Initial Research - Student Work

Name of product	What I thought were the strengths	What I thought were the weaknesses
BEATZ	The magazine front cover has a consistent colour scheme of blue, black, pink and white. The main image also incorporates this as the model is wearing pink headphones and has blue and pink eye makeup.  The layout is positioned professionally and the two font styles are used appropriately and complement each other. The main image on the contents page looks professional and the edit of black and white makes a nice contrast to the text. Overall the layout on the double page spread is professional looking and clear to read. The interviewer’s questions are in a different colour to the artist’s answers. There is a striking main image and a pull quote. The variation of font styles work well together and the colours come together nicely and match with each other.	The photo quality of the model on the front cover is a little pixelated. The cropping of the image is quite rough around her face and hair. The front cover is rather crowded and there is too much writing. This makes everything stand out instead of one main article feature. On the contents page there is too much writing and the page numbers do not stand out as much as they should, overall the page looks rather unorganised making it unclear to the reader. On the other hand the text next to the main image should be kept as a column and not as a gradient as this is distracting. The pull quote should be larger and maybe layered on top of the main image.
VUE	The fonts used on the front cover are unique and correspond to the genre of the magazine which is shown clearly through the main image. The colour scheme is consistent and the layout is smart and appealing. The polaroid pictures fit with the vintage theme and work nicely for the contents page giving it individuality. The background for the double page spread is a beautiful shot of the beach. The framing in which the subject is situated in the frame with the pull quote overhead works very well. The pull quote font is appropriate to the genre and stands out instantly.	On the front cover the bar code should be made smaller and less obvious. More sell lines should be used to draw in the reader. The main image should be in a medium shot to make the cover more eye-catching to the potential buyer. The contents page should include more page numbers and titles and it is unclear what the top image is about. The font colours on the contents page should be more consistent. The first column on the double page spread overlaps where the page folds together. This is not very effective or well organised and this will create difficulties for the reader when reading.
CURRENT	The front cover includes the main features a front cover needs; main image, necessary information, barcode, strap line, pull quote, main sell line and sell lines. The layout is good with the use of layering. The use of colour on the contents page is used co-ordinately and the font colour and style is used consistently. The photographs used are good quality and not pixelated. It includes a ‘subscribe’ section at the bottom of the page which keeps up to date with the magazine and allows regular readers to keep buying the magazine. The layout of the double page spread is very smart and professional looking. The ratio between the big main image and the text is equal in the frame, making the composition look balanced. The interview questions and answers are split into different colours allowing a clear read and organisation.	The main image does not have eye contact as she is looking to the side. Eye contact is important on a magazine in order to catch an audience’s attention. The choice of a sepia photo does not really match the font colour on the front cover. On the contents page the photographs of the three models are cropped out in a way that makes them not look apart of the page as they are in a squared shape. The anchored text to the three photographs does not stand out as well as it should and should be bigger and in a contrasting colour to the photo. The main image of the girl is not a very appropriate shot as she looks bored and is not looking at the camera. The pull quote also does not stand out and perhaps should be layered on top of her a bit like the text underneath.
	What I have learned from looking at student’s work : I have learned that main images on the front cover look more proficient in colour rather than an edit of black and white or sepia. The subject must be making eye contact to the camera and it looks more effective in a medium shot. Contents pages should not be overcrowded with writing, but must be enough to direct a reader to their chosen page and have an insight to what will be found on that page. Double page spreads look most engaging and attractive when half of the page includes a main image and the other half holds an interview of questions and answers (in different colours) about a music artist’s life. Pull quotes on a double page spread are also very effective, especially when they are big and in a unique font.	How I will use this new knowledge to help me create my own product : I will use this knowledge on my front cover by choosing a striking medium shot of my model with eye contact. On my contents page I will include all my page numbers and their titles. For the important pages I will include a sentence of what will be found on that page. I will also include images and anchor these will a page number and a title. On my double page spread I will include one or two main images on the first page accompanied by an intriguing pull quote and on the other page I will compose an interview with my artist of questions and answers. My font will be consistent with a use of two different colours which break up the Q & A, making it clear to read.