Evaluation Questions

My finalised media product features conventions that I feel are similar to and differ from existing magazines. For example the the use of a main medium close up picture on the front cover is a usual technique featured on front covers but the way I have arranged this picture to be centralised with a coloured background I feel challenges this convention. I have featured a sky-box with the name of the school and also on the ears of the magazine the school motif and clip-art picture of holly, connotating the christmas theme.Keeping the colour theme of maroon, (one of the school colours) and same font of text is usual throughout magazines and I have chosen to do so in voice.

The title of my magazine "voice" has been chosen to represent the student "voice" which my magazine is aiming to give.


Overall the target audience of my magazine is not a conventional one that is written for, but for the age group of teenagers I have tried to represent them suitably. I have featured two teenagers on the front cover, and tried to keep a modern approach to the magazine with my white text in a very unformal font.

Media institution that would distribute my prodcut would definetly be schools, as this is the only guarenteed way on distrubuting the product to the right market of Wilmington Grammar Sixth Formers. Although my magazine is aimed pricisley for this audience, the magazine may also be read by parents and other atendees of the school.

I have tried to attract my intended audience

Pictures

Today i took a variety of pictures that may be included in my magazine. Here is a sample of these pictures.

Mock Up

From my research there is ideas I have collected which I plan to use in my magazine front cover.
These include :
a skybox featuring the specialist status of the school
christmas theme
basic front cover featuring two photographs.



This is my mock up of what I plan my front cover will look like.

The front cover to the side is, in my view, the most effective school front cover I have come across.


This is a front cover from "St Louises Comprehensive Collgege". school centeralises on a picture of teachers and students. I like the effect of the picture being within the shape of a school badge as it symbolises that this is the key representation of the school. The block of blue colour as the background as simplicity to the magazine the colour blue connotating peace. The cover features only one headline of "St Louise''s Recieves Specialist Status," which is effective as it draws immediate attention to the main news. The picture inside shows members of staff and a pupil from the school, which I think is neccacary on a school front cover as it is the students and teachers, and in the case of my magazine the sixth form, that is essentially the basis of the maagazine.

Further Ideas

I have been researching existing school magazines and have found a limited number of existing sixth form magazines, which means I will have less to base my front cover on.

I am planning to do a christmas edition of my magazine, following this theme throughout the text, background and pictures. This will help me base my magazine around one theme, hopefully tieing it all in.

Iniital Research

Below are some examples of school magazines. I am going to analyse the effectivness of these front covers which will hopefully help me decide what aspects I want to include on my own front cover.


Below is the front cover from "George Stephenson High School". I think the front cover is effective, especially the name of the magazine "evolve". By naming the magazine, not just using the name of the school, students will be more inclined to read the magazine as it is not just centralised around only school. The font of the title I also think the use of the centralised image is effective although the actual meaning of the image is unclear. I think that this picture and the title is a attempt to modernise the front cover which in my opinon has been unsucsessful. The skybox featuring the name of the school is an idea I may use in my final piece.



The centralised image which is also the background of "The School of St Helen and St Katherine" school magazine is very effective. Although I am unsure what the picture connotates as I do not know the history of the school, the idea of the large picture as a background is one I may use in my own magazine.



The front cover from "Alsop High School Technology College" has several miniture pictures showing pictures from around the school. I am also planning to use several different pictures in a similar effect on my front cover. The green background on the cover also shows a picture faded into the background. The green colouring also represents the green shown in the school badge, featured on the bottom of the page. I am also planning to incorporate the school colours and motif in my front cover.

Instructions on preliminary task.

Main Task

Produce the front page and contents page of a new school/college magazine, featuring a photograph of a student in medium close up plus some appropriatley laid-out text and a masthead. A mock-up of the layout of the contents page to demonstrate grasp if DTP. On initally recieving the instructions I thought that I could diversify my magazine so that the target audience was only six form. I chose to do this as I feel choosing a niche market enables me to directly aim my magazine for one market. I am going to research existing magazine covers, in order for me to grasp conventional aspects on magazine covers as well as gaining ideas to use on my own front cover and contents page. I am also going to use my knowledge of being a sixth-form student to include what would attract me to the magazine and include references to articles that I would want to read.