What have you learned from creating your college magazine?

Explain the thoughts behind the design for your college magazine?

• The design behind my college magazine changed from the previous flat plan that I have created. This is because my flat pan was slightly unrealistic in having the mast head at the bottom of the page. I made the decision to rearrange the masthead to the top in it’s more recognisable position. I chose to focus the main image in centre and the text around it as this would follow the rule of thirds which would be familiar to people who purchase magazines. I have incorporated the Sunderland College logo on my magazine in the top left hand corner. This is due to the fact as soon as a customer see’s this magazine, they will instantly know who has produced it and what the content featured will be related to.

Who is your audience by age, gender and audience code? How does your magazine link to that?

• The primary audience for my college magazine would be College students ranging for 16-19. They would be interested in this magazine as they might want to see what upcoming events and trips will be happening through the college.

• The secondary audience for my college magazine would school students or school leavers who age around 15-16. They would be interested in this magazine because they might be considering in attending this college and would want an insight of what this college is about.

• This magazine would be genderless as it would be primarily informing you of all the information that is currently happening in college. However, occasionally the articles may target one sex more than the other such as the HELP section as they try to target particular issues with school which may only effect a certain group.

What have you learnt about using blog doing this task?

• I have learned a various amount of things from creating my blog at the beginning of September. Having no prior experience to a blog of any kind I have learned how to correctly construct and produce a blog which appears in an informal and readable way. I have learned how to successfully attach images, videos and text. In addition to third party websites such as slide share and animoto.

How did you edit your images? What skills have you picked up by doing this?

• I edited my images on a software called Photoshop. Similarly to my blog, I have had no experience previously with Photoshop so creating my college magazine was a very new experience. I edited my front cover by changing the contrast and the brightness so that my image became more aesthetically pleasing. I believe I have became more IT literate as I developed all these skills that will benefit my course.

How will you use these skills in creating your music magazine?

• I will transfer the skills I have learned from producing my college magazine over to my music magazine. My new understanding of how to edit a photo using Photoshop should allow me to create a better quality magazine that I originally would have done without these skills. I can now successfully apply colour filters and contrast effects to give my image a better look.

Are you happy with your College magazine? Give an honest appraisal of it

• I am happy with how my college magazine turned out. I believe I chose an appropriate main image to represent my magazine as the student featured is one who attends this college. The colours I have used at the bottom of the page contrast well with each other as the black writing stands out with yellow banner behind it. However, If I could change the colour of the other text, I would change it to a colour that is more easy to read because the black text in some regions fades into the background slightly.