Self Evaluation of my Preliminary Task

Front Page:

• There is no main image on my page, as all the images are the same size.
• Equidistance between text boxes- the text box on the left of my page doesn’t have the same distance between the masthead and the text at the bottom of the page
• There is too much white space between the school logo and the masthead
• There were some punctuation errors in my writing
• The images were equally spaced out

Contents Page:

• There is too much white space between each line of text
• The numbering of my pages was incorrect
• There was no image on the contents page
• The page number was on the right and not left like other magazines
• The colours I used worked well with the magazine

Preliminary Task- Contents Page

Preliminary Task- Front Page

Others Comments on my Preliminary Task

1. April Atkin

   I like the name that you have used for your magazine and I also like your use of the school colours on your magazine. You can tell that your magazine is for a school and you can also clearly see the name of the school. I think this is a good point as you make it very clear from the cover what the purpose of your magazine is. I think you have came up with some good cover lines, and that you have incorporated what you found out from your research well. To improve your magazine front cover you could put some images on to the contents page and use a variety of colours throughout the two pages. Also make it a bit less formal, and also less text on the front cover.
2. Daniel O'Connor

   MAIN PAGE
   I like how the colours match well with the school's colours. You can clearly see that it is a school magazine. To improve, i think youi could use a different font and make the text larger. I also think that one main image would work well.
   CONTENTS PAGE
   I like how the theme of the magazine is carried on to the contents page. To improve, i think you should include a couple of images, make sure that the page numbers are correct (e.g. page 1,2&3 are the main page, advert page and contents page not articles). I also think the line spacing could be smaller.

Research for my Preliminary magazine

Teacher

Colour schemes- simple, consistent

Articles- current, area links (not just school based), Articles on students (results, outside school), changes in school, students writing them

Images- detailed of focus, bright, colourful, and interesting

Front page- articles inside not on front

Problem page

Anonymous

Articles- reading (persuading people to read), students writing them, school departments, student work, current news events outside of school

Colour schemes- bright, eye catching (for students)

Tone-not too formal but Standard English (no slang), friendly/chatty

Images- not celebrities

Layout- titles on front not with articles, more professional looking (smarter, for staff, could intimidate readers)

Teacher

Colour scheme- school colours

Articles- book recommendations, Success stories, written by students, students work

Competitions

Tone- formal with an informal section (aimed at year 7’s)

Front cover- typical school magazine, students design front cover each time

Images- school results, competitions, students work

Sixth form

Articles- changes in school, after school (UCAS points), university open days, interviews, examiner interviews (how to get marks, what they look for), written by students (more personal)

Colour scheme- colder colours for more professional look, school colours, consistent

Front cover- students, traditional school magazine

Year 10

Articles-puzzles/quizzes, prizes for trips you can go to (Rockingham, Alton towers), gossip(what’s going on in the school), student contribution, letter from the principal

Colour scheme- school colours, bright and colourful

Tone- chatty

Deconstruction of a school magazine- part 2

The background colour of this magazine is a gradient colour, going from white to a light grey. This is a fairly bright background and suggests that the school is quite fresh and new, as well as a school that cares a lot about their students. White also implies purity, suggesting that the pupils and teachers are of high class and a ‘pure’.

The image on the front of the page is very large and is of 2 pupils at the school. Both the pupils look very smart and professional, possibly showing that this is what the school tries to be viewed as. The 2 students are standing very close to each other, but also in an awkward way, suggesting that they feel very uncomfortable around each other. Both students look very smart and well-presented which suggests that the school is fairly upper-class as the uniform seems very strict and professional.

The masthead of the magazine is ‘The Griffin’, which is in a very bold font that can easily be seen. A griffin is a mythical creature, which symbolises wisdom and strength, suggesting that the school wants to present itself to the public as a school with high intelligence. The other text on the page doesn’t look as well presented though- it seems to overlap the images and the colours used aren’t very clear. The colour purple that is used in the text (as well as at the top of the page) usually symbolises royalty, suggesting that the school is upper-class. The text itself also creates the impression of a private school  as it says about a trip to Barcelona, and also tells us 2 students names, which make the school seem very private as the trip is expensive, and the names are very unique and stereotypically from a private school.

Overall I think that the magazine tries to convey a school that is very upper-class, by the use of colours, images and text. However, I don’t think that the front page layout implies this view as it looks very messy and unprofessional if you just look at it quickly rather than analyse each individual part, so I believe the layout as a whole needs to be rethought.

Deconstruction of a School magazine- part 1

The background colour of the magazine is a very dull blue/grey which suggests a very uninteresting school. However grey can also represent intelligence which makes me think that the school is private.  The layout of the front page looks very professional as the images all look of good quality and are put in places that look good on the page.

The pictures on the front also make me think of it as a private school as the umiform is very smart and the teacher looks very professional. The students seem to be enjoying the company of the teacher as they are positioned very close to her, which suggests a very warm atmosphere.

At the top of the page there is the school name which also makes me think the school is upper class. This is due to the school name showing that they are from Hertfordshire (which is perceived as a higher class county) as well as showing it specialises in a very academic subject-science. However in the same sense it also makes the school seem lower in class as it says it is also in Essex which is perceived as a very low class place. However the font used to say the school name looks very messy, which could suggest that maybe the school is more lower-class that is trying to look private.

Underneath the school name there is the school logo, which includes a foreign motto. The shape of the badges creates a very royal feeling to the school as foreign languages as well as the badge symbolises wealth. The logo is very bright colours which makes it stand out against the dark background. One of the badges is also a deep red which I believe symbolises desire and passion, suggesting that the school thrives on ambitious children with a lot of love for their work.

Overall I think that this magazine front cover looks very effective and smart. It creates a very upper class image of the school and makes me feel as though it is a private/public school. They could improve the magazine cover by changing the background to a brighter colour so it is more appealing to students.

Commenting on other people's work

I have commented on 2 students front page and contents page designs and I have learnt to develop my analytical skills of other peoples work. This now means that I can apply these skills to my own work in order to improve.

Student 1:

I like how the magazine is very modern so that it will attract to the younger readers. I think that using the pin/notice board effect, as well as having a background looking like a piece of paper gives the magazine am informal feel which again will appeal to students. I like the colour scheme used and the masthead font looks appropriate for your target audience. I also like how it is consistent from the font page to the contents. To improve I think that the positioning of some of the text/images could be changed, and also the images themselves could be changed so that there isn't the same one on each page. I think you could also make the masthead slightly larger so that it stad out a bit more. Overall I think that the magazine looks really good and is appropriate for your target audience.


Student 2:

I like the overall look of the contents page, and after looking at the front cover, I think that is gives a good consistency throughtout. I like that there is an image on the contents page that is appropriate and of a good quality. I also like that the page appeals to both children and adults as it looks very modern and proffesional. To improve I think that you could try and keep with a similar font rather than have 3 different ones,and maybe try a background colour, although this may not work with your front page or the images you have used

Initial ideas for a school magazine

These are my initial thoughts on the prelim task of creating a school magazine:

· Pictures-of students and events that have happened (GCSE and a-level results)
· Student views on the school and events that have happened (how students are finding 6^th form, comments on their grades)
· Interesting stories of school news
· Calendar of events/important information (parents evening, trips, etc)
· Information on new teachers
· Title
· Eye catching front page- colourful smart design
· Book/film reviews- less popular/unknown books/films
· Magazine name (negocio , academia, Chronicles of CBA)

I researched some school magazines and my own knowledge to create a list of ideas on what to include in my Preliminary Task of creating a school magazine. This will help me to organise my front page and contents page