Experimenting in Photoshop

For my magazine I used Photoshop as i was most familiar with it as I have used it in the past. I had various attempts whilst experimenting from the design of my school magazine as shown below:-

The Process of Experimenting with my school magazines in Photoshop

 [1][2][3][4][5] [6]

[1] I wanted to put a black background in therefore I used the 'Quick Selection Tool' on Photoshop and cut a nice, smooth line around myself and my friend and placed a black background behind that I found off Google. I very much like the simplicity and that the heading, text and images stand out more to the eye behind the simple background however it doesn't give a good perspective of a school magazine as much as it should as I think it needs a background that is school related of some sort or other images on it that shows features of the school.

[2] This one is an improvement of number [1] as it has a background of children walking around the school therefore it portrays a school magazine of higher quality. However, I don't like the position of the price of the magazine, the bar code and the choice of colours of the typefaces and the typefaces themselves.

[3] This design has again improved a lot from the design before. Firstly, there is a use of contrasting colours of the typefaces that are both vibrant and very colourful in different sizes and even sometimes overlapped so its not dull and boring but interesting and creative. Secondly, the bar code is moved to the side so it is out the way and its not focused on as much. Furthermore, there is also a puff added which sparks the audiences interest as it makes the reader feel special as they're being offered extra content that isn't offered anywhere else in this case 'GET FREE STUDENT DISCOUNT INSIDE' & 'WIN A BRAND NEW IPAD'. 

[4] This design is pretty similar to number [3] However I changed the headlines text to a white glow rather than dark. However I think I like the darker glow around as it looks more professional and tidy. This design also has a skyline which I think is effective as it tells them the sorts of topics in the magazine which is useful for the audience so they know what they are going to buy.

[5] At this point I decided to change the typeface of the headline of the magazine to a more professional one and add a slight shadow and I also changed the name as it seemed more appropriate, inspirational and eye catching. Moreover, I got inspired by the well known magazine called 'The Time' and in conclusion all I think is very effective and looks great.

[6] Lastly I decided to put various pictures of my school at the bottom of the magazine of students and students working in the classroom, and I added both genders for the audience to feel like its gender-neutral. By doing this it gives the reader a more in depth feel about the life of the school.