Front cover mock ups

Pictures for school magazine

 These are the some of the photos i have taken for the school magazine.

I found this photo to be unsuitable as the main person is looking away so isn't very inviting.

 I also found this one to be unsuitable as there isn't a main focus as two people are looking to the camera.

I chose to use this one for the front cover, as i found it most suitable. In the view you can see the main focus point looking happily into the camera, whilst doing work. I find that a comfortable environment is presented as in the view is other students, showing that there is possible group work, there is also a cup of some sort of hot drink, these both present a comfortable environment. Overall i think this would be a good photo for the front cover as it reminds students of the good working environments at school.

 I used photoshop to alter the size, contrast, brightness, and added a very subtle warm yellow hue. I cropped the picture so that mainly just the torso of the pupil is shown as the rest could be quite distracting, however i cropped it so the view allows you to see parts of other pupils, showing that the students work together. Although the refreshment added to a comfortable environment i found it was unnecessary, if this object was in shot, more people would be too, making the image distracting. I changed the contrast and brightness, to influence a joyful appeal. I added a yellow hue to create a warm tone, as the last picture looks quite dull and boring, which could reflect on the school, yet to create a happy fun appeal, i altered it like this;

Arnold House School Contents page

Arnold House School Contents page

 Compared to The Lion's School magazine, this magazine seems to be more factual and detailed.  

The contents is divided in to ten different segments. The word 'Contents' is placed at the top left of the page, which i think is quite inviting, it is highlighted in a light grey. There is no colour theme, other than segment titles being random colours, this may give a more fun appeal considering there is a lot of text. This is a different way of showing the hierarchy of the text without increasing the font size.

Unlike The Lion magazine, nearly ever page is given a topic stating what the page contains. Each segment is numbered to make it easier to establish where in the magazine the information the reader is looking for is based. All font is the same size other than the masthead 'Contents' emphasizing the importance of this title.

The Lion- Hampton School

The Lion- Hampton School Contents page

The contents page information is quite vague within describing what is on each individual page. The same logo is used on both the contents and front cover. The simplicity works well as each segment is linked with a picture suitable and relating to the content. To the left of each picture is the title of each segment and what pages contain this, these titles are in capitals showing the importance. The text 'pages' followed by page numbers is in a slightly smaller font showing it is less important.
                 
Black and yellow is a main colour theme. Black symbolizes elegance and power, therefore signifying this is what the school represents. Yellow is a happy colour, also signifying the schools ethos. The masthead states the date, this shows the magazine is released yearly. The font of this is simple and in capitals, showing the importance of the text.               

                                                                                                                                                                           

Font Testing

Colour Testing

Colour Testing

Red the colour of blood and fire connotes love, passion, desire, heat and romance. The colour red itself is intense packed with emotion raging from passion to anger, representing both cupid and the devil. The colour is highly visible able to focus attention quickly, therefore red used for danger, for example stop signs, it is also used on fire trucks for attention. This colour would be good as it stands out and is the same colour mainly used on Highdown uniform and signs.

Orange is a energy colour made from yellow and red. Orange is associated with joy, warmth, creativity, and fun, which could represent the school's ethos. Due to its mixture of both red and yellow, the colour orange comes across as a lot less aggressive like red, as yellow calms the colour, still remaining fun and bright like red.

Yellow is the colour of sunshine, hope, and happiness. Yellow is also an attention grabbing colour, specially when contrasting with black, therefore it is often used for taxis, buses, and traffic lights. It is often associated with food and is highly used in childrens products mainly because it is a unisex colour unlike blue; which is associated with boys and pink; associated with girls. This unisex colour would allow the magazine to be appealing to both boys and girls yet it is not as easy to see therefore would not be suitable.

Green the colour of life, nature, and freshness. Green is understood to be the most relaxing restful colour to the human eye. It can affect us physically and mentally in many ways. It is soothing, relaxing and youthful. Green is often used to indicate safety, for example green light for go on traffic lights, it is natural,it is often used on packaging for this aspect and is also relatable to recycling, which would give the magazine a friendly idea.

Blue is the colour of both the sky and sea, it is associated with open space, freedom, and imagination. Blue has positive affects on the mind and body, it helps with self expression, balance and is able to calm. The blue colour communicates significance, importance and confidence without creating somber or sinister feelings. Too much can create feelings of negativity and sadness. Blue could represent the calm collected atmosphere of learning environments at school. Since the colour is calming this would help students to relax whilst reading the magazine during a break.

Purple is a mixture of fiery red and calm blue. It is often associated with royalty, power and ambition. Purple has a variety of affects on the body and mind, it can increase imagination, creativity and and sensitivity whilst uplifting spirits, which would benefit the student reading the magazine if this colour was to be used. Purple is feminine, graceful and romantic. It is often considered a mature pink.

 Black is associated with power, strength, mystery and elegance. Black affects the mind and body by boosting confidence in appearance, increasing potential and possibility, yet it can also create feelings of sadness and gloom. In western countries black is the colour of mourning and death. This colour would give a formal feel to the magazine making students perhaps feeling more grown up reading a magazine as such.


White is a positive colour, it is associated with purity, innocence and perfection. To the human eye the colour white can be quite bright, even causing headaches when too bright.  The colour affects the mind and body by encouraging the purification of thoughts and actions. This colour would have to be placed on a darker background for the text to be visible, yet it is unique, overall i dont think this would be a suitable colour as it is hard to work with.

Questionnairre for target audience

I plan to make a school magazine for my media studies coursework, firstly i have made this questionnaire to investigate what my target audience wants.


1) If you read any, what sort of magazines do you read?

 Fashion ☐   Music☐   Sport ☐  Gossip ☐  News ☐   Other ☐

2) What would you like the magazine to include?

Fashion ☐   Music☐   Sport ☐  Gossip ☐  News ☐   Other ☐

3) Would you prefer the magazine to feature more information about school?

  Yes ☐   No ☐

4) If the magazine featured information about the school, would you like it to feature events and rewards?

Yes ☐   No ☐

5) Would you prefer cool colours and font or more formal?

  Cool ☐   Formal ☐

6) How often do you think it should be released?

  Daily ☐   Weekly ☐   Every Fortnight ☐    Monthly ☐  

7) Would you prefer more images than text?

 Yes ☐   No ☐

8) What is more important content or design?

 Content ☐   Design ☐

9) Would you be willing to pay?

 Yes ☐   No ☐

10) Is there anything else you would like to say about the magazine?

  Yes ☐   No ☐

If you answered yes, please state what.

Arnold House School

Arnold House School

The cover doesn't have an obvious masthead, other than the title of the school, next to its logo. Clearly and simply showing the magazine includes information regarding the school. The logo appears to be a shield with some sort of bird on top. The colours of this include green, white  red and gold, i think these colours are very majestic together representing the schools ethos.

 In large letters and numbers; the initials of the school and perhaps year of release of the magazine is presented. Within this there is images of children from the school taking part in activities such has rugby and climbing. This gives the reader an insight to the information in the magazine.The font is simple and quite elegant suggesting the school is also elegant.

The background is a rich red which is associated with passion, leadership and joy. Passion could reflect the passion for learning, leadership; the element of which the school wishes for is students to embrace and joy suggests the joy of the community.                                              

Fashion Magazine Elle

Fashion Magazine- Elle

 

The masthead ‘Elle’ suggests the magazine is aimed at females as this is a female name. The font of the masthead is quite elegant, reflecting the kind of people the magazine wants to be brought buy.  

The model, Victoria Beckham is posing with her hand positioned on her hip and looking away from the camera, unlike most of the cover models in the magazine. This is more of a dramatic pose, suggesting she has previously done modelling before; this gives the reader a better idea of who the cover model is without having to read the name. The shot shows Victoria’s torso allowing us to see part of her outfit, the text beneath her name mentions her new look, without having to read the magazine we are able to see part of her knew look. This gives the potential buyers a chance to see her knew look without having to read the magazine, the buyer can then decide whether they would like to see more or not.

 An anti-aging special is mentioned, the placement of this is by Victoria’s head, after viewing her readers may see she looks good for her age, the positioning of the text may make readers want to know after being influenced by the model.

 The colour of the masthead is quite a subtle purple, which is similar to the models dress, this may suggest the magazine has the same sort of style as the model. Particular parts of text are in bold giving the reader an insight of the important headings.

The Lion -Hampton School

The Lion- Hampton School


The masthead titles, The Lion, as seen in the bottom right corner, the schools logo features a lion. The lion seems to be holding a sword and a shield. Lions represent bravery, courage and masculinity, the lion acts as a efficient logo or this school as it is all boys.

Boys from the school are featured on the cover, showing what sort of activities and trips they do. Giving the reader an insight of what contents the magazine holds. The colour scheme is yellow and black, yellow is happy perhaps reflecting the students time spent at the school and the black is bold, suggesting formality and elegance.

The masthead and logo contrast against the black background making both the text and picture bold and noticeable. The font is narrow and simple, which could reflect the schools way of learning; simple.

Magazine Analysis- Marie Clare

Marie Clare

The masthead of this magazine; Marie Claire, suggest this magazine is aimed at a female audience, because the title is a woman's name.

The woman on the front cover, Mandy Moore, is famous, she is a singer and actress, this would attract many of her fans. Although Mandy is in the magazine to talk about her engagement, and music, as we know from the text on the right. She also relates to another title ''LOOK AMAZING'' as she is posing with her arms in the air giving an open view of her outfit. The text is at the same angle of which her arms are, also showing that the text and the woman link.

A blue and yellow coloured theme appears throughout the text, these colours contrast, which could reflect the brands identity as fun and exciting. The background is plain white giving a fresh feel and emphasizes the bold colours, drawing the eye to the text.

Hyperbolic phrases such as 'THEY'LL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!'' may encourage the reader to purchase the magazine because it exaggerates the potential of the beauty products. This phrase also addresses the audience, suggesting it would help the reader in particular.

The magazine also offers a free download of Mandy Moore's new music, this would also attract her fans or anyone interested in her music, or type of music.

Hello..

My name is Lucy McCabe. This is my Blog for Media Studies OCR. This is the Preliminary task.