Magazine practical task research and planning

Research

1) Use Google to research potential magazines that you could use as your brand/design for this project. Create a shortlist of three potential magazines and embed an example front cover from each one. We recommend looking at lifestyle magazines or a similar genre as these are more achievable to re-create.

2) Choose one of the three magazine brands to use for your project e.g GQ, Vogue or The Gentlewoman. Then find three different front covers for your chosen magazine and embed them in your blogpost. Analyse the fonts, colours and typical design. What is the language or writing style? How are the cover lines written? What camera shot is generally used for the cover image? You need to become an expert in the design and construction of this magazine and its branding.

•  Fonts, colours and typical design: Bold, subtle colour pallet so the main focus is the subject themselves but also making the cover lines big enough to read yet small enough to not receive the full attention.

•  Language or writing style: Rhetorical question used to catch the reader's attention, short sentences straight to the point if it was a lengthy sentence the reader would not even bother reading it at all.

•  Cover lines: Persuasive technique to intrigue the reader to want to read it, the titles are mainly bold so that the reader picks it up.

•  Camera shot: Mainly all of their magazines consist of medium close ups and the subject looking into the camera which gives it that direct mode of address element, that they are looking at you wondering if you want to be like them or not.

    


Planning

1) On a Word or Google document, plan your main cover line (also called the 'main flash') - this is the main cover story that links to your central image.

Margot Robbie

How Barbielands most hated doll became our favourite?

‘Wake up and see the sparkle!’

2) Briefly plan the image you will need for the cover - model, costume, make-up, lighting etc. At this point, simply describe the image you need to capture.

•  Model: Inspiration from the new Barbie movie - Margot Robbie
•  Costume: Hints of pink
• Make-up: Subtle yet fun
• Lighting: Natural light, edit it in some highlights
• Setting: Barbie inspired Photo Booth

3) Write the cover lines and any additional text you need for your magazine cover.

COSMOPOLITAN

Margot Robbie

How Barbielands most hated doll became our favourite?

‘Wake up and see the sparkle!’

DANCER. 

SINGER.

SKATER.

WE REMEMBER THE DOLL THAT DOES IT ALL THIS YEAR

THE ART OF SAYING NO

HOW TO STOP BEING A PEOPLE PLEASER

PLUS!

THE RETURN OF THE HUNGER GAMES

SWIPE RIGHT!

The most fancied people on Tinder

OUR BEST  BEAUTY ADVICE EVER

Your questions, answered

DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE THE NEXT BARBIE…?

Our guide to be the next IT doll

4) Sketch out your cover on plain A4 paper using your written planning. Take a photo of your sketch and upload it to

Photoshoot

1) On your planning document, write the date, time and location of your photoshoot and the name of the model or photographer you will use (you can choose anyone to be your cover model or you can be the cover model yourself).

• Date: 6th May 2023     
• Time: 17:13
• Location: My backyard
• Model: Seerat Chatha
• Photographer: Seerat Chatha

Publication to blog and evaluation

1) Once you have completed your design in Photoshop, go to 'File > Save a copy' and save your finished Photoshop magazine cover as a JPEG image. Then, upload it to your blogpost. 

2) Upload two genuine covers of the magazine you have chosen and put them next to your front cover. This is a brilliant way to check how professional your work looks alongside the real thing.

        

3) Write a short evaluation of your work: have you succeeded in your brief to create a new, original edition of an existing magazine? Does your cover stand up alongside the genuine covers of your chosen magazine? How professional is your work alongside those genuine examples?

I believe I have created a new, original edition of an existing magazine. I think this because I based my photoshoot aspect on an upcoming movie and also something I have watched growing up as I left doing this photoshoot embraced the little girl in me which helped me really produce this magazine cover to my fullest potential.

4) Finally, what would you do differently if you completed this assignment again?

If I had the chance to complete this assignment again I would first work on my time management skills in terms of eating meaning learn how to use the website first and then go further into editing my actual product. This would be much more time efficient and easier for me to complete. I would also take multiple photoshoots but with different settings so if I have an issue with one of the backgrounds I always have a back up plan so it is more through and less hectic when editing.