To make things easier for myself, I researched dog magazines that already exist so I would know what names I can't use for my magazine title and to immediately eliminate those ideas from my mind.  

I feel that now that I am aware of these already-existent magazines, I think it will be much easier to brainstorm ideas and I will be able to think much clearer. 

So far.........

Because I took so many pictures of my dogs, I am still looking for a cover photo because I want it to look great. Other than that, I am also still brainstorming ideas for my magazine title. I'm having so much trouble thinking of one because there are only a handful of possible titles for a dog magazine. You know, like a title that is understandable, simple, but that really explains the magazine concept sort of... and most are taken, so I will continue thinking. I'll get back to blogging hopefully with some concrete ideas.

And so it begins..!

Today, I took some pictures for my magazine cover. It was really quite fun having a photoshoot with my three little dogs. I do have to say though, they are TROOPERS for staying still and allowing me to get good shots of them while wearing the hot, fluffy costume and the sweater in this 90 degree, south florida weather. I took many pictures, so I have to look through them all and see which would make a better fit as a cover, but here's a little preview...

 Like I said, it was REALLY hot out, which explains them all having their eyes closed and tongues hanging out!

Got it

Okay so as I said in my last post, after a long while clicking on random icons and exploring the websites, I think it's decided that I will use jujumag. I really enjoyed it when I was trying it out, it has many options and the magazines look really legit, yet it is still not so complicated that a beginner like me, wouldn't be able to handle. It's definitely do-able!!

Figuring things out...

Honestly, I'm feeling a little bit overwhelmed right now because I have several sources I can use to create my magazine layout. Right now, I'm simply exploring and just clicking everything on these websites to see which one is the best fit for me. I'm looking to find one that is not too simple so I can still customize it a lot and adjust it to my liking, but I also don't want it to be too complicated either because I will definitely get overwhelmed. 

Teamwork makes the dream work!

Today, I met up with three of my classmates and received lots of great suggestions and ideas. Although I am making my main two page story on healthy "people" food for dogs, specifically holiday foods, I obviously can't base a whole magazine on that topic alone. My peers suggested I include cover lines such as "how to keep your dog fit in the winter", "how to properly keep your dog warm in the cold", etc. I don't believe I have been too clear in my previous postings, but my goal is to make a special holiday edition magazine. I would like it to be released more towards the end of October, because my main cover line is directed towards Thanksgiving dinner, and I think three weeks would be good for someone to prep for their meal with their dog's health in mind as well. Furthermore, because it would be released at the end of October, I thought it would be cute to have a dog in a Halloween costume on the cover. But going back to my peers' suggestions, the cover lines would revolve around winter because temperatures start dropping around November, due to winter approaching. I also discussed color themes with my peers, because I am still not sure what I would like the main colors of my magazine to be like. It looks like I will be going with warm fall colors, which would go nicely with the doggy pumpkin costume I have in mind. Still not sure though... I have to keep brainstorming.

Excited!!!

I just stumbled across this interesting site where it looks like you can make your own magazine cover. It's kind of funny, because it's originally meant for making a dog magazine with a picture of your own dog on the cover, but it can really be used to make any kind of magazine. I think I'm going to check it out and see how it works now. Apparently it has 8 different layouts and you can also pick out your own fonts and colors, so that's pretty cool!!

Source:
Make Your Own Dog Magazine Cover!

Citation:

"Make Your Own Dog Magazine Cover! | The Fun Times Guide to Dogs."Dogs. N.p., 19 Aug. 2006. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.

Woah... a little surprised!

Okay so for the past three or so days, I have been intensely looking at dog magazines online and in stores (when they actually have them). I am just trying to first understand the formatting and designing of a magazine when it revolves solely around an animal, and in this case, simply one type of animal. It's funny because one would think dog or animal magazines in general may be pretty simple to create because I mean, they're just animals right? Wrong! After having analyzed magazine covers, contents, ads, and spreads in my AICE Media class two weeks ago, I learned the formatting and designs of many different kinds of magazines. It's funny because even with the animal magazines, they still follow the same formats as a typical entertainment or fashion magazine would. The cover "model" aka a cute animal, is usually looking straight into the camera just as a runway model does, or there are also covers of animal action shots, such as the cover of a sports magazine. There are still color schemes, emphasis on the mastheads, cover lines, and all that other good stuff. It's not like there can be much to write about, so how could one make a whole magazine about one specific animal, you say? Well, according to my recent research and observations, these animal magazines include all sorts of interesting information and topics. Although I personally think I will enjoy creating my magazine because it revolves around dogs (I have three of them) and I like knowing how to properly care for them, I do not think it will necessarily be a walk in the park.

First, research

So far, I have researched safe "people" food for dogs and have come upon many yummy, interesting foods. It looks like some safe holiday foods are turkey, green beans, sweet potato and pumpkin aka a nice Thanksgiving meal. I did find though, that table scraps should be avoided just in case they have harmful ingredients such as milk, onions, or garlic. As for bones, that is a big no-no. This is because both chicken and turkey bones can easily break and splinters or large pieces of bones are very sharp which could cause dogs to choke. Even though lamb bones are bigger, if there is any raw meat on it, it could have disease-causing germs which can ultimately damage the dog's digestive tract.


Source:
People Foods Your Dog Can Eat

Citation:

Flowers, Amy. "People Foods Your Dog Can Eat." Web.md. N.p., 8 Sept. 2014. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

Intro

I have decided that my magazine will be based on dogs. I would like to make it a "special edition", for example Halloween and Thanksgiving time. For my two page spread, I would specify safe "people" food for dogs in case any dog owners would like to give their furry companion a special holiday treat, or if there happens to be any accidental ingestions, which all animal owners know happen pretty often. I have also been thinking of maybe including some ads in my magazine for cute dog Halloween costumes, as well as maybe the usual flea and tick ads.