Doing preliminary tasks helped the student learn the basic skills needed to create a music magazine. They learned how to make shapes, import pictures, and create a masthead. Feedback improved their understanding of effective photo composition using techniques like rule of thirds and ensuring direct eye contact with the camera. Their knowledge of design and layout also grew as they incorporated advice to make visual elements like the masthead and cover image larger for better presentation.

1. Question 7:
Looking back at your preliminary task, (college magazine) what do you feel you have
learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Doing the ancillary has helped me a lot as I learnt the basics I needed to know to allow me to create
a decent music magazine, I learnt how to create shapes, colour the shapes, make a masthead,
import pictures all the basics but it took me a while to learn the simple stuff. Also by taking photos
for it as well I learnt the best type of photos to have in a magazine and the best type of lighting to
have. The rule of thirds helped me the most in terms of knowing if I had a good photo or not and
making sure there isn’t too much dead space. Direct address in the photo was also an eye opener as
at first when I took my photos there wasn’t a lot of direct address to the camera but I soon realised
and was able to get better photos because of this. My knowledge of design and layout has improved
as I was making my masthead and main image far too small at first in my magazine but with
guidance and some advice I changed it and it now looks better and more like a real magazine. As
well as using some of the special effect that Photoshop has to offer on my picture such as brightness
and contrast to make my picture bright up and appeal to my target audience.
Before
After