Nicole MEDIA

School/College Magazine Covers

· Location
This front cover doesn't have a location - it is a faded black in the background. This does not suggest any type of school or college as there is no setting (i.e. classroom/science lab etc). This picture was either taken on a green-screen just an edited background.

· Relevant props
You can tell what type of magazine this is by looking at this picture - he is holding books; and is deliberately showing the subjects (law and business) to show that it is for educational purposes.

· Images
There is only one picture on this cover - the big main image of the college student. This does not suggest much apart from the fact that pictures where not necessary for the story/information that the magazine holds.

· Layout of text
The typical layout of a magazine has been applied here - the main stories on the left-hand side, the masthead right at the top, other stories and information on the right-hand side, the big main image in the centre of the cover and so on. This is what the audience expects as it is what they have always seen.

· Text
The fonts size and colour is all what the target audience expects. The masthead is BIG writing to make it stand out - the sub-titles of the stories on the right have big titles to also catch the eye. Also to notice, the colour coordination - the majority of the 'titles' are that light greeny colour to make the cover match and to look professional and even.

· Colour scheme
The colour scheme is very good on this cover - it looks very professional. As said before the green text matching together shows that it is important as it really stand out from the dark background. The boy is wearing a dark/black jacket with mixes with the dark/black background - I am not sure why they have done this but it really does work

· Location

The location of this magazine is clearly shown - it is outside, perhaps in a park or field. This may represent a P.E. field at the school or college. It is clever how the background is faded and the main image is clear - to show the audience what they should be looking at (the girl).

· Relevant props
There are no particular props on this cover - perhaps they did not think props where necessary on the cover as the 'genre' of the magazine is obvious enough. The image may suggest sport as the girl is wearing 'sporty clothes' in, what suggests, a sports field.

· Images
The college girl is the big main image of the magazine, in fact she is the only image on the magazine. She is wearing sporty, casual clothes with curly blond hair looking straight at the camera smiling - this suggests that she is happy which makes the colleges and schools represented good.

· Layout of text
The layout of this magazine is also quite typical- the main information is on the left-hand side with the other stories on the right, the main image in the centre of the cover and the title/masthead at the top of the cover. The cover does look a bit empty - not as professional as the magazine above. Perhaps the magazine does not consist of enough information and stories.

· Text
The text is not as colour coordinated as the magazine above. The title is red, the sub-titles of the stories are blue and the writing underneath is black - perhaps to stand out from the background and to separate the titles to the information.

· Colour scheme
The colour scheme on this cover really works - the red top the girl is wearing deliberately suits the masthead of the magazine - the text colour works as it does match each other - you know what the title is followed by the information under it.

Magazine Contents Pages

This contents page is well organised with a good layout. The information on the left makes it easier to find the stories page numbers; and with the pictures on the right with what page they are on is also helpful as the reader may see the picture and want to find the story for it. This is a very tidy contents page and I think that it is a good idea for the reader as it is easy to follow. The text is quite small - this may be because there is a lot of stories the magazine has and it is better to have the text small but readable than big, messy and all over the page. The colour scheme of this contents page works really well; the light colours are subtle and coordinated - not bright and too much to look at.

This contents page is a lot different to the one above; there is a lot more going on. The contents page above has just one picture, this page has over 10 pictures - there is a lot more to look at and a much more interesting page (perhaps too much). The layout of this page in good - it's easy to follow and it's readable; the fact that the text is on a different coloured box to the dark busy background helps it stand out and look better. Even though this page is very busy and a lot to look at, they have carried it well as it is still tidy, colour coordinated and easy to read the text. I think it is important for the contents page to suite the front cover and from seeing the front cover the pictures, text font, size and colour all match - this helps stick to the appropriate target audience that they are targeting.

Magazine Titles/Mastheads

Here are some examples of popular magazine logos/titles. They are very distinctive - you would recognise them anywhere. You can tell the difference between the woman targeted magazines and the more 'manly' sophisticated magazines/newspapers. The woman's magazines - for example 'GLAMOUR' is very girly in the fact that is is pink and has quite a feminine font. The newspaper 'THE DAILY TELEGRAPH' shows sophistication and you can tell that its contents are going to be very serious and mature instead of celebrity gossip and fashion trends. The font and colour are very important when it comes to titles as it is one of the first things the reader will see, they will judge the magazine by what it is called so you need to make that it suits the genre and what your target audience would expect.

MY MAGAZINE

My magazine is going to be a magazine for a particular school/college, not a general magazine for students. This way I can include more specific things like 'Student of the Month' and it can have a better target audience as it would include things about the school or college and near it.

'Whitehall College'

Possible names for my magazine:-

* Whitehall Rumours

* Whitehall Ink

* WUS Report

* WUS Happenings

* Whitehall College

Genre
The genre of my magazine is to be for a school or college. I have chosen a college because I would find it easier to find things to include in my magazine. I find that there is so much more to write about and it is easier to have quite a niche audience - which I have.

Target Audience
The target audience for my magazine would be for the students that attend 'Whitehall College'. My magazine is aimed at both boys and girls between the ages of 16 and 17. As I am 16-17 I would be able to relate to the contents of the magazine and have what I would want/expect from a college magazine. I have asked a lot of friends that are my age what they would also expect from a college magazine if our school had one - this helped with thinking of the contents that my magazine may include.

What is in my magazine?

My magazine is aimed at students at the age of 16/17, of both genders, that go to 'Whitehall Upper School'. This way I can include more specific and personal things for the students - a lot applies to their age group (i.e. driving).

My magazine may include :-
* Driving information - car/insurance/test prices, driving exams, rules etc.
* Ofsted reports of the school.
* Students exam results - overall percentage.
* Things that are happening that may interest the students - concerts etc.
* New courses the college is introducing - law, photography etc.
* Local jobs for the students - writing up CV's etc.
* Fashion and uniform for the college.
* About University - writing a personal statement, different universities etc.
* Apprenticeships
* Exams - different ways of revising.

Font

Whitehall Rumours _Arial

Whitehall Rumours _Courier

Whitehall Rumours _Georgia

Whitehall Rumours _Helvetica

Whitehall Rumours _Times

Whitehall Rumours _Trebuchet

Whitehall Rumours _Verdana

The font is very important, it sets the theme/genre of the magazine. Apart from the main image on the cover the title is the first thing that the reader would look at; you should give the audience what they would expect from the genre of your magazine.

Above are just some examples of fonts that could be used for my magazine.

My Magazine Pictures