Evaluation of My School Magazine

This is my final design for my school magazine. This is quite different to my initial design as the photo is not what i had first planned. Initially I was going to have a girl leaning against a wall reading my magazine but I found that this image would have been too technically difficult to create. I went for a simpler image of a girl looking happy and reading through her work which I was happy with.
I included articles in my magazine of fun and educational places to visit in London, helpful revision techniques and a sports and fashion section so that my magazine would be appealing to both males and females. I am happy with my final product and now know what sort of design feature will work well on my music magazine cover.

I kept my contents simple and no nonsense so that it easier for readers to just go straight to the articles.

Comparing Images

The image quality isn't amazing as the photograph was taken in 1906. It is not immediately obvious what this is a photograph of, other than that it is of an earthquake. The image is quite over-exposed in the background because of the bright light of the sky and the image provokes a sense of disaster, as there is a huge crack in the ground and a cart has fallen down it. We can tell from the photo that this may have been a natural disaster and that it is a very old photograph but what is not obvious is exactly where and when it was. The expression of the image is quite dark and gloomy and there is a sense of fear and sadness about it. The central part of the image is the big crack in the ground which is in the middle and in focus whereas the less important features of the picture are more blurred out. There is a horse and cart and a single figure in the background, there is also some debris around the edges this shows that the street is deserted and alot of damage has been caused. There isn't really very much movement implied in the picture apart from that the crack has recently made it's way along the ground and caused devastation. Because this image is old, it is in black and white but we can tell that the colours in the actual scene must have been quite dull to begin with. The photographer has only included the essential components in their photograph, they have taken the photo along the floor at a low angle to show the extent of the damage and to show as much of the surroundings as is needed to create an understanding in the viewer of the extent of the situation.

Initial Ideas

Title:

I decided to go for a simple title that related well to what the magazine is about so i have chosen to call it FSM6; Using the capitalisation of Fortismere School Magazine 6th form.

Design Style:

I will go for a very simple design, using quite a consistent colour scheme, i don't want my front cover to be too cluttered so my picture will be black and white and very simple.

Possible Articles:

I would like to include articles that will appeal to both sexes so i am planning on putting in specialised features for males and females such as a sports section and a fashion section and then some unspecialised articles that could help educationally and socially such places to visit in London and revision tips;

Educational places to visit in London

Helpful revision tips and techniques

How to keep on top of your work load and be happy at school

Latest school fashions and beauty tips

Sports - School match results news and league news

Fonts:

I am planning on using a website called http://www.dafont.com/ which offers a variety of different fonts which could suit the look that i am aiming for. At the top are some examples of fonts that i would like to use. I would also like to use some different fonts from photo shop.

Colours:

I am going for a black, white and grey look in order to keep my cover quite simple, modern and easy on the eye to help the features to stand out.

Audience:

My magazine will be aimed at both males and females at Fortismere sixth form who are interested in reading both interesting and educational articles about things that they are genuinely interested in.

Possible Images:

My original idea was to use a girl leaning up against a brick wall reading my magazine but i just couldn't get the right picture for what i was aiming for, so i settled on a photo of a girl looking very happy and reading through her work.

Evaluation of a School Magazine

I looked at the front page of a school magazine and this is what I found:

The magazine is largely aimed at females, using a picture of a young lady standing alone as the focal point of the cover and containing 'advice' about boys and a story following 'a girl's journey through sixth form'.

It is a very clear, simple and professional-looking front cover and uses similar fonts throughout to keep the general look and layout consistant. A banner is used at the bottom of the page to separate and highlight additional information from the rest.

There is information on either side introducing a variety of different articles which shows an attempt to attract a more diverse audience. Articles focus mainly on the social aspects of sixth form. There is information about the social club and 'the places to be this month', 'how to fit in', how to 'stretch your culinary skills and advice on fashion, boys and health. These are subjects that may draw a teenager in to read the magazine because they are issues that may arise in their every day life.

The cover does have some advice about achieving success in school with articles such as 'university worries' and 'A-levels - All you need to know to achieve the best you can' which highlights that the magazine is not only about how to make friends in sixth form but it is taking the form as a gossip magazine in order to help young people to further their education.