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

Components of a Front Page

Masthead- title that appears on each issue
Cover lines- tell the stories that are in the magazine
Sub-headings- a heading to break up the text into smaller sections to make it easier to read/ a    smaller heading to help explain the article
Skyline- gives further information as to what could be included in the magazine
Caption- a title or brief explanation of an image
Headline-the most important story on the front page
Call out- text extract form an article/ a label used to identify parts of an illustration
By line- a line saying who wrote the article
Headshot- picture of someone’s face
Sell line-lines used to sell the magazine/appeal to the readers
Pug- the prices, logos and other promotions that are used in the top corners of the page to attract the readers
Puff- a word of phrased used on the front cover to capture the audience’s attention
Main image- an image related to the main article within the magazine
Splash- front page

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.

health and saftey concerns

 In order to overcome these issues in my main magazine i am going to use the solutions that i have explained. This will ensure that I can take and use the photos with no issue  

• when taking photos outside of school- certain places can be more prone to crime, some areas may be restricted and therefore dangerous. For example,  in some public places it could be dangerous to take pictures due to a risk of theft or even getting hurt. Also, places such as building sites are restricted, which usually means that they are dangerous, or there will be legal complications if you go on the site.
• Solutions- be careful and be aware of the environment where you take the pictures and the people around you

• Permission to take photos needed- anyone under 16 needs parental consent
• Solutions- get parental consent off anyone younger than 16 or take pictures of people over that age. Consent is not needed for anyone in a public area that is over 16

• Medical issues when taking photos (e.g. epilepsy)- some people can have medical issues that could be affected by taking pictures, which could cause them to react in unwanted ways which could need professional medical attention.
• Solutions- check before taking photos whether there are any medical conditions that you should be aware of

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

Active vs Passive consumers & Blumler and Katz

Passively consume- book, advertisements, old TV programmes, soaps

Active consume- Facebook, newspapers, TV programmes

Technology and consumer interaction is growing and developing exponentially. This is turning traditional passive consumers into more active consumers.

Blumler and Katz

• Information/surveillance
• Personal identity-different interests,  readers aspire to identify with cover stars
• Personal/relationship issues
• Social entertainment
• Diversion- from reality/escapism

I have researched into conventional pop magazines and found that these have active consumers- where they use social media and offers in order to appeal to their audience in an active way. Using Blumler and Katz's theory in relation to magazines, I have found that teen pop magazines are used as a diversion from reality/escapism or for personal identity(where readers aspire to identify with the pop stars on the front page).