Analysis Of My Article

My Article analysis

For this task I had to create my own magazine article, using my own photographs and text. I am happy with my article, because I think it looks genuine and professional - because I used software such as Photoshop and Microsoft word to create the article I wanted.

My article is an interview with the star seen on my front cover, so I needed another photograph of her. I decided to take a low angle shot of her, to suggest her fame and dominance. When taking the photograph I tried many different poses, but I chose to have the model sitting down to create a more casual feel to the article.  I did this to tell the audience that the contents of the magazine will be informal and friendly because the pose, and the casual clothing of the model create that mood.

When I was designing the layout of the article, I chose to put the title at the top in the center so it is easy to see, and clearly shows what is on the page. I chose to use the same colour scheme in title and in the text that I used on the magazine cover so that the magazine would look more professional and more visually attractive - so the audience would be more interested in reading the article. My article uses the rule of three to create a visually attractive composition that is easy for the audience to navigate – with the image on the left and all the information on the right. This will make the audience more likely to read the article because it does not look confusing, and is easy to read and understand.

I chose to use the same font as the front cover to make the article link to the cover, so the magazine looks more professional and uses a house style all the way through. I chose to make some of the text larger than the rest, for example, I made the main title ‘ELLEN RUTHERFORD’ and the interview question titles (‘So how did it all start?’, ‘How did it feel to finally get your big break?’ etc) I did this to make the more important pieces of information stand out, So the audience knows what the questions asked. Also, the changes in colour for the title makes it stand out more so that the audience can easily see the important information.

I used a patterned, purple and white background because it matches the style of the front cover, and does not distract the audience from the star image and information. I chose a floral pattern because it also matches the front cover, and links to the fashion genre of the magazine. I used Photo Shop to create shadows to make it look like the model was actually sitting next to the surface. I did this to make the article look more professional and attractive, so that the audience would be more likely to pay attention and read it..

The research I did previously helped me to create an article that looks professional and has all the information needed for an interview. I researched visual codes and lexical choices that other articles use, so that I would be able to incorporate similar techniques into my own work and make it link to my cover to create a genuine looking magazine.

I feel that my strengths lie with the visual aspect of the article - for example - the image and how it links to the front cover. I am happy with the outcome of the contents page because it looks professional due to my use of Photo Shop to blend the image with the background to create an interesting article page.

However, if I were to do the article again I would improve my Photo Shop skills first so that the shadows look more genuine - and so there are fewer streaks where I have painted the shadows in. I would also consider including more images of the star, so the article pages look fuller, and so the audience thinks there is more information about the star in there.

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