Looking back at your preliminary task,what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
In this essay I will be discussing what I have learnt from the preliminary task to the progression of the full product.
Firstly in terms of images used through out my product in comparison to the preliminary image used there is a significant difference. The image I used for my preliminary task was pretty bad in terms of a main cover image, this was because I was unsure how to take a successful photo. It used no eye contact, it was not taken in a good location and overall it was pretty rushed and not thought out. Where as for my main product I planned what photos I wanted to take using key things like a near on white background for each image ( so they can be easily cut out on photoshop and easily placed in my main product), I also used a range of different poses and facial expressions on my model in order to appeal to my target audience ( something of which I didn’t necessarily consider with in my preliminary task), due to not knowing how to. So overall my main product images were significantly better because I learnt how to appeal to target audience through looking at real pop magazines with a similar target audience and began to realise how to take a successful photo.
Next in terms of colour’s used in my preliminary task I only used colours suited to a girl (pinks and light blue) you could say I done this because I hadn’t learnt from target audience (college students) which colours appealed to all. Where as in my main task I had done a range of planning and research into target audience so I had learnt what colours were appealing to a teenage girl audience, I learnt this through looking at other magazines of the same genre and seeing what kinds of colours they had included, which was generally pinks.
I also feel I have learnt to use InDesign much better in comparison to when I was doing my preliminary task. The reason my preliminary task InDesign work wasn’t perhaps as effective as my main product design was because I actually hadn’t learnt all the stuff I needed to know in order to make a successful magazine. Where as now I have learn’t to use things such as effects on certain objects to make them stand out better (drop shadows), these effects I have learnt have helped me to make my magazine look more authentic overall, as well as make certain things stand out like a puff and plug (something of which needs to stand out as its something you want the reader to see). Again when doing my preliminary task this was something I was perhaps not aware of as I used a black outlining to make my puff and plug stand out which overall doesn’t have the same effect as a drop shadow.
Lastly I have actually learnt how to make a successful contents page, my preliminary contents page includes rather a lot of white space, with hardly any writing or pictures. This was because when doing the preliminary task I didn’t actually know what a contents page looked like and I didn’t take the time to look and learn what contents page was either. Where as with my main task I took the time to research and in some ways copy certain aspects of a contents page suited for my audience, learning to cover most white space, including more contents and including my own images, which work well with in a contents page.
Overall I have learnt a lot from my preliminary task to my main task and have learnt in some respects how to make an authentic looking music magazine (pop).
