3. Masthead
My masthead for my sixth form magazine did
not really stand out, it’s impact wasn’t as great
as the music magazine, I learnt that the first
thing that usually catches the eye of a potential
reader is the main image, however the
masthead is the second. So for my music
magazine I used a different font that was more
interesting and aesthetically pleasing. I also
used a bevel and emboss to make it really stand out on the page. I also used a drop
shadow for the same reason, which I didn’t use for the sixth form magazine. I got
the idea after doing further research into music magazines, e.g. Q, Mojo and the
NME.
4. Bottom Strip
A bottom strip is a code and convention
of any magazine so I added one in both
of my magazines, however I believe that
the one from my music magazine looks
more professional. This is because I noticed on professional magazines, the bottom
strip is usually fully covered. Therefore, when it came to doing my bottom strip the
second time I added a puff and then a social media link to create synergy. I also kept
the colour scheme basic so it fits in with the codes and conventions of a music
magazine.
5. Main Image
Although I edited my image for
music magazine on iPhoto, I still
believe second main image is better.
I believe that this is due to it being a
stronger composition, I also believe
that the black and white colour
scheme helps it stand out. For my
first magazine I also found it difficult
to use the camera as I’d never used
that type before, however by the
time I’d started on my music
magazine I’d had a lot more
practise.
6. iPhoto
• I am quite familiar with Photoshop, I mainly used it for the effects on
the text ,which I found very useful, as my main image had an extremely
strong composition. I would say that this was the most useful tool I
used. It allowed me to put together my magazine piece by piece and
make changes when necessary. I found the most useful tool on
Photoshop was the clone stamp tool. This allowed me to get rid of a
shadow on the wall that looked really out of place.
Photoshop
• I was also very familiar with iPhoto, I used it to edit the contrast as
well as make the photo black and white for emphasis. It’s a very
good tool to use to find the best possible quality photos you have. I
have used iPhoto in past and will continue to do so in the future.
7. Blogger
• I had never encountered Blogger before but I found it
extremely useful in several ways. Firstly I found it very easy to
post in, it also allowed me to save posts without publishing
them. This was useful if I was half way through writing up a
post and run out of time. It allowed me to finish it at home.
On the Blogger homepage it allows you to see all your older
posts, which is very useful if you need to find something very
quickly. This feature also made it easier for viewers too. I also
learnt how to add new pages to my blog which allowed me to
navigate to useful pages easier.
8. Slideshare
• I had never used slideshare before, however I found it a useful tool
in presenting my work. It makes it extremely easy to quickly upload
something It’s very easy to acsess and is very user friendly.
Vimeo& iMovie
• I wasn’t a big fan of Vimeo, I found it a bit temperamental and
difficult to navigate. iMovie itself I actually found very useful, I
edited my video very quickly and efficiently. It made it very easy to
highlight key terms on top of what I was saying to emphasise my
point. I did find it a bit tricky cutting the clips at the right time to get
the least background noise as possible but once I started getting the
hang of it, it became much easier.
9. Prezi
• At first I found Prezi a bit tricky to use, however the longer I used it
for the easier it became. It made my presentations look very
professional and made them more interesting. It also makes the
presentations more interactive, therefore makes it look more
interesting. It gives you numerous templates which allows you to
have a certain degree of uniqueness without slaving over a
presentation for hours.
Wordle
I used Wordle for my lexis of words. It laid it out in a very professional and
aesthetically pleasing way. It was a very simple website to use and I would
recommend it to anyone.
10. InDesign
I had ever use InDesign before, so I was very pleasantly
surprised to find it very user friendly. I learnt how to make even
columns for the writing. I also discovered how to add pictures in
and change their shape without distorting the image. I found
this very helpful as it helped my double page spread to look
more authentic.
