Media Studies Project

Creative Critical Reflection

My magazine was fairly well completed. One revision I had to make was to add branding to my project on all of my pages. I added a website next to every page number, I created the website based off of my title. I used the website www.livinghandmade.com. This is what most magazines i looked at did, they would put brands on their pages with the page numbers. I also added a subtitle to my cover page along with my original title. I also needed to add more to my two page spread. I had extra space at the bottom of my page so at the beginning of my steps I put a short summary of the magazine and the project that I had. This way it would cover up the extra space I had and allow the reader to have a better understanding of the project and the magazine concept. Another revision I needed to make was to change my table of contents page, my pictures were what i kept, but I needed to change my page numbers and the font and size so it is bigger, and so I could add more to my page to make it look ...

My cover revisions include taking a better picture of the background, picking a more appropriate sized font and color, positioning the words in an accurate spot and deciding what to say on my cover page. I also edited my background picture to make it more realistic. My table of contents revisions started with creating a blank background. I then chose different font sizes and shapes that I liked. I felt by making the word "contents" italicized it gave it a more professional look. I also made the Kiwi Christmas tree and the Reindeer wrapping. I decided i would only put a small amount of key contents on this page because after doing further research that is what other magazines did.   My two page story revisions included a better format for my pictures and words, a better choice in color, size and shape of the font, a better background color and more pictures. I shortened my list of steps, made them easier to understand and made my pages more organized. I wanted the bac...

My revised two page story is on the top and my original two page story is on the bottom. The first revision I did was changing the background to white instead of dark red. Doing my research through all of the magazines I did not find one that had a colored Two page story. They either had pictures in the story or a background color of something very light. I felt that a white background would make the pictures and writing stand out more. The next thing I did was section my writing. I shortened the instructions, and put them on one half of each page. On the left half of the first page I put the materials needed and a picture of the final product. I felt that when people opened the magazine to this page they would want to see a picture of what the final product would look like first. Then I started with the steps, in between some of the steps I put in a picture related to the nearest step. I felt that this would break up the page and not look as congested with words. I also added page n...

How did you integrate technologies- software, hardware, and online in this project? Creating my magazine I integrated many technologies. By having a magazine about "Do it yourself" activities I had to create these products using my own materials. I used an app called "Pinterest" to help me come up with ideas on which crafts I could pick and make myself. I wanted ones that were easy to make, not only for me but for the families and kids that would read my magazine and want to complete the same products. Creating the Fruit Christmas Tree I had to gather my materials needed. I wanted the picture to have a white background so I used a white cuttingboard to put my pieces of fruit on. I had to go out and buy Kiwi's, Raspberries, and Blueberries. Then I cut the Kiwi's and placed them on the white cuttingboard along with the other fruits on top. I did this by using the instructions from Pinterest. This app gave me the step-by-step directions on how to make the pr...

How did your production skills develop throughout this project? My production skill developed highly throughout this project. At the beginning of my project I struggled to use the online website "InDesign." It was difficult for me to place pictures, crop them, adjust their size, and place them in the correct position. After using this application for a good length of time I adjusted to how it worked and the ways to use it. I discovered easier ways to place pictures on my page, how to change the font color, size and shape in more effective and different ways. Using this application for a long period of time also allowed me to find other effects that I could ad to my words and pictures. I could tilt the font, create text boxes that were identical in size, put pictures behind the words, and much more.  My picture taking skills also improved greatly. I originally just took pictures of wherever the product was. This was a weak skill and did not make the picture to look the best ...