L04: Final Product

L04: Evidence of Editing

Front Cover

Choosing the Main Cover Image:

Out of all the photos I took of Michael Hearne, I decided that these were the best two. They both show him looking happy, and give a general idea of what a TTRPG player looks like. However, the first image shows him to look a bit more serious, and I don't want this to come across as intimidating, so I opted for the second image as it shows him to be more happy and calm. Furthermore, it shows off his minifigure which further represents the conventions of TTRPG's.

Adding a Masthead Shadow:

Although I like the way the front cover is started to come together, I noticed that the masthead had begun to blend into the main cover Image, so I decided to add a shadow in order to make the masthead stand out a bit more. To do this, I double clicked on the masthead text layer to open the 'layer style menu, and then I enabled the 'drop shadow' option.

I adjusted the settings to try and make the drop shadow match the shadows in the main cover image so that it doesn't look out of place.

Creating the Main Puff:

This will be the main puff, and its purpose is to direct the readers attention to the main article of this magazine (Role-Play Games for beginners), as this section will feature and interview with a TTRPG expert, Elijah Mangnall.

With all of this considered, I began putting the puff together, using the shape of a hex grid map (which is commonly used in TTRPG's). I used the red colour as it connotes danger and excitement, and the yellow colour as it connotes treasure by denoting gold.

After this, I added the details about the article (including the title of the article, and the page number), as well as the logo of the shop that is mentioned throughout the article (Patriot Games). This shop is also where the photoshoots and interviews were held.

Creating the Barcode:

I wanted to keep the barcode on this magazine very simple. To do this, I created a white rectangle and added the barcode on top of it, to the left. 

I also added the date of release, the issue number, and the price next to this.

Creating the Compact Puffs:

I wanted these puffs to keep to the same theme as the main puff, so I decided to use the same colours, alternating between them. Furthermore, I wanted these to be simple and straight forward, so rather than adding any graphics to them, I simply added the titles of different articles.

Creating the 'Special Content Puff':

The purpose of this puff is to show the special/ limited content that can only be accessed through this issue of the magazine. I chose to make this puff look like a sticker that is peeling away to connote that the limited content is nearly gone.

To begin with, I created a circle using the shape tool, and cut the bottom left portion of it off, and pasted it onto a new layer.

To show that the sticker is 'bending upwards,' I added an inner shadow.

I then added satin in order to give the back of the sticker some texture, and to make the inner shadow more visible.

To make this effect more realistic, I added a grey/ silver colour overlay to the back of the sticker. And, to bring the inner shadow back into visibility more realistically, I added a gradient overlay.

Contents Page

Heading/ Page Title and Background:

I chose the background colour as it has a similar colour to parchment, furthermore, it is a more accessible colour to dyslexic people/ people with vision issues.

At the top of the page, I wanted to have the page title, 'Contents' very visible, this is why I chose the red colour. Furthermore, I wanted to include the masthead at the top of the page.

Even from the beginning of pre-production, I wanted this magazine to represent the community and communicative aspects of TTRPG's. In order to achieve this, I decided to run a photoshoot in which I took photos of people playing Dungeons and Dragons an put the best one at the top of the contents page.

Although, I realised that having the page go straight from image to plain colour didn't look great, so I added a gradient. Furthermore, the image made the masthead and title difficult to read, so I also added a black gradient to the top of the image.

Main Puff and Side Puffs:

In order to tease the articles, I decided to add some puffs, I wanted to keep the continuity by using the same design as the puffs on the front cover.

In the bottom puff, I used another photo of the TTRPG expert in order to show his significance to the magazine. Furthermore, unlike the front cover, this puff doesn't require any additional text in it, so I used the full Patriot Games logo.

As one of the main purposes of this magazine is to inform the audience of the benefits of playing TTRPG's, I wanted to capture a photo of a TTRPG player in their first session, looking happy. This would allow me to engage the audience more and make the magazine more effective in meeting its purpose.

Articles and Page Numbers:

As dice are the most well known convention of TTRPG, I decided that I would put the page numbers on the faces of dice. 

For the different sections of the contents page, I will be including the article name in a larger font, and then the article teaser text in a smaller text underneath this.

Double Page Spread

Making the Heading:

I wanted the heading to reflect the themes created throughout the rest of the magazine but still create uniquity. To do this, I used the polygon tool to create a polygon. I then set its colour to dark blue, and added a yellow stroke. For the heading text, I used the font, Typo Draft as this matches the Masthead. I set the heading text on the left to yellow to connote treasure (to show that this article is exclusive and special), and I set the text on the right side to red to conform to the previously established conventions of my magazine.

Creating Puff and Adding Page Numbers:

The next stage was creating a puff to go in the bottom right corner. The purpose of this puff was to advertise Patriot Games' Weekly TTRPG nights in the hopes of promoting the community aspects of TTRPGs. I had already made multiple puffs throughout this magazine, and I wanted to create continuity, so I used recreated one of the previous puffs and altered the dimensions to suit the size of the page. The only difference in this puff is the yellow divider. To create this, I colour picked the yellow from the outline of the puff, and used the line tool to draw the line.

In my contents page, I had already assigned the page numbers, and created the page numbers, so I simply copied them across and positioned them appropriately.

Subheadings and Page Content:

The subheadings were simple to add. I used the text tool to add the text, and then changed their colour to red and positioned them where I wanted them on the page.

The rest of the page content is just text.

Image of TTRPG Expert:

I took this photo on a plain background, so that it was simple to remove the background. To remove the background, I used the magic wand tool.

Image of people playing D&D:

It was important to make this image stand out as it connotes the community aspects of TTRPGs and shows that the TTRPG community is friendly and willing to help. So I added a yellow border as this connotes exclusivity.

Adding Final Touches:

I found that the blank space above the image of people playing D&D made the page look tacky and incomplete, so, in order to relate the the rest of the article. I added some beginner TTRPG products into that space.

L04: Client and Focus Group Feedback and Reflection

Survey:

Front Cover:

Contents Page:

Double Page Spread:

Focus Group Feedback:

Front Cover:

From a distance, is the front cover engaging to you?

The masthead colour makes it difficult to read. Could be white?

The 'Michael Hearne' text is in yellow despite all other text being in black.

The 'Michael Hearne' banner having a lower opacity looks out of place compared to the other puffs.

The black background makes Michaels outfit difficult to see.

The sticker fold up bit doesn't quite line up.

The barcode box is jarringly white.

What do you like about the front cover/ what is good about it?

the fact that Michael looks like he is having fun is engaging.

the masthead is engaging aside from the colour, seems trademarkable.

the layout is uncluttered.

What do you dislike about the front cover/ what is bad about it?

The compact puffs should be lower and smaller.

Have you got any feedback/changes for the front cover?

Contents Page:

What do you like about the contents page/ what is good about it?

The side puff is eye catching.

Having the model stick out over the puff looks good.

What do you dislike about the contents page/ what is bad about it?

Only one model having a shadow looks off.

Have you got any feedback for the contents page?

Page numbers need to be closer.

The apostrophe should be after the 's.' - This will be fixed in the body-copy blog

Quotes need apostrophes, Some full stops are missing - This will be fixed in the body-copy blog

'Fire Giant' needs capitalising.

Bottom fade needs moving down.

More image needs showing.

Incorrectly capitalised 'I'

Double Page Spread:

What do you like about the double page spread/ what is good about it?

The text is nicely oriented.

Nice Layout.

Nice to read.

nicely placed image of people - they look they are enjoying themselves.

What do you dislike about the double page spread/ what is bad about it?

Have you got any feedback for the double page spread?

Change it to 50-60 pounds, and 10-20 pounds

page numbers need to be closer together.

Could add BBEG to the key words.

take out the but

capitalise 'Tuesday'

should be 'of A welcoming nature.'

have a reread of the content, it should be more exciting. - its a story, use dice for probability, it is very social, anything is possible, reference to a dungeon master. - This will be fixed in the body-copy blog

Consistency issues with how Pg. is written.

Reflection on Feedback:

Through both the survey and the focus group, multiple issues were pointed out with the original ribbon design. They said that they liked the shape as it made it feel special and exclusive, but the text (which was originally in yellow) stood out for the wrong reasons. They stated that the text on the rest of the page was established as black, so it didn't make sense for this text to be yellow. Furthermore, they mentioned that the original ribbon design made Michael Hearne feel irrelevant. He was shown on the front cover, but the ribbon didn't indicate where in the magazine his relevance is. To fix this, I simply added a second ribbon below the first one and added the article name and page number to it.

Another change that my audience research suggested was the colour of the masthead. Multiple people mentioned that the original dark blue colour blended in with the background of the main cover image. One of the focus group members suggested the colour white, but I tested this out, and it was harsh on the eyes. So instead I colour matched it to the blue dice.

Although a very small and simple change, it was mentioned that the dice should be placed closer together to make the numbers look more connected.