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

By looking at the differences between my preliminary task and main task you can really tell how I've progressed since the beginning. They're both different types of magazine, so obviously they're going to look very different because they have completely different audiences. But you can see how my understanding of forms and conventions has progressed.

• On the preliminary task there is only one image on the whole page, which makes it look a bit plain and uninteresting. But on the main task there is one main image and lots of smaller images around the edge, this makes the page a lot more interesting and gives it a cluttered look, which is what I was aiming for. Also, the images round the edge are at a slight angle; this also helps the page more interesting to look at, and gives a 'scrapbook style' image (like they've just been placed there randomly).
• In the main task I have used a range of fonts and used different colours, whereas in the preliminary task I've just used the same font throughout the whole page and kept it the same colour. I learnt that using different fonts and colours on the page can make it stand out more to the reader and be more interesting to look at.
• On the main task i have used Buzzwords to attract the reader's attention more. Using words like 'EXCLUSIVE!' makes the reader feel as if this is the only place to read that piece on information, so it would make them want to buy the magazine more. I put the word 'EXCLUSIVE!' in a different font, and did a red outer glow effect on it so it would stand out more on the page.
• Since the preliminary task my photography skills have progressed; I've learnt a lot about camera angles, lighting and editing photos.

For my features page you can definitely see how i have progressed since the preliminary task. For example; the layout of the main task is a lot busier, and fits the conventions of a magazine more. I have used a range of different fonts on my main task contents page, which makes the page look busier, and more interesting to the reader. For the preliminary task, all the images are very organised, and are all the same size, but on the main task, all the images aren't in any order and they're all different sizes. While doing my research on music magazine contents pages, i found that in Kerrang! they now usually have one main image at the top of the page advertising the main features page that's going to be in the magazine. So i decided to include an image from my features page at the top of the page so it fits in with the forms and conventions.