Evaluation of my College Magazine Pages

The first thing to notice in the preliminary product is the lack of quality in the graphics used. The logo is noticeably low-resolution and the star-burst puff makes the whole cover look very unprofessional (the same goes for the pointers on the contents page). Secondly, the main image is also of low quality, having an unsettling composition and mediocre Gaussian blur applied to the background of the image in an attempt to make it more interesting. On the other hand, the games console graphic looks quite impressive.

The text is also misaligned, which makes it quite hard to read. In addition, it covers the models face too much and thus creates an unappealing composition. The language used is acceptable and the colour scheme is mostly coherent and well used, with the exception of one or two words. The variation of text makes the front cover look more interesting. The background of the contents page is very unappealing, and a block colour or image background would have worked a lot better.

From this preliminary task, I have learnt to take better quality pictures using controlled lighting and DSLRs. In addition, I have learnt how to use the Gaussian blur. For the main task, I will be using guidelines to make sure text is aligned properly and doesn't obscure the model's face. I have also learnt how to cut out images using the magic wand tool (as I had to do with part of the logo).

In conclusion, although it is of dubious quality and needs to have a total redesign to be to professional standards, as a preliminary task it taught me the subtleties of certain tools and is a decent first attempt. Points to improve are the quality of the images, the alignment of the text and the post-effects on images.