Evaluation Draft Question 7

7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

I feel the most important progression I have made from my preliminary is the ability to use various software and technologies e.g Photoshop CS6. I also think my understanding of how a magazine is created in industry has expanded and I know understand the full process of what goes into to making a magazine (from the research and planning, first draft and final product) I now understand how in depth the process really is.
My knowledge in the technologies I have used such as Photoshop have increased significantly, looking back to my prelim the basic layout, editing and precision that I used in comparison to my final product I can definitely see that it is to a much higher standard. Using tools such as the ‘magnetic lasso’ to cut out images and using the grid to get precise measurements has enabled me to achieve a really professional looking final product.  I also feel due to my practice and deeper understanding of basic editing tools I am now much more efficient when it comes to simple tasks such as inserting and editing different layers; this is something that during my preliminary task I found quite difficult.

I also feel my knowledge and understanding of the magazine media industry has significantly improved, I feel this understanding and knowledge came from the vast amount of research I did into existing successful magazines and how they appeal/attract a certain audience and genre of music for example through how they challenge or conform to different conventions. I feel I also developed this knowledge during the drafting process of my magazine and receiving feedback from my peers meant that I could improve my work and broaden my understanding of how a successful magazine would be produced.

I think a key example of the progression I have made since my preliminary task is comparing my prelim contents page and final contents page. The preliminary task was a very brief process and hardly much thought went into what I produced, there were no precise measurements made and it was extremely simple. The images for my prelim were taken in minutes and not much thought went into the costume, style or poses that my model did in relation to the magazine's genre and target audience. In contrast to this, looking at my final contents page and the depth of detail in what the magazine contains and the precise placements of the image, subheadings and contents information, it makes it much easier for the reader to use and is much more aesthetically pleasing to look at.