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

Preliminary Task

Final Magazine

Looking back at my preliminary task I can see that in comparison to my final magazine it is at a less professional standard, and it is evident that my preliminary task was a practise due to its amateur appearance. This is due to the fact that I did not have any of the resources which I later attained due to the research and planning which I carried out in order to conduct the construction of my magazine.

Taking into account the appearance of both magazines I now understand just how important it was to grasp and recognise the theories which are deep rooted into the entertainment industry (which are influenced by our patriarchal society) and the certain codes and conventions which should be taken into account and applied when designing a magazine. I was introduced to these and many other techniques which helped in the delivery of a more professional final piece, the knowledge which I lacked during the construction of my preliminary task.

I learnt the value of extensive audience research, as within my preliminary task I was given a vague picture of my target audience only knowing that they were students, parents and teachers; and I wasn't able to understand how to interpret the magazines style in order to appeal to all of them. Whereas, before beginning the construction of my final magazine I was made to research my target audience, find out what they liked and didn't e.g.: the typography and colours that would appeal to my audience, any additional incentives they would be attracted to, the music in which they listened to and examples of how other magazines tackled these. Then gathering all my results into a PowerPoint, I was able to give myself a clear picture of who I was making my magazine for; and in understanding what my audience wanted and who they were I was able to be more focused on a certain mode of address as well as be more efficient on the task at hand. This knowledge contributed immensely to the final polished piece.

The value of understanding and exploring theories, such as; Maslow's hierarchy of needs led me to find out what my audience wanted, and how to fulfil their needs of self-actualisation through images that obtained the male gaze theory. As this is a theory which can be seen throughout images within the media, society has become accustomed to it. Therefore, when I used and applied these theories I was able to produce a magazine that is more likely to be found within the entertainment industry.


Skills, such as those I attained using Serif PhotoPlus x4 have developed. This occurred due to the extended period of time which I spent within the software trying to improve my product, by creating images which adopted Jean Baudrillard's theory of hyper-reality/simulacra.

I now value the means of research and understand that in order to deliver a professional piece of work I need to investigate background information - in order to understand what and why I am doing something. I have become far more confident in both Publisher and Serif PhotoPlus x4 due to all the practise I have undertaken. Not only have I noticed just how much difference knowledge has in the improvement of a product but I have also gained skills which I hope will be useful in the near future.