
the image centrally and chose an image that was directly addressing the
audience. I may not use this image in my actual product, but I really like
the style and pose, which I have seen within the game itself, so I will try to
source a similar image by taking a screenshot.
For the main cover line, I added the name of the featured game and
coloured it in the red which is associated with the game. I feel this colour
works really well with my existing colour scheme and it emphasises the
importance of the featured game. I positioned it in the centre of the
magazine, over the featured image and wrote it in a large font size to
ensure it stood out as these are also common conventions of magazine
creation.
I also added in text boxes, to the bottom right and top left of the feature
image, to signify the placement of sub articles and kickers so that I could
visualise how they might look in the space.
Overall, I’m really pleased with the experiment and I feel it would work
really well for my main magazine cover product.

9. Process
For my magazine layout I experimented with different layouts, ensuring that I set
them up in a way that complied with the common conventions of magazine article
creation.
I also created these layouts in PowerPoint like my magazine cover experiment, to
save time, as setting up columns and the various elements of the article that I
experimented with are quite time consuming to setup in Photoshop.
I wanted to try to find a way to break up the text so that it wasn’t so blocked
together, but also ensure that I kept my text to image ratio 50:50, as this was the
most preferred in my survey results.
I added in lines to create the running head and folio and to define the centre split
of the pages and then placed the images onto the page. I also experimented with
the stone background from the magazine cover to see what it looked like and I
actually quite like the hint of colour to the pages.
I broke the text up into columns, inserted temporary place holder images relating
to the Apex Legends game I planned to write about and added in a pull quote.
Looking at all of the three experiments together, I feel although experiments 1 & 3
do break up the text with the way that the images are positioned, it’s hard to
judge with these whether I have achieved the 50:50 text to images. They’re not
too dissimilar in style to that of the Edge magazine that I analysed in my research,
with the pictures al most scattered around with two columns of text.
The one that I preferred the most is the 2nd experiment, with the text on the first
half of the page and the images on the other. This is also the most similar to the
conventions that PC Gamer follows which was the most popular magazine in my
audience survey., so I feel that this would be the best choice for my actual
product.
The only changes I would make would be depending on the article length, make
the columns thinner to incorporate a third column and alter the layout of the
pictures slightly as the way I made the larger image bleed across onto the other
page, makes it look slightly messy. Other than that I can see this style working
really well in my final product. It doesn’t achieve my original thoughts on breaking
up the text, but it is a style that my audience prefers so that is more important.
3
2
1

10. Process
For my audio project I have practised writing a script for my Gamers Unite radio advert. I tried to write key
points that I needed to cover and broke them into clear sections and bullet points so that when it comes to
recording the advert that I won’t get too overwhelmed and make mistakes. Also, this will reduce the risk of
including unnecessary information or saying too much, which could confuse or bore the audience, making
it unappealing.
I practised reading it out loud to see if it worked and I felt it flowed nicely, apart from a few repetitive
words, and clearly showed all the main features of Issue 1 of the Gamers Unite magazine.
I am so pleased with this experiment, that I feel with a few adjustments it could work really well as a basis
for my actual product script.

11. Reflection
• What elements of your experiments will you include in your
final product?
– In my final product I will use the Quantify font for my masthead/logo, if it works with my background image. If not
then I will use The Bold font, as this also looks good and will definitely work with any background. I will also
incorporate the shadow effect, alternating the orange and black to emphasise the brand. I feel this font and style
stands out and looks the most creative, and will make the brand appeal to younger and older audiences.
To achieve this I will use the horizontal type tool to write out my text and set the font to Quantify/Bold. I will then
duplicate the text layer and reposition the second one so that it sits just slightly out of line with the main masthead so
that it creates a shadow effect. Finally, I will use the eyedropper tool to pick out the orange and alternate the colours
of the words, so that one has “Gamers” in black with “Unite” in orange and the shadow layer will have “Gamers” in
orange and “Unite” in black.
I will use orange as the main element of my colour scheme, with either black to support it or another contrasting
colour. This colour is the most visually appealing and connotes community spirit, which I feel will ensure that my
magazine will appeal not only to my primary psychographic, the Belongers, as they like to feel part of a community, it
will also appeal to an older and younger audiences, who are seeking a community of like-minded people.
I will also most likely use the two parallel lines, to give it a more creative edge, but I will make a final decision on that
when I create my final products. To achieve this I will use the line tool in Photoshop.
– For my magazine cover layout I will try to source a similar style and pose of the female character, by taking a
screenshot within the actual game, as I feel this image is really positive and will represent the game in a positive way.
This will ensure that my magazine appeals to females as they will aspire to be like her and may relate to her positive
role as a combat medic within the game.
– I really like the two plugs that I created and feel these would work really well in my final product. By including such an
extensive “Simulation Special” and a competition to win a gaming headset, I feel this will ensure that my magazine
cover also appeals to the needs driven, who act on impulse and don’t like to miss out on opportunities and also the
working class who will feel like they are getting good value for money.
To create the plugs in Photoshop I will create a circle using the ellipse tool and use the eyedropper tool to pick out the
colours from my pre-production colour scheme. I will then use the horizontal type tool to write out the text. For the
headset image for the competition, if I have an image with a background attached, I will use either the magic wand
tool or the polygonal lasso tool, or a combination of the two, to remove the background.
– I will also consider using the stone background as I feel it contrasts really well with my existing brand colour scheme.

12. Reflection
• What elements of your experiments will you include in your
final product?
– To structure the magazine cover, so that everything is equally lined up around the edge of the cover, I will use the
rulers in Photoshop to set up guides, so that I can line everything up. This will further add to the professional look,
that I want to achieve. This is a common convention of magazine cover creation and will ensure that my magazine
appears trustworthy and reliable.
– For the magazine article layout, I really liked the set up of the 2nd experiment, which followed similar conventions to
that of PC Gamer. The layout of having one page setup with the article text and the other with a combination of large
and smaller images, looks really professional and I feel it will be the most visually appealing. Also by structuring the
text into equally sized columns it will further add to the professional look and ensure that it also appeals to the middle
class, because they prefer products that are of a higher quality and standard.
In order to structure the text into columns I will use the rulers and set up guides to ensure that my columns are
equally spaced out. I will then use the horizontal type tool to set up the text boxes for the article. In the layout I only
planned out two columns, but depending on the length of my article I may change this to three columns.
– I will also recreate the folio and running head from my layout plan as I feel these look really professional and they
ensure my magazine conforms to common conventions of article creation. To achieve this I will use the line tool to
draw out a line across the top and bottom of the page, using the rulers to ensure that I leave an equal space around
the edge of the article. I will then use the horizontal type tool to write out the text. For the “Gamers Unite” brand
name, in the bottom left hand corner, I will set the font to Quantify and change the word “Unite” to orange. The text
will be too small to recreate the shadow effect that I will use for my masthead, but simply changing the font and
colour of the word “Unite” will be enough to create brand recognition.
– Finally, for the images, I will take screenshots in the Apex Legends game, ensuring that they are relevant to the article.
I will then insert the images by dragging them onto my article page within Photoshop and using the corners I will
resize them to fit. The only thing I would change from my layout plan is the size and positioning of the images. Where
I slightly overlapped the main image onto the second page, I feel it could look a little bit messy and unnecessary, so
instead I will most likely keep the images to fit on one page only.

13. Reflection
• What elements of your experiments will you include in your
final product?
– For the script, I will most likely use the experiment script as a basis for my actual script, because I feel the layout and
set up worked really well. The only thing I found that may need to be changed, is the repetition of a few words that
felt a little awkward to read out loud. To achieve this I will amend the script in Microsoft Word and use a program
called Wondershare Filmora to record the voiceover. By ensuring that it flows correctly, it will make sure that it sounds
appealing and is easy to listen to. By also ensuring that it includes all of the key points and features of my magazine, it
will create hype and excitement for the magazine and by covering a variety of different aspects, it will ensure that the
magazine appeals to a wider audience.