1. Evaluation Question 7
Looking back at your preliminary
task, what do you feel you have learnt
in the progression from it to full
product?

2. How good do you think your
preliminary task was?
After completing my preliminary task, I was
pleased with the outcome. I didn’t think it
looked too amateur, although I noticed a
significant number of things that could be
improved. For example, the layout and
placement of images and text could have been
better placed to make it a better standard. I
used this information during production of my
music magazine to produce a more professional
piece of work.

3. Had you used the software before this task or was
this the first time? How easy or difficult was it to use?
The preliminary task was my first experience
of using both PhotoShop and InDesign. I got
the hang of PhotoShop pretty easily and
found the tools easy to use.
InDesign took a little longer to get to grips
with and at first I found it quite difficult. The
page seemed crowded with lines and grids
but when I understood why they were there
and how to use them it became easy to use.

4. When you started your main task what did you realise about
market and audience research that you didn’t perhaps focus on
as much for your student magazine?
I realised the huge depth of a market. There are
so many factors to take into consideration when
choosing your market for a music magazine
compared to a student magazine. In the
preliminary task the audience was pretty much
everyone in college, but given the huge variety
of music there is today, the audience for this
magazine was much bigger and a lot more
research had to go into targeting it correctly.

5. How did you use your semiotic knowledge and
awareness of codes and conventions to produce work
which looked professional?
By looking at other music magazines, I became
aware of certain conventions that were used
and I used them in my magazine. This gave my
magazine a more professional look. My semiotic
knowledge allowed me to effectively use things
such as taglines to attract my readers and get
them interested. Anchoring them to images on
my title page is an example of where I used this.

6. How did you make use of time
effectively?
To use my time effectively, I spread the tasks I
had to complete over different times. For
example, in lessons I focused on piecing the final
product together and taking my pictures. In my
own time, I edited the Images on PhotoShop
and completed my market research and
audience research.

7. Looking at your page designs, explain and pick out examples as
to how your skills and design and photography skills have
improved or altered by answering these questions:
How did you improve your photography
skills?
Preliminary Task Main Task
I learned how to use lighting much more effectively to give better effects and
create a more professional looking picture.

8. How did your Photoshop and In
Design skills improve?
It was the first time I had used these two programs. At the start of the course I
wasn’t very confident but as it progressed I started to find it easier to use. InDesign
was especially hard to figure out at the start but once I learned how to use it
properly I felt it was a really important tool. I can now create a page with columns
which makes it easier to set out and this makes it look more professional. Also, I
can edit images using Photoshop to make them look more professional. For
example, I can remove things such as tattoos from people and can change things
such as brightness and saturation to create a different feel to the image.
This is an example of how I used
Photoshop to make the picture look
more professional and ready for my
magazine.

9. How did you develop skills to produce
the article?
In my article, I used a direct tone with my
readers and wasn’t formal. I thought this would
give a sense of laid back and fun, which
according to my audience feedback worked.
Also, I thought it would become part of the
house style and be something my readers could
become familiar with. Another thing I did was
use separate Images of band members to make
the readers feel closer to them, as if they know
them more now.

10. How much more important was
house style for your final piece?
House style was a much more important part of my
music magazine as it was targeting a more specific
audience rather than the college magazine that was
aimed at a more general audience. I used colours that
my audience said they would like and kept repeating
them throughout the magazine, these were
predominantly red and black. I also used the same
fonts throughout to strengthen the house style. The
house style had to attract my audience and give them a
sense of familiarity in order to keep them interested in
my magazine.

11. How much more professional does your main
product look and why is this the case?
My music magazine looks far more professional
than my student magazine for a number for
reasons. The first is the general look about my
magazine. There is more things on the front
cover which is common on music magazines and
the photography is of a much higher standard.
Also, I have stuck to a few fonts and only used
the same colours throughout the magazine to
give a house style which, in my opinion, makes it
look professional.