Blog Write-Up Week 1

Last week I began to produce and put together my front cover, but unfortunately when creating I started to realise that I didn't have enough sell lines to fill my magazine front cover and make it look most effective, so I had to include some different and more headlines to fill the space and give it biggest impact, attracting and intriguing my target audience. I began to look at the colours I had chosen to use in my flat plan and decide whether they worked together on the page, but I am unable to see whether they are most effective as I haven't had my photoshoot yet, so I am going to wait until I have gotten my photographs before deciding on a definite colour scheme. I mainly used photoshop last week to design my front page and developed the skills of importating different fonts, and being able to create shapes with the shape tool. I also developed my skills of postioning text and making each word have a small margin gap. When re looking at my article, the interview didn't flow as well as I had wished, also some of the statistics needed to be quoted where I got them from (my own questionnaire). In my second draft I need to concentrate on making sure it reads naturally whilst also having a quick pace which will appeal to my target audience. Also in my second draft I am going to ensure that I state where I got my stastics from "A recent survey has shown that 60% of people admitted to having unprotected sex whilst being under the influence of alcohol!".

My peers liked the text I had decided to use for my front page and also the colour scheme of pink and white. They also liked the DIY hangover cures box which they said gave the front page an exciting edge. I am not very happy with my sell lines on my front cover as I don't believe they are as powerful as they could be, I also need to think of two more which I could include in the space I have left on the left hand side of the magazine, I am going to ensure these two sell lines are going to be very strong and powerful which will improve my front page. I don't have my photoshoot until this week, I believe this has caused a problem for me as I am unable to see how the black background will look agaisnt the pink and white text, also it has stopped me from seeing which colours I want to definetly use and where the text will be positioned on the page. My article redraft has took a lot longer than I expected as I am a little unsure as to how to improve it, but I know that it doesnt flow or read naturally, so I need to have another re think about the information I am including and re write a second draft.

The activities which were easier where finding the text I wanted to use, because taking inspiration from cosmopolitan helped me to narrow down in my head and design ideas into the kind of font I wish to use, this then was made easier for me and it also made it quicker when trying to find one which I liked and believed would suit my magazine. I should have organised my photoshoot a lot earlier, but because I haven't I am going to have to design the front page and double page spread before hand and then place my images in so that all I have left to do is play around so the pages look most effective. I believe that I do have enough time left to finish my final product as long as I get a second re draft done of my article this week and also have a think about the other sell lines I could use inside my double page spread.