Through completing the preliminary college magazine task and full music magazine project, the author learned several technical, design, and branding skills. The author learned how to use Photoshop tools like the magnetic lasso and opacity tool, find fonts online, and edit photos for different effects. Examining other magazines helped the author learn how to structure and organize information in an interesting yet funky layout. Creating a brick wall background incorporated the edginess of graffiti into the contents page design. The full project also taught valuable branding lessons about how to market a magazine and artist to the target audience.

1. Looking back at your
Preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt in the
progression from it to the full
project?

2. Technical Skills
I learnt many technical skills when I was making my College magazine (the
preliminary task magazine) when using Photoshop CS6. I learnt how to use the
magnetic lasso tool to crop around my photos of Holi where I didnt want the
original background. I learnt the effect that the opacity tool could do, which
was to fade something out. I also learnt about downloading fonts from the
internet that I could use on my magazine because I wouldn't of found a graffiti
font on photoshop. I mastered how to take good digital photos considering
natural lighting and spacing around the photos. Also how to edit the pictures
according to the effect I was going for by using iPhoto.

3. Codes and Conventions
I looked at several other magazines such as NME, from my research I
learnt how to structure my magazine in terms of where to put each bit
of information. I looked at other Grime magazines and learnt how to set
my magazine up in an interesting and organized way that still looked
funky. I used a brick wall background to indicate the edginess and
roughness of my magazine. We usually find Graffiti sprayed onto walls
so I took this idea into consideration and made my contents page look
like its graffitied on.

4. Branding
By doing this project I have learnt a lot about branding
in both aspects of the magazine and the the artist The
aim of my music magazine is to be able to get it sold
and accepted by the target audience. Unlike my college
magazine where I had no intention of getting it out there
and sold. Holi is an up and coming female grime artist
and the point of my magazine is to get her out in the
industry and known by people that enjoy her genre of
music.