Creative Critical Reflection

How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

Our product is not intended to challenge conventions. Our magazine includes a variety of topics, which I found to be similar to the magazine, Better Homes and Gardens. This allowed my partner and I to select a diverse assortment of articles and make our magazine more relevant to a larger audience of buyers. My table of contents aligns with other magazines that are in the same or similar genre. When considering layout of the article, my partner and I decided to create a cohesive theme by following the same template for all publications. We had the basics, such as a materials list and the location of the picture and the title. We also agreed that each article would follow the format of having only two columns, which we felt was the most appealing format among magazines of our genre. I chose to have my feature article focus on a craft, while my partners focused on a recipe.To differntiated between the different types of articles in our magazine, we decided to make the layout of each type slightly different. While this is not a common practice, it allows readers to recognize what kind of article they are reading and separates the different articles in each magazine publication. At the end of each article we inserted a small box that listed the materials required to complete the "craft" so that readers could easily complete the projects at home. This differs from most of the articles we researched. Many articles had the materials scattered throughout the article, but ours tried to make it easier for the reader to access. Our magazine doesn't have a serious or controversial tone, it has a much lighter tone and targets every-day people who want a little inspiration and practical advice to confidently exercise their creativity, either alone or with friends and family. Our article appeals to anyone who has a small amount of free time and a modest budget for example, a stay-at-home parent, retiree, teenager or anyone who enjoys practical home related pursuits. This is suggested through the pictures used throughout the magazine. The addition of pictures with people help to make the magazine feel more relatable to different social groups and age ranges.

Question 1

The HGTV magazine table of contents

A Better Homes and Gardens Table of Contents

The Better Homes and

Gardens Magazine we

referanced

How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

Our product provides a resource for those looking for information, inspiration and know how relating to crafts or decorating. Detailed hands-on crafting and decorating ideas and instructions are presented in an easy and convenient format, inspiring people and giving them confidence to tackle any of the projects themselves. We modelled our magazine on, what we believe, to be the best features of other more established magazines in the same field that also provide a website for their magazine which adds value to the customer. On the website we provide additional articles that may not be included in the magazine as well as videos giving detailed visual tutorials and troubleshooting segments on some of the projects for those who find themselves running into problems during the crafting process. Many of the companies we looked at also had social media accounts. This would be helpful in promoting and marketing our product so that it becomes recognizable to customers and creates brand recognition. It would be an exciting way to provide an ability to directly interact with the product. We also felt that it could be beneficial to include coupons and coupon codes for products we use throughout the magazine. This could be an incentive for people to purchase our product, as many other magazine companies have succeeded in doing. We decided that we would use the distribution company, Hearst magazines to distribute our product. This company is used by some of our competitors and appears to be highly competent. We found the magazines we researched were distributed in book stores and in supermarkets, so we decided that would be a good place to start. For our specific magazine, we also wanted to distribute it in specialty stores such as Michaels and other specialty craft store chains. This would ensure that our product was available to a larger audience. By ensuring that the covers of the magazines are appealing, we would create interest and encourage consumers to purchase our product. We also plan to have an option to sign up for a monthly subscription on our website. This way people could get the magazine

conveniently delivered directly to their homes.

Question 2

A screenshot of the Better Homes and Gardens website

How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

Although we lacked experience at the beginning of this project, our design, writing and production skills improved significantly during the project. This began by thoroughly researching a variety of production and distribution techniques used by other magazines and publications in a variety of genres. Through the creation of our magazine, including the cover page, table of contents, and article, I was able to practice techniques I observed to create a professional looking product. For example, through our research of magazines similar to ours, such as Good Housekeeping, Better Homes and Gardens, and HGTV Magazine, we observed that each company used a recognizable and easy to read font for their title, and always ensured that their text stood out. Each company relied on the use of bright colors to attract the attention of possible buyers. The bright colors not only made the cover more eye-catching, they also made the covers visually appealing, a trait I tried to mimic in the creation of my magazines. I was also able to strengthen my production skills through research, but most importantly, trial-and-error. I had to fail a few times before I was satisfied with the cover page as well as the remainder of the magazine. If it didn't work, I would change it until I was satisfied with the final product. This happened a lot during the production of my title page, I was very particular about what I wanted to achieve because this is the first thing you see when you look at the magazine, it was important to me to get it right and make it appealing to readers. To do this I changed my font, pictures, and experimented with the overall layout multiple times. I also added captions for pictures throughout the magazine, and ensured that the layouts were streamlined. Overall, through the process of extensive research and a lot of trial-and-error, I was able to create a professional magazine, while developing my productions skills.

Question 3

How did you intergrate technologies - software, hardware and online - in this project?

Throughout the creation of our magazine, we used several different forms of technology and computer software. We used applications such as Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop, and iPhone editing apps as well. This software allowed us to edit the quality of the pictures we used, as well as the layout of our magazine pages. I used Microsoft Publisher to create my magazine. It allowed me to easily change the format, font styles, and overall layout of each of the magazine pages. I used Adobe Photoshop to edit my photos and set up my flat plan. The software allowed me to change the quality of my pictures and set up my flat plan exactly how I wanted it. I didn't rely on Microsoft Word as much, but I did use it to help with my planning for my article. I also used an iPhone 6 and iPhone 7 to take my pictures, as well as a Canon Rebel T6. This allowed me to take clear and professional pictures o display in my magazine. I used several editing apps on my phone, in addition to Adobe Photoshop, to adjust and enhance contrast and saturation of the pictures I took. This enhanced the pictures and made them more eye-cathing. The last application I used was Google Chrome. This was an extremely helpful tool in conducting research about the target audience and distribution methods of competing magazines. It also helped me to establish convensions of my genre of magizne. Overall, the integration of technology and computer software enabled us to create a polished, professional product.

Question 4