Brief Over-View (Preliminary)

College Magazine Cover Page

College Magazine Contents Page

AS - Preliminary Task.

My final preliminary task.

AS - Preliminary Task. (Contents explanation 5)

I used the same shades of orange and white that I used in my cover page here. I used guides in order to make the numbers more symmetrically instead of just adding them haphazardly. Initially I had decided to add my numbers in 50% opaque circles (Ellipse tool), however I decided it looked too childish so I just typed them simply.

I used the same contents as mentioned in my cover page and tried my best to make them as interesting as possible to my age group for e,g Making money, band interviews, apps etc.

AS - Preliminary Task. (Contents explanation 4)

I then numbered my contents page 1 and made a polygonal shape in a brighter shade of orange. I also applied the effects of Bevel and Emboss to make it look more 3-D and then a drop shadow.

AS - Preliminary Task. (Contents explanation 3)

I then added my pictures to the opposite end of the page. They weren't all the same size at first so instead of applying the same sized crop to them I added two rectangles of the same base color to two more layers and then moved those particular layers above from the 3 layers on which the pictures were kept.
When doing my final task I will make it a point to keep the size of my pictures uniform when initially post-processing them.

AS - Preliminary Task. (Contents explanation 2)

Then I started to write my text 'Contents' on the side of the page in a font depicting Autumn. My inspiration for this is attached below. However I added my own twist to it and instead of rotating the text I typed it simply vertically.

AS - Preliminary Task. (Contents explanation 1)

I kept the base color uniform throughout both of my pages for the magazine because I like it when magazines are uniform and tend to stick to one color scheme. I also used the same colors for my text.

AS - Preliminary Task. (Construction 5)

Here is the final contents page of my preliminary task. I will be explaining it further in parts in the following posts. 

AS - Preliminary Task. (Construction 4)

Pictures of my preliminary task's contents page almost half way done. 

AS - Preliminary Task. (Construction 3)

Here is a screenshot of the initial stages of my preliminary task's contents page.

AS - Preliminary task (Planning 3)

Here are my inspirations for my preliminary task contents page. What I liked about these was the fact that they are very aligned and composed.

The first one has CONTENTS written at one side inside of right in the middle! And the other has the pictures on one side.I am incorporating both of these in my contents page.

AS - Preliminary Task. (Cover explanation 8)

The issue states that is issue 45 hence giving the reader a feeling that this has already been around campus for some while and hence might be worth going through. It is also an autumn issue which gives a feeling that it a seasonal magazine and is not something which comes out monthly and has nothing of value in it.

I also applied a footer to the cover since I think it gives a more completed look the the magazine and then added a 2-D bar-code on top. I used this particular bar-code and not the usual old style bar-code because this shows that the magazine is advancing with the world. The footer gives the reader a glimpse of what's inside i.e.. exams, competitions and fashion.

AS - Preliminary Task. (Cover explanation 7)

This is the 'splash', it promotes something using graphics. In this case it's 'TOP 10 STUDY APP'S'. i chose his particular line since world-over almost every other college student uses smartphones, hence using app's at the same time.
What more could a student want? An app which helps him/her to study, that is the perfect solution to our hectic study routines in which we somehow manage to waste hours on our phones doing absolutely nothing productive.

AS - Preliminary Task. (Cover explanation 6)

I then started to add various strap-lines/ sub-feature headlines along with the main headline being '101 ways to spend your fall break'.
I chose this specific main headline because it is an autumn issue as already previously stated and it automatically clicks to the college-going reader because everyone wants to do something new in their breaks after a long tiring semester. However I feel as if this text should have been slightly bigger than it is now.
I also added various other catchy strap-lines for e.g how to make money, upcoming events etc.

AS - Preliminary Task. (Cover explanation 5)

I then started with the mast head which says BSS, initials for my institution. This particular style of my masthead was a blend of two magazine masthead's that I saw and immediately fell in love with. Which is why I decided to incorporate both Below are the covers which I got inspired from and my masthead. 

What I like about Q's masthead was that it was simple yet attractive. It is just a simple box with the letter 'Q' in it. It catches the readers eye and at the same time looks sophisticated and classy.

The UMSL's masthead is again simple yet attractive with the letter S just slightly below the rest.
I added a little bit of my own touch to it by adding the letters to an upper layer instead of covering them by the model's head.Secondly I also added a drop shadow effect to make it look more realistic.
However, I also noticed a huge flaw in the masthead, which is the shadow exceeding the rectangle which was not planned for. I will take extra care when I make my music magazine.

AS - Preliminary Task. (Cover explanation 4)

Then I masked the image I had edited and applied a light orange background to it. 

AS - Preliminary Task. (Cover explanation 3)

Then I decided to mask the background & to get better at that I did a few practice tasks at images I got from google.com. 

AS - Preliminary Task. (Cover explanation 2)

The model I used for my Cover was again my class mate Ramsha Aqeel. The original image which I took from my Nikon D5000 - 50mm 1.4g is attached along side the edited image. 

The main thing which I did to this image was increase it's contrast with the help of levels in photoshop. & Then I used the burn tool on her head to minimize the effect her scalp was giving.
Initially i had decided to use the softening & healing tool on her skin but then decided against it since I thought that wasn't necessary. 

AS - Preliminary Task. (Cover explanation 1)

The cover page of my preliminary task is complete & attached below. I will be explaining it further in parts to make it easier to understand.

AS - Final task (Planning 2)

I wanted to improve my photography skills and then start my project. Which is why I bought a flashgun this year and with the help of my media teacher learnt how to use studio lighting to show various moods. Below are the pictures I took for practice of my classmate, Ramsha Aqeel & a picture of me whilst taking them.
After this particular exercise I have decided to use either high key images or low key images for my magazines. I want to show some technique, instead of sticking to simple pictures.  

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