Dan Sgarbini is creating a magazine called XXL as part of a media studies portfolio. Over several weeks, he learned about magazine design and created preliminary drafts of the front cover and contents page. He incorporated feedback to improve his drafts. For his main task, Dan designed the front cover featuring a rapper, added cover lines and a promotion. He began drafting the contents page and double page spread interview. Throughout the process, Dan applied techniques like choosing fonts, colors and layouts to maintain the magazine's hip hop brand identity.

1. St. Andrew’s Catholic School 64135
Candidate Name: Dan Sgarbini
Candidate Number: 2005
Unit G321: Foundation Portfolio in Media Studies
Schedule
Week Beginning Work Completed
Summer Holidays
Monday 1st September This week I have learnt the basic codes and conventions of a
magazine such as the masthead, the cover lines and the cover
star.
Monday 8th September Today I have discovered that different colours are used during
advertisement in magazines in order to symbolize a specific trait
e.g. red symbolizes passion.
I have also learnt many new features of a magazine cover such as
the strapline, the promotion and the convergence.

2. I have also discovered about the target audience that Q magazine
has aimed at e.g. gender, age, nationality etc.
I have also discovered 3 prime theories in media e.g. Hartley’s
etc.
Monday 15th September Today I have been taught how to create my blog page and have
done so and have also discovered that I will be basing my created
magazine on XXL magazine which is a nationwide hip hop
magazine.
I have also made a start of a description on my magazine and
how I will suit my target audience.
I have also learnt that the codes and conventions of the main
image e.g. medium close up and have also learnt how to use
survey monkey to gain market research.
Monday 22nd September In this lesson I have discovered the requirements in order to
create a masthead on Photoshop and how to remove a
background from an image in Photoshop.
In addition, I have made a start on my preliminary cover with the
addition of an appropriate bar code and social media links.
Monday 29th September This week I have continued with my preliminary front cover by
adding a smaller version of my masthead, the masthead and a

3. strapline
Monday 6th October This lesson I have created a cover star for my preliminary task
with a main headline and a cover line. This lesson I have also
created a web address for my prelim task and have also added a
promotion prize to be won on my prelim magazine for St
Andrews school.
Monday 13th October This week I have discovered the features of a content page and
have completed my hand drawn draft of my contents page for my
prelim.
I have also completed a hand drawn draft of my contents page
and have made a start on my prelim contents page by adding a
logo and heading.
I have now created a masthead and heading for my contents page
and have completed an analysis of a contents page and a double
page spread.
Monday 20th October I have continued with my contents page and have made a start on
page numbers, issue date and the stories and will proceed
onwards with the contents page throughout the week.
I have now completed my contents page to a high standard and
have screen grabbed a step by step method to my contents page.
Half Term

4. Monday 3rd November This week I have made significant changes to my preliminary
content page and have made many changes and have started on
my contents page hand drawn draft.
I have now completed my contents page hand drawn draft, mood
board corrections, double page spread analysis corrections and
my mind map corrections.
Monday 10th November I have begun to create my main task magazine front cover by
adding a black background, barcode and social media links.
I have also completed my logbook by screen shooting my step by
step magazine cover and contents page and analysis.
Monday 17th November I have created a masthead for my main task by downloading and
installing a font of my choice that suits the hip hop genre for my
front cover and have found a cover star to match my African
American stereotype.
In addition I have also created a main headline which denotes an
exclusive interview with my cover star and have resized my
social media links and barcode in order to fit within my lines.
Monday 24th November This lesson I have taken a picture of my cover star and will soon
insert him onto the front cover of my magazine, I have also made
a few changes to my front cover such as my promotion of O2
tickets and layout changes.
I have also used the rubber tool in order to even out my cover

5. star and his features and have added Jack to my magazine as a
cover star. I have also created my main headline in my chosen
colour scheme of black, yellow and white and 1 cover line that
reveals the top 50 hip hop stars of the 21st century so far.
Monday 1st December This lesson I have added a description for my promotion and
have completed another cover line in order to ensure that my
cover is as informative as possible.
I have finally completed my front cover and will upload it onto
slide share. My finishing included transforming my image into
black and which, name of artists and creating space for an extra
cover line. Each one of these additions have ensured and
finalized the completion of my magazine main task front cover.
Monday 8th December I have now made a start on my main task contents page, I have
added the page number and indicated where each feature will be
located. I have also changed the background to black in order to
continue with by brand identity from my main task front cover.
Christmas Holidays
Monday 5th January This lesson I have improved my contents main task page by
finishing off my page descriptions, adding a main headline
description and using puff promotion.
In addition I have also added a London graffiti background to my

6. main headline analysis in my main task contents page; I have also
made an updated blog post, made changes to my hand drawn
drafts and added a drop capital to my editorial. Finally I have
edited my editorial and have added slang in order for this to suit
my target audience and apply to the hip hop genre.
Monday 12th January I have now made many changes towards my main task contents
page and am one signature and cover story away from
completing this task. I have also made changes and have
improved my main task hand drawn drafts (content, cover and
DPS) which are all of a similar house style to continue with my
magazines brand identity.
I have also finished of the first draft for my Main Task Contents
Page and will implement changes that are given to me. In order to
do so I have added a box containing social media and my editor
details, added a brick background to my cover story and have
embedded my signature into the editorial, next week I will stay
after school in order to complete some planning and research
corrections and some more detailed blog posts.
Monday 19th January I have started on my main task Double Page Spread and have
added my interview, separated columns and have added credits
to where my image will be located. I will take an image of my
cover star wearing a snapback cap as this meets the hip hop
stereotype in a week or two. I have also installed my chosen font
‘CRUSHED’ in order to continue with my house style and

7. maximize my brand identity.
Monday 26th January I have continues with my double page spread and have created
my colour scheme in order to continue with my house style, I
have also changed the format of my DPS and its layout and have
inserted my entire interview into the spread.
I have now added a heading, edited my interview, and added my
web address, page numbers and many more features that ensure
my page of being to a high standard. In addition, I will also be
taking an image of my cover star Jack Sharpling, add a brief
description by an image and add social media in order to
complete my first draft. I also inserted a pull quote within my
interview as this feature is key for a double page spread.