Production Review Week 4

When looking back at my schedule, I set out this week in my lessons to:

a: This lesson I will be starting to create the contents page, getting the basic layout and design, using the sketch I created the in the previous weeks. 

b: This lesson I will be continuing with the contents page, this time putting in the text and creating page numbers, as well as other articles which would be in the magazine, here meaning using the page numbers to place in things such as ‘regulars’ and ‘specials’ to bulk out the contents page.

c: Once again I will be continuing with the contents page, using this lesson to finalize the page, placing in the images which will have been edited weeks ago, so they are ready to place in

d: Project Monitoring & Feedback: I will look back over my entire project for most of the lesson, monitoring it, as well as gaining feedback. This is because at this point I should have created all the pages for the magazine, therefore I will ask a few people to look over what I have created so far, and get feedback, which I can then use in the upcoming week to edit up everything, and finalize off each design. 

In terms of what I have achieved this week: 

On Monday I continued with my University Blues article, moving the text over from the previous DPS into the new one, and finalizing the design and layout. At first I underestimated the length of the article, which made me think about changing the layout completely, but after tweaking a few area’s, and moving some text around such as the title and the kicker, I could place everything into the DPS and finish it off. I am pretty happy with it as well, as it both follows the theme that my Cuts Crisis article does, and that was my main goal, so overall I am content to leave it alone now, and move onto my contents page.

By Tuesday I had gone back to my York article, in the hour before my lesson, and then in the lesson I began working on the contents page. In terms of the York article I was changing a few bits around, adding in the notebook style background instead of the overly colourful one you can see below, and making it more like my other two DPS’s, to create continuity and a theme for the magazine, which is key for ‘branding’. I’m pretty happy with it at the moment, and I just need to finish it off, hopefully some point this week. It’s slightly stressful having to go back and change stuff around which I hadn’t originally intended to do, but I think I have enough time, and at this point I do want to get a good mark, so why not? Looking at the contents page, I started using one guide from a magazine, then changed my mind, but I hadn’t done much in InDesign, so that was too bad, and I’m now working of a similar design seen in Company magazine, and have spent most of Tuesday working on the very simple layout, which I’m currently happy with, although I’m not sure how to fill the space seen  in the middle section.

On Wednesday I carried on with the contents page, and I like where it’s going, especially the competition box, which I think is effective, and the use of the border around looks pretty nice, but again, like Tuesday, I’m still unsure of how to fill the middle section of the page. I could place images into it, but I’m worried they will take the focus of the contents away from the page numbers and competition, and onto them, so this is something I need to figure out. Most of the lesson I have carried on placing different elements in, but the middle section has stumped me somewhat, and I need to decide what to place in it, or I’m just going to continue not getting much done, which isn’t really helping myself much. So, by Wednesday I am pretty happy, but I need to figure out the design more, and try to get on with finishing it before the holidays. 

I also reviewed where all my work was by Wednesday, and as you can see below, I have quite a fair bit done, I just need to finish some stuff off, and fill in the blank pages. I am still unsure of the University Blues article, and I need to look over it, because I'm not entirely sure I like it, compared to the other ones. 

On Thursday I got on with my contents page, and finally thought of something to place into the middle section. I looked through some more magazines, and decided to place a section of images and things ‘we love’ as a magazine, to fill space, and also make the page look more appealing. I’m actually pretty happy with it at the moment, but I think it needs more putting into it, as it still feels slightly bare, or has too much white space, so this is something I need to do. I also went back to my York article, and finally placed in the bottom section, filling that space. Although it looks ok, I’m not sure if I entirely love it, as it feels to blank, again needing more putting into it, or simply raising the text sizing. So by the end of Thursday I’m pretty happy with everything at the moment, and I need to go back and place the final pieces into each article.

On Friday I looked over the work I had done so far, and spent some time just adding in tiny bits into each part, whilst editing up the front cover slightly more. I asked a few of my target audience what they thought of my contents page, as I had been working on it all week, and I got some great feedback, they especially liked the images, and the fact that the contents page was slightly more dynamic than just listing the page numbers which is fab, and makes me feel better about the contents page.

As this is the end of term, I think I have done pretty well, so far, and there are some things I am really happy with, but I’m still unsure of my University DPS, and the Front Cover, and these are two things that I need to concentrate on when we get back. 

For homework I set out to:

Homework 1: This homework I will be going over all my research for every article and making sure I have used it properly, and that I have actually used what I wanted to find out in the articles.

Homework 2: This homework I will actually look at some research for each article, as since they were written and more importantly researched in 2013, things could have changed, and more information could have surfaced about the issues I am writing about.

Homework 3: This homework I will be looking over my University Blues article, as at this point I will start to revisit my work. So I will use the more current target audience feedback to make any changes I need to/think would be effective, and then finalize this DPS, and know that it is ready to go, and is entirely finished.

In terms of the homework I set out to do, I haven’t been overly successful, in that I only completed homework 3. I have gone back to my Uni Blues article prior to this homework, but have continued looking at it this week, and as mentioned previously, I need to work more on it, as I am not fully happy with the way it looks.  I just think it’s too bare in some areas, and others to cramped, so it may be the case of organizing the layout better, and then applying myself to actually change it.

In terms of the other two homework’s, I haven’t done either to be honest, and this is basically because I have spent way more time on production, and also on the other work I have going on from other lessons, which is also coursework, so I have a fair bit on my plate right now. I’m not that worried about the homework’s not been done, as they aren’t as important as production, but it has made me realize that I should probably organise my time slightly better, and allocate times to certain subjects. 

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This is where all my work is at by the 14th February, ready for when I come after half term, and I'm simply putting it in here as reference to my progress, and also to see if the magazine has a continuity and brand too.