Evaluation Question 4

Q4. How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?

Adobe Photoshop CC software, mobile apps such as Photoshop Mix, Fix, PS Express and VSCO Cam were used as the primary editors for the pictures captured after being guided by YouTube tutorials. Usage of Adobe Photoshop was fairly limited to splitting the pages for the accurate magazine page size for a double spread. Microsoft Word was utilized for the construction of the timeline and questionnaire (only for preliminary task), for it is user friendly and has plenty of designs, charts and table inputs.

For the construction of the final cover, content and double spread of my Literary Magazine, I made use of an online magazine designer called Canva.com. It had all the myriad of tools available for a sophisticated but easy application for construction. The tools also weren’t too tough to remember or use which made it easy to navigate.

The variation in hardware was limited to a Cannon EOS 1200D to take the pictures for the photoshoot, with an additional lens of EFS 50-250 mm used occasionally for capturing higher quality pictures. The settings: Auto, Aperture Priority, Shutter Speed Priority, Manual were adjusted according to use and the environment. Shutter speed was decreased to capture subjects in motion, night vision, flash photography and ISO increased for low light photography, and aperture decreased to let more light in and for photographing objects to showcase depth of field. A tripod stand was not needed as most of the photographs taken were mostly portraits.

The project had a basis in getting to know the preferences of the audience and construct a project that they would be lured into buying which is why I conducted questionnaires. An online survey was conducted on surveymonkey.com which also produced an analysis once the questionnaire completed for my final task. For the preliminary I task I distributed hard copies of the questionnaire to my target audience of young adults and analyzed the results on a website called Meta-Chart.com to make a pie chart. Screenshots were also taken during the production process whilst deciding between various masthead fonts and placements and sent to the target audience and Whatsapp, to know their on the spot opinions.

Next, presentations on Prezi were made regarding analysis on content pages and various codes and conventions of genres of both preliminary (school sports magazine) and final (literary magazine) tasks. Prezi added an interesting touch to the existing dull way of producing presentations with its smooth navigation, various tools and a zoom in option if one wants to stress upon particular points.

The whole process, along with researches, questionnaires, editing process and analysis were documented, screenshot and put up on a blog. I chose Blogspot due to availability of various layouts and user friendly and easy to navigate interface. Each process was dated in an archive in a chronological, divided with labels  for easy piloting for the examiner.