Client Brief

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Click here to download the client brief.

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Keep a printed copy of the client brief at the front of your folder. Throughout this project, you must refer back to it to make sure your work matches exactly what the client has asked for. Read it carefully and highlight important requirements. Make notes on the design brief to identify key points such as the target audience, purpose, style, and any limitations.

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Production Log

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A production log is a diary where you record everything you do during the project, and the dates you completed each task. This helps you track your progress and proves that you are following professional media‑production processes. Complete this log WEEK BY WEEK so you don’t forget any details. You should write about what you did, why you did it, and any problems you encountered.

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Click here to download your template. Dates have been added for you. You can print it out and handwrite it or keep it in your OneDrive Unit 4 folder.

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Mind Map

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Create a detailed mind map to explore a range of initial ideas quickly. Your mind map should include different possible themes, topics, and visual styles connected to the school environment.

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This mind map will help you view your ideas in one place, compare them, and select which concepts are the strongest. From this task, you must identify two possible ideas that you will develop further.

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Initial Ideas

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You must write about at least two ideas for your magazine. Your mind map should support the development of these ideas. When writing about each idea, you should refer directly to the client brief and may quote specific parts of it.

You MUST include the following in this section:

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• What the magazine is going to focus on. Describe the subject, theme, or area your double‑page spread will cover.

• Visual examples. Explain the style you want your magazine to have. Mention layout ideas, colour themes, fonts, and the general “look”. Make sure this links to the target audience.

• Why your magazine is needed. Explain its purpose. How is your idea different from information already on the school website? What gap does it fill?

• A detailed explanation of both ideas. Make your ideas clear, describing exactly what each one would involve.

• Who the target audience is. Include both primary and secondary audiences and explain why you chose them.

• The purpose of your magazine. Are you informing, entertaining, or educating your readers?

• How the mind map helped you. Mention how the mind map helped you compare ideas, spot patterns, or make decisions.
   

Research
 

You must carry out secondary research to support your ideas and help you develop them further. Your research can include:
 

• Magazine designs (not limited to school magazines). Describe why you like their design choices — images, layout, font choices, colours, tone, etc.

• How each design appeals to its target audience.

• Colour schemes used in similar magazines.

• Existing products related to your theme (e.g. sports magazines, art magazines, school newsletters).
   

Your research section MUST include:
 

• Quotes and information from sources you have found.

• Screengrabs of existing magazines or designs.

• Written information with references — include the full website address.

• Analysis of your findings, explaining:
   

  • What the information shows

  • Why is it useful

  • How it will help you develop your own magazine
     

This analysis is essential for higher marks.
 

Meeting 1
 

Click here to download the agenda sheet.
 

Your meeting documents must include:
 

• Agenda – A brief overview of your ideas. If you have created a questionnaire, attach it to the agenda as part of your discussion points.

• Discussion notes – Write what was said during the meeting about your ideas, including suggestions, concerns, and feedback.

• Action points – Based on the advice given in the meeting, explain what you plan to do next. These are extremely important because they show how you develop and improve your ideas.
   

Proposal
 

The proposal is a written document that expands on your chosen idea and explains how your magazine will be produced. This should be detailed and show clear planning.
 

Your proposal must include:
 

• Overview of the chosen idea. A detailed description of your double‑page spread concept and what content will be included (images, interviews, topics, design style, etc.)

• Target audience. Explain how your magazine is designed to appeal to your audience. How does your content interest them?
  What do they gain from reading it?

• Existing products -  Include screengrabs of similar magazines and explain how they have influenced your decisions.

• Purpose -  Are you informing, entertaining, or educating the audience? What value will readers get from your magazine?

• Technical considerations -  Planning methods (explain how you are being organised with your portfolio and your OneDrive folder) , deadlines, equipment needed, software required, and templates/documents you will use.

• Budget -  Demonstrate that you have considered the general costs of producing a magazine.

• Contributors -  Identify who you would like to contribute (e.g. staff, students, external organisations).

• Risk assessment -  Consider safety risks related to locations, interviews, equipment use, etc.

• Legal and ethical considerations -  What rules do you need to follow? Consider permissions for photographing students, copyright rules, safeguarding, and what content is appropriate.
   

Questionnaire
 

Create a questionnaire to collect primary research from your target audience.
 

• Use Microsoft Forms to create it, or you can create your own on a Word Document.

• Ask open‑ended questions if you want detailed feedback. Avoid yes/no questions.

• Email/show the questionnaire to your teacher FIRST for approval.

• Only send it to your audience after approval.
   

Questionnaire Analysis
 

Once you have collected your results:
 

• Create pie charts to show the responses visually.

• Analyse the results — explain what they show and why this is important for your project.

• Explain what you did and why you chose these specific questions.

• Show how this research helps you improve or adjust your ideas. For example: content ideas, layout ideas, or audience preferences discovered through the responses.
   

Resources Needed
 

You must show that you have thought about everything you need to create your magazine.
 

Include information about:
 

• Availability of equipment/space. Write about booking equipment such as cameras, lighting, props, or photography spaces. Explain that these must be booked in advance because other people may also need them.

• Expertise within the production team. Describe the skills you may need from others (e.g., photography skills, graphic design, Photoshop editing). Explain how these people can help you.

• Personnel required. Write about which production roles are needed (e.g., editor, photographer, designer).
  Use your research from the previous assignment to support this.
   

Communication with Contributors
 

You must contact:
 

• A member of staff connected to your topic, OR

• Someone from an external organisation (check with your teacher first).
   

This person will contribute to your article through an interview, information, or involvement in your photoshoot.

Examples of communication:
 

• Emailing a teacher to arrange an interview.

• Contacting a local organisation to request information or permission to photograph a location.
   

You MUST communicate professionally.

Print your email and include it in your planning folder as evidence.
 

Finance and Budget
 

Estimate how much it would cost to create your magazine realistically.

Consider:
 

• Costs of equipment and software (office space, computer, camera, internet, editing software).

• Hiring equipment or booking spaces to photograph in.

• Paying contributors or “talent” (if relevant).

• Sources of income such as advertising space, investment, or funding.
   

Explain how income would help cover costs (profit explanation).
Use the cost information from your previous assignment to support your budgeting.
 

Locations and Risk Assessment (Half a page - complete risk assessment)
 

Choose two locations for your photoshoots.
 

For each location:
 

• Include a photograph of the location.

• Describe where it is.

• Identify health and safety risks (no photographing school students, weather, hazards, equipment safety).

• Explain why you chose this location and how it relates to your magazine theme.

• State who or what you will photograph.

• Consider legal issues — do you have permission to photograph people?

• Complete a risk assessment for each location. Click here for a template

• Explain how you will prevent data loss with your photographs (backups, online storage OneDrive, USB, hard drives).
   

Risk assessments show that you understand how to identify risks and how to minimise them.
 

Legal / Ethical / Regulation (half of a page)
 

The publishing sector is regulated by two main organisations:
 

1. IPSO – Independent Press Standards Organisation
 

IPSO regulates newspapers and magazines in the UK.
They hold publishers to professional standards, protect individual rights, and ensure journalists behave responsibly.
 

2. ASA – Advertising Standards Authority
 

The ASA regulates ALL advertising across all media platforms.
If audiences see an advert they think is misleading or offensive, they can complain directly to the ASA.
 

For this task:
 

• Write a paragraph about how you will follow IPSO’s rules.

• Write another paragraph about how you will follow the ASA’s rules.

• Explain how these rules affect your text, images, interviews, and overall content in your magazine.

• Remember your magazine will be published on the school website, so you must follow all legal and ethical rules.
   

Contingency Plan
 

Write what you will do if things go wrong or if plans need to change. This is mostly for tasks involving other people, locations, and deadlines.

Explain what you will do if:
 

• Someone you planned to interview becomes unavailable.

• You cannot use your chosen photoshoot location.

• Your work is deleted or lost.

• You think you might miss a deadline.
   

A strong contingency plan helps ensure you don’t fall behind.

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Mood Board

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A mood board shows the overall look, style, and atmosphere you want your magazine to have.

Tasks:

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• Collect magazine styles you like (A3 size, in colour).

• Include visual examples that show the mood, colours, typography, and layout style you want.

• Add images or layout examples by David Carson, the graphic designer you are studying.
   

Thumbnail Layouts​

Create simple, small pencil sketches of:
 

• An A4 front cover design

• A double‑page spread (two A4 pages side‑by‑side)
   

These sketches help you plan your layout before creating your final drafts.
 

Evaluation (LA D)

You must write an evaluation to show how your pre-production documents have helped you. The list below is what you need to write about. Make sure you evaluate your work to gain a higher grade. 

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Make sure you mention the following points: 

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• Logistics. (write about how essential ALL the planning was, making sure you know what and why you doing it, keeping a record of what you are doing and collected information, such as research, questionnaire analysis, meeting minutes etc) 

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• Finance. (finance is crucial, write about how knowing your budget and costs helped you plan ahead and makes sure your magazine is sucessful) 

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• Creative processes. (how you came up with your ideas through researching existing designs, and artists. Discussing ideas through your meetings and amending and improving your ideas. Mockups and mood boards) 

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• Personnel management. (working with others - meetings and working together, this was helpful because it is much more productive to work in a team.) 

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• Time management. (being aware of deadlines was important because missing them would have a negative impact on your planning, say how you stuck to your production schedule and making sure you completed the tasks on time. 

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• Professional Practice. (adhering to the legal and ethical code - make sure you mention that your planning needed to conform to regulation, that you were aware of what you can and cannot have in your magazine) 

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• Monitoring progress. (mention your production log which helped you, knowing the order of the process, your check list and keeping your folder up to date. 

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• Risk management and crisis management. (contingency plan, how important is this? Mention you need to be safe when you go out and take photographs - risk as in not photographing students without permission or you would be breaking the law) 

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• Maintaining documentation. (making sure all work is in organised and in order, your checklist has helped you, also see where you are at in your planning and knowing what you need to do next) 

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• Problems/difficulties with project management. (what have you found difficult? How did you overcome this? For example - handing out questionnaires and getting them filled in and organise could have been difficult to do) 

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• Identifying ways of improving project management in future productions. (what could you have planned better?) 

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For distinction standard, learners will make direct correlations between their project management of logistics, finance and creative processes during pre-production and the overall success of the planning for the digital media production. 

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For merit standard, recommendations for improvements to the project management must be relevant and related to financial, logistical and creative processes specific to the project. The analysis will make reference to one or more elements of pre-production and will include different aspects of project management such as time management, monitoring progress and personal management. 

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​For pass standard learners explanations of project management will make reference to aspects of logistics, finance and the creative processes. The explanations will be limited and may not address fully the different elements of pre-production and project management.