Contents Page

I chose these colors as they are the same colors in the school logo. Which is where I based my color scheme on. I think that the yellow makes the page very vibrant and lively. However that isn't the vibe I was going for. I think that it's too girly with the pastel colors and I want my readers to be both girls and boys. On the other hand I like the layout of this page as it looks very neat and organized. Nothing is out of place or looks odd. 

I feel that by keeping the badge and the text font the same shows continuation and it looks more structured.

  The thing I like most about this is the colors I've used.The pastel yellow stands out and grabs your attention against the dark navy blue. Again I have kept the text font and badge in there but just underneath the 'Contents' text for the same reason. I wanted to try something new and see what they'll look like. But against all odds, I dislike the layout of the image and the contents. I feel like it's very messy and isn't formally ordered.

This is probably one of my favorite out of the other two. I like the fact that it's very ordered, the colors are relevant and it unisex. The layout of the page is very spread out and looks very presentable. I also like the fact that I've added a 'Publishers page' this is where I will write a review of the magazine and I could add my own thoughts to this too. 

In conclusion, I feel like I will be choosing the last option as it's very elegant and clean looking. It won't be unorganized as there's a place for all the text and image. I will try and make it similar to the photo above.

Difficulties I've come across so far

The first thing I struggled with has to be when I had to choose the theme of my magazine. I was stuck whether to pick the Christmas, Halloween or Valentine theme. I had ideas for the Christmas edition such as the color scheme, how I would have my model dressed and the short of background I wanted. But I didn't choose the Christmas edition. For the Valentine’s Day issue I had in mind the color scheme of pink, red and white. Have a picture of cupid or get someone to dress as cupid for the main image and have hearts around my model or even a couple holding hands. However in the end I went with Halloween as I got interested in using the varieties of images/icons I can use to base my magazine on.

The second thing I wound difficult with making the magazine was using the software (Adobe CS4 InDesign) at first I didn't understand how to use it but as I played/explored it I familiarised myself and reminded me of Photoshop and Adobe Flash which I use for ICT.

The next thing I had difficulties with was editing the photos. I found it very difficult to choose the editing style of the photo. Finding the right balance of white and black, bloom and color burst etc. was what took most of my time. After looking at the edits I've done, I think that I did a good job.

The Photo shoot

In my opinion, I feel like my photo shoot went very well. The weather was perfect for the lighting I needed, I had all the outfits and accessories there from when I planned it which made everything go smoothly.

I first took photos in the library when it was empty which turned out well apart from the fact that when I took a few photos against the light my two models were very dark. However, when I used the flash on the camera it turned out better which solved my problem. But by putting on the flash, everything got washed out which means that I needed to edit the photos so they have that mystery effect.

Without Flash

With Flash

A mistake I have made and reflected upon is the fact that I took my cover photo landscape instead of portrait. This now means that I have to re-size the image and use it but a smaller version and I won't be using it to cover all of the pages. I intended to use the image I took of Emily and Safa in the library as a full spread background but I realised that it was hard to find the right shade of yellow and blue to make the font stand out against such photo.

Original

Edited

To edit this photo I used a website called picmonkey. I found this website really good on editing small details on the face especially on Emily's face. I deliberately asked her not to wear any makeup so that I could edit it on her. I turned her into a vampire by layering on dark undertones to her eyes, pail skin and dark red lips with blood dripping down them. I feel like I've done a good job even though it isn't the most professional edit. I gave it my best shot and I'm very pleased with the outcome. I also darkened the surroundings including Emily but not Safa to give it an effect that Safa is vulnerable and doesn't know that Emily (Vampire) is behind her. Hopefully the readers will take note of this and have an effect on them too.


Now for my cover image, I looked and debated which one was the best photo and location.

If I had chosen this one, I would improve it by cropping the top as it shows too much white and it isn't appealing.

I liked this photo very much as I loved her smile. It was a very inviting smile which would have made the readers feel welcome to read the magazine. However, she looked too cheerful and stiff so I decided not to use it. In addition, felt like the atmosphere of the photo was too bright for the mysterious and dark theme of Halloween.

I would have chosen this one but I didn't really find it
 interesting enough to edit.

This image would have been one of my idle front cover but when I started to edit, it occurred to me that it didn't have a very scary vibe and I was having trouble editing it to look dark. I think that if the background lighting was darker it would have added more of a scary and mystical effect.

Edit

The original image.

 This is the one I chose to edit because I thought of putting the gurdge girl from the movie "The Ring" behind Safa and make the girl transparent so it looks like she's barely there but in further exception you see her in the corner peeking though. The website I used for this edit was pizap. I regularly use this website to edit some of my photos that's why I found it very easy to use.  I find my edit quite good apart from the fact that it got quite pixelated. That was the only downside of my edit. But now that I know this I'll make sure not to do the same mistake on my Music Magazine. 

Contents Page Research

The first school I looked at was Hampton School.
From my point of view,  I think that this is a very prestigious school. I can tell this by their website and the way that their magazine is spread out. The color gold that they have used represents wealth, wisdom and elegance.

However, their magazine lacks color  pictures and nothing entices the readers to read it. The use of small fonts but large paragraph is a sore to the readers eyes as it won't be too appealing. Which may lead to them not being interested in the rest of the magazine. One the other hand, it's very well laid out and isn't confusing to read. I personally like the 'Dear Readers' as I feel very welcomed into the magazine and it's a very friendly touch. 

I personally feel like it's too dull as it's full of writing and nothing really interests me. However, the purpose of the contents page is to show where the certain articles are and it will help the readers to navigate their way through the magazine. 

* * * * * 

The second contents page I found was from Google.

The use of the lavender background against the black font makes the writing stand out. Even though it's very plane and simple, it gets the job done. It has done its purpose of guiding readers and telling them each of the articles. 

However, from my understanding just by looking at it, the use of crayons and the image on the left makes it look very primary school like. Until I read the Article names do I recognize that this in fact is for Sixth Form students. I don't think the images relate to the upper school as it's too childlike. 

Magazine Mock Up

I have planned my magazine to follow the 'Z' rule with the Masthead at the top, cover lines on the left side and the main cover line on the bottom right.

I feel like this a good layout as there isn't much going on the page and my readers/target audience won't think that my front cover is messy and disorganized. 

However, I feel like the second cover line will be in the way of my main image. I might need to rethink about it or delete it when it comes to the final magazine. I think this is the stage where I can experiment with the different layouts before my Music Magazine. 

The colors I have chosen for the text is the school colors - navy, yellow/gold and light blue. Even though they're not relevant to the Halloween theme, I feel like my main image will cover that as well as the cover lines.