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?

At the start of my course, I filled out a Skills Audit and stated that I did not 'currently have a blog', before this project I was unsure of how to use a blog and what I could actually do with a blog. I can now see that having a blog is very useful in the organisation of my coursework as it has allowed me to upload images, videos and slideshows to show the developing of both my preliminary task and music magazine. The Skills Audit also states that I had never used InDesign before, but I have now developed my IT skills and feel comfortable using InDesign to create media products.

I feel that I have progressed greatly from the preliminary task to my music magazine. The layout of my contents page and front cover of the college magazine is very basic, I have used a similar colour theme throughout which although keeps the college magazine easy to read, nothing particularly stands out as something unique and different. Whereas, in comparison to my music magazine, I feel that the front cover, contents page and double page spread are more eye-catching and will appeal to the reader as something spontaneous and new, which will interest them more than the simple format and basic colours of my preliminary task. The preliminary task uses red, black and blue, whereas my music magazine uses a range of colours such as blue, green, red, orange, yellow and purple, although this does not cause a chaotic and tacky appearance.

The images I used for my preliminary task are also simple in comparison to the music magazine's photos. The photographs I took for the college magazine have plain white backgrounds, although this allows space for coverlines and headlines, I feel I could have made it more interesting. But the photographs taken and adapted for the music magazine are much more attractive for the reader, the simple yet unique backgrounds and use of mise-en-scene such as hair, make-up, costume, props and setting draw the attention of the target market, which I feel I did not do as much with the preliminary task. I feel I have learnt how to address my audience and make my product appeal to them in the progression from the preliminary task to the full product.

The contents page of my preliminary task has text written in a plain colour of black with no use of a range of fonts, colours or sizes to highlight key information that may attract my audience. But I have learnt how to highlight important information in the music magazine as opposed to my preliminary task, by using different styles of font, a range of sizes and colours, also the use of bold and italics highlights and makes information stand out, therefore appealing to my audience. 

Overall I feel I have learnt new skills in the progression from my preliminary task to the full product of a music magazine. Such as how to attract and address the target audience with the use of forms, conventions and functions, which have been developed in my practice of using InDesign and the development of images on free editing websites and Photoshop. I feel I have included more of a range of fonts, colours, interesting backgrounds and layouts which will appeal to my target market more than in my preliminary task.