School magazineCharlotte Kelly

• For this task we were asked to research other school magazines and evaluate them, using this knowledge we were then asked to design our own school magazine front cover and contents. We had to research what people would expect to see in school magazines and when designing our own versions keep into consideration the audience, main titles, pictures etc. Also we had to take our own set of photos to put onto our cover/contents.

This newsletter does not have a specific masthead/headline that is personal to it’sschool. The headline is a generic headline,however it is informative and leads you to think they’re published each season or term.

It tells you that it is issue number 2; this suggests that it is quite a new design and therefore is still in it’s early stages of development.

Considering it is in it’s early stages ofdevelopment the page as a whole looks rather skilled. There is a clear colourscheme that promotes the colours withinthe school logo; yellow, green and white.The colour scheme and font style is consistent which highlights it’s professionalism. It is simplistic yet wellthought out.

The fact the newsletter includes it’s school logo twice shows that it is proud to be representing the school. Also by choosing a logo rather than a photograph could make it more appealing as it’s more clear

The content is what you would expect. Advice for results day and returning to school. The main headline is very clear, and also the term times are very distinct and easy to understand. Overall the content is well thought out and the green on the white background is a very efficient choice.

The tag line at the bottom is clear and reflects the attitude of this school. It’s short and punchy, however the spacing in between each word is not equal and therefore it doesn’t fit it in with the whole professional look of the newsletter. The actual text promotes a positive and colour atmosphere, which is reflected in the content.

What makes the whole piece more clear is the fact it lists what’s in this newsletter. It’s accurate to it’s purpose as it updates you precisely and is line with the rest of the text.

Textual analysis of school magazine front covers

Something which takes away from the overall professional look is the fact the 2014 falls of the line/curve. Little issues like this make the whole thing less skilled.

‘Wilmo Weekly.’ The use of alliteration in the title makes it more catchy and memorable. The font could be described as quite tacky, as it is very stylized and does not fit in with the rest of the cover. It’s also a clear contrast to the boy in the picture, as he is very smartly dressed which could portray the magazine as quite un-reliable.

The fact it says Autumn edition yet the title says ‘Wilmo Weekly’ suggests that is not a weekly magazine and therefore is portraying false information and does not inform the audience correctly. Again making the magazine as a whole seem less consistent.

The main image or the figure shows a young student, whom looks happy and working away in a school environment. He’s smiling down at his work and does not make eye contact with the camera which could show how involved he is with his work, and therefore reflecting the school’s dedication to it’s students. This image creates a positive atmosphere towards school and education itself. The boy looks smartly dressed and well represented which gives the impression that it’s a professional and accomplished school. Also the fact it’s the only image and is set as the background to the font shows that this magazine is based around the students of the school, hinting at the fact it could have been made by the students themselves.

There is not a consistent colour scheme which exposes the fact it is not very professionally made, however the font style and use of capital letters is constant within the taglines and the important words are a different colour which allows them to stand out and helps the audience understand the story lines.

The content within the magazine is unclear as it’s hard to make a distinction between the different story lines. The difference in font size represents each story, for example ‘maximise your concentration’ and ‘decrease your workload’ is one story. All of the text highlights the purpose and context of the magazine; education.

There is 2 strap/sell lines which all relate to relieving stress and being happy within a school environment. This could portray that students are stressed due to GCSE’s or A levels so the magazine would be appealing to them and therefore it is focusing on a specific audience.

Textual analysis of school magazine front covers

What do you expect to see in a school magazine?

Answer Amount of people

School events 1

School information 3

End of term bulletin boards

1

Clubs 2

Exam advice (GCSE and A levels)

5

Photos of previous events 1

Logo 1

Exam results 1

Outside of school achievements

2

Bullying advice 2

UNI days 1

(results from 20 people)

Audience Research:

Audience Research:How often do you expect it to be issued?

Answer Amount of people

Once a month 3

Once a year 1

Everyday 3

Once a week 1

Once a term 10

Once every 6 months 2

(results from 20 people)

AS Media Studies Preliminary Task – School Magazine Front Page Proposal Form

Target audience: (age range, interests)Although it is a school newsletter you still have to think about your audience and how to appeal to them. 

The target audience for my school magazine is not just students but teachers and parents/carers. Therefore the content can not just be based around a younger audience but a range of ages, a younger person’s taste would not appeal to older audiences. The purpose of a school magazine is to inform the parents on the events at the school and the recent events of the students. It’s a way for the school to present itself properly and show it’s full potential to students and parents, therefore I will aim to cover all audiences. The interests of the parents will be different to the interests of the students, so I will aim to find a medium between the both. For example I intend to make the overall look of the magazine professional but include only necessary text and include a variety of relevant pictures. Students of a high school are aged 11-18, and therefore are a quite mature audience anyway and could have similar interests in education with an older audience.

Possible title ideas: (masthead / title block)What is your magazine going to be called? 

Priory Journal Priory AffairsPriory Inc.Priory VogueTPS DigestPriory Parade

Main image:What will be the focal point of your front page, remember, your work “must include a photograph of a student in a medium close-up” 

I will include a photograph of a student in a medium close up, which can then be updated every issue and can change from a red jumper, to grey jumper to sixth form student. By keeping a consistent background but updating a smaller picture every issue, it keeps the basic scheme of the cover yet adds an interesting adaption every time. The main image of my first issue will be a picture of the Dr Hadwens trust and team.

Main cover line:What will be the main story? 

The main story of my cover will be relevant to main events each term, for example this month I am going to have the main cover line as the Dragons business competition. Two teams of four from A level business are competing in the Hertfordshire business challenge where they are aiming to raise £100-£1000+ for charity. One of the charities being Dr. Hadwens trust who funds non-animal testing.

Additional key images:What other images will be on your front cover?Remember, it is a school magazine. 

 In the first issue there will be an image of the charity and the team members competing in this competition. Another image will also be the background- the school logo.

Additional cover lines:Other features, stories or selling points which will be inside the magazine, these need to be audience appropriate.  

Other stories the first issue will include is an introduction to the school year, welcoming everyone to the school and edging them back into education. Also it will include the overall A level and GCSE results from last year- the results were highly positive so this is promoting the school in a positive atmosphere and staring the magazine off on a high. Also by welcoming everyone back into the school year is a good starter point for the first issue.

Typography: (style, size, colour of copy)Think about the writing and the style of the writing on your front page. 

 The mast head, main story lines and other story lines are going to be clear and bold to stand out from the quite simple background. I will follow a consistent colour scheme, and use similar font throughout to keep the cover and contents page consistent. Also the style of writing on the front page and contents will be clear and basic, but not too childish to appeal to all audiences. The main headline and picture are going to be quite centred to reflect their importance.

Background colour/image:What will be in the background, remember you don’t want to take the focus away from the main image.  

The main image/ background will be the Priory school’s logo to promote the school and make the magazine more memorable. The logo is also timeless and therefore can be used for every issue of the magazine, by doing this again it makes the whole magazine more unforgettable and more recognizable. It will be an opaque background so it doesn’t take away from the rest of the content.

Technical considerations:(equipment, setting, props, costume, lighting)Be realistic and creative, think about what you have access to and how you could use it.  

 I will use Photoshop to make my front cover and contents, to make them look more professional and efficient. I will use a basic camera to take a picture of the Dr. Hadwens trust work and the team members who are taking part in the competition, then I will put it into Photoshop to manipulate and adapt the image. I will take the image in the sixth form common room, a suitable working environment. The lighting will be bright and clear, therefore fitting in with the main aim of the school magazine, basic yet exciting.

Preliminary exercise: produce a front page and contents page of a school magazine.

Front covers must include a photograph of a student in a medium close-up with

appropriately laid out text and use of an image manipulation programme (Photoshop).

Below start to sketch what the front cover of your newsletter will look like.

Priory logo as background (represents the school) Space for main image;

only picture shows it’s the most important.

The headline is bold and stands out to make it memorable and eye catching.

Main story line: bold in capitals to show status.

Memorable slogan/tagline to represent the school. The same as the schools slogan to be consistent.

Preliminary exercise: produce a front page and contents page of a school magazine.

Front covers must include a photograph of a student in a medium close-up with

appropriately laid out text and use of an image manipulation programme (Photoshop).

Below start to sketch what the contents page of your newsletter will look like.

Plain background to take no emphasis of the text.

Priory logo to represent the school and promoteit.

Bold taglines/storylines in order to make the magazine clear and interesting.Memorable

slogan/tagline to represent the school. The same as the schools slogan to be consistent.

Space for main image; only picture shows it’s the most important.

I took a series of mid shot photo’s for my School magazine front cover to see what would fit best with the aesthetic of my magazine. I decided the white background fitted best, the bottom pictures with the 2 boys was the image I used. My main story line was the business team for a competition, and therefore their smart look and enthusiastic expressions reflected this story well.

I adapted the photo slightly in Photoshop, before it had a slightly blue tinge so I warmed the photo up a bit to take out the blue tones. Also I cropped it slightly as it wasn’t centred.

Priory logo as background (represents the school). Put in the corner with no next over so not to overcrowd. The rest is a white background to not overcrowd.

The headline is bold and stands out to make it memorable and eye catching.

Issue number and term in the corner to show consistency in the issues of the magazine.

Consistent font to showconsistency of the pieceas a whole. Main taglinehas an image with it to highlight its importance. Other important words ina separate colour and capitals to again highlight its importance.

A different image/text box to add something unique to my cover.

The ‘contents’ is bold and stands out to make it memorable and eye catching.

The headline is bold and stands out to make it memorable and eye catching. Numbers same font and colour as ‘contents’ to make it look more professional.

Priory logo to represent the school and promoteit.

A different image/text box to add something unique to my cover. Same as the front cover to show consistency.

Plain white background and consistent colour scheme to show clarity and professionalism of the magazine.

What have I learnt?

• During this task I have learnt different aspects needed within a magazine; for example Target Audience and their importance. You have to take things like colour schemes and the languages used when considering the audience. Also what people would expect to see in magazines, and therefore what is needed to attract people to it. Also I have learnt how to do certain things in Photoshop, before I didn’t know much and know I can adapt images colouring, edit different layers, insert text, use filters etc.