This document summarizes the key learnings from a preliminary task to design the cover and contents page of a college magazine. [1] The student learned to use Adobe Photoshop and InDesign by designing the front cover in Photoshop, which allowed editing of images and text. The contents page was designed in InDesign, which facilitated box manipulation. [2] A digital camera was used to take photos for the cover and contents page. Photoshop was then used to edit the cover photo and add effects to the text. [3] Constructing the preliminary magazine pages taught the student how different design software can be applied and how to utilize technologies like digital cameras, Photoshop

1. AS MEDIA UNIT G321
PRELIMINARY TASK-
COVER AND CONTENTS OF A COLLEGE
MAGAZINE
PRELIMINARY TASK
EVALUATION EXAMPLE
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or
challenge forms
and conventions of real media products?
2. What have you learnt about the technologies from the process of
constructing this product

2. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge
forms and conventions of real media products?
The front cover similarities:
The use of strap
My Front Cover lines and a date. Men’s Health Front Cover
The use of a
Masthead to let
the reader
know what the
magazine is
called
The use of
Cover Lines to
explain what is
in the
magazine
Plain Background
Dominant Image
(Rule Of Thirds)
Use of puffs and
pugs to attract
readers

3. Differences between my front cover and ‘Men’s Health’:
‘Men’s Health has a
barcode whereas mine Men’s Health Front Cover
My Front Cover hasn’t
The use of different
sell and cover lines
as well as the
magazine name and
strap line.
The use of a different main
image. Mine is a student
whereas ‘Men’s Health’ is
a famous actor.
The use of different
colours and fonts.

4. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge
forms and conventions of real media products?
Similarities between my Contents Page and a well known magazine Contents Page
My Contents Page ‘Q’s’ Contents Page
The date
Contents Page
title
Page numbers along with
a title of that specific
page
Smaller images
along the bottom
of the page

5. Differences with Contents Page
The use of Sub-headings
My Contents Page ‘Q’s’ Contents Page
A main
contents page
image
More information
explaining what
information is in
each page
A different
colour style is
used. Mine
being purple
and green and
there contents
page colour
scheme being
black and
white

6. What have you learnt about the technologies from the process of
constructing this product
The preliminary task has shown me how to use a range of resources including: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe In
Design and digital cameras when taking photos for my front cover and contents page.
Adobe Photoshop was used
to create my front cover as it
can be used to edit and
manipulate photos quicker
and easier than InDesign
A digital camera was used to
take my main front cover photo
along with smaller photos for my Adobe InDesign was used to
contents page. create my contents page as it
can be used to manipulate
boxes better than Photoshop

7. Using the digital camera, I could ensure that My image
was an MCU which dominated the frame. I observed the
rule of thirds when using the photo, I made certain that the
cover lines were using the rule of thirds. I should have
moved the image down and to the right more so that the
left third had more space for cover lines and so that the
masthead did not cover the models forehead. I should
have also made the model smile because in this photo he
looks quite depressed. I
Adding the stroke
effect to the text.
I used Adobe Photoshop to design my front cover as it useful program
Fixing the problem
to manipulate photos. Photoshop helps with editing of the main image with red eye.
and the editing of the text. I added a stroke effect to the text to make it
more eye catching and so it stands out a lot more that in would have if I
did not use the stroke effect. I also changed the levels of the colours, to
add more emphasis on the student. Originally the model had red eye
which I corrected with the red eye tool. I made sure everything looked
correct with the main image before I carried on with inserting my cover
lines and sell lines.

8. I added a stroke Using In-design For my Contents page
effect to the text to
make it stand out
more. I had the main text box at the
top and made sure I used the
same colours as the front
cover, them being green and
purple.
I used a rectangle box and
manipulated it which took a
Manipulating the
long time to make the
rectangle behind the
diagonal effect behind the
title of the contents
text.
page.
I used one single textbox
to write all of my contents
in which I admit was a
mistake, I should have
used a separate textbox
for each different
page/pages which would
have given me more
freedom to move the text
I imported images that I took with the digital wherever I wanted
camera and resized them to make them all fit
along the bottom of the page
Using Adobe InDesign to design my contents page was very beneficial as InDesign is mainly used
to manipulate boxes and for what I wanted to do, It was a great tool. The box that I manipulated
with InDesign is the diagonal box behind the Contents Page Title. Without InDesign this would have
been very difficult but InDesign made it a lot easier.