The first step was to input my background image. I had not planned to include a large background image but I am pleased I did as I think it makes my DPS look very professional and very much like a DPS which would be found in a magazine such as Cosmopolitan. One problem I found with the image I chose was that it was not wide enough so I had to make some adjustments in Photoshop. My teacher showed me how I would be able to get rid of this problem by copying an area of the image and pasting it onto the end, increasing its size. I then completed the process for myself at each end of the image until I was happy with where my model was placed on the page. I also had to use tools such as the healing and clone tools so that the line where I had pasted the new section could not be seen and was smooth. I am very pleased I adjusted the image in this way as it means my model is positioned more centrally on the page and also follows the rule of thirds which makes the image even more appealing to the eye. Getting this exactly right did take me quite a long time-as did choosing the image I would use. One way I would improve this would be to re-shoot the image and make sure I had a bit more space in the left hand side of the image for my article to fit into.
The next step was to create my image timeline down the right hand side of my DPS. I had previously edited the images ready to insert into InDesign. I created 5 frames all of the same size which I then placed my images into. As I wanted the timeline to have a polaroid effect I had to create white boxes slightly bigger than my images and gave them subtle drop shadows and layered the images on top of them to give the feeling that the images were taken as polaroids. It was then a case of arranging the images down the side of my DPS, overlapping them and some are at different angles. This gives my DPS depth-as if the images have been put down on top of each other so give the page texture. At first I was not going to include the small captions on each image but I was advised to do so to ensure the story the images tell could be understood. It is then the background image which tells the end of the story with the girl alone and vulnerable, not able to control herself any more due to the amount of alcohol she has drunk.
The next step I completed was to create my DPS headline. I did this using Photoshop as I was able to adjust the spacing of the letters and fonts could be downloaded and used easily. I chose the font I did as it made an impact and was in the style of a label and also reminded me of a font the police would use. This could link to the kind of trouble you could get yourself into as a result of binge drinking. I did edit the font as I thought the width of the black tape in which the font was in was too thick and made the header too heavy on my DPS. I decided to crop out some of the black area and this made the lettering stand out more and it was not as dark and heavy. After creating a header which fitted in the space I had for it on my DPS I saved it as a JPEG and placed it into my InDesign document. I decided to have the first image of my timeline slightly overlapping it as it helped to create the illusion that my DPS was made up of layers.
The last step was to input all of my text, including my article, kicker, quote insert and page numbers. I created text boxes in all of my columns not covered by my model and used the place tool to insert my text.To get my article to fit on my DPS I used text wrapping. This meant that my text flowed around the model in my background image and this is a method often used in the magazine production industry. I created the shape I wanted the text to follow using InDesign and could easily adjust this shape. It was then a cas of adjusting the spacing of my text until I was pleased with the effect. I also inserted subheadings to break up the text and all I did to do this was insert an extra line of text, change the colour and make it bigger to ensure it stood out. This is something magazines such as Cosmopolitan often do. Beneath my header I had created a text box which was to feature my kicker. I used a similar process as I did when creating my subheadings. I made the text much bigger and used the same font and colour. I also used the text wrapping tool to include a quote insert. I created a small text box in the centre of my article text and used the text wrap tool to make my article text flow around it. I then typed out a statistic to draw readers in and used the same font and colour I had for my kicker. The last step was to insert my page numbers and include the title of my magazine and name of the issue, this is something I chose to include and re-create based on a DPS from Cosmopolitan magazine.
My DPS was quite time consuming to create however I am very pleased with what I have been able to produce. I definitely would not have been able to produce it without looking at a lot of different magazines as I have included a lot of different elements from different DPS' which I thought would work well on my own. I think it was definitely beneficial that I completed different plans such as my photo shoot plan and flat plans. This was because it meant when I came to producing my product I had a rough idea of what I was trying to achieve and as I had put a lot of detail into my photo shoo plan it meant I was able to shoot the images I needed very well so that I did not need to spend much time editing my images or had to book another photo shoot. To improve my product I would slightly adjust the layout and spend more time on my article and adjust the content of both my article and cell lines on my front cover.
My final unit 3 front cover
My final unit 3 DPS
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