At the beginning of this assignment I was placed in a partnership, however due to circumstances we both produced our own publications. In some ways working alone had advantages however there were issues that it caused. When issues arose I tried to use everything in my environment to help me, for example if I was struggling for inspiration Iwould visit the library or ask a friend for their opinion. Working alone meant that I could work at my own speed and complete things as and when they needed to be done and relied on only myself. This meant sometimes in creative situations it was difficult as you need another person’s ideas to get the best possible outcome – you need someone to challenge your own ideas and in turn build from them. This was quite difficult when I was completing distinction work, as we couldn’t have a teacher tell us exactly what to do.
To gain full understanding of the work and what was required I aimed to follow the brief thoroughly and I highlighted my progress, this way I could see my progress clearly. I also had to make sure that I understood the subjects well; this meant that I had to ask questions, listen and make notes in all lessons. If I felt like I didn’t understand a point completely I would then go and look into it further. I could do this by using the library and Internet. To ensure that I made the most out of each lecture I would produce the relevant work the day of to ensure that the quality of my work was as good as it could be.
At first I found Joomag really difficult to use as I’ve never used software like it before, however I soon realised that the more I used it the easier it became. I also research the software online to get tips on how to use it successfully. When I was putting work into the magazine I would make sure to have a copy of Vogue magazine with me, as this was my magazine inspiration. This meant that I could see how different fonts were used and spacing within the magazine.
Another challenge I faced was making sure that the magazine was evenly balanced between male and female, as I naturally go towards more feminine ideas. To overcome this for every female feature I did I aimed to balance it out with a male one of a similar sort. The main font I used in my opinion is very unisex and swings to neither gender. Keeping all fonts black and white also helped with this, I chose to keep the colour within my images a negative of this is that some may find it slightly repetitive. In regards to the shoot. I would also want to plan it earlier so I could photograph a male as I think this would help make the magazine more male and female orientated.
My favourite part of this term learning about body shapes. This has helped me understand what to dress myself in and given me more confidence to try new things.
All in all I feel like my magazine had a consistent theme throughout and I am pleased with what I have created. I feel I have learnt a lot during this last term and I aim to continue to grow my knowledge on the business environment, retail and styling. I think if I were to do this project again I would try to pace myself more and not expect myself to do so much.