Magazine Cover and Contents Page Evaluation

The colours I have used on my masthead is a blue background and white font, I did this because they are unisex colours as there are boys in the sixth form. Also, having white text placed over a blue background makes the text stand out and eye-catching for the readers. The  text used as the title is bold, sophisticated but simple and outlined by shadow around the edge of the text to make it stand out more to the readers. I have also added the school slogan underneath the the school name, I have done this In Italics because when I was researching other school magazines i found that the majority of schools wrote their slogan in this to highlight the pharase so it stands out for the reader. I have also put the date and issue number at the top of the magazine, making the the text black and not in bold so that the audience know its not a main part of the magazine and isn't as important as the other aspects. Finally, on my masthead i have added other logos which show what the schools about, 'arts colleges' show that the school is associated with performing arts and 'ofsted outstanding' shows that it is a good school which is what parents and sixth formers want to see so they know it is a good place to come.

The images i have used are all my own which i have photographed of the school or students. On the cover i have added a picture for the main headline of 'brand new building for 2014' of one of the school buildings, in this picture i have added a border around the image so it stands out and have inserted it in the focal point so the readers look there first, I wanted readers to look here first because its related to the main headline on the cover. This image will appeal to the students as readers as they may be excited to see the building or what it could potentially look like. The second image i have used is of a student from the lower school. I have made this image large, filling almost a quarter of the cover so the image doesn't go unnoticed. I have also added a border around the image so it stands out. I think this image would appeal to students, especially ones from the lower school as this is the only image of one of them, the rest are of sixth formers therefore they may be pleased they're featured in the magazine as well as being the big image on the cover. Also this image sets an example to new students about how they should have their uniform.

The main cover line is 'brand new building for 2014' which is why i have wrote this in capital letters so its eye-catching for the audience and that they're guaranteed to see it. I have also added an image next to the main cover line in the focal point, next to the text. I have also added in fun shapes what the school newsletter features, using simple colours of blue, purple and green. When i was deciding what colours to do the shapes in i decided to make them cloudy blue, purple and green so that it didn't take away the focus from my masthead.  This addresses my audience research as most of the students wanted the school magazine to be formal with some fun. Its appealing to my target audience as they are eye-catching and use of vibrant colours has made the cover fun. I have also made the magazine formal as well as fun with the cover lines which also appeals to my target audience. 

In comparison to established magazines, similarities are the masthead, cover lines, typography used and the contents page. Differences between my magazine and an established magazine are with the front cover of an established magazine, the central image would normally fill the whole page however i have I have included two images on the page with text around the images, therefore the layout is a difference between my magazine and an established magazine.

I think my magazine represents my target audience well as it is aimed at teenage students. Its a school magazine so its formal however it includes fun colours and shapes which is what the target audience like.

From constructing this magazine, the technologies i have learnt are how to edit images on a word document. I have learnt to not go over the guidelines on word as it will crop my work when it was uploaded to my blog and how to use different text to suit the appropriate audience or occasion.

The target audience thought my magazine was eye catching and they also like the colour schemes.

School Magazine Image Evaluation

The first photograph i took was a landscape of the school building. I took a photograph of the building because the headline on the school magazine cover is "brand new building for 2014!" This gives readers such as parents to see the quality and new part of the school. The photograph was taken from a window, on the top floor of the building opposite the building in the photograph, I did this so i could fit the whole building into the camera frame and so the Image was at the same level as the other building.

The second Image i took was also a landscape to show the sixth form study area. This image shows a busy environment of students working, this gives the school a good reputation by showing that the students are hardworking. I took this photo as a landscape to fit more people in the camera frame, however if i was to retake this photograph i would do it as a panoramic to capture more people and to show readers more of the schools appearance in the photograph. The photograph also features lots of computers in the shot which shows off the schools facilities. 

The third Image i took was a portrait of a student using a computer in the study area which gets a whole body shot of the student. Although this photograph shows the schools facilities again it also shows the student is studying and working hard. I took the photograph with the students face turned away from the camera so she wasn't the main focus as i wanted the focus to be of her working, not her face. If i was going to retake this photograph i would ask the student to take their coat off as it hides the dress code of 'business wear', making it less formal than what it could have been. I would have also moved the students bag and drink so there was less going on in the Image.

The fourth photograph I took Is a portrait of a student from the lower school, I decided to take a photo of someone from the lower school as they're wearing the uniform and the magazine is aimed at the pupils of the school as well as the sixth formers therefore the images apply for all the target audience. The photo is a medium close-up and i decided to take the picture against a white background. The white background makes the student and her uniform stand out so they're the main focus of the Image, for example it highlights the red on the students uniform. If I was going to retake this photograph I would move the student over slightly to the right so the light switch wasn't in the camera frame, although when I include the Image on the magazine cover I will most likely crop it out and change the lighting as I think the photograph would be more successful if there wasn't a shadow behind the student.