Preliminary Project

For my Preliminary Project, I had to design the Cover and Contents Page of a School Magazine.

Cover

For my cover, I am pleased with the way I used a polaroid style white border to help my images stand out from the main image and the subtle shading to make the text stand out. However, I feel I did not add enough text, for example, next time, I should include more inside previews and special offers on the cover. Along with this, I believe a more interesting, eye-catching cover image could have been used as the current one seems a bit plain. Be that as it may, the simple image seems fitting for a formal school magazine. I also didn't use any props or convincing clothing and so, without the Masthead, the magazine wouldn't obviously be a school magazine, therefore meaning I should use fitting clothes and props when I create my rock magazine.
On the other hand, I am pleased with the way Asher (my model) is staring right into the camera lens as this gives a feeling of connection and involvement to the reader. The kind expression she has is also good because this makes the school magazine seem more friendly and welcoming rather than too formal. Along with this, I am pleased with the plain background I used as it doesn't distract from the main parts of the magazine, such as the masthead, model and text. However, I feel I should have placed the models head in front of the Masthead as this is a common thing with all magazines I have researched.

Contents Page

For my contents page, I feel my choice in font was good as it is formal enough for a school magazine and is also easy to read. However, I feel the photos and layout I used weren't very exciting. For example, the photos I used were a bad choice as they were taken on a gloomy looking day and so this gives the whole contents page a gloomy appearance. Along with this, I feel the layout is too clearly divided into halves, for example, The use of the top half for images and the bottom half for text makes the page seem unexciting. The bottom half also seems too plain as it is only black text on a white back ground without any added images. Next time, I should consider creating a less clear divide and perhaps use a more exciting colour scheme, even white writing on black backing would create a more eye-catching and unique appearance.