LO3 - Carrying out a production role for a media production

Roles and Responsibilities
During the course of the magazine unit, I carried out the role of creative director, among others. The main responsibilities of this role included overseeing the appearance of the overall publication and making sure it conformed to the house style that was outlined in a brief.

Contribution to Media Production
As the creative director, I supervised the design of the whole publication. I had to make sure that each page followed the drafts that were drawn out, and were consistent to the intended house style. I oversaw the changes and adjustments from the first draft to the final appearance of the publication.

Draft 1

Draft 2

Draft 3

Suggested Improvements

Final Publication

Development of Skills

I developed many useful skills during the time I spent as creative director for the magazine unit. By taking inspiration from other existing publications, I was able to begin to develop an eye for good design. I was also introduced to the Adobe program InDesign, which I had had no experience using prior to the magazine unit. I was able to learn and develop my skills using InDesign during my time studying the unit.
To be able to pursue this role as a career, I would need to further develop my practical and creative skills in a design sense. These are skills that I began to develop when I was working on the magazine unit, and they need further development to become skills that would be appropriate in a career-based scenario.
Other skills that I would need to improve on include my time-keeping and verbal communication skills. I would need to become more organised and step out of my comfort zone when it comes to communicating with others in order to work to my full potential in this kind of career.

Additional Tasks

I worked on every part of the magazine, so this means that I managed to experience every role during production. Every part of the production, from writing the articles to organising time scales, allowed me to work on my skills. It also allowed me to improve in some areas that I was weaker in, such as the elements of organisation and time-keeping that are essential during the production of a magazine publication.

LO2 - Personal skills

Learners analyse the skills they have that would enable them to carry out a chosen media production role, including: a) written   communication b) verbal communication c) practical production d) creativity


Responsibilities of a designer 
Any graphic designer, whether working on a magazine or any other form of media, needs to follow a set brief that fits the house style and purpose of the publication. Some specific tasks they may be required to carry out, depending on whether they are a senior or junior designer, include developing concepts, reviewing final layouts and suggesting improvements and working with clients to make the design fit for purpose.
Having studied the creative digital media course, I have some of the skills needed to be able to have a career as a designer. These include being able to use Adobe software such as Photoshop and InDesign.

Written Communication
A designer must be literate and understand correct English and grammar, as they will be communicating with clients and other members of their team. They must be able to thoroughly explain their design ideas to colleagues with written text.
During the production of my magazine, when I was designing the advert on the last page, I had to contact the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust to gain their permission to use their logo in production. This is similar to communicating with clients in a position as a real designer. The practice of writing to official organisations has prepared me for if I ever wanted to pursue a career in this field. 

Verbal Communication

A designer must be comfortable with presenting and pitching their ideas to colleagues, clients and senior members of their team. They also have to be confident in speaking within their team of other designers.
I think this area is the one I need to work on the most in terms of skills, as my time-keeping and organisation skills are not quite at the standard they would need to be to work as a designer. However, I have had practice during the course of the magazine unit, when I spoke to peers and teachers for feedback on the design of my magazine. During other units, such as the graphic design unit, I had to present and pitch my ideas to an audience. This is practice for skills I would need as a designer.

Practical Production

Having skills with design programs is essential, as these programs will be in everyday use during a career as a designer. They will be used for most things from first drafts up to the final publication. Some examples that I have had practice using are Adobe Photoshop and InDesign.
However, it is not only the computer software that a designer must be adept with. They must also have an eye for aesthetics and how to best lay out a page. The eventual overall appearance of the publication is ultimately down to the designers.
During my time studying the course in creative and digital media, I have developed a sense of what looks right and what doesn't in terms of design. Whilst completing Unit 14, the magazine design unit, I compared my drafts with existing publications of similar genres to gain a further understanding of the techniques behind designing a magazine publication.

Skills to Improve
Although I have studied many aspects of design throughout the duration of this course, I don't yet have enough expertise to be able to pursue it as a career. I haven't explored enough different genres, techniques or styles of magazine design to take it to a professional level. I have begun to develop an eye for design, but it isn't developed quite enough to use it without the reference of another existing magazine publication to take inspiration from.
Since I began studying the course and started using Adobe software like Photoshop, my skills have improved immensely, but there is still room for improvement. I have a knowledge of the basics, but I would need a more extensive knowledge of these programs to be able to use them on a daily basis as part of a career.

Plan
If I were to pursue a career in design, I would need to go on to study a higher course focussing on magazine design such as a degree in Design for Publishing at Norwich University of the Arts, or Magazine Journalism and Publishing at London College of Communication. Studying a course of this nature would hopefully improve the skills described in the section above, as I would be able to practice using Adobe software, or similar programs. This in turn would help me to develop my eye for seeing how a good design should be laid out.
Another part of this plan would include trying to find work; either voluntary or paid, that includes working in the design processes of magazine production. This way I would gain some hands-on experience with working as a designer for a magazine. 

Creativity

As described in the section above, a designer must naturally have an eye for design and be able to visualize the most appropriate way to lay out a page. They must be able to think of original and interesting ideas that will draw the reader in. As well as having skill with the technical aspects of design, they usually have their own personal creative flair that they will apply to most of their work. A good designer will work this into their brief to keep in line with the house style of the publication.

 

LO1 - Comparing job roles

Sub-Editor

a) Key Functions

The sub-editor's main role is to make sure that the text in the publication is how it should be. This includes checking for grammatical and spelling errors as well as checking the accuracy of factual information such as statistics and names. The sub-editor also has to keep the text conforming to the house-style of the publication, and will edit the content to fit.
This practice is called copy editing. There are three levels of copy editing; light, medium and heavy. The level of copy editing that is employed depends on the budget and timescale of the publication.
There are two main types of copy editing: mechanical and substantive. Mechanical editing is the process of making sure that the text follows the house style of the publication. This includes editing and adjusting abbreviations and acronyms; additional elements that might be included in an article such as tables, charts and graphs; hyphenation; capitalisation; and where to use bold/italic type.

b) Equipment Used

Traditionally, the method for copy editing has been hard-copy editing. In this method, the sub-editor has a physical copy of the text and writes directly onto the copy, writing in a code that can be recognised by their colleagues. This means the sub-editor must also have legible handwriting, and they write in a different colour to the text itself to make it easier to see.
However, with technology being used more and more, the more modern method of on-screen copy editing is becoming more and more commonly seen in use. There are many advantages of using on-screen editing as opposed to hard-copy editing. These include being able to search for words, run spellcheckers and generate neat copies of messy pages. It will also be easier to decipher the sub-editor's notes with options to change colour and font.
A word-processor on a computer is the main thing needed for on-screen copy editing. A good word-processor like Microsoft Word or Adobe InCopy is best to use for copy-editing.

c) Skills Needed

A sub-editor needs to be someone who is literate and has knowledge of the correct use of grammar and language. The way that a text is interpreted is almost wholly the sub-editor's responsibility, as they are the person who alters and adjusts a text to make sure it fits the house style of the publication, and ensures it is grammatically correct.
The sub-editor must also be knowledgeable about how to use word-processing software. They should be adept at using the software that the company itself uses, especially when they are using on-screen copy editing.

Creative Director

a) Key Functions

A creative director is the driving force behind how the publication looks visually. They make sure the house style of the publication is evident, and work with their own team of designers to work on all of the visual elements of the publication.
Like the copy editor, they work on keeping the house style fitting to the brief, but the creative director works with images and layouts, rather than with text. They are the person responsible for hiring photographers, designers and content editors that work with their team to make the publication come together as a whole.

b) Equipment Used

The creative director may not have as much of a direct influence on the design of the publication - that is, they usually direct their team rather than working on it themselves. However, they don't entirely rely on the team - they can also work on the publication themselves. This means that they need extensive knowledge of programs such as the Adobe software, like Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. These are the kinds of programs that will be used by the team that the creative director manages. To use these programs, the creative director will need a reliable computer or laptop that has a large enough memory to be able to run these programs smoothly.
They should also be able to use the computer or laptop to organize any meetings that they will be conducting. As a director of a team, they are responsible for making sure that every member of their team knows what to do and how to do it.

c) Skills Needed

A creative director needs to be efficient with time management, as they are in charge of managing deadlines for their team of designers. They must have a good visual eye, as the whole publication is relying on their design choices. Their job is probably even more crucial than that of the sub-editor, as this visual design is the first thing a reader will see when they look at the magazine. They must be a supportive tutor to their team, as well as a critical viewer of their team's work.

Comparison

Both of these roles are vital in the production of the publication. They both have to work to keep the publication conforming to the house style. Their roles go hand-in-hand to bring the whole publication together, as the creative director oversees the visuals and the sub-editor oversees the text.

LO1 - Job roles in magazine production

Editor In Chief

The editor in chief is the person in charge of the appearance of the whole publication. They need to be attentive to each and every part of production, assessing how they work together to create the final product.

The editor in chief should work especially closely to the art/creative/design director. This is in order to visualise and put together just what the final publication will look like. They also have to work closely with the other departments to make sure that the rest of the production runs smoothly.

Creative Director

This job role can go by many names, including art director, art editor and design director as well as creative director. The main responsibilities for this role are as the title might suggest: this person should be responsible for overlooking the creative and visual aspects of the production.
The creative director is in charge of a team of designers and aids them with creating the look of the production. Different creative directors have different dynamics with their group of designers; some very closely supervise every aspect of the designers' work, whereas some directors give their team more artistic freedom with their tasks.

Designers

Designers work directly on the publication to, as the name suggests, design the appearance. They are supervised by the creative director, who supports the designers in their various tasks with varying levels of control. There are various factors which affect how much leeway the director gives the designers - a senior designer would have more freedom than a junior designer, for example.
The size of the team of designers depends on the length of the publication.

Picture Editor

This member of the production team is responsible for making sure the quality of the images used in the publication are of a high standard. They negotiate prices of stock images, hire photographers, and work closely with the Creative Director to make sure the final images in the publication look as they should.

Sub-Editor (Copy Editor)

This role begins the editing process by going through and fixing any errors in the texts that are going to be included in the publication. These errors can be grammar and spelling errors as well as factual errors. The Sub-Editor goes through and checks whether things such as place names and statistics are correct.

Proofreaders

The proofreaders work closely with the Sub-Editor to make a final check that the texts are grammatically correct and that there are no spelling errors.

Production Manager

The production manager oversees the time management of the production, setting deadlines and schedules to keep things running smoothly. This role is also responsible for communicating with the printing-house.

Department Editors

Every magazine is different, and will have different entries for different genres, such as fashion or sport. This is where the role of department editor comes in. They manage texts and images for their department of the publication and work closely with the Editor In Chief, Creative Director and Production Manager to make sure that the final outcome looks just the way they want it to.