My last draft before creating my final magazine was my double-page spread. I used InDesign to create the layout since the software allows people to make detailed multi-page documents through diverse and precise features (such as allowing font sizes with decimals and zooming in closely). My article consists of 13 pages and is a special edition of my magazine for the National holiday, National Oreo Cookie Day. It features a local bakery’s Oreo cheesecake and three recipes for making homemade variations of Oreo cheesecake (regular, no-bake, and vegan no-bake). I chose to incorporate Oreos into cheesecake recipes since it is a dessert many amateurs often mess up; bakers must use specific baking methods to achieve the cheesecake they intended. Therefore, I wanted to provide amateurs with tips and image-filled recipes—two which accommodate their lifestyle and diet to make them at ease—to master baking this dessert.
Planning:
It was easiest to first create the drafts of my magazine cover and table of contents on Google Slides before InDesign, so I continued when making my article. It was an additional plan which helped me think of ideas and layout options before combining it into a final draft. I also have more knowledge on how to use it, making it easier to format my article ideas; I didn’t have to focus on figuring out how to navigate the program as I do with InDesign, allowing me to only focus on digitally outlining my thoughts. Nevertheless, I only planned my first article draft (images above), as I didn't have ideas for my second draft yet.
Transferring Drafts to InDesign
Draft 1:
I needed to make a few edits—which I did via Photoshop—to my shots before adding them to my article. I first edited the image of Nadia standing by her logo on her bakery’s wall holding up two props of her cheesecake products. I then used the Spot Healing Brush tool to remove the outlet and cable from the background (image 1). I then used the Quick Selection tool and the Select and Mask Workspace to remove the background of my photo of a bowl of Oreos and leave behind one Oreo. I used the edited image to replace the “O” in “Oreo” in the title of the first page of my article with a singular Oreo; replacing the “O” added a fun twist to the word and displayed that my content will be about Oreos (it is easier to notice and process the images than the text). I also refined the background image of the first page of my article to remove the crumbs from the plate (image 3). I wanted my image to look as neat as possible since it is much easier to notice small details (such as crumbs) when an image is scaled up to fit as a background. Another photo I edited was of a shot taken in Portrait mode of a slice of cheesecake with the rest of the cheesecake blurred in the background. This image would also be a background image for page five of my article, and I wanted it to look as professional as possible. Hence, I removed the crumbs from the plate, the excess cream on the slice, and the unclean cut of the tip of the cheesecake. The last edit I made on Photoshop was to create a composite image. I combined each ingredient shot from my final photoshoot into one photo to label them (in pink to match my magazine’s color scheme) and neatly display them.
My first step in adding the content and visuals to InDesign was downloading the fonts I wanted that wasn’t available on this software; as the fifth image shows, one of the fonts I downloaded was the Fira Sans Bold font. The sixth image is of how the first page of my magazine article appeared after adding a background of the edited cheesecake image and a title. The image also shows how I scaled down and positioned the singular Oreo I edited (as mentioned above) on top of the “O” in “Oreo.” I then added a page number, as it is a convention of magazines, which I adjusted to a smaller size (to leave more room for content and not distract from the background) and a white font color (to appear against the dark background). On the page beside it, I inserted the introduction of my article, a summary of the most common challenges associated with making cheesecake and how you can overcome them (appealing to my target audience of amateurs and how they can accomplish their baking goals). It also introduced Nadia and her bakery, leading to my interview on the next page. I bolded the questions in my interview to stand out and show the difference between the questions and responses. I also wrote an “N” to the left of my interviewee’s responses to indicate that Nadia answered it and included the image of Nadia in which I edited out the outlet (image 9). InDesign informed me that I had a preflight error, overset text, on the second page of my interview. I fixed this issue by increasing the height of my text box to fit all of the text (image 10). The following page of my article starts with the first Oreo cheesecake recipe. The corresponding image (image 11) is of me bolding the directions next to the ingredients list, such as leaving at room temperature, to add emphasis and ensure my audience doesn’t forget to do so. On this page, along with the two pages with the two other Oreo cheesecake recipes, I gave credit to the recipe that it came from (image 12). I made the three cheesecake recipes using recipes from Google, so I cited and underlined them at the bottom of the page to indicate that the recipes aren’t mine. Since I included images describing the instructions for making the first cheesecake recipe, I added a number inside the image that corresponds to its direction on the page, reducing confusion and allowing my audience to understand which instruction the visuals apply to (image 14). The 15th screenshot shows me cropping the background image I edited earlier (image 4) to fit the width of the page. This image corresponds to the first cheesecake recipe, not the recipe to the right, and gives my audience an understanding of how the final product of the cheesecake should look. The screenshot shows the next page of my article, which is of the second Oreo cheesecake recipe (the no-bake one). Unlike the first cheesecake recipe, I fit the ingredients and instructions for the second recipe on one page. Since they were close together, I added a pink vertical and horizontal line between them to separate them and have more depth in my magazine. I also boxed the recommendation for my audience to add emphasis, stand out from the rest of the page, and complement the box I made for the ingredients list. The page after the no-bake Oreo cheesecake recipe shows what the final cheesecake looks like, enticing my audience. The background image of the final product of the dessert only displays what the slice looks like; I added the whole cheesecake at the top left corner (where it wouldn’t distract from the background) to add more information on the final appearance of the cheesecake. In the 19th image, I inserted the vegan no-bake Oreo cheesecake recipe. Like the no-bake recipe, I separated the ingredients list from the instructions with two pink lines and boxed the recommendations in the vegan no-bake recipe. The instructions didn’t fit on one text box, so I had to move it to the second. However, I couldn't edit the numbered list when I moved some text to a second text box; I added a rectangle (with the same color as the background to blend in) over the numbers I didn’t want to appear on the page (19th image). The last page of my article showed the final product of the vegan no-bake Oreo cheesecake (20th image). Like the no-bake cheesecake, I also inserted a picture of the whole cheesecake in the top left corner of the page where it wouldn’t hide the background image, along with a pink border to match my magazine’s color scheme. After adding all of the content to InDesign, I decided to place the pages with the images of the final product of the cheesecakes from the back of the recipe to the front; image 21 shows this change with the regular slice of cheesecake.
Draft 2:
For the first page of my second article, I started by duplicating my first draft. I then changed the font and font color of the title and removed the box; I wanted to see if the title would be more readable directly over the background, and since I changed the font color to a lighter shade of pink, it wouldn’t show up as well with the white box. I changed the fonts in my second article draft, such as the interview text from the Spectral to the Fira Sans font (image 2). I also experimented with my composite image on the fifth page of my article by cropping the image into smaller images; beside each section in my ingredients list, I showed the corresponding ones in pictures for more clarification and aid to visual learners. In the fourth screenshot, I added a white box behind the ingredients list to see if I liked that better rather than separating it from the instructions with two pink lines. When making the vegan no-bake Oreo cheesecake, I received another preflight error of two overset text (image 5); I didn’t realize that the text box wasn’t large enough to fit the title until the preflight error. Instead of placing the image of the whole cheesecake over the background image, I put it on the page after (it had unfilled space). Like my first article draft, I changed the placement of the photos of the final product of the cheesecakes from the back of the recipe to the front.
Final Product of Double-Page Spread Drafts
First Draft (left) and Second Draft (right):
*Click on the images to enlarge them, if necessary.
Unlike my cover and table of contents drafts, there isn’t one particular double-page spread draft that I like most; I like some parts of the first draft and some parts of the second draft. I like the serif font (Spectral) that I used in the paragraphs and recipes of my first draft more than the sans serif font (Fira Sans) in my second draft. However, I like my second draft more for the first page of my article. The white box under the title in my first draft was unnecessary, and instead, the subtle shade of pink differentiates from the dark background and complements the cream on top of the cheesecake. I also changed the font of “Oreo Cheesecake” from Fira Sans to Dosis, which I like more (it is simple yet effective). For the second page of my article, I like the vertical alignment of the images (first draft) more than the horizontal alignment (second draft). It splits the page between text and visuals and makes the paragraphs look less long, creating an appropriate balance and making it easier to read the content. I am also more pleased with the sixth page of my article in my first draft than in my second draft since I combined the images into one image, which makes it easier to see each ingredient; in the second draft, the article looks crowded and messy after scattering the photos across the page. I like the second draft better for the next two pages since the images vary in location across the page—rather than at the far side or bottom. I prefer my first draft for the following two pages, considering the images are beside the directions instead of above, making it easier to understand the instructions the photos describe. I am more pleased with the second draft for the no-bake and vegan no-bake recipes as well since I like how the ingredients and recommendations are both above a white box, which adds emphasis and makes them stand out.
Using and Challenging Conventions:
My magazine article uses conventions in the Cooking, Food, and Beverage genre since I used columns and various typography. I mostly photographed high angles of food, my title was at the top of the page, and I bolded specific parts of my recipe for emphasis. I also used conventions since some of the images in my recipes fit the whole page, which is common amongst cooking/baking magazines as they show the features and textures of the food in more detail. Nevertheless, my article had 13 pages, more than the typical magazine article length. My magazine further challenged conventions by showing each of the ingredients necessary to make the first Oreo cheesecake recipe in images (rather than just words), considering I wanted an image-filled magazine.
I am content with both my drafts and have developed a greater understanding of what I want my final magazine to look like. After continuously using Photoshop and InDesign, I have explored more of their features and became more familiar with these softwares. I have also become more aware of how my magazine is similar and unique after analyzing the conventions magazines in my genre use.
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