Evaluation

Codes and Conventions

My product uses the codes and conventions that would typically be seen in popular magazines in both it’s cover image and contents page.

My masthead features the name of my magazine (‘Alora’), which is presented against a shaded but mostly plain background. The font used for the masthead and the cover lines in Bodini 72, A Serif font that has a similar style to mastheads seen in my college. As I chose to utilise a minimalist style on my magazine cover, there is only one cover line to explain what the magazine actually contains (“The Magazine for Sixth Form”). This lack of cover lines makes the magazine cover appear sleeker and draws attention to the hero shot (medium close up) of Kenneth Ferrer. I was able to create a teal and orange colour scheme on my front cover through the teal masthead and the modified hero shot. To modify the hero shot, I created a monochromatic base and applied an orange stripe overlay (which continues onto the background behind him and follows the direction of the shadow on his face).

My contents page doesn’t just follow the conventions of a typical contents page, but it also follows ideas introduced on the front cover. My front cover follows the teal and orange colour scheme and this is continued in my contents page through the use of the ‘Threepenny Opera’ advertisement at the bottom of the page and the various uses of teal used in both the Contents area in the top left and the school menu. However, I have manipulated this colour scheme in order to co-ordinate with the colour scheme seen within the Ballakermeen High School logo (which is Teal and Yellow) This logo is subtlety introduced through the background picture behind the contents in order to give reason to the otherwise jarring colour switch. However, this colour scheme is continued through the yellow text seen throughout the page and the specifically blue text of the ‘Studio Theatre’ – which is a convention seen often within magazines and contents pages. Other conventions that my contents page follows is the page numbers being presented next to the article titles and the featured image that relates to an important article (the advertisement at the bottom of the page). My contents page also follows the conventions of being presented in multiple columns – which are seen in the contents list and the school menu.

Representation and Engagement

My cover shot represents the student body as both being punctual (through the waistcoat and tie) and happy through the relaxed smile and natural lighting. The simplicity of the cover shot also represents the cover student as being an ideal that can be reached by all of the students, with the simplicity of the background and the shot creating a connection between students and the cover magazine. Students may want to pick up the magazine for these reasons as they may be attracted to the ideal that is being presented. The sleek design of the masthead and cover lines also reinforce this higher class and status of the magazine and therefore the students within the sixth form. As Kenneth himself is of an ethnic background, the diversity of the student body is represented and there can be a more universal message for the students.

Distribution

Due to the results of my questionnaire, it is obvious that Sixth Form students would want the magazine to be distributed both in print (maybe distributed in the Sixth Form Centre) as well as online on the Ballakermeen High School website. This distribution method would be effective as all of the student body could have access to the magazine whether they visit the Sixth Form Centre or not.

Production and Technology

My production skills developed throughout the creation of the magazine contents page as I learnt valuable skills on Adobe InDesign – which I had little to no experience in prior to this project. My Photoshop skills also developed throughout this project as I learnt valuable skills in colour overlay over monochromatic images, which I have used to convert black and white images into colour in the past and continue to do.

During this project I integrated many software applications, many of which I had never used before. As previously mentioned, I used Adobe InDesign to design my contents page and I used Adobe Photoshop to create the cover image and the background image behind the contents list. The primary online technology I used in this project was Google Drive, which I used to transfer images and text from my laptop to the school computer, and then from the school computer to this blog. WordPress was also used to create this blog. In terms of Hardware, I used a Canon 50D to take the cover photograph of Kenneth Ferrer, and an iPhone 6+ to take the photograph of the hallway that was used in the background of the contents page.