Evaluation

My college magazine uses many of the conventions used on a real magazine. It has a masthead which is 'Inspire', that every magazine has so that you know what it is called, and I have positioned it at the top of my magazine so that it is one of the first things you see and you know it is important. My magazines sell line is 'Your revision guide to life' which is short and tells you who the magazine is aimed at. I used a sell line as many magazines use these to make you want to buy it. It has a main image that covers most of my front cover which is another convention used, and my model is making full eye contact which is important. I have a main cover line that links to the main image and is written in large text and in a box so that you know it is the main one. I have also used other cover lines to draw in the attention of the audience, but are written in smaller text so as not to distract too much from the cover line. I have also used the college's name and logo which shows the institution of the magazine.
   The group of people my magazine represents is students. It does this through the sell line, 'Your revision guide of life', which implies it's for students at you use a revision guide to study. Also through the cover lines, which are various things that are happening around the college such as the Halloween party that Wyke has organised and also the fact that it is advertising NUS cards, which are for students. The main image represents students as it is of a girl aged seventeen dressed in casual clothes that could relate to anyone of that age group.
   The audience for my college magazine is students of Wyke college aged sixteen to nineteen. This is shown through the logo of Wyke college which is recognised by people. Also through the model who is within the targeted age range of my magazine. The cover lines attract the audience as they are related to the college, for example the Wyke Halloween party. The main cover line especially attracts dance students as it about the success of one. My sell line also suggests the targeted audience as it mentions revision guides which are associated with studying.
   By making my magazine i learnt more about the technologies that I used. I used Adobe Photoshop which I had rarely used before and so was still unsure how to work it. However, through producing this magazine I have learned how to use it better. I used it to edit my main image as I cut out the model from the background using the selection tool and the eraser. I also used it to add text to my front cover. Another programme that I used was publisher, which I used to produce the mock-up of the contents page. I had used this many times before and so had no difficulties.
   In conclusion, I am happy with the end product of my magazine but I feel it could be improved. My front cover is quite plain and bland and so if I was to do this again I would probably make it more colourful. Also I did not put on some of the conventions such as an issue number or date line.
  

Final Contents Page

Final Front Cover

Final photo

I have decided to use this image for my college magazine as I think that it will work well. I will be able to put the image to one side so that I can fit my cover lines on and also the model is looking straight into the camera which is one of the conventions normally used. The photograph fits into the brief as it is took in medium close-up. It also fits in with the representation of the magazine (which is of a model students), the ideology of the magazine (to be about a subject or the college in general) and also the audience of the magazine (it is aimed at college students of the ages 16-19)

      I will use this image with a cover line about dance. Some ideas of cover lines for dance are:

• Student dances her way to the top
• Star student steps it up
• A twist in the right direction

Photos - 2nd attempt

I had to redo my photos as i realised that my first ones were wrong, as they were not medium close-up. I had more of an idea of what I wanted this time as I knew what had worked from the last time and also I tried out some knew ideas which would work well for the coverlines and stories.

 

Rough plan of contents page

This is a plan of what will be on my contents page and how I might set it up.

Rough plan of front cover

This is a quick plan to show how I might lay out my front cover and what I will need on my front cover.



Photo that I was going to use

I had decided to use this photo as I think that it was the best shot and the best pose. However, I then realised that I had not followed the brief correctly as this photo is a long shot and so is not usable.

Photos - 1st attempt

I took a variety of different photos using different locations and positions so that I could see which one looked best. I also took them in different ways to fit my cover lines, and the image that works the best will be my main picture and the main cover line. However, I then realised that these photos are not all in medium close-up and so some are not usable.

                         

Planning- first ideas continued

Contents page
Photos-

• related to the articles
• the college
• thestudents

Layout-

• contents in a box to the side, pictures down the other side, information at the bottom
• Editors notes at the top, contents underneath, pictures to the side, information at the bottom
• Photos at the top, contents in a box to the side, editors notes at the other side, information at the bottom

Colour themes-

• white, black and grey
• red, blue and black
• green, purple and blue

Planning- first (rough) ideas

Front cover
Model-

• College student
• teenager
• neatly dressed (casual)

Masthead-

• Strive
• Whiz
• Inspire

Sell line-

• Aim high, Score higher
• Your revision guide to life
• Improve your knowledge of college

Cover lines-

• Halloween ball haunts Asylum
• Student dances her way to the top
• 10 ways to beat the winter blues

Magazine idea-

• about the college (latest news)
• for a certain subject (e.g media, sport)

Colour themes-

• white, black and grey
• red, blue and black
• green, purple and blue

Price-

• Free
• Money goes to a charity or school

Research analysis

After looking at two different college magazines I have found out the different codes and conventions that a good magazine needs to work.
   The front page should have a basic background that is not too colourful and busy, so that it doesn't distract from the text on the magazine. It should have a relevant mast head that grabs your attention. Also, it should have a tag line that is interesting and gives you an indication of what is in the magazine. There should be a set of theme colours that are used consistently through the magazine that work well together. The text should be clear and bold so that it easy to read and also the cover lines should be well presented on the front. The institutions logo should be on the front so that you know who the magazine is aimed for and also the price should be put on the front. A few photos to be out on the front are also a good idea and should be relevant to the cover lines.
   The contents page should be well presented so that it is clear what articles are in it and what page they are on. Also it should include some photos that are relevant to what is in the magazine. Another thing it could include is the tag line again and maybe a bit about what and who the magazine is for.

Research continued

http://www.grimsby.ac.uk/documents/GX_mag/GX1.pdf
Another website that I used to analyse a college magazine was GX magazine which is for Grimsby Institute. I also had a look at their front page and layout of the contents page to see the conventions used.

Front cover analysis
The background image is a computerised drawing of boy who is wearing a t-shirt with the Grimsby Institute logo on, and further in the distance is a girl against a wall. I think this works well as it is not too busy and is obviously aimed at younger people as the boy and girl are look like teenagers. The title of the magazine is GX magazine, which is simple and memorable, and the GX is wrote in big text in the right corner. The articles are written in clear, blue text and are underlined, so you notice them more. Also, they have a few words description under them so that you know what they are about. There is two small photos at the bottom of the page as well which are relevant to the articles. The colleges logo is on the front which tells you the institution, as well as their website so that you can find out more about them. The magazine also has a sell line 'the word on the street...' which tells you that the magazine is aimed at younger people as it is trying to use the same language as teenagers, and also implies that it is going to include articles about what is going on within the institution. The colour scheme for the magazine is blue, grey and white, which all work well together, and makes the magazine look more professional and put-together.
   However, the photos on the front are very small and so not very clear. Also, the bottom half of the magazine looks a bit too packed, as there is the website, the articles, the photos, the tag line and the logo all crammed in.

Contents page analysis
The contents page has one main image at the top, and several smaller ones down the right side which are to do with the articles. The box that contains the contents and their page numbers covers part of the main image and is very colourful using pink, orange, blue, green and black. Towards the bottom of the page it tells you who the magazine is aimed at, what it aims to keep you informed with, and asks for feedback and gives you a telephone number. Again, it has the sell line at the bottom of the page in the theme colours. Overall I think it is well set out.
   However, the page is quite busy because of all the pictures and colours. Also, it does not continue using the theme colours blue, grey and white on the contents page.

Research

http://www.eastridingcollege.ac.uk/retrieve/d2343bc1358b3983a89d916f6a988935
I used this website to give me an example of a college magazine as I wanted to see what they used on their front cover and how they set up their contents page. I also wanted to see what works and what doesn't so that it can help me when i come to doing my own attempt this.

Front cover analysis
The magazine uses a photograph from a college trip on the front cover which is a good idea as it immediately makes it more interesting. It uses the name 'Student Life' which tells you straight away who the magazine is aimed at and what types of articles are going to be in it. It also has the colleges logo on the front so that you know the institution. The background of the front page is black and the logo and all the text is white, so it stands out well. Also, it tells you that it is free.
   However, it does not catch your attention as it looks a bit bland and boring because of the black and white theme. The cover lines are not clearly presented and are wrote in a small text near the bottom of the page so they do not stand out. It is also not made clear which are the cover lines and which is the tag line as they are in the same text and position on the page. There are no other pictures on the front cover either, which does not let you know what other issues may be in the magazine.

Contents page analysis
The contents page of the magazine is brighter than the front cover. It has photographs on it of the students, artwork or college activities. It is clear and well layed out with the different articles and their page numbers in a green box to one side so that they stand out. I think that the contents page is well presented and interesting enough to make you want to see more.
   However, it could improve by linking the pages to the pictures or write what the picture is of underneath it. Also, use more colours to make it more eye-catching to teenagers.