Cover page and Contents page ideas

 



I decided to do an analysis to my questionnaire, this is going to benefit me when I have to start creating my magazine, as all of the questions have been analysed in detail, a lot of the questions that I asked in my questionnaire had only two answers to them, initially I thought I could have came up with better answers, that being said when I have analysed these questions they have very much defined my options when creating my magazine.

 

 

 

 

I included this question to see whether it was more boys or girls that had been interested in the idea of a school magazine and picked up the questionnaire. I also wanted to ensure the answers – regarding the look and content of the magazine in particular, were from both a male and female perspective as our school is mixed and therefore I would like my magazine to appeal to both genders. I learned from my bar chart that there is a dominant female ratio therefore I will tailor my school magazine to females.

When thinking on what I was going to base my magazine around, the Year Group or Key Stage played a huge role on what was going into it. I asked this question as I thought through the answers I could establish which age groups would be most interested in a magazine. 13/20 pupils questioned were sixth form, and 4 from years 11-12 and 5 from years 8-10. This suggests that a large majority of my readers will be sixth form and so I needed to assess the idea of a magazine aimed purely at the two sixth form year groups.

In my next question I asked when the magazine would be best published, from this I learned that at just over 50% of the people who answered the survey, they all stated that every month would be best suited for the magazine to be published. These results have assured me that my magazine could be published at least on a monthly basis as there is sufficient demand. I think the reason for the magazine to be published monthly could possibly be because there is always a lot going on in the school, and people may want to be kept up to date with news and possibly schemes that the school are setting up.

For my 4^th question, I have learned that almost everyone who completed the survey would like to get the school magazine for free, as this is a school magazine, it is understandable why people wouldn’t be happy to pay for it, that being said 2 people did state that they would be happy to pay 50p for the magazine, possibly the two who answered this may be in 6^th form and are willing to pay a little extra money for a better quality magazine. 

 

As well as the actual images on the front cover of the magazine and indeed inside, the colour scheme will play an important part in creating the feeling and tone of the magazine. The colours pink, purple and blue received the highest amount of votes each followed by red, black and orange. Red, green and yellow were then the least popular colours. I think these results reflect the fact that the students would like the magazine to be quite laid back, fun and easy to read – possibly the reasoning behind the least numbers of the red, yellow and green, maybe because they are our school colours and people may want to see a change in the dynamic of the magazine.

 

 

For my 6^th question, it was very straight forward and simple, that in fact actually was something that either or could make a niche audience intrigued or another audience not so much, I decided that this question would actually be relevant as clearly the magazine is a school magazine, but it doesn’t actually mean that it has to be extremely formal and sophisticated, this magazines niche audience are young teenagers who want to see lots of fun bright pictures,  colours and layouts, it’s clear that from this question I will be insuring that my magazine will be just that.

 

 

 

 

 

In this question it will likewise give me a much more detailed description of what my magazine will look like, again as in my question 6, it is a simple yet very effective question that will again make the process of creating the magazine a lot easier. From the survey it shows that a large number of people will want to see mostly pictures verses information, I had already anticipated this as usually teenagers are looking at magazines, mostly for the pictures inside, rather than what is actually being said, therefore I will be placing lots of pictures inside my magazine.

 

One of the main things that always attracts me to a magazine are vouchers and prizes, I was glad to see that I had a wide range of answers from this particular question, from this I learned that the ‘iTunes voucher’ was at the highest demand, following by ‘bagel bean, and then ‘Topshop’ I think the ‘iTunes’ voucher came first, because, obviously in this school there are boys and girls, iTunes vouchers definitely appeal to both, also this voucher will always be appreciated as the niche audience are teens, who love music, therefore I think this was a good choice.

I wanted to find out what people would mostly want to see in my magazine, the different options are all what I would genuinely want to see in the magazine, I was surprised to see that a good portion of the people who answered mostly wanted to see previous and upcoming school trips, I think this is a nice section too see in the magazine as it is exciting to see different events outside of school, as it can get people looking forward for when the trip is coming up. Competing with second place the “revision tips” at a close majority, I had anticipated that “revision tips” would be at a high request, as again this is a school magazine, and from my previous questions I can see that it will be a high chance that I will be focusing on mostly a 6^th form magazine, furthermore 6^th form students are consistently doing either class tests or formal exams, meaning that  people will always want to know more revision tips and advice.

This is an important question as the front cover of a magazine is really what sells it, I plan on making my front cover bright and colourful, so I needed to get the actual picture on the front page just right as this will be why people will pick it up, I asked for three different options, I was surprised to see that half of the answers were ‘different themes’ I had previously thought that students would have been at popular demand, but as the magazine will be appealing to teenagers they possibly want to see something a tad different on their school magazine rather than students or teachers, I think the option for different themes will be fun to do, as every month I can change it up to suit the time of year.

In my last question I decided ask what the students would like to see me more focusing in the magazine, as the people who I handed out the questionnaire to were mostly my own year group, the majority of students answers ‘my year group’ this means that when putting things into my magazine it will be a lot easier as I only have to focus on 6^th form, not the whole school, and obviously as I am in lower 6^th I can relate to everything that will be talked about.

Questionnaire For A School Magazine

What gender are you?

• Male
• female

What year are you in?

• Year 8-10
• Years 11-12
• Years 13-14

How often would you like to see the school magazine to be published?

• Every month
• Every 6 months
• Once a year

How much would you be willing to pay for the magazine?

• Nothing
• 20p
• 50p
• £1

What colours would intrigue you to read the magazine?

• Pink, blue, purple
• Red, yellow, green
• Orange, red, black

Would you prefer a formal or informal style to the magazine?

• Formal
• informal

What would you like to see more in the school magazine?

• Information
• pictures

What gift vouchers would you like to be included in the magazine?

• ITunes voucher
• Trim-Print voucher
• Bagel bean voucher
• New look voucher
• Topshop voucher

What would you like to see in the magazine?

• School trips
• Recent school achievements
• Revision tips
• Upcoming events
• Agony Aunt

What would you like to see on the front cover?

• Teachers
• Students
• Different themes, e.g. Halloween theme, Christmas theme

What would you prefer the magazine to focus on most?

• My year group
• Whole school

Analysing the contents page of a school magazine.

The luminous yellow background of this school’s magazine’s contents page is what makes the page attractive and immediately catches the eye of the reader, presenting a bright and fun feel. Also it creates an engaging background so that the font can stand out and easier to read.

The letters used in this piece are quite large in size and are centred to the page, the font used shows that the school is proper and formal, although the colour scheme used for the font definitely show a more lively cool feel to the page, meaning that the school are not trying to portray that they cannot have a light-hearted fun feel to the school in general, as judging by the pictures the student in this school seem to be in their mid-teens years and the school want to make them feel comfortable and that they are on the same level, whereas if the contents page was to be plain colours e.g. black and white, and no pictures the school would obviously not put into consideration that the mass market audience that this would not appeal to them.

The pictures in this schools contents page seem to take up a large portion on the page and the text to take up less than half, we are seeing less information and more of the visual aspects of what would be in this school, instead of reading about it, this school clearly wants to portray an immediate visual effect.

The pictures in this page are linking with the text e,g “6^th form life”and there is a picture of a 6^th form common room where students look to be sitting in a room relaxing, aswell as “fun and games” and the conjoining picture is where the first picture on the right hand side is, he looks like he is taking some time out and possibly playing a game on his computer. 

 

Analysing the Contents page of a school magazine.

The white background that is presented on the contents page is what immediately attracts the reader to the magazine, is what makes the page stand out and immediately catches the eye of the reader, presenting a very calm, and modern-day feel. It also creates an attractive vibe to the page, with the colour scheme used on the letters which are deep blue, black, a bold black font. The font actually suggests a more serious approach to the magazine, it is bold and formal, to show that the magazine is serious and is trying to get a more stern point across. The features certainly permit readers to presume that the magazines target audience are for parents. As the magazine is so professional it shows that it is well known – which would lead to the conclusion of that the magazine is popular and published often but it also anchors meaning to the page and is something that all those familiar with the school can recognise and associate with.

The images portray students carrying out various activities; in the first image it shows a small child outside, which would immediately show to parents that the children can enjoy their time when they are there, in the picture below it depicts a much more serious and formal side to the school, showing what looks like the two boys are relaxing in the library reading books, this is important as parents clearly want to be aware that their children are learning as well as having fun. In the last picture it shows children drawn to a painting on the wall. The people creating magazine made sure that all aspects of the “school life” are shown right away on the contents page, so immediately before they even read the first page they should already be impressed with this pre school.

The articles mentioned on the contents page all seem to be relevant to students with stories and pictures that would interest and appeal to them, such as “the school library in an age of distraction”and “work learning the language of education”  Furthermore, regarding colour, the words can be easily seen against the contrasting background which is very important.

The different authors are printed beside each article; this implies that students may be the authors and each student has a different area to focus on. “using tablets to transform learning”by Scott Carnochan and “young entrepreneurs at work”by Laurianne Gayler

Prep School Magazine Analysis

I have decided that it would be best to not only analysis one school magazine, but two, this magazine is a completely different age group who are mainly based in the front cover, verses the other magazine that I have just analysed, I thing that it is good that I have two opposite magazine, as I can see different things to look out for when I come to creating my own.

 

Continuing on with the further part of my preliminary task, I have chosen “prep school” magazine. The masthead that is used in this particular magazine, is an instant eye catcher as it is in large enticing font, the masthead is a clean printed in a formal font to present the school in a prestigious way. The word ‘Prep’ immediately shows us that this school could possibly be a pre-school, early years primary school or a preparation school.  The magazine attracts the students of the school along side their parents. The mix of the blue and white colours of the masthead is associated to the other features of the magazine; the overall colour scheme for the magazine is blue and white. The bold white writing stands out for the blue background which has been purposely done to grab our attention.

The colour scheme has been chosen to most likely symbolize the schools uniform, which can be seen in the main image. The colour scheme is bold and bright to highlight the positive features of this magazine. The colour for this magazine ties together well as the main image further carries on the white and blue colours. The blue banner is clear-cut and formal looking.  The house style of this school magazine is formal due to the blue banner and font of the headings and coverlines around the main image. The spelling and punctuation is correct implying that this magazine is formal. Dues to the formality of this magazine the circulation would probably be more popular among the older age, for example the teachers and parents. The way the magazine is present may not attract younger readers.
There is no indication of a price of this magazine which indicates that this school magazine is free; encouraging more sales. However on the skyline it states the year printed and the issue number. This highlights the fact that the magazine is an on-going magazine most likely printed annually or termly. Due to the presents of the issue number we can indicate that the contents of the magazine will highlight the positive things that happened since the last magazine. 
 The slogan of this magazine is printed under the masthead, it summarises the statement that the school carries proudly, “reflecting the best”, this highlights to us that the school must receive good results either with academic results or the students are very bright young people. The slogan emphasizes to us that the school is a prep and junior school i.e. for younger children, before high school. 
The main image is spread across the front cover; the image is displayed behind the coverlines and the advertisement shown at the bottom of the front cover. The main image illustrates young children with iPads; this highlights an issue which may be written inside in the magazine. We can guess that the subject in this issue of the magazine is to do with IT and how it will positively impact pupils; we can indicate this as the students are smiling with iPads in their hands. We can further perceive the subject matter of the magazine on the coverline which is displayed on top of the image. It reads, “A focus on IT”, this suggests to us that IT is the main story in the magazine.

School Magazine Front Cover "XHIBIT"

I have decided to look through some samples of school magazines that other schools have previously done, by analysing a few different front covers it will prepare and guide me to create my own, I choose this on as I felt it was relatable with the magazine that I will be creating, as I want to focus my magazine on A-level students, immediately from the front cover of this school magazine, I can tell that these students would have just received their results, this gave me lots of inspiration for my actual magazine.

 

School Magazine Analysis

The masthead of this school magazine is called “XHIBIT” The headline is a play on the word ‘Exhibit’ and the shortening of the word makes it more user friendly for younger people. “ Xhibit” has connotations and associations of exhibiting new articles, new thoughts and new developments in the world of young people.  Reading down through the articles one quickly discovers that this is a magazine which specialises in the latest events, developments and shows in the world of art, drama, music and creative activities such as cooking. 

Exhibit essentially means to show or display so the masthead means to display what is going on in the front page or what is to follow in the magazine, so the reader would be enticed to see what articles are going be in the magazine.

 The competition that is highlighted on the front page is also related to this world with the chance to win tickets to a West End show.  This competition is displayed in the graphics as a jagged solid shape Graphics that is commonly used in cartoons and animations.  The typeface that is white letters on the solid orange background ensure that the reader can quickly see the competition prize that is being offered inside the magazine.

The tonal graphics draw the line across the page and the yellow of the ‘x’ is lifted up in the yellow of the GCSE results the yellow connotes a cheery and joyful attitude.  Likewise the orange tones of the ‘H’ are used in the ‘win tickets’ promotion and again provides a balance with the title of the magazine.  The colouring of the clothes of the taller student in the photograph likewise balances out the colouring of the last four letters as she is wearing a pink top and blue cardigan.  This ensures that the reader will look at the cover and recognise patterns of colour and patterns where font is reproduced.

The two students in the cover are situated slightly to the right of the photograph allowing for text to be sited on the left hand side of the page.  This is a very common layout of a magazines front page as we read from left to right in this part of the world and also read from the top of the page to the bottom.  However, the type cast for the article on ‘The GCSE geniuses’ clearly sites the word ‘GCSE’ in the centre of the page and sites it also across the two students which indicates that the two students are the ‘GCSE’ geniuses.  The colour yellow signifies positivity, energy and brightness and is therefore apt for this article and the reader would clearly be drawn to this story to find out more about these two students.  Furthermore, the students themselves are dressed very casually and appear to be very approachable, this means that the magazine’s audience can easily identify with them and would therefore be open to reading about them and how they succeeded in achieving such good results.  The students appear happy and excited with their results and the camera in the photograph would suggest that one of the students has undertaken courses in either media, moving arts or photography.

The articles that are featured on the front page relate to talent, creativity and performances.  ‘Young Talent’ which is featured in orange print – one of the colours used in the mast head describes an event which will feature local students’ art, drama and music.  A play on words ‘Bugsy at Burghley’ provides a link to an article which reviews a play and one would guess that the play is ‘Bugsy Malone’.  This film initially starred young actors playing the part of gangsters and would lend itself to a play which could also be performed and appreciated by young people.

The magazine cover also promotes environmental issues and subtly uses the green colouring on the word ‘green’ in going green as a means of reinforcing the environmental issue.  This is a subtle and yet effective manner in introducing this topic and would attract the reader’s attention. The block across the magazine is used to anchor the page and is divided in to equal parts each denoting sections within the magazine.  The magazine promises something for everyone whether it be art, drama, music, cooking, photography, competitions or events.

AS Media Class

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A little bit about me

 

 

Hello, My name is Meabh, I'm 16 years old and I've just started my A level course.

 I've chosen to do Double Health and Social Care and Media Studies. 

I chose Double Health and Social Care as I would like to follow a career in nursing and also Media as I found the course content to be very interesting and thought that it would be a good contrast with my other subjects and will also improve my IT skills.

 

Outside of school I work in a small residential home for the elderly with dementia or Alzheimer's. I really enjoy my job and the patients always bring a smile to my face,

 I'm so pleased that I have finally worked out what I would like to do with my life. 

 I usually spend my free time with my friends, either going out for the day shopping, or sitting in for a movie day, I also enjoy when the weather is good, going for long walks with my dogs, coming home and spending time with my family.

 

 

This picture was taken when my friends and I went to Tenants Vital.

It was such an amazing day - I would gladly relive it again and again!

 

This is one of my all time favourite songs. (Junk of the Heart "Happy")

It is from the indie/rock band "The Kooks". This song is from their last album,

it's uplifting and always puts me into a good mood.