Preliminary task

Front cover analysis

The font used is sans serif which makes it more formal which fits in with a school magazine. It is ordered in such a way that makes the cover interesting and follows the line of sight. The headline is included at the top of the cover. The colour scheme is red, black and white. This is followed throughout the cover of the magazine and makes the font stand out. These are also typical, formal school colours which again gives the effect of a school magazine. Some of the clothing the boy is wearing is black and white, and a lot of the shadow is black which matches the colour scheme and makes the words stand out. Mid shot was used for the main image of a student in the sixth form. The effect given is the student is sitting down in class listening to the teacher. the style of writing is very youthful but formal at the same time. For example; ‘Can ‘YOU’ live up to ‘EM??’ is deliberately misspelled which creates an effect that the magazine speaks to the audience.

The cover is well structured as the headline and coverline are not in random places. Words are not scattered all over the cover which gives an organised impression of the school itself..The style of font used is sans serif which creates a bolder, clearer use of typography. It is also less formal than another magazine, as it is only aimed at students. For the central image a two shot has been used of the students in the library which is relevant to the central image. One of the people in the shot are smiling as they read the book suggesting school enjoyment. The typography is very formal yet uses punctuation to speak to the audience, which are school students. Blue and white are used which are quite cold colours, suggesting this is a winter edition magazine. The tag line is relevant to the central image. Correct grammar is used and it gives an insight to the contents of the magazine.  the students are holding books and standing in the school library. The clothing they are wearing, blue, black and white fit in with the colour 
scheme nicely instead of clashing and making the cover look horrible.


 
The punctuation and use of capital letters stands out to a young age group, in this case school students. The letters are canted as well. ‘Strictly for students!’ this informs people the magazine is only for school students which are of a youthful age. There is lots of punctuation and words in capital letters which again stands out to the audience. The girl is looking directly at the camera and the shot type is a mid-shot. The colour scheme doesn’t match as there is only black and purple for the font, then grey, white, brown etc. for the background and main image. The girl is wearing glasses and a lab coat which shows it is in a science lab, she has a name tag round her neck which shows she is a student in school. The background isn’t very good as it is only grey which is not very interesting. Things are all over the place which makes the magazine cover look less formal than it perhaps should be as it is for a school.

Contents page analysis

The first photo is an interior shot and the second is an establishing shot. As this is the contents this is relevant as it shows what the school looks like. In the background of the first two photos the school is included and the last photo is a student next to a piano which could represent a music lesson, as on the contents it says ‘upcoming events’. The colour scheme is light blue, dark blue and white which are quite calm colours and they do not clash. The language is very formal for a school magazine as there is no exciting punctuation and the titles are all straight to the point. Sans serif font has been used which is less formal and makes the magazine more exciting. The layout is ordered as the photos are at the top in a tilted fashion yet without looking messy, and the contents section is below the photos in order of page, with the contents title above the typography.

Serif font is used and the font also looks very childish which makes it harder to read. The colour is also slightly hard on the eyes. The vocabulary is not very broad and the grammar could easily be improved as there are spelling/punctuation mistakes. The layout is slightly cluttered but the photos are in one place and the typography is separate. The titles are in page order which is good. The colour scheme is red, yellow and black. These colours seem quite sporty rather than mainly school related; however there are many sport topics in school. It looks like it is mainly aimed at boys as it has rugby, no photos of girls and the topics are about football and rugby. Mid shot has been used for the first photo which centres the attention to the teacher. The next photo is a wide shot but no people were included. The wide shot shows how much snow there is which grabs readers attention. In the first photo there is a teacher who looks like he is addressing somebody about an event. The next photo is of snow which is one of the titles for the contents page. The third photo is of a rugby match who again fits in with the title and the last photo is of a classroom of students doing revision. 

Serif font has been used which makes it more formal, the font itself looks quite fancy. It also looks ‘fun’ for the audience to read. It is not strictly formal and clearly aimed at students. It has a ‘your say’ bit which shows it is reaching out to the audience. The first picture is a long shot of a girl sitting down, with some work. It is taken at an angle, so it shows the side of her body. The colour scheme used is white, black and yellow. These colours go well together and make the magazine look very informative. Props are used such as the work in the first photo, and the location is on a bench outside showing it may be a spring/summer magazine. In the second photo, goggles and equipment are used to show it is a science lab. This links in with one of the page titles to the right of the photo. The page numbers are in order and the photos are not in random places as they fit in with nearby page titles. The email for the magazine is at the bottom which is very typical of a magazine contents page.  

Summary of school magazines

School magazines mostly use sans-serif font, as it is less formal and looks more exciting for students. The layout is mainly a central image with a masthead, cover lines and a slogan at the bottom. The language is aimed at young people – under 18’s so it is not too formal and the words are quite simple. The colour schemes mainly fit in with school colour schemes, or include black and white as well as another colour. This makes it formal but not over the top as it needs to catch the audience’s attention. Mainly medium close ups and mid shots have been used for the central image. Props are mainly books, pens and other school related items, and the scenery or location is usually in a school classroom or library. The costume is uniform or formal college clothing. 

Sample fonts

Neale wade

Neale wade

Neale wade

Neale wade

Neale wade

Colour scheme

Red, Black, White

Yellow, Black, White

Blue, Black, White

Orange, Black, White

Red, Orange, Yellow,

Finished school magazine cover

Evaluation 

On my magazine cover, different conventions I have used include the layout of the cover. For example, I have put the masthead at the top of the cover and the cover lines aren’t in random places. I used sans serif font as most school magazines seem to use this, it is less formal and more interesting for school students to look at. I included a medium close-up of a sixth form student doing work in the library to add verisimilitude to the fact the magazine is school based. The pen, book and table in the image were used to give the effect of the student doing work, and the location is in the school library. I also included a slogan at the bottom to relate to the school, and a barcode and price tag to make it more realistic. I edited the central image on PhotoScape at home and made it look darker and more yellow to fit in with the colour scheme (yellow, black, white). I increased the contrast and changed the brightness and darkness. The layout I used was intended to follow the line of sight as the masthead is at the top, the student in the central image and then a cover line at the bottom. The mode of address I used is informal as I used lines such as ‘tasty new cafeteria’ to interest my target audience. I have developed skills such as using shot angles, learning new terminology and how different magazines speak to their target audiences.