Evaluation of front cover and contents page

For our preliminary task we were told to make the front cover and the contents page for a college magazine using Photoshop and InDesign. We also had to use our knowledge of the features of a magazine and how it to structure it in a way that would make it look professional. For the front cover of the college magazine we had to use Photoshop as this allowed us to create a very put together layout where we can also play around with the effects on the image. As I have used Photoshop before , I was quite prepared and I knew how to use the software before I started my front cover, this gave me an advantage because I already knew how to import images, use effects, add text and change font; this made my work easier. For the contents page I had to use InDesign. This software allowed me to crop and place images very easily around the page and also it has a large variety of fonts and colours I could use to make my contents page effective and attractive. Through my front cover I wanted to draw the attention of a variety of readers and make it look professional. To make my magazine look professional I added real magazine features such as mast head, cover lines, barcode and a puff. The use of these features made my front cover look organised. I wanted to achieve a distinct look rather than just having a normal magazine with a plain background inside. For my contents page I wanted it to be very clear and easy to follow, to allow the reader to get an insight of the magazine without struggling to understand it.

There were many things that went well on my college magazine front cover and contents page. One of the things that went well was the photography for both. The photos were easily taken as my friends offered to pose for me and I was able to use my mobile phone camera easily. I decided to take the photos outside as the day was very sunny which meant I would get good lighting but also it will give the image a much more interesting look rather than it just being taken inside. This would attract the reader because it brightens up the image and it makes it eye catching. Also the cover star is smiling which portrays a positive representation of college and many people would be attracted by this factor. The other images used on the contents page were also effective because they linked in with the articles which were on the side next to the pictures.

‘This magazine is showing a positive representation of college as they look happy and it's a sunny day’.

Another thing that went well overall, on both the front cover and the contents page was the amount of realistic magazine features I used. On the front cover the mast head was right at the top middle of the page which made easy to spot and allowed the audience to know what magazine it is very fast. The cover lines were taking up a good amount of space around the cover star without covering too much and they were relatively big which also made it easy for the audience to read. There was use of a puff which was in the colour yellow and in the shape of a circle, this highlighted an important opportunity and the use of yellow made it stand out from the rest of the page.

‘The splash being yellow makes it stand out from the rest’.

Overall the colour scheme worked well together because I used only two main colours which were blue and black, the blue stood out from the rest of the black writing and it also added colour to the front cover.

‘The blue stands out from the background and due to it being bright it draws you into the magazine, there is consistency of font and a colour theme of black and blue’.

On my contents page, the layout was very clear and easy to follow which makes it easy for the audience to read. The font was consistent throughout and the use of different size fonts allows some parts to stand out more than other which draws in the audience. There was a use of page numbers which indicates where you can find certain/most important articles in the magazine. Also there was the use of a variety of images.

‘The way you have structured your contents page is really clear and looks professionally done’.

However, there were many things that could be improved to make the front cover and the contents page more appealing and professional. Firstly, one thing that could be improved on my front cover is the lighting of the picture. I could have more even lighting on the cover star’s face which would give the whole image a even tone, and the shadows would not almost cover half of his face, this would make it even more appealing because it will allow the audience to view all of his facial features better. They will be able to see his characteristics a lot more.

Secondly, another thing that could be improved on my front cover is filling up some of the empty space at the top of the page next to the cover star’s face. The empty space makes it look that there is something missing especially that the middle and the bottom of the front cover are very filled with cover lines and puffs. In order to improve this I could make the cover lines bigger and move them around or add another cover line, this would make the empty space disappear and add further detail to the front cover.

Lastly, one thing that could be improved on the contents page is the background of the three images. All three images are taken in the same place with the same background, this makes it boring and not as eye catching as it could be. If the backgrounds were different it would add more depth and it will be differentiating the pictures from each other which will make it much more interesting for the viewer.