Preliminary Print

The Mind map above is about me thinking of ideas for a magazine title.



To start with I drew out sketches of my design, they consisted of a large mid shot, covering 2/3 of the front cover with a bold title. The contents page consisted of numerous images, appealing to different audiences. They would be the cover features. The contents list would be on the right hand side, this is similar to many other magazines. I would have 3 or 4 subheadings, these would be used to show the audience clearly were features are located.

Firstly I needed to take pictures for my magazine. I could not use someone elses image for my front cover as i couldn't get the expressions how i wanted them. So I got one of my close friends to take the picture on my camera. For the other pictures on the front cover, i had visited the Babycakes store that weekend, i managed to take pictures then to use on my preliminary. For my contents page it took a picture of a fellow student Molli Betts, I took a high shot, to show the lack of expression shown. Other images used were of previous concerts i had attended and taken photo's of for example the wombats and the babycakes party.

Then i constructed my magazine on photoshop elements. For the front cover i applied a destroyed/torn effect. This added a distressed look and that the image has survived alot and come out strong. For the name of the magazine i chose "UNPLUGGED" as it represents extra. This makes the audience want to read as they feel they cannot read the same information in other magazines. I chose to use the lutterworth college logo as my magazine is a school magazine, i used the magnetic lasoo to cut out the L and C and moved the layer was on the top. I arranged the two so it looks like UNPLUGGED is a sub section from Lutterworth College which is the effect i chose to achieve. I then magnetic lasoo'ed my head onto the cover. I then took the second image i took from that shoot, i cut out my right eye and eye brow, then placed them on top of my hand where my eye would be, achieving the effect that you could see through my hand. I then highlighted my head and extra eye and made them black and white. This gave the effect of distressed and confused. I then added a shape from the create shape tool, i then painted it pink to match the 3 colour rule which were black/white/pink. I then used the text tool in the bottom right hand side, using an arial black font. This is a clear and easy to read font. To finish off cover i added the pictures from the babycakes store and rotated them to show a collage look.

For the contents page i used a plain background as with the quantity of images and text, it would look too busy. I then added four red sub-headings, after looking at numerous magazines this was common within all of them. I then added text in a Times New Roman font, this is clear to read and is not over powering. I added a main story which i chose to be the babycakes party, i had taken photos from this concert and chose to use them within this piece. I magnetic lasoo'ed key characters from the event and put them on a higher layer to add a collage effect. I then used a ariel black font for the title of this article, it is bold and in a high size, this was to draw attention as this is a common article and would be the common reason why people would turn to the content page. I then added images that i had taken from concerts and of my friend. I added shapes on a higher layer and coloured them a bold red colour to keep with the rule of 3 colours. I added the ariel black font in white over the top of this to inform the reader what page the article would be on. After that i added my own image to the top of the magazine to show the reader the editor. This forms a personal relationship with the audience and puts them at ease. I added a brief description of what the magazine is about this week. And then added the magazine logo to the top right, to personally brand this. Finally i added a cartoon rocket to add humour and entertainment, it makes the audience feel a sense of professionalism. Then added a picture of my college that i took and added a lassoed image over the top. All of this makes a professional contents page, it looks sophisticated yet informal. It is a colourful and entertaining piece.

Comments:

"I like the wide range of techniques used" Bradley Cooke (student)
"The textured background adds alot of depth and meaning to the cover" Alex Farnell (student)