3..2..1.. Go!

And we're off! magazine production has started and so far I've begun at a fleeting start, this is thanks to the fact that I have an image in my mind of how I would like my magazine cover to look like. I've decided to layout all the text on the cover before I add my main image as then I could position each bit of text how I would like it plus it would be easier for me to work like this as then I won't be distracted with the image and positioning it while laying out the rest of the text which is on the cover. Doing this proved to be a good move as I feel I have laid out the text in an effective way. In regards to finding the right fonts for each individual bit of text I have been scouring rigorously through www.dafont.com so that I can find the perfect font for the text which not only looks good but gives the reader a little insight on what the subject of the article is like as I feel that when looking at a magazine cover the fonvt used to highlght the subject of that article tells a lot of what the subject is like. However I have not only been using Dafont.com I have also used the fonts which are already on the Macs e.g. Verdana. After searching for appropriate fonts I then placed my Image, I decided that on my cover I would use the backdrop which I used during the photoshoot I did of my model as I feel t would be better than an other background as it is interesting and I like the colours of that background very much as then any colour of text will stand out against it. However place my main image on the cover I had to use photoshop to edit it very slightly. I used the stamp tool to take colours from the background so that I could "stamp" out the date on the bottom of the image. This wasnt too hard as it is a straigh forward procedure.

After placing my main image on the cover, I then focused on picking and applying colour to the text on the cover. I feel I have chosen colours which stand out well against the backdrop as they are quite bold each in their own way e.g. I have decided to use a deep red as it stand out on the creamy/gold background and I have also decided to use a bright pink as that too stands out. Althought the background is creamy/gold I have aslo used white on my magazine cover as my model is wearing a black dress the text wicht i have laid on top of this part of the image stands out very vell but it doesn't stand out the the extent that it draws attention away from the feature article. Considering all this I did not base my decision of colour solely on what would stand out I have also based these desicions on what I would like the colour of the text to convey to the reader about the article as I feel that not only the font of a text but the colour of it too, conveys a message to the reader of what the subject of the article is like which then causes the reader to wonder about what exactly the article is about.

After doing this I focused on sizing the texts so that they were appropriatley sized i.e. I wouldn't want the article about Aaliyah to stand out more than my feature article. This part was all fairly easy as there wasnt really much to it. I'm going to focus my attention next on the feature article and then after that I will move onto my contents page as that won't take nearly half as long as it will take to create the double page spread of the feature article.

next moves:

• Write draft of feature article.
• Get draft checked by teacher.
• transfer article to double spread.

I look forward to this as number 1: it's going to be a challenge thinking of a good feature article and I simply cannot turn down a challenge, I'm way too competitive(which explains me being a perfectionist when it comes to situations like these). And number 2: I get to use my newly acquired skills to create a double page spread of my own from scratch, the way I want it. Which for me means a little more fun as I get to sift through colours and fonts and play around with them till i find colours appropriate for my feature article.