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

Cover Lines

My Preliminary task cover is very basic and barely stands out against the proper one. The cover lines aren't stacked and are unclear making it unreadable. They go over the student making it look cluttered and unprofessional. Whereas on the FLARE magazine the cover lines go around the artists and are a much larger font making them much clearer and readable.

Mast-head

 The mast-head I created for my preliminary task cover is quite small and the colour I chose doesn't allow it to stand out against the background. This has definitely changed for my new cover where its a large vibrant font that stand out clearly against the black background.

Main Article

The problem with my main article on the cover of my preliminary task is that it takes up a lot of space with the black box that it is in which doesn't look very appealing to the eye. However for the real thing the article is very viable and clear. Not only that but it looks more interesting with the font i have chosen as well.

Font

The font of my mast-head doesn't really work with the student theme of the magazine, neither is it large enough. The same goes for the cover lines if they were a larger and more stylised font they would be much more appealing. I chose a varied amount of fonts for my real front cover are much more varied so it doesn't all look the same.

Since creating the preliminary task I have learned how to create a really professional standard looking cover. From looking at so many different magazines and ways of designing one, i realised how it should be presented. One of the main things that I learned was how the cover lines should be equally lined up almost like a column and that numbers should be made really large and clear above the rest of the cover line and the final result is a really professional finish.

I have learned how to use software like InDesign, Fireworks and Photoshop. Beforehand I had no idea how to use them at all, but now I can use them with confidence and ease. From comparing the two covers I can easily tell that my full product is made to a much more professional standard than my preliminary.