Evaluation

Evaluation of My Front Cover

Front Cover;
  My magazine front cover conforms to the conventions of a magazine cover as it has one main image, a larger masthead, a slogan, cover lines and a buzz word. My main image is large and clear enough to be seen from a fair distance. The image also ties in with the masthead and slogan as she is in a screaming position, like she is screaming at her 'nightmares'. The masthead is also large and clear enough to be seen and easily read, however the slogan could be harder to read as it blends into the background it certain areas. My buzz word and cover lines all stand out, also I felt the two different fonts the same every time I used them. So the smaller fonts are the same and the larger ones are the same. For my puff I chose a bright red to go with her hair as I have made that brighter too. Overall I think my magazine is good but I feel that the white background behind the cover lines doesn't look as good and 'edgy' as I had hoped it would.

My magazine front cover represents my target audience as a group of people who aren't afraid to stand up against their fears but also have fears in the first place. My representation of teenagers is in a positive light but also could be a slightly vulnerable one as my model is screaming and I have the word 'nightmare' in my slogan. This could suggest that my target audience do get scared and can suffer from stress. Overall my representation is positive but has connotations of vulnerability. 

I attracted my target audience by using elements that I knew would appeal to a music and social orientated group. For example my model has a lip piercing and bright, red hair which my target audience will be attracted to as that is the sort of thing that they will have themselves. I chose to highlight this element as it makes the front cover stand out which is what my target audience wants to do-'stand out in a crowd'.  My target group would also be attracted to the font used on 'DREAMERS' and all of the cover line titles as it is bold, black and different to what other magazines use. Most magazines go for a clean cut with crisp edges font, whereas I chose one which is more decorative. The use of the white background against the cover lines would attract my target group as it gives the magazine a more 'edgy' feel to it. Unfortunately the white background didnt have the huge effect I wanted it to, so now it looks a bit more all over the place.

In the process of producing my front cover for my magazine I have learnt a lot about Photoshop. I have previously used it for my GCSE graphics but making a magazine has allowed me to experiment and get to grips with Photoshop in a different way. Now after creating my front cover I am more comfortable using Photoshop and know which tools do what in most cases. I understand the concepts when using Photoshop, such as what the importance of layers are.