As you see my final product and my first draft design are a lot different. I chose to change the draft design as it focused a lot on having a large quantity of pictures, and all the text was fitted into 2 pages. 

My target audience are fiction readers and cosplay enthusiasts from 16-25 years of age. They won’t be bothered to spend their time reading text heavy content, especially if it is all put together in a large chunk.

 

 

 

My current double spread goes on for 3 pages, is more spaced out and includes good quality pictures. The quantity of the pictures is less. But they are much larger and attract the audience. I used the standard font of Times New Roman for the body text, to ensure it’s easy on the eyes. For the heading, author name and quotes I used a different font.

Another comparison between my first design and final design is the placement of the pictures. In my first design one image is on one page. There is no connection between the facing pages. However in my final product I enlarged the pictures so that they spread over two facing pages and created a more nuanced look. 

The photos on the spreads are all recreations of various scenes from the A Court of Thorns and Roses book series. The quotes used are also taken directly from the book.

Analysis other elements:

I designed the contents page in a collage and overlapping style. I chose this style not only because it was attractive to the eye, but also as it allowed me to put it in more content and images to entice my audience. This contents page had me visualising and planning a full magazine, which was helpful in putting together a good product.

As per my teacher’s suggestion I included an editor’s note as well. I played around with serif and sans serif fonts as headings and other text. I initially had a black background, however my teacher pointed out that the outfits were blending in. Thus, I chose a sea blue background to highlight the photos. I didn’t have many font colour options, however I was able to mix and match with grey and white font colours. 

Even here I paid a lot of attention to female and male representation and ensured that the characters were portrayed well.

How I attract audience: 

• Large and bold font for all elements in the masthead. 

• A strapline that summarises the contents of the magazine. 

• Prominent contents in the magazine as cover line - interview with Aishwarya, Around the Island an important segment that resonates with audience and main editorial Another Universe. 

• In the cover image, one model is making direct mode of address, while the other faces away to make the shot powerful. 

• Thumbnail of the book being featured so that readers know what the particular issue is about. 

Representation on Cover:

• I featured two of the main leads in the book on my cover. 

• I chose this particular picture specially because of the female and male representation. Unlike most fashion magazines, this does not cater to a particular gender. In addition, featuring romantic interests on the cover is the easiest way to attract my target audience, as everyone will want to know the details behind it.

• I put the country name as well, to show that this book is placed in a local context and has contents specifically for the local community. 

Other elements:

• I even used a barcode and dateline on the cover to make the product more realistic. 

• I used different fonts and styles to make my cover line more attractive and highlight the important facts like the interviewee name, exclusive content etc. I didn't want to use too much colour in the cover as I felt that not only would it clash with my colour palette but also take the focus off my picture.

[Editing my cover page on InDesign while ensuring that it is cohesive with the colour palette.]

Following my teacher’s suggestion on the second draft, I edited and wrote my final version of the feature article. 

I got this final version proofread by my friends prior to putting it on my final magazine product. 

 

[Image of the final version of my feature article.]

This article was ordered properly, limited to 1000 words and focuses a lot on the issue of inclusivity and interviewee’s opinions rather than just giving my ideas.

As I wanted the photos in my magazine to align with the storyline, I will be analysing and then selecting the raw photos taken at the main shoot with proper reasoning. 

It was finally the day of the main shoot and the day started off at 11am for me. All the models were to meet me  straight at the makeup studio at 11.30am sharp. This time all of them were there sharp at the said time. 

At the makeup studio:

   

[Some behind the scenes from the salon.]

I personally felt that everyone’s makeup turned out as expected except for Dhamsarani’s look. However we did minor changes with the lipstick shade and got it to a somewhat acceptable state. We had to mix and match the lehenga with a shirt and the original blouse to see what fit the best; ultimately the blouse won.

The makeup finished quicker than I thought, so we were able to leave for the Arcade earlier than expected. 

On the way to Arcade:

[Some behind the scenes from the drive to Arcade.]

At the Arcade:

When we reached the Arcade, we went to the office to negotiate the prices as Rs.12,000 which was quoted for using the premises for the shooting was too steep a price to pay. Fortunately, as it was a school project, the officials agreed to give us 30 minutes of shooting time free of charge. With that, we were able to start the shooting process.

First we started working on the individual photographs and then proceeded to the group and duo shots. 

 

 

 

[Some behind the scenes during the main shoot.]

However during the photoshoot I realised that maybe I should have recruited more members for the crew so we would have been able to direct the models to their poses effectively without running out of the limited time given. 

But my friend Prashali was really helpful in directing, composing the shot and even figuring out the best spot for each shot. She would quickly set the models in their positions while I took the pictures, doing her best to manage the time. My sister was able to assist me with the BTS pictures as well.

 

 

We took most of the pictures in the staircase, courtyard, corridors and on the wooden floor. We even used some traditional artefacts like the antique mirror which was in one of the corridors.

This time the models were more comfortable as they effortlessly posed as per the references given to them. I felt a sense of achievement as well seeing how perfectly the shoot was done.

The whole shoot went on for 3 long hours and by the end of the shoot, the models’ makeup were dripping and they were exhausted. We capped-off our shoot with a succulent burger at the Burger King restaurant in the Arcade while reminiscing the hard work we all put in during the shoot.  It was a welcome respite from the rigours of the shoot as we enjoyed our meal in the comfort of an air conditioned dining place.

We left the Arcade around 5.30pm and while everyone was exhausted, we also felt a sense of accomplishment as we had a successful photo shoot.

The main shoot was scheduled for the 6th March at 2.30pm in Arcade, Independence Square. Prior to my final shoot I had to get a lot of things done to ensure that the day went smoothly without any hassles like the mock shoot. I was very careful not to make the same mistakes as I had done in the mock shoot. 

1. I had prepared a reference document for the makeup looks and sent it to the makeup artist long before so she has an idea of the look that has to be done.
   
   

2. I informed the models to come to the makeup studio at 11.30am sharp so we can wrap it up and go to the Arcade before the sun sets and we lose the natural evening light.
   
   

3. I had already prepared another reference pose document with just 4 photos per model to ensure that we did not go overtime resulting in having to pay extra. This time I wanted the models to have more flexibility in terms of poses so that they're not at discomfort.
   
   

4. I made a spreadsheet with all the list of props and equipment I will have to take and reminded the models once again about their costumes and accessories.

   
   
   

5. I asked my friend (Prashali Tharmendra) to come to Arcade with me to help out directing the models, so then we could be time efficient. She was also experienced in photography so if I needed any help with taking pictures, she would be able to assist as well.

   
   
   [Photo taken with Prashali at the main shoot.]

6. I even rented out the camera and borrowed the iPhone 13 which I will use for BTS, the day before itself and set up my laptop with all the documents offline. I also made sure that all the devices were at 100% battery.

As I had already done a brain dump for the feature article, I was able to write a first draft incorporating the interview responses, personal opinions relevant to the issue I wanted to address. 

 

[My first draft.]

Suggestions:

• The word limit for my article was too much, and my teacher suggested I limit it to1000 words.

• She told me to reduce my personal opinions and experiences and focus more on the interviewees responses, as that would better the article. 

• She also told me that the article didn’t expose the gravity of the issue enough, and to work on that aspect more. 

• She also advised that it would be better to move certain parts of the article to the editors' note, as it was more of an introduction to the issue.

Following the suggestions given I was able to draft my second draft of the feature article. I limited my word count to 1000 and added a lot more responses from the interviewee.

 

My teacher gave me a few corrections in terms of ordering the paragraphs appropriately, as the article was much better this time.