Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
My skills audit right at the very beginning of the course showed that I was quite skilled on a computer and Mac as all but four of the boxes were ticked yes. The four un-ticked were: scanning images into a Mac, uploading photos into a Mac, burning data to a disk and using InDesign. But I can now say that all of them are ticked except burning data on to a disk. I have not had to scan a picture into the mac in media but have learnt it in photography the same goes for uploading photos. But one thing I have learnt alot about is the program InDesign, it was especially important for creating our magazines and I used it every lesson. I know how to create a double page spread from the options at the beginning, how to insert a photo, how to type and then use all the different options to adapt the writing like italics, lengthening and drop cap, how to create shapes, change their colour and transparency and much more. I am confident that I will remember how to use it whenever I come back to it. I haven't learnt how to burn data onto a disk because I have not had to do that through the course. As well as this I have been taking photos on my phone, emailing them to myself and then opening them in blogger and InDesign which I needed help with doing before.
My preliminary task at the beginning on the course was to create a student magazine. This was my first ever try at this so mine was extremely simple with a photo, title and two cover lines it did not look like a magazine but more like an empty poster. My music magazine has developed and become so much better; I am quite proud of it. I have improved by actually creating an idea and molding it into a business like professional design. My first step was an actual photo shoot and not just one photo in the college grounds, I planned it then took over 100 images and whittled it down to the tree that I use in the magazine. This gave me the backbone to my magazine and a base to add the writing and plugs. I thought of a catchy title (BASE) and coverlines that would fill the page. I probably spent an hour just trying to pick all the fonts which is important as it adds to the effect the magazine has on the audience. There is a lot more detail in this piece with additional information under the cover lines and most of the writing to the left but I have still kept it simple. As well as this I have upped my creativity by making my own plug, using different transparency boxes and by putting the masthead behind the models heads. I used more techniques to do this, such as Photoshop to put the title behind the heads.
My thoughts on how to create a magazine have adapted so much over the last couple of months and now I have a professional looking magazine that people have said they will buy and recommend.
