AS Level Critical Reflection

AS Level Final project

This is my final project
Front cover
Table of Contents
Double-page Layout

Table of contents changes

A while ago I mentioned that I'd been able to finish the table of contents. This was actually one of the first parts of the project I finished, and it used this (picture on the right) as the background with red and white letters. Something I realized while I was making it, however, was that a dark background and a dark color scheme didn't really ft with the type of magazine nor the type of genre I was trying to go for, so I changed it to the golden retriever I'd drawn a few years ago (I unfortunately don't have the picture downloaded on this computer). I had to use Photoshop to edit the background because the picture didn't come out well on InDesign, but luckily I've become pretty adept at it so it wasn't that bad.
Needless to say, my new table of contents looks absolutely fantastic and I'm really proud of it. It was something that took a lot of work and hours of complaints, but I'm really happy with how it turned out. Not only that, but the color scheme fits exactly with the type of magazine I wanted to create.

Double-page layout problems

I realized a while ago that the best way to complete this project is to start with the double-page layout, then the table of contents, and finally the front cover. This is because of the fact that by working backwards, it's just easier to see how everything is going to turn out.
I also noticed a few things when looking through on e of the online editions of "Bark" magazine. IN the past few weeks I haven't been able to do much research on them because I didn't have enough money to buy their subscription, but I was finally able to this weekend. One of the things I noticed about their layout is that they have a lot of text, but barely any pictures.

Layout from "Bark" magazine (second page)

 The problem for me is that I'm not writing an actual story, but doing a listical (a story that has a list in it). Because of this, this type of more "traditional" layout wouldn't really fit in with the story I wrote for the project. However, I was able to find a listical in the same issue that was very different from what I was planning on doing, but at least gave me an example.
Even though this is the example they use, I don't think I will be following it exactly because I don't have the type of pictures necessary, and I'm not a big fan of a layout like this.

Listical from "Bark" magazine (second page)

Something I did notice while looking through the magazine, however, was that if they can avoid using pictures, they do (but still manage to pull out a visual). This is completely different than what I was planning on doing, so instead of using a lot of pictures, I'm going to make one huge picture on the second page of the layout and then put the story under it.
Something else about my layout that I noticed (and that I noticed that other magazines don't do) is that they avoid leaving pictures cross through the break of the pages. This is completely different than the type of layout I am used to (newspaper layout) because with a double truck (another name for a double-page layout), we don't have to worry about the page break. My new plan, however will fix this problem and allow me to be able to have a layout that fits the genre and a typical magazine.

Great news!

I finally finished the background for my front cover! *Throws confetti into the air and dances in excitement*
After about four weeks or so of working on the painting, it's finally finished. Or, at least, the part I'll be using for my front cover is finished. I'm still a little behind on my own schedule, especially since I wanted to at leas tbe finished with my table of contents and my double-page layout by the time I was able to finish the background (both are technically finished, but I still need to add some extra last touches to the layout). In other words, the little access I have to InDesign and Photoshop are going to become crucial. Last weekend I was able to download the free trial onto my dad's computer (mine won't download it for complicated reasons) but I no longer have access to that computer until the weekend. Because of this, I'll only be able to work on the project once or twice a day for an hour while I have access to the programs I need.
Nevertheless, I finished the background! It's everything I wanted it to be and more. Not only is it captivating, but also shows the extent to which art is able to take its subject, especially when the artist is so passionate about what he or she is doing (I really do love dogs). I really hope it turns out well on my overall project, but if it doesn't, then I still have some of my old drawings to use as a back up. In the mean time, this is a preview to what the unedited and photographic version of the background looks like (it's a secret!). This is the original picture, which I took when I went on my first visit to the Broward Humane Society.

Visit to Broward Humane Society #2

Last weekend I visited the Broward Humane Society for the second time, but this time I actually had something in mind. My main objective for the visit (other than looking at cute dogs) was to take pictures of labrador retrievers, since that will be the story I'm covering for my two-page layout. The overall visit went really well, even though most of the dogs wouldn't stay still long enough for me to be able to take pictures of them. nevertheless, they were all really cute and I got great pictures for the project. Unfortunately, I don't have any specific stories to tell this time, but it was still a fun experience.
That same day (which happened to be Friday), I started and finished the two-page layout. I'm really really really proud of it and the fact that I was able to finish it all in one day (save for a few mistakes I still have to fix) and it looks great. This week I'm going to be working on finishing my table of contents (which I'm going to be moving things around so that it looks better and fits in with my two-page layout) and starting and finishing the front page (which I haven't been able to start due to the fact that my oil painting still isn't finished).
Also, I'll be working on the critical reflection which, believe it or not, will have a lot of information about these past crazy, stress-filled last two weeks.

Waiting period...

Unfortunately, the past week or so hasn't been as productive as the first few weeks of this project were. I'm still planning on using my drawings and painting for the actual product, I'm not entire sure if they'll be ready on time. In the mean time, I've been working on the double page spread, which also isn't turning out that well (I guess it's harder than I thought to go from newspaper to magazine layout) so I'm probably going to end up using a style of layout Entertainment Weekly uses a lot for their stories. It's pretty, creative, and simple! As for my table of contents and front page, I haven't been able to make much progress on it due to the fact that the pictures still aren't done. I hope to be able to finish my drawing for the table of contents later today, so that way I'll be able to work on it whenever I finally finish working on the double page spread.
Another problem I've come across on is that the first time I went to take pictures of the dogs at the Humane Society, I didn't really know what I was looking for. Because of this, I didn't take pictures of the specific breed I need (now I know it's Labrador retriever) so I might have to go back sometime at the end of this week to take more pictures.
All in all, everything is very slowly coming together in one huge, clumped mess. I know I'll have it ready on time, but it stresses me out a little that I can't work on the project one page at a time, but have to work on everything at the same time.

This week I'm going to be working on the separate (yet important) things for my magazine. The first thing I did was my masthead (which looks pretty cool if I do say so myself) and up next is my cover picture. I first wanted to make an artistic oil painting (since the theme is art) but because I've been having trouble finding a way to edit the pictures, I might have to end up changing it all. I have a back-up plan, however. If I'm not able to finish the oil painting/drawing (I do have other ideas) I'll probably end up using a picture I took of my dog back when she was a puppy. If do that, however, then I might have to end up changing the entire theme of the issue, which really don't want to do.
As for my table of contents, I figured out through my research that instead of using cutouts of dogs like I planning on doing, it's best to amplify one picture and put the content information on the left or right. Of all the pictures I've taken so far, the best one to use is Sid's picture form the shelter last week (this one can be seen on the previous post). I feel like the happiness on his face is the epitome of every dog pretty much ever so it would be a good picture to use.
Later on this week I'll probably be researching information for my "Breed of the Month" section, which will be my double-page layout. The good thing about the fact that I'm in total control of the whole magazine is that I can decide how long or how short to make the story. Not just that, but I can get creative with my layout techniques :).

Puppies and pictures and paintings, oh my!

My visit to the Humane Society of Broward County today went pretty well (if you exclude getting peed on and breaking my camera, but that's beside the point). Most of the pictures I took probably aren't usable because the dogs wouldn't stop moving, but I was still able to make a lot of progress with an idea as to what I want to do with my magazine. For instance, I learned that dog photography isn't as easy as it looks. Even though the dogs will be adorable regardless of what they do, it's hard to get them to stay still and listen to what you're trying to tell them to do, especially when they're untrained. One of them, for example, was so ridiculously excited about the fact that I was inside his cage/area... thing... that he somehow managed to open the door and run out into the kennel. Not only did he do that, but he opened the door to the other kennel and ran into that one. After that, he opened the door into the store and ran in there. I don't know how he managed to open three perfectly closed doors all the while having one excited teenager and another stressed out volunteer running after him, but he did it. And boy, was he happy about it (You can see Sith's happy pre-escape face on the bottom left). Another one, Chauncy, was acting pretty nonchalant about everything. She spent most of the time smelling the grassy area we put her in and choosing not to pay attention to me. The one second the volunteer/supervisor turned around however, she took the chance to jump at me and lick my face, neck, and glasses all the while stepping on my camera. I can't help but love her for being so cute, but I'm going to miss my camera. Anyway, her picture is on the top right.

As for the rest of the magazine, I came to a realization that I'd been over thinking most of it. For the past two weeks, I've been trying to figure out how to incorporate something artistic and colorful into a dog magazine while still staying within the parameters of the genre. Then, the most amazing thing occurred to me. The theme for the issue I'm working on will be "art" and will feature people who draw or paint dogs, whether for a living or as a hobby. The front cover, will be an oil painting of a dog I will hopefully be able to make once I figure out which picture to use. In the meanwhile, I'm super hyped that we were finally able to get the Photoshop suite onto thee laptops at school, so I can finally begin working on the actual magazine (as well as editing the pictures I took today).

Week two begins...

One of the best parts about this magazine is the fact that I get to look at pictures of dogs for a whole hour and consider it work. Even better, I get to go to dog shelters to take pictures of those dogs and still consider it work. My plan for this week is to go to the Humane Society of Broward and begin taking pictures of their dogs (they also have some cute border collie puppies that I'd love to meet). Because most of the visual-related content in the magazine will rely on the type of pictures I take and the type of dogs I get the pictures of, I don't have much planned right now other than the stories and the few ideas I've has as to the mood of the overall magazine. One of which, will be the "breed of the month."
This part of the magazine will consist of information on a specific breed. I first came up with it while I was researching the types of stories pet magazines write, since Modern Dog magazine does something similar to it. In the beginning I was planning on making my main story on adoptable pets (since I've already written a column about it, anyway) but the more I looked into it, the more I realized that pet magazines don't write traditional stories with interview or anything, but rather write first person stories with information on a specific topic.
The breed of the month for the issue I'm making will probably be the Shetland sheepdog. I think my decision to do the Sheltie first came from the fact that I used to have one, but they're a nice breed to cover because of 1) their cuteness and 2) their usefulness as a sheepdog. The only problem I see with covering the sheepdog is that it might be hard to find any in south Florida, but thanks to the Internet, I'm more than willing to try.
The first part of the story will be about my own experience with a sheltie, and how his loving personality affected my childhood. After that, I would cover the history of the breed and its popularity
In the meantime, enjoy this picture of two adorable shelties.

Group session #1

Yesterday was our first group session, and it went great. Apart from the fact that we talked about the important of eating healthy and how kale has become popular in health magazines, it was pretty nice to see how everyone's projects are coming along. Some of us have an idea as to what to do, while some are just starting to realize what genre they want to focus on in the film opening (I can't wait to watch them :) ).
One of my favorite parts about it was the response they game me when I told them my idea. Since I came up with it (which first came to me while I was coincidentally walking my dog), I've been thinking that a dog magazine might be something boring that other people might not even want to read. Not just that, but even though there are a lot of people who love dogs, I don't know of any of them would want to read a magazine about them. My group's reaction when I told them my idea was amazing. I loved the fact that they loved it and it made me so happy to know that even though they wouldn't have thought about making a magazine about dogs, they would totally read them.
I can't wait to begin taking pictures of all the adorable dogs :)

Welcome to Spot the magazine blog!

I have many plans for my wonderful pet magazine. First off, it's going to focus on dogs and how adorable they are. One of the main things I found in my research, however, is that most pet magazines like to focus on the fact that dogs are happy and always exciting, which is why I want to put a twist on it.
Earlier this week I found a magazine cover of the newest edition os "Bark", a magazine that talks about dogs. As you can see from the picture on the left, the colors of the magazine fit perfectly with the colors of the dog. This is one of the best things about pet magazines. The colors are usually changed to fit what the colors of the dogs on the front cover are. If the dog is beige, then the words are while and black. If the dog is black with a green background (which happens often since dogs are often on grass), then the color of the words are changed to fit that dog's picture.
One of the main things that drew me to this cover, however, is the fact that the beige colors make it seem as if dogs are serious things to talk about. They make our lives better and become out best friends. Just as the cover line says, "all you need is love" and a dog supplies that. That's what I want my magazine to look like. I want it to show that dogs supply our lives with love and happiness, but while they're also happy and exciting, they're serious things to talk about.