Inquiry: Consider yourself as a visual consumer. Find a website/brochure/magazine you like and reflect on what it appeals to you. Write a short review of the site/product on your blog, making reference to points addressed in this week’s study materials.
As a current student studying digital media, I have many interests in design and photography; however I also have a passion for Volkswagen Beetles. For the final task of the blog assessment, I have selected the magazine ‘VW Magazine Australia (VWMA)’. VWMA is available every 3 months and purely dedicated to Volkswagen enthusiasts.
Figure 1: Features Source: VVMA (2015) pg. 3
VWMA is a male-dominated publication. The design principles are evident; however, differ as opposed to what may be found in female-orientated or non-motoring publication. The overall visual principles ensure every page consists of images and text. The purpose of this magazine is to promote like-minded business through advertising, only Volkswagen classic car sales, promoting events, real life stories, and so forth (see figure 1).
Figure 2: Herman’s Excellent Adventure/ Platinum Trimmings Source: VVMA (2015) pg. 46-47
While the pages may appear inconsistent at a first glance, every page layout coexists with one another. Each page is purposely divided by two or three columns, which divide the content and images. Text is presented separately in justified alignment, whereas images are enclosed within a box/ border. Advertising material is revealed every several pages or combined with a story. These can range from one ad to a combination of ads per page. Aside from advertising material, the text remains consistent in font, size and colour. This is achieved by keeping the background white and applying black text for optimum readability (see figure 2).
Figure 3: Bling Bug Source: VVMA (2015) pg. 64-65
Colour is a very important element when creating a visual principle. For example, (figure 3) consists of a two-page spread, featuring this custom Volkswagen Beetle. This beautifully restored orange and white bug is the feature for this story; therefore, one large image has been stretched across both pages. The smaller images are presented with a thin white border to offset the element of white space. The title is positioned in the top right hand corner, using the same colour orange to draw the reader’s attention to the text below.
References
Ames, K 2015, COMM11007 Media writing week 10: impact of design: study guide, CQUniversity, Rockhampton.
Practical: Review your blog. You should review it for visual impact and technical accuracy from a language perspective.
The final blog… what an overwhelming 10 weeks it has been! Looking forward to the break, as I’m sure everyone will be. I hope you have enjoyed reading my blogs and look forward to some feedback. Until next time…
a. Is the layout clean and easy to read? Have you used headings in a way that attracts attention to key points? Is white space used appropriately? Reflect on this on your blog.
The layout of my blogs is clean and easy to read. The background has remained white with the use of black font, as a good rule of thumb for readability. The headings are simple and are presented in capital letters. The activities content is written in bold with the addition of the questions that have been applied in both bold and italics; this attracts the attention to the key points and remainder of the content. The overall white space is consistent with the use of images and spacing between text.
b. Have you completed all the tasks? Check that you have completed all blog requirements and ensure that you have responded to all weekly requirements. Check this against the ‘Blog Task Requirements’ on page two of this activity sheet.
The Blog Task Requirements checklist was beneficial and I strongly believe that I have completed all the requirements for this assignment. At first I had actually forgotten to check what was required for the technical aspect for blog nine, I assumed that nothing was required as the quiz exercise had been completed.
I chose to incorporate both inquiry and practical activities into one blog for ease of navigation and readability. The technical aspect in regards to quizzes one to eight were combined as a separate blog post, which can be easily found as per the label on my WordPress account.
c. Reflect on the blogging tasks. Write a few sentences on your views of this assessment. What were your major challenges and how did you overcome these? Was it too hard/too easy/about right? Has it helped improve your writing?
This assessment has been one of the most overwhelming tasks, yet I feel confident in my work. I have really grasped the concept of blogging and have become quite familiar with using WordPress.
The major challenges were ensuring I stayed up to date with the blog activities. It seems easy in theory, one blog per week for 10 weeks but can be seen as a challenge. Especially when combined with other full time studies, work and life; however, I applied myself and set a list of weekly tasks using a whiteboard that I crossed off as I completed. This provided instant gratification and supported my persistence throughout the weeks.
This assessment has definitely helped to improve my writing, which will support my future studies. The tasks themselves were not overly difficult; it was more an issue of time management and prioritising. This final blog post has proven this task to be achievable.
Technical: Blog review for technical errors
a. Review your blog against the ‘Blog Writing Checklist’ on page 3 of this activity sheet.
Call me old school but I find printing and physically marking off to still be a valuable tool in this modern world.
b. Reflect on this briefly on your blog – Did you find the questions difficult? Did find many issues?
The questions were very informative and provide a clear explanation, which I found very helpful. I tend to polish my work continuously, however I did find several minor errors in the first proofread. The ‘read your work aloud’ technique was definitely helpful; but I think I have re-read my work adequately.
COMM11007 - Media writing 