Preliminary Task - Front Cover and Contents Page

I used Microsoft Publisher to create a front cover and contents page of a college magazine for my Preliminary Task.

Above is the front cover I created. I used a photograph I took of the main entrance of the college as I believe it is the best way to show what the magazine is about. As well as this, this image includes the statue of the college logo which stands outside the main entrance and therefore reinforces the professionalism of both the college and the magazine. Although my preliminary task flat plan states that I would have the masthead falling behind the main image, when it came to creating the cover I did not believe this would work with the main image I chose. Despite this, I stuck to the original flat plan and kept the font as simple as possible. Although I like the way in which the plain font creates a simplistic effect, I believe that when I come to create the front cover of my music magazine I will create the masthead in a very different font to make the magazine look original and ensure that the masthead stands out. Furthermore, the masthead on my preliminary task does not look very professional as the blinds within the image in the background interfere with this. As a result, I will ensure that my masthead on my music magazine falls behind the main image to avoid this interference and messy appearance.

Next I created a contents page for a Gateshead College magazine. Firstly, I like the layout I have chosen for the images as in my main task I could ensure that the more entertaining or important stories stand out by giving them a larger image on the contents page. However, I believe I have made the constituting page numbers too large and as a result they distract the readers attention away from the images and makes the page look unprofessional and unlike those which go to print. As a result, when creating my main task contents page I will ensure that the page numbers are smaller than those featured above. A further thing which I dislike about the above contents page is the fact that there is a blank space beneath the list of contents. I would like to avoid this happening within my main task as it makes it look as through there is not a lot within the magazine and consequently it would not sell. A good way to avoid this gap would be to add a small description beneath each heading; this would also inform the reader of what the article will be about as headings can sometimes be misleading. On top of this, I like the way in which the letter from the 'editor' has turned out and this is a feature which you see in many magazines. However, if i was to include this within my main task I would scan in my real signature as simply having my name typed in 'Bradley Hand ITC' font does not have the same realistic effect. Finally, as the main colour on the front cover was grey I decided to keep this as the colour scheme and make the background of my contents page grey too. Within the making of my music magazine contents page I believe that I will also keep the background colour light as I want it to appear simplistic and not overpowering with colour.

Things I have gathered from my preliminary task which I intend to use on my main task:

- I will have the masthead on the front cover in a different font to the rest of the page

- I will have the masthead falling behind the main image on the front cover

- I will use smaller page numbers on top of the images on the contents page than those used on my preliminary task contents page

- I will not leave any large gaps on my contents page as it makes the page appear bare and as a result may make the reader feel like there is not a lot of articles within