I inserted both a link and the actual video because I’m not sure which will work the best.

This whole process has been extremely fun but also a little stressful. It was stressful due to the resources and skills I had to work with as I am not a very tech-savvy person. I enjoyed making this project and being able to compare the rough draft and the final project. As well as being able to speak about something I’m passionate and fascinated by. I also enjoyed writing these blogs. I also enjoyed getting to work alongside Demi throughout this project. As well as seeing and being a part of the behind-the-scenes of what really goes into a magazine and the hard work it takes to create one.

My magazine is completely based on crystals and spirituality. I not only touched on crystals but other factors that come into play with crystals. I taught readers the importance of July and Cancers as well as their effect on crystals and tarot cards. July has a greater impact than many believe and I’m not talking about the weather. I also interviewed a crystal specialist to bring forth information in July for my readers.

My target audience is teens and young adults. I also would like to cater my magazine to women and fellow crystal lovers. I would distribute my magazine both online and in person. I feel as though the best stores to distribute my magazine would be chain stores but also crystal stores. I feel that this would help reach my target audience the best,

we just got back from spring break which was a week long. I’m back and ready to finish and finalize my magazine project. I’m excited to finally be done and share my final project.

I’ve accomplished a lot this school year. So far this year I have learned about magazine terminology and editing software. I have learned how to use this to bring my magazine to life. I have created rough drafts for every step of my project and have used that as an outline for my final product. I have worked with a classmate to brainstorm and create a magazine together.

While I have accomplished much I have much left to do. My magazine is almost done but not quite yet its missing little details. I need to insert the pictures I have taken into my contents page as well as edit the layout a bit to my liking. I also need to finish adding my article to the layout I have created on Adobe express. As well as go back and check my grammer and spelling throughout my article. I also need to create emy critical reflection as the last piece of my project. While this process has been long I cant wait to see the end result of a magazine I hand crafted on my own.

In class, we were shown examples of previous students’ critical reflections. We also went over the guidelines for the critical reflections and brainstormed some ideas in class about how well want to complete our critical reflection. The critical reflection is a crucial part of this project as it allows insight into the design aspect and the thought behind everything. I think I will do a podcast for my critical reflection.

1. How does your product use or challenge convictions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

My magazine challenges ethics and morals. Some may say that crystals are unethical and fiction. That it is just a rock and holds no power or impact. It challenges the minds of close-minded individuals. My magazine represents those who think beyond what can be seen or put into words it represents those with a high thought process. My magazine represents issues others face and the insight they can receive through crystals, incense, or tarot cards.

2. How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

My magazine engages with the audience through the bright colors and images I use. The front cover alone draws the attention of a specific audience. My magazine would be distributed through an online website and in stores. My magazine would be on the shelf amongst other magazines such as Vogue and People Choice.

3. How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

I feel that throughout this project I was challenged creatively and I feel as though we can see that through my rough drafts and final product. I feel my skills were elevated throughout this project as I gained a sense of what I wanted to deliver to the audience. I was able to look at examples for inspiration and find my own voice for this project.

4. How did you integrate technologies- software, hardware, online- in this project?

Throughout my whole project, I used technology. I used the internet to research my topic and find inspiration. I used Adobe to create my product and edit it. I used a camera to take the photos seen in my magazine. I also used my phone to edit out the background of photos to give them a clean finish.

In class today we did a peer review of our magazine draft with another magazine group. I showed them my magazine cover draft, contents page draft and my magazine article draft. They then told me things I could improve and what they liked about it. They also showed me their magazine draft and I discussed with them what I liked and what I think they could improve.

I worked with a fellow classmate and their magazine was about animals. I like the shadows and dimensional tittles on their magazine cover. I also liked the background they used which caught my eye. I also liked the use of different images throughout their cover and contents page. I thought they could improve their magazine by adding a selling line to catch the audience eye. I also think they could add a barcode to make it more magazine like.

My fellow classmate likes my cover page and the use of different fonts and colors. They also said they liked the vibrancy of my contents page. They told me I could improve the background of my cover page and make it pop a little more to draw attention. They also think I could use more popping colors. They also think I could use a little more organization on my cover page by laying out the cover line in a more structural style.

My rough draft is slowly but surely coming together. I have yet to do my interview so what I have written so far is pure research until I’ll be able to add quotes. I have two paragraphs so far touching on July and its significance on crystals while also touching on specific crystals. I do need to go back and double-check my grammar and spelling though. I plan to include different pictures of crystals and an incense holder. I’m also thinking of including a flower background to give the page some texture and differentially since every page in my magazine has crystals on it.

Article Outline

Paragraph one: Intro

• Introduction to July
  • Cancer season
    • The dates
    • And significance

Paragraph two-four: Crystals

• Introduce crystals of July
  • Ruby
  • Rose Quartz
  • Onyx

Paragraph five: Interview

• Touch on what my interview results were and how they correlate with the above paragraph
  • Crystal sales in July
  • Significance of July in their opinion

Paragraph six: Jewelry 

• Talk about the best ways to wear jewelry in July
  • Necklaces
  • Bracelets
  • Earrings

Paragraph seven: Touch on July itself as a season

• The weather
• Tourist
• Moon phases

Paragraph eight: Tarot cards 

• The tarot cards of July and how they relate back to crystals.

While I love my magazine cover I do plan to make some changes. The photo I used is from Google as an example of what it will look like because I haven’t taken the pictures I want to take yet. I also plan on making the barcode smaller and changing the font color of my cover lines. I also want to add additional cover lines and details to my magazine. I think all the different colors of fonts make it a little tacky so I’m thinking of picking on color and doing different shades.

I love my content page and don’t plan on making many changes. The photos I use are from Google so I will substitute them for pictures I take. I am thinking of maybe changing the leaf-like background I added to something else but I’m not quite sure what background I will change it to. I also noticed I didn’t line up all the numbers correctly so I will make sure everything is lined up for a clean look. I don’t think I will make any other changes though because I love the colors and the fonts.

The last class taught us how to use Adobe software to create our magazine. In class, we learned how to import an image from the web and edit the layout of the image and magazine. I learned how to edit the font and size. I learned how to create my own template and change things using the available settings. We went over how to add shadows and textures to your magazine.

We developed a very rough draft of what we would like our magazine to look like. The main image I used is from Google because I have not yet taken the photos I want to use. For my masthead, I decided to do it in pink with an outline and added a shadow. For my selling line, I decided to put a bold color to make it pop. My main cover line is “Oh My July” which I decided to put in big pink cursive lettering. I also put one additional cover line on my cover just to spice it up. For my final cover, it will have more coverlines.

Today in class we finalized and composed a list of questions we want to ask for our magazine article. We then did a mock interview where we recorded the audio. We did this so we could transcribe it here. I asked my questions as I would for the real interview and my classmate answered to the best of her ability.

Transcription of my mock interview with my classmate: Me- “Hi my name is Vianca and I’ll be interviewing you today. How are you doing?” Classmate- “I’m good how are you?” Me- “I’m good. What’s your name and how old are you?” Classmate- “My name is Demi De la Cruz and I am 15 years old.” Me- “Where are you from and what’s your background?” Classmate- “I am from New York but I moved to Florida when I was in the 3rd grade. I am Dominican.” Me- “What do you do for a living?” Classmate- “For a living, I work a part-time job at Publix.” Me- “What is your favorite season and why?” Classmate- “My favorite season I would say is fall and summer, because I love going to the pool. And fall is just so pretty.” Me- “How do you feel about summer? Would you say it’s exciting? Do you look forward to it or is it something you dread?” Classmate- “I do look forward to summer actually. Anytime out of school is the best time for me.” Me- “Do you like July? Why or Why not?” Classmate- “I actually do like July. I think July just gives off summer vibes.” Me- “How do you feel about cancers in the zodiac sign?” Classmate- “Well as an aquarias I don’t think me and cancers get along all the time. Maybe like a selective few but I do love cancers.” Me- “What are your favorite crystals and why?” Classmate- “My favorite crystals I would say are ruby, amethyst, and emerald.” Me- “Would you recommend them to others?” Classmate- “I would but I think I would recommend rose quartz to people.” Me- “What do you believe are the best crystals for July and why?” Classmate- “I think the best crystals for Juky are carnelian, onyx, and pyridine.” Me- “Do you feel July has a specific effect on crystals?” Classmate- “Umm I do, I believe Julky holds a lot of powerful crystals.” Me- “What would you recommend as the best way to wear crystals in July?” Classmate- “During July I would say the best way to wear crystals is a simple little necklace or a few bracelets.” Me- “Have you noticed the amount of demand for a specific crystal in July?” Classmate- “Umm recently yes, I think a lot of people in July are getting into their spirituality and I really love that.” Me- “My last and final question. What made you want to go into the business of selling crystals?” Classmate- “Honestly, my family has just always been into spirituality and the whole crystal thing. So I think I just naturally grew up with it and I really love it.” Me- “Well great thank you so much for answering my questions.”

I enjoyed this assignment because It gave me a chance to see how efficient my answers were and how specific they were. I liked getting to practice my questions on a classmate first to see if I liked my questions.

In class, we created both a rough draft and a final draft of what our content page will look like. I decided to do a traditional layout as seen in most magazines, but also added my own style to it. I want to keep a theme of purple and pink throughout my magazine. For my content page, I decided to do 11 headlines that I thought were catchy and exciting. I chose these headlines based on rhymes and also because they’re sweet and short but also to the point. I also decided to feature photos on my content page. To inspire me I looked at gardening and crystal magazine layouts online.