Analysing student work

Analysing Previous Student Work

 

Name of Magazine	Strengths	Weaknesses	Grade I awarded and reason
Shuffle	·         Overlapped text on images, making the front cover stand out ·         Has competitions advertised on front/barcode ·         Contents page with page numbers ·         Double page spread layout is eye-catching, uses the same font and colours ·         I like the way the questions on the double page spread are in a different colour font and size to the answers, making it stand out and uses a pull quote ·         Colour scheme runs throughout the magazine	·         Images are very amateur   ·         Layout of front cover is messy, the main cover story does not overlap the main image very well ·         Uses a lot of actual band photos, making it less original and stand out less ·         Font is not professional looking, and uses a variety of different fonts, making it look very messy	D- I would award this magazine a grade D. One reason is due to the amateur images used and the editing, making the magazine seem lazy and unorganised. There are also spelling mistakes on the double page spread, showing a lack of proof reading and care taken to ensure that the magazine is up to standard.
Image	·         Front cover looks professional as the image is well styled and edited to suit the colour scheme of the magazine ·         Colour scheme is fitting with the rest of the magazine ·         Image led on the contents page, very professional images which are page numbered, organised layout ·         Images are professionally edited and taken ·         Double page spread is organised	·         Uses images of artists that have already been taken ·         Very image led ·         Labelled the cover story which is not professional	B- I have awarded this magazine a grade B. This magazine is by far the best compared to the other two. The images have been well taken and edited, to suit the colour scheme of the magazine. This magazine seems much organised and it is visible that a lot of effort was made to ensure this magazine looked professional. There is a good use of fonts, which seem to suit the hip hop genre of magazine. The masthead of this magazine uses the same colour scheme as the magazine and a professional font. It is also tucked behind the main image photo, demonstrating Photoshop skills.
Talent	·         Masthead stands out and font looks moderately professional ·         Good use of pull quotes ·         Colour scheme of double page spread is neatly organised	·         Very amateur images ·         Font is amateur and messy layout making it hard to determine which is meant to stand out ·         Main cover line is randomly placed on front cover with little effect ·         Too many images of celebrities used, making it look very unprofessional ·         Too many colours/styles used	E- This magazine I have awarded a E. It is very unorganised as there is a lot of different fonts and colours used, making the magazine seem randomly co-ordinated. There is also a lot of use of other artist’s images making it feel as though this magazine has copied a popular magazine but simply added photos of them onto it.

What have I learned from looking at last year’s student work?

From this task I have been able to determine what makes a magazine professional and stand out compared to amateur mistakes and layouts. I have also been able to gain ideas of what I would like for my magazine such as what sort of layout works and looks professional. By comparing a few different types of magazines, I have been able to identify for myself what makes a magazine stand out. It has also given me a chance to look at previous work and to note how others may have approached this task and what other things I may need to add to improve my magazine.

How will I apply this to my own work?

As I have studied other students work and identified the strengths and weaknesses within their work, I will be able to adapt my work to make in order to improve