First Draft of Contents Page

Here is my first mock-up design of the contents page for College Life.

Let me know what you think :)

Week 2 Review

This week i have effectively completed my front cover design, but with the possibility of adjustments later on. The photo shoot i completed ahead of time and have already incorporated the chosen favourite into the design, so i was able to participate in other peoples' photo shoots to help them. Next week, i should be able to analyze my questionnaire, providing i have enough responses by then. I have also experimented with masthead fonts, but could do with a few more responses before deciding on which one to use.

New Masthead Fonts!

Please let me know which of these fonts you prefer, i think they are an improvement on the plain font of before.

New Magazine Drafts + Colour!

With the general favourite picture being the one of Imogen smiling towards the viewer, i have decided to continue using this picture as my front cover. I have had no negative response to the name "college life" either so i will continue to use this.

Here is an improved colour draft of my design, along side some new layout types. Please let me know if you prefer the coloured layout with greyscale image, or both coloured image and layout. Also, please say which layout you prefer.

Week 1 Review

This week i have accomplished most of what i intended to set out to do.

I have completed two textual analyis' and posted them up on this blog, i have created a suitable audience questionnaire and gathered some replies from that, i have done a photoshoot a week ahead of time and found suitable candidates for the front cover and finally i have produced a mock-up draft of my front cover design for people to cast opinions on. I am a little behind on research and planning, but i will be able to finish that soon enough.

I am happy with my progress and hope to accomplish as much, if not more, in the following week.

Magazine Front Cover Draft **Picture subject to change**

Here is my first front cover draft of my magazine with some filler cover lines, title, price etc.

Let me know

1. What colour scheme do you think would suit this?

2. Do you think the name "College Life" is suitable? If not, suggest a name.

Let me know in the comments box.

My Magazine Front Cover Photoshoot

This week i took some photos with my two models: Steve Lambert and Imogen Brown.

I think the smiling version of Imogen makes the best candidate for the front cover so far, as there is plenty of space to put cover lines, headline, masthead etc on it.

The more moody, sombre shot of Imogen works well too, though some people feel that the nature of the shot (her looking away) means that it doesn't address the audience and so is not suitable.

The one of Steve is low angle and so parts of his legs are in sight. It is a little far out, but i think it still remains mainly a mid close up. I don't think there is enough space on here to put masthead, headlines etc however?

Let me know which one is your favourite in the comments below and i can make an informed decision as to which to use on my front cover.

Audience Questionnaire

Please complete in the comments section below. Copy and paste then put an "x" inbetween the brackets like so: [x]


--------------------------


What gender are you?

[] Male
[] Female

--

Do you currently read any student magazines? If so, which?

[] Yes, i read ________
[] No


--

Do you read any other magazines that aren't student magazines?

[] Yes, i read ______
[] No


--


What features/stories/articles would you like to see present in a student magazines?

_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________


--


What balance of photos to text would you like to see in a student magazine?

[] 50/50 split
[] more photos than text
[] more text than photos
[] not bothered


--


How much would you be willing to pay for a student magazine?

[] Under 50 pence
[] 51 to 70 pence
[] 71 pence to £1
[] over £1
[] Not bothered

Second Textual Anaylsis

The second magazine I decided to analyze was called "First Car"

The masthead is bold, capitalized and stands out against a black background. Unusually, though it does draw a reader in, it takes up less space than the Headline and so fades into the background. This is because the headline makes use of bright yellow with bold black and capitalized text along with the same style text as the headline for the smaller text present in the headline. This use of colour in the headline detracts from the Masthead; this could be because the content of the story inside "The Inbetweeners interview" is more likely to draw readers in than "First Car".

The background image (and more obviously, “First Car”) indicates that the magazine is designed for a young target audience from 17 years old onwards. The image consists of 4 young men (the Inbetweeners) standing around a car (prop) with mismatching colour door to the rest of the car; remaining consistent to the theme of "First Car".

At the top of the page, there is a small, thin strapline with bold black writing standing out against a white backdrop. These all summarize what will be in the magazine as well as potentially drawing people in. The prospect of winning something "Competitions", things associated with the younger generation "Games & Gadgets" and those looking for their first car "Advice & Tips" "New & Used Cars" all fall into their target audience's interests. As well at this, the tagline more explicitly indicates a young, motorist audience ("The magazine for young drivers")

The cover lines are in bright yellow to stand out against an otherwise busy layout and background, with slightly smaller white plain font for the captions beneath them. This draws the reader in then enables them to read further into what it's about if they so wish.

There is a large black banner at the bottom complimented by rounded off images which make this looks like a photographic negative strip complete with developed photos. The cover lines beneath the images keep to the same colour scheme as the headline (black with a yellow background) and have captions below them relevant to the image and cover line.

The magazine front page consistently highlights pages numbers of the stories and articles of interest which makes the magazine easily accessible for a stereotypically lazy teenager/early twenties man. The magazine also makes an attempt at being trendy and with the times as the image, headlines and tagline being diagonally rotated/tilted a little to conform to a new artistic style.

First Textual Analysis

The magazine that I decided to analyse first was called ‘etc.’

The masthead’s font gives the impression that its intended audience are those in education, training or careers, simply down to the fact that it says these exact words. However, this is shortened to “etc” in order to not detract from the style and put people off. We can tell that the magazine will be informative because:
· The “24” in the circle on the masthead implies there is a 24 hour feed of information within the magazine.
· There are words like “careers”, “work”, “Uni” and “lesson within the cover lines and headline which are all related to education.

The headline “Alcohol – A Chemistry Lesson” is within a bright green graphic made to look like a sign held by a little water droplet man. Along with the size of the text (Bigger than the cover lines) this makes the headline stand out and indicate to the reader that this is the main story of importance for them to read. This also anchors the magazine and sets the theme for the graphic on the front. The graphics consist of bubbles, pipes, a heart, a fan, pressure gauges/dials etc. – all these relate to science and indeed Chemistry, the main story within the magazine.

The cover lines are white placed on a blue background (rectangular graphic) to make them stand out to the reader. However, they are not over-done as to draw too much attention away from the main headline.

There are lots of brightly coloured graphics in the layout and seems to appeal more to younger readers, with lots of little water droplet characters with faces gracing the front of the magazine. The black background adorned with lots of vibrant greens yellows reds and blues livens up the front of the magazine and makes what could be an uninteresting magazine about education appealing and accessible.

At the bottom, there is the web address and issue details in plain white, as to not overpower the rest of the page and at the top is a discreet logo and a quirky “3 quid a pop” price tag.

Preliminary Task Outline

For my preminilary coursework task in AS Media i have been asked to design and produce the front and contents pages of a new student magazine. This magazine must feature a photograph of a student in medium close-up as well as text and a masthead appropriate to the publication. This will be done through the use of an image manipulation and/or DTP program.

Action Plan:

Week 1:

1. Research and Planning.
2. Textual Analysis of two existing student magazines.
3. Audience questionnaire.
4. Mock designs and name the magazine.
5. Upload/write up the week's progress on the blog.

Week 2:

1. Start producing designs/general style.
2. Organise and carry out photoshoot.
3. Finish off any incomplete research or planning.

Week 3:

1. Implement photoshoot images into the design.
2. Finalise design and style.
3. Complete first draft of front and contents page.

Week 4:

1. Finish and evaluate final drafts of front and contents page.
2. Complete all unfinished tasks.
3. Ensure all progress has been blogged.
4. Put evaluation Questions and Answers on blog.