6. Evaluation To do this task, I researched other magazine covers to find out what magazine convention is. It was useful in giving me a vague design for my magazine, but did not help as they did not have lots of text on the cover as lots of student magazines do. I used my own knowledge of student magazines to create this design. I choose to have a clear layout, with a few news stories on the front page. I wanted it to be informative but not overwhelming for the reader. The audience for my magazine would be a university student, as this is shown through the mature language used and grown up colours. I used one picture on each page to keep it to a minimum and keep it looking mature. To create my front cover, I was taught how to use the ‘Indesign’. However, it was not necessary in creating my design for a student magazine, so I used ‘Microsoft Publisher’. As I have been using this program for longer, I thought it would be easier to use to create my magazine cover and contents page. I also used the internet to get research on Edinburgh University so I could make it as accurate as possible. A digital camera was used to take the pictures.
7. I was quite pleased with how my draft design looked, so stuck to it fairly closely. I made a few small changes such as colours and made the decision to use lower case to give a colloquial feel. I did not change the placement because I liked how it looked. The colour scheme also remained the same. Feedback on my magazine was mainly positive. My audience liked the general layout as it was smart and professional looking and they liked the colours. However, they thought that I could change the placement of my picture and use more of a variety of fonts. They also liked the layout of the contents page and it was clear, but thought that there could be more information. Overall, I am pleased with how my magazine cover and contents page has turned out. I think it is clear and easy to read, and fits in with magazine conventions whilst incorporating a unique and original design. However, I agree with my feedback in that the picture placement could have been better in a different location and that more information is needed. I also think the title on the contents page should have been more lined up.
