Looking back at the Preliminary Task, what do you feel you have learnt in progression to the final

product?

Charlotte Bonnell

• Since the preliminary Task I feel I have gained quite a lot of knowledge of the programmes needed to create a high quality magazine. I believe that I have done quite well in learning about them. The programmes such as photoshop and InDesign definitely took a lot of time and effort to be able to learn how to work with Mastheads, Coverlines, flashers and pull quotes. I needed to know about the conventions of a magazine and how to use them effectively. On my first magazine which was created in lesson, was a college magazine. This was to test how good our skills were on these programmes and what we needed to learn in the process. However, I did not feel confident as I had never really used them before. I didn’t know much about the conventions of a magazine and what was needed to be done. Effects on coverlines and mastheads were difficult, and I wasn’t sure how to use them to a good standard and make them look effective. The fonts that were used on my college magazine were not interesting and did not appeal to any target audiences. This made me unsure of whether I was able to go any further in making a music magazine. Although after practise it was possible. I definitely feel that I have progressed extremely far since making our first magazine, I am now able to use effects such as airbrushing and cutting out people from photos, and using the feather tool to shape out any jagged edges on the photo. This has increased my confidence significantly and I am proud that my final product is of a professional and good standard. However, using Indesign was more difficult as it required different skills to create a contents and Double page spread. This also took practise, yet I am not as confident as photoshop when it comes to creating a cover for a magazine. But I feel comfortable in what I have created.