Evaluation

I think the relationship between my main image and the colour scheme works effectively as it keeps an even balance of gender preference. The colour scheme I used for the fonts is more appealing to a male audience whereas the image of the girl may appeal more to females as they can relate to it. As my target audience is of both male and female college students I think this combination as a whole is a success as it keeps the magazine uni-sex.

The mix of font styles and layouts is also a success as is creates an edgy, youthful look. The slightly unorganised design of the fonts also connotes that the magazine is over-spilling with ideas that think outside of the box. The masthead is an area which I feel could do with some improvement as its block style obstructs the main image quite heavily. I may be able to over come this issue by either using a new image/layout or by using a less "blocky" masthead design.

I feel the main image itself is effective as it represents a happy student life. The high key lighting on the girl is successful as it makes her stand out from the low key lighting of the background, however I think the lighting may be a little too bright and makes her look a little too unrealistic, if the lighting were toned down it may make her more relatable to the audience. The background is blurred to further improve the definition between that and the girl, creating a short depth of field. This ensures the audience focus on the subjective gaze of the model enticing them in and not the background. I am glad that I used the background of the college as it gives the model context and purpose; she is a student. However a more professional image may have been created if the model had been cut away from the background. I feel in this instance the background adds to the cover as the audience can relate to it, however in other circumstances the background may be insignificant and a needless obstacle to work around.

I think that the events/gig listings are a good feature of the magazine as it is not aimed at too narrow an audience; most teenagers like to know what's happening where. Also I think the information will appeal as it collaborates information from lots of sources and presents them to people that may not be interested in the original source e.g. someone who may not know of certain artists/bands may now become aware of them. Teenagers are often experimenting and trying new things therefore the ease in which they can find out about new experiences should please them. I am not sure as to whether the movie review feature will be a success as different people have different views on what makes a good film and what doesn't, therefore I don't think the target audience of individuals are going to be interested in someone elses point of view.

I think there is vast room for improvement on my contents page. I think the mix of the chaotic looking, slanted pictures with the simplicity of the text makes the page lack identity. A simple contents page is a very generic feature of magazines however to be effective it needs a professional finish, often achieved by the correct font and layout. The layout of my contents page lacks style which could be achieved if the text was in the middle of the page. Also I think the pictures lack relevance; they are all linked to the magazine but there is no theme to them or obvious link to text they refer to. I think one image alone may have been more effective. I do think the images serve some purpose thought as they act as teasers as to whats inside the magazine which may entice readers to view more.

This preliminary task has taught me a lot about how to use photoshop. I have learnt how to edit text to make it more aesthetically pleasing or to make it stand out more e.g. by putting it at an angle or by making the font vary in size or colour. It also taught me how to select a certain section of a photo and edit only that section e.g. adjust the brightness and blur it. I used this technique to edit the background of my main image.