Third Quarter Magazine Submission

Throughout the process of creating my magazine, I changed the title page, table of contents and article many times. Each change was focused on making the magazine more visually appealing, professional, and uniform with my partners magazine. The biggest change I made was the choice to redo my entire project with a different person. I felt that the original article wasn't what other magazine of our genre had in their magazine. The addition of branding also helped to make our product look more professional, but also more recognizable. I also changed the color theme of the issue. I felt that the purple didn't look right, so I went with a brighter, more vibrant pink.

CCR Draft #4

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. 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. 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. Overall, the integration of technology and computer software enabled us to create a polished, professional product.

CCR Draft #3

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.

CCR Draft #2

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.

CCR Draft #1

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. 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.

Distribution - Good Housekeeping

While researching the magazine, Good Housekeeping, I looked over their website. It appears to be slightly different from their magazine, it focuses more on entertainment rather than more substantial topics or articles. In the magazine, I found some decorating tips, recipes, and a few crafts but these articles were not featured on their home page. Right now, most of their home page is dedicated to the Oscars as the event happened over the weekend. The articles talk about the best dresses and couples rather than the information we found in the print magazine. There are some tabs on the page which will take you to; home ideas, food, beauty, Easter ideas, and product reviews. The home idea page features decoration tips and ideas as well as some do-it-yourself crafts. It also houses product reviews on some household cleaning items. The food tabs houses many different recipes based on the season. There are also some reviews on recipes. They also have information about some food chains such as Chick-fil-a. The beauty tab features fashion tips and advice as well as some analysis of celebrity clothing selections and fashion choices. Under the Easter ideas tab, there are recipes, crafts, and decorating tips that are all related to Easter. the final tab is the product review tab. When you click on this tab, it takes you to a page called "Products We Test" and you can click on the different products and it will take you to reviews of specific products in the genre you clicked. The tabs are; appliances, beauty, clothing, cooking tools, electronics, food and drink, health and fitness, home and garden, kids' items and toys, and cars and travel. The brand also has a Twitter, Pintrest, and Facebook account where they advertise articles from their website and sometimes from print magazines. One of the most recognizable things about the Good Housekeeping brand is their "seal of approval" on products they have tested. This not only helps to bring attention to the products they are reviewing, but it also gives Good Housekeeping some publicity. If someone who doesn't know the Good Housekeeping seal of approval, they will be more likely to look up what it is and why its important. This can bring traffic to their website and in turn possibly to their print magazine.

Distribution Research - Better Homes and Gardens

Through my research of the Better Homes and Gardens magazine (bhg), I found that they had a similar website layout to that of the Good Housekeeping website. It too is slightly different from the print magazine but contains a lot of the same information. The first thing you see when you go to their home page are cute crafts that they are featuring. They do have some crafts in their magazines but I have never seen some of the ones they had on the website. As you scroll down, you go through different genres of featured articles. They also have tabs that will take you to certain topics on the website. The first tab is the recipes tab. When you click on it, it takes you to a page very similar to the page the Good Housekeeping website took you to. The page contains a bunch of different recipe ideas and how-to's. The next tab is the decorating tab. When you click this tab, it takes you to articles about decorating but some of them are more "fashion hacks" types of articles. The next tab is the home improvement tab. It takes you to articles that are centered around DIY home improvement. Another tab is the Gardening tab. This will take you to articles about gardening, specifically DIY gardens and best plants for your garden. There are also a few articles on landscaping that is more centered around flowers. The fifth tab is the holiday tab. It changes based in season and upcoming holiday. It features many different types of articles but they all focus on a specific holiday. The next tab is the sales tab. This takes you to a different page that is dedicated to listing items for sale that they used in articles and linking them for the reader to find and buy. The next tab is the video tab. This tab has a bunch of how-to videos on a myriad of different subjects. These videos are pretty different from anything in the print magazine but some of them are slightly related. The next tab is the entertaining tab. When you click on this tab it takes you to articles and videos on how-to's for entertaining guests depending on the season. The next tab is the home services tab, which takes you to a search box which will give you free quotes from local companies. The next tab is the beauty and style tab. This takes you to all things beauty, from how-to's to reviews. The next tab is the magazine tab, which takes you to highlights for that months magazine. The final tab is the pets tab, which provides articles on how to train your pet, cute names, and animal products. Through further research I found that they have a Youtube, Pintrest, and Facebook page which all focus on advertising their magazine and website with highlights and sneak previews.