Blog Write up, Week 3

During this last week I have achieved many things. As you can see from the screenshot below I have successfully finished my front cover. As stated in the week before I set my self some very specific targets to help me meet all deadlines and complete all work to a high standard.  

I have had a successful week as I have completed all objectives set. As stated I wanted to insert all of my sell lines into my front cover. I also stated that I wanted to finish the second draft of my article and insert it into my dps. Finishing these objectives has put me at a major advantage as I will be able to finish my dps in time for the deadline. 

It was of no challenge to finish and insert my article into my dps. As I have written my article in Microsoft Word, I was able to simply copy and paste the article in to a text box and set up the correct formatting techniques. It was also of no challenge to finish and insert all of my sell lines on my front cover, as I was guided by an existing magazine, I was able to collect a range of creative ideas.  

Reviewing the progress of the magazine, I can state that everything run smoothly last week. I did not encounter any problems when inserting my sell lines or completing my article. To help me create my sell lines I used a magazine called Kerrang to give my inspiration. It is essential that I use an existing magazine to aid my work as I can see what codes and conventions everyday magazines use.

I have decided to set myself some additional targets this week. Firstly I want to insert the name of the magazine onto my dps. It is essential that I include the name of the magazine on my dps as readers will be reminded on the style and content of the magazine. I also plan on inserting a breakout box feature on my dps. It is essential that I include breakout boxes as they will attract the reader. Finally I want to complete the 'Did you know??' section within my magazine. Completing this is essential as this is a great opportunity, and space to show some very worrying figures. By doing this I will scare the target audience and make them think twice about alcohol misuse. If I complete all objectives I will have completed my dps and finished my product in time for the deadline.

Blog Write up, Week 1

Last week I completed many tasks. I have completed my photo shoot and completed the measuring of my article. This is a major advantage as this allows me to get ahead and make a good start at completing my product. Last week I also created and placed my masthead into my front cover. It is essential that I create my masthead at an early stage as I need to align all other features around the masthead.

To make my masthead attractive, I used a very heavy and dramatic font. I used a font called “Living Hell”. This is a great font to use as it will attract customers who are into heavy metal. I have also used a heavy front for my kicker. It is essential that I use a heavy font as if I use a light and thin font, my magazine will not attract my customer. The font that I have used is called “Snacks”.

I have also selected one of my images that I took from the photo shoot and inserted it onto my front cover. I have carefully looked through all of the images that I took and selected one for my front cover. It is essential that I select a dramatic image as the image on the front cover will attract my target audience. Once my image was inserted I decided to rotate and flip the image. By doing this I could create a better effect to my magazine and make the image look more dramatic.

I plan on finishing my front cover first as this means I can base the content on my dps to flow with my front cover. Once I inserted my front images onto my front cover I moved onto creating the layout of my dps. I started with creating the correct page size. It is essential that I create my dps the correct size as it needs to correspond with other magazines. I have also inserted my masthead and kicker on to my dps. Furthermore I have inserted my article layout onto my dps. Inserting my article column layout is essential as I need the layout ready for me to use to place in my article. If I do not have a set article layout I will have difficulty creating my dps.

I plan on setting specific targets for this week. I need to set specific targets as targets help me stay up to date with deadlines and progress. My targets are as follows, I plan on creating an advert for my front cover advertising a guitar. As a well known magazine named Kerrang use adverts to attract the target audience, it will be a good idea to make my magazine as realistic as possible. I also want to insert one of my sell lines. It is essential that I insert sell lines as sell lines are what are used to attract the customer. In addition I want to insert a barcode and feature images onto my front cover. I want to achieve these things as they will help me complete my product.

As you can see below i have made progress creating both my front cover and dps.

Blog Write up, Week 2

I have achieved many things last week. I have continued with my magazine front cover. As you can see from the screenshot below I have made substantial progress towards finishing my product.

As you can see below, I have created an advert advertising a competition to win a new guitar on my front cover. To do this I simply created a circle and coloured it black. I have also added a white stroke to my advert. This is an advantage as it makes the advert stand out and attract the attention of the reader. I have also added a drop shadow. Adding a drop shadow is an advantage as it makes my features look like they are lifted from the page.

In addition, I have also added in a barcode and a price for my magazine. Adding in and selecting the correct barcode is essential as a barcode is what is used to purchase the magazine. I have sized and placed the barcode at the bottom right of my page.

Furthermore, I have included one of my sell lines and have added in two exclusive images at the bottom of the page. I have done this as these images will attract the customer as they advertise an exclusive interview with the front page star. I have also added a white stroke to both of my images, this will make them stand out. I have also added in a small drop shadow to my text as this makes the text lift from the page.

Reviewing the progress of the magazine, I can state that everything run smoothly last week. I did not encounter any problems editing or inserting my images. This was because I used the skills that I had learnt last week, and these skills were how to insert a stroke and a drop shadow to text and images. These are major skills as I can use them to add effect to my product.

I have decided to set myself some very specific targets for this week. The targets are as follows, I plan on inserting all of my sell lines in to my front cover. This will put me in a good place as it means my front cover would be finished. When I finish my front cover I can move on to complete my dps.

I also want to finish the second draft of my article and insert my article into my dps. This is a major target as this means I would be one step closer to finishing my final product. If I do not complete these targets my product may be at risk of not getting finished and handed in for the deadline.