28/09/17

Aims:

• Finish the seventh deconstruction
• Begin eighth deconstruction 

Reflection:

I finished my seventh deconstruction quite fast today and immediately began work on my next piece. I wanted to get ahead as I won't be in tomorrow's lesson and thus will miss a day of work. I can try and do work at home if needs be but I should be able to complete the work come monday. 

Deconstruction: 7

The title is written in a script font. Whilst script fonts are aesthetically pleasing, they are difficult to read. This makes them ideal for titles but they don't work as well for anything else. The sub images show a variety of subjects (which shows a complete wedding and shows that this article offers a range of things to read about) but all feature the bride. This portrays her as the key feature in this wedding and creates engagement with the target audience as they are all brides. The main image is a large black and white image which features tractors and farming - making the wedding less than glamorous and simplistic but simultaneously emphasising that we are reading about regular people and thus making them easier to relate to. Their pose is romantic. The article is a first person account and written in an easy to read, informal manner.

What can I take away from this? 

The article being written in a semi-informal first person account works well as it is more personal and more intimate. It would suit a regional magazine well. This would also make the bride more easy to relate to (which is important as regional magazines tend to focus on everyday relatable people.)

27/09/17

Aims:

• Begin work for seventh deconstruction 

Reflection: 

I worked both in class and at home today as I wanted to get ahead. Thus, I am almost finished with this deconstruction and will be able to work on the eighth tomorrow. 

26/09/17

Aims:

• Finish sixth deconstruction 

Reflection:

I have completed my sixth deconstruction today. I completed the majority of the work in lesson and completed the rest of the work at home to ensure I met my personal deadline. This slight slow-down in pace was due to problems with the computers but I will work hard to get back ahead. 

Deconstruction: 6

The title on this page is different to the titles (mastheads) I have observed on front covers. It is a straight sans serif font that greatly resembles the basic font of Arial Narrow. This makes it more readable and therefore increases the functionality of the page. Additionally, the colours of this title and the colours of the text in general (pink and white) have been chosen as they appeal to a female audience.  The content focuses on a range of wedding aspects to show that there is a lot of different content available and that there are articles to suit every need. There are also stories about Hollywood weddings so that people can sate their curiosity and peek into others lives. The image take up the page and fills the space nicely. The bride in the image has been styled in a way that represents traditional wedding values and emphasises her beauty and her femininity.

What can I take away from this? 

I like the layout of this page and the way that the image takes up the entire page. However, I feel that this works best with studio images and I do not think I will be going to a studio. The contents page here only contains the best content. In fact, it only includes seven despite being at least 124 pages (likely more) long. This is something to consider in my own layout. When taking my own images, I should consider the best angle to emphasise my brides attractiveness in the same way that those who have taken these images have done.

25/09/17

Aims:

• Work on sixth deconstruction

Reflection: 

I have took on a high workload today to complete my deconstruction. I have made decent progress and I should complete the work tomorrow. I feel that I have managed my time well and I will complete this work on time. 

22/09/17

Aims:

• Begin work on the sixth deconstruction

Reflection:

I began work and I have made fair progress. I had some issues with my computer today and this set me back slightly. I will see how well I do tomorrow and if I am behind I will continue my work at home to make up for my slowed progress. 

21/09/17

Aims:

•  Finish fifth deconstruction 

Reflection:

I worked on perfecting the fifth deconstruction. I now have the post uploaded on my blog. I am happy the progress I have made. I was going to start work on my sixth deconstruction but I have plenty of time to complete it so I decided to wait till tomorrow to begin work on that.

Deconstruction: 5

The title is written in a particularly decorative way to draw in attention and to set a formal and luxurious tone for the rest of the magazine. The layout is particularly interesting and does not obey conventions which makes this magazine seem different from it's competitors as a result. The images used all suggest luxury and are used to create the idea of a fantasy wedding. The contents list features articles in a range of topics and uses colors to communicate this same idea of luxury, love, and (to some degree) power.


What can I take away from this?

Once again, I want to show images of props and various other things within my images on my contents page. This will show that I have a range of articles in my magazine. I will also consider how I can make my page look luxurious.

20/09/17

Aims:

• Do work on deconstruction five
• Go back over write ups

Reflection:

As I am ahead, I have decided to improve on the write-ups beneath my posts. Whilst they were usually one or two lines before this, I have tried to expand upon them. This helps me to summarize my information and allowed me to look back through previous work to consolidate my learning. I also worked on my deconstructions and I know that the work for that will be finished in tomorrow's lesson.

19/09/17

Aims:

• Finish fourth deconstruction 
• Start fifth deconstruction 

Reflection:

I finished my fourth deconstruction early on in the lesson and began the fifth. I made good progress and this puts me ahead of where I thought I'd be. 

Deconstruction: 4

When looking at the title on the contents page, I noticed that it was similar to the mastheads as it was a straight serif font. This creates a formal tone for the page. I also acknowledged that the magazine likely publishes biannually and this is why they can have more content. The grey is elegant and makes the gold text used later stand out more. The images show various features of a wedding which makes it clear that the magazine offers a range of articles.These images each have strong connotations but still work well together. The contents list has formal serif fonts which suggests and older target audience and the alternating colors creates visual interest. Finally, there is a lure of a free gift to make people more likely to purchase the magazine.

What can I take away from this?

I could consider using a lure but this may be something used more in national magazines than in regional magazines as regional magazines do not necessarily have the funds for gifts or competitions. I want to include a range of photos on my contents page to show that I have a range of content and that my articles will include more than just one type of article. This will help to draw in a reader greatly.

18/09/17

Aims:

• Work on fourth deconstruction 

Reflection: 

I have nearly completed the fourth deconstruction and only have a few additions to make tomorrow. This means that I will be able to begin work on the fifth tomorrow once the fourth is finished and this gives me extra work time.

15/09/17

Aims:

• Work on fourth deconstruction

Reflection:

I began work on my fourth deconstruction. This is the first contents page I have looked at and I think I have noticed some key elements. I made good progress today and will cement this in the lessons following. 

14/09/17

Aims:

• Complete third deconstruction 

Reflection:

I posted the third deconstruction after making some small changes to it. I felt that two lessons was more than enough time to complete this task. 

Deconstructions: 3

In this deconstruction, I looked at a Belle Bridal front cover. I first looked at the masthead. It obeyed conventions by being behind the brides head and bringing her forward. The font is a formal serif font which matches expectations and obeys typical conventions. The font has a slight curl to it which makes it more feminine and interesting. The model is a conventionally attractive young woman with natural makeup. Her face is partially obscured but an invitational expression can still be seen. This adds to the romantic theme of the cover. She wears a wedding dress and the focus is on the prop. It covers her face to add a sense of mystery and the flowers add a sense of femininity.  The plain background ensures that the focus is one the main image and the sell lines and those sell lines are all regionally related. There's a range of fonts and contrasting black and white text to make each sell line stand out and to create visual interest.

What can I take away from this?

This shows how props can be used to create additional interest. This is one way I could use my prop. It also reinforces the idea that natural makeup is a normal convention. It also tells me that I should put my model in front of the masthead to bring her forward and draw attention to her.

13/09/17

Aims:

• Work on third deconstruction 

Reflection:

Today, I began work and my third and final front cover deconstruction. The work went fast and I should be able to post it for tomorrow. I am nearly finished with only a few small pieces to write and small sections to change. 

12/09/17

Aims:

• Finish second deconstruction

Reflection:

I posted the mini-site for the second deconstruction and checked that it worked on my blog. I feel that taking my time with this was more effective than rushing it and lead to less stress. I have planned my time well with this piece and feel that the work I put in was effective. 

Deconstructions: 2

I looked at the masthead which was at the top of the page and behind the models head. It also used a serif font which communicated a very traditional style. The model has light and natural makeup with her hair up. When her hair is up, the focus is one her face and her expression fits into the super smiler category, which is appropriate as this is supposed to be the happiest day of her life. She also wears a wedding dress and has a pose designed to showcase the flowers. Her look is very feminine and this is accentuated by the flowery background. The sell lines also mix together luxury and affordability.

  What can I take away from this?

This page is full from the amount of sell lines packed in this layout looks full. The content of the sell lines could apply to my magazine and I would like to mix affordability with luxury. The placement of the sell lines on either side of the model, barely overlapping the image appeals as does the bride being placed above the masthead.

11/09/17

Aims:

• Work on second deconstruction 

Reflection:

I have nearly finished my second deconstruction and I will have it posted for tomorrow.  

08/09/17

Aims:

• Work on second deconstruction 

Reflection:

Today, I continued my deconstructions and created the mini-site for my second deconstruction. I will take my time with this and try to have it completed for some time early next week to post on the Tuesday. 

07/09/17

Aims:

• First deconstruction 

Reflection:

Today, I used my time effectively to do my first deconstruction of a magazine cover. I used emaze to create a mini-site. I did not finish this product in class so I had to finish it at home. I think this is an example of me using my time well and working to complete posts before a deadline. 

Deconstructions: 1

In this deconstruction, I looked at the masthead and noted that it was situated at the top of the page, behind the models head with a fancy serif font that embodies beauty, formality and traditionalism. I then looked at the model and noticed that she had an invitational facial expression. She uses light makeup and perfect hair. It is also important she is female. When I looked at the costume, I saw what I expected - the bride wears a wedding dress. She is posed in a way that showcases a ring and is calm and poised. With the background, it accentuates the minimalist background and compliments the color scheme. Finally the sell lines convey that the magazine is supposed to be used for inspiration on every detail of a wedding. A range offonts have also been used to create visual interest.

What can I take away from this?

I also want to use an invitational expression so I could use this an inspiration for my model. I could also consider blurring my background to bring my model forward, though I'm not sure how this would look. This also could be inspiration for photos where the ring is put on display. Finally, the positioning of the model over the masthead is something that I like from this layout, as is the positioning of the sell lines.

05/09/17

Aims:

• Look at generic conventions
• Consider feedback

Reflection: 

I looked at generic conventions and the feature that every product has. I created several graphics to represent this using Photoshop. These will act as a sort of layout when I design my flatplans. I also looked at the feedback for my institution logo and I have decided to choose the best received logo. This shows that I am taking my audience feedback into consideration.

Institution Research: Audience Feedback

Upon getting my survey results back, the winner was the black logo with the slightly more complicated design. 

The runner up was the red design. The two were very close score-wise but the black design won by two votes. I liked this option initially thought this one stood out because it looked very professional and because it was quite fanciful in the text. As I've observed when I've been evaluating fonts - serif fonts are very formal. This logo is also very formal and this makes it suited to a real business. 

Generic Conventions

I looked at other magazines to see what generic conventions they had and what I needed to do when I was planning the very basic layout of my magazine. You can see the images below: 

On the front cover, I noticed the features that it included were:

- Masthead

-Slogan

-Puff

-Central Image

- Feature Article

- Barcode 

- URL

- Cover lines

- Date + Publisher

On the contents page, I noted:

-Date

-Issue Number

- Contents list

- Lure

- Images

- Contents Title

On the article, I noticed:

- A dominant image

-The article

- An introduction/lead

- Pull quotes

- Title + page number

- Credits

- Anchorage

-Subimages

The billboard included:

- Company logo

- Additional information

- Dominant image

- Simple layout

- Slogan

The website used a:

- Simple layout

- Multiple articles

- Subscription 

- Social media links

- Masthead

- Navigation Links

Having these allows me to create a checklist of sorts in regards to what I need on each page. When designing my layout, I know that I will need to include all of these features. I also made small notes on each individual feature. This will also help me when designing my products. 

04/09/17

Aims:

• Present summer work
• Begin work on pitch 

Reflection:

I think that the work I did over the summer was sufficient and that I managed my time well. I am proud of the work I have completed and feel that I will continue to work well now that the academic year has begun. 

03/09/17

Aims:

• Look at survey results (Not In Initial Plan)
• Create four potential logos (Not In Initial Plan)
• Create poll to vote for the best option (Not In Initial Plan)

Reflections: 

After realising that NEXA Publishing won, I decided to make logos for my publisher under the name NEXA. I created the four logo's using the website Canva. Each held a different strength but all would work well. I have decided to create a poll to see which choice people liked best. This survey would allow audience engagement and ensure that the option I chose would be the one that my audience liked best. 

Institution Research: Potential Logo's

To inspire my logo, I looked at several different magazine publishers. These would help shape my ideas. I put them into an emaze photo album as displayed below:

What I picked out from this photo album was the all of the logos were minimalist and needed be simple. Simple shapes and vector images were used but never images or overly complicated designs. Some logos were simply just the company name is a specific font. 

With that inspiration in mind, I create these logo's:

I will once more leave this decision to my audience and let them choose which logo I use. I feel that all of these are strong choices for different reasons. The first makes use a simple shape. The van shape makes it easy to remember. The second is very minimalist and simple, which matches the examples above. The third fits in with my genre as it is very fancy and traditional looking. This one is slightly less simple and has a more complicated design but it is by far the most attractive. The fourth and final makes use of colour and is very visually interesting and memorable. 

Institution Research: Audience Feedback

The survey results came back and NEXA publishing won easily.

I believe that this was because it is catchy and easy to remember as there are only two short syllables in NEXA. Though the word has no meaning, it is a catchy sound and it is unique. Due to it being both unique and catchy, this name will help create brand recognition and therefore I could build a strong business off the back of this name. 

Calendar For September

In September, I want to focus on similar products and deconstructions. These will help me build ideas of the genre and what other similar product do. This will help me learn conventions which I can then choose to follow or break. I have spaced out my workload so I have plenty of time to complete tasks.

01/09/17

Aims:

• Create a survey for publishing names (Not In Initial Plan)

Reflection:

I used StrawPoll.me again to create poll with my mindmapped names. I will send it to my friends and ask which name they believe is the strongest and most memorable and trust their judgement as consumers. I feel that all of these are strong options and whatever is chosen will work well. 

I put on IP Duplication Checking and Spam Prevention so that the poll cannot be taken twice by the same person. This prevents one person from dominating the results. Whilst this is unlikely in my group of friends, it would be essential in making a real poll more accurate and needed for the sake of fairness. 

Institution Research: Name Ideas

I used MindMup again to create a mindmap of potential name ideas. Each fits a different category an is strong for different reasons.

Mariée Magazines -  Mariée is the French word for bride. French is a language of beauty and love and words tend to sound more elegant and beautiful in this language. The downside is that this would mean that wedding magazines would be the only thing my company could publish, which would limit us.

P.I.N.E (PUBLISHING IN THE NORTH EAST)  - Many similar companies use acronyms and this was something that I decided to try too. This is a very broad title and it spells out a real word - Pine. This would help make it easy to remember.

Heritage Publishers  -  Heritage is an eloquent word which refers to ones background and the things they may inherit. This name will make my magazine seem more fancy.

Matrimony Ltd.   - This follows the pattern that Living North had. Living North is published by Living North Ltd. In recognising this, I could follow in the path of one of my inspirations. However, this title is limiting and not very original.

Ed Meisel  - This follows a naming trend that I have noticed with some companies in which they name their product after their founder. Whilst Beth Husband is not a particularly good company name (nor is Husband Co. or any variation in my opinion), I could name the company after a friend with a more worthy name.

NEXA Publishing   - NEXA is a short and catchy sound. This title was chosen and put in the list because of how  catchy and easy to remember it is. With this title, I could build up brand recognition and build a real business.

From here, I will create a survey asking my audience which name they prefer and which is the most memorable for them.