Finished Magazine...

Contents Page...

This is my finished contents page. 

At the bottom of the page I included photos that I had previously taken myself, I feel that these photos represent the school well. 

On the left hand side are the articles, I decided that I didn't just want the title of the article, but also a description to go along with each one. 

Knowing that I had a description for each article allowed me to be more creative with the the titles instead of just stating the obvious. 

I still tried to keep the theme of Halloween apparent by using it in the text, I used language such as 'If you dare' and included exclamation marks where appropriate.

Cover...

This is my finished magazine cover. 

Although I used the template shown previously to help me achieve this, some changes were made throughout the process. 

I used a website called 'Pic Monkey' which helped me edit my photo to make it look more eery and more like a Halloween magazine. I did this by changing the colour and tone of the picture and making it more blurry. I also did subtle changes such as putting spiders on the tree and placing a grave stone over a bin in the background. 

I also needed to crop the bottom of the photo to make it mid-shot. 

I changed the colour of the Masthead as you could not read it when it was black so it is now white. 

The colour of the articles vary between green and orange, these are typical colours you would find relating to Halloween. I gave the outside of the text a glow so that they stand out from the dark background.  

Mock Of Contents Page...

This is the mock of my contents page which I created using InDesign.

It shows what the colour of the background will be, I chose black as it goes with the Halloween theme, it will also make things on the page stand out more.

On the right hand side I decided to include the cover of the magazine along with arrows showing what page that article is on. I saw this idea in many other magazines and thought I would include it on my own.

At the bottom of the page I will have photos of the school as I still wanted it to look like a school magazine. I chose to place the image of the front of the school on its own as I feel that this is the most important image as it is the most welcoming. 

The articles will be placed along the left of the page and I chose to have the text in orange as this is a popular Halloween colour. 

In the top right hand corner I have included the school logo, I also did this on the cover. I chose to do this on both pages because they are very different from each other and I wanted some continuity within my magazine.

Mock Of Magazine Cover...

This is the mock of my magazine cover.

It shows where I will place things, what the background will be, the font of the text and the colours used. 

I created this mock using InDesign, which I found to be quite difficult at first because I had never used it before. 

Using this layout I will go on to create the cover for my magazine.

Target Audience...

The target audience for my magazine is going to be sixth form students at Beaverwood. As the sixth form is mixed I need to make sure that the articles, colours, wording and photos can be related to both male and female, therefore I will not use bold colours such as pink as this may be viewed as too feminine. The colour palette that I will be choose will represent the school's identity, so I will be using blue, green and white. I will also add colours such as orange, black and purple because the theme of the magazine is Halloween. Looking at the results from my questionnaire I understand that the students do not want a "serious" magazine, I don't want the magazine to be too informal as it is still a school magazine, but I want to make sure that students can relate to it.

Conventions Of A Magazine Front Cover...

Observation	Impact on My Work
Most of the magazine covers I looked at had one large image covering the whole page. The cover photos were mainly mid-shots of one of two students. The students often look at the camera as they take part in a classroom activity or an extracurricular activity.	I plan to photograph two students for my cover shot and have them face on towards the camera, to show that they are welcoming. I will take a mid-shot whilst including some of the background. Although it’s a popular choice to have the students engaged in a particular activity, I intend to have the pupils looking at the camera and have some of the school’s scenery in the background.
Titles and mastheads often include the school name, references to a school mascot or some kind of ‘private joke’ targeting students.	I would like to include the school’s name, Beaverwood, in the title of them magazine. Also, due to a popular sub-culture of social networking I will replace the word ‘at’ to ‘@’ for the title.
The colour palette used often reflects the schools uniform colours. Sometimes it related to a season or theme for the magazine. The colours used also reflected the gender the magazine was aimed at.	For my magazine I am going stay as close to the Beaverwood colours as I can, this includes blue, green and white.   The theme for my magazine is Halloween so I will also include colours such as orange, black and purple.
Most of the school magazines I researched had their logo somewhere on the page, this is so they give their own uniqueness to the magazine and so that it is recognisable as their own.	I will use the Beaverwood logo on the cover, I will place it somewhere relevant such as the top right hand corner but will make it quite small as I do not want this to be the main focus on the cover.

Possible Photos For The Cover...

Below are some photos that I have taken. I will choose one of them for the cover of my magazine.

This photo was taken outside the sixth form block.

Positives: 

The location is perfect for my target audience-sixth form students.

The Beaverwood logo is in the background.

The models are the centre of the photo.

Negatives: 

It is not portrait, it is landscape. 

The Beaverwood logo is too small to see and would be cut out anyway when cropping the photo to make it portrait.

I do not like the positioning of the models and they do not look very happy, this would not look very welcoming on a cover of a magazine.

This photo was taken in the corridor of the main building.

Positives: 

The background is very plain so the models are the main focus.

The large windows to the right allow light to come in and they show another part of the school- the quad.

The corridor looks traditional so shows that the school has been there for many years and is likely to have achieved good results.

Negatives: 

Again, this is not portrait it is landscape.

The models are too far apart so there would be no room to position things around them especially once it has been cropped.

  

This photo was taken in the quad, in front of a tree.

Positives: 

It is portrait.

You can see some of the school building in the background.

The models are looking directly at the camera and are smiling so it shows that the school is a friendly environment.

A tree is a symbol of growth and strength, this subtly denotes that the school will help students to develop and fulfil their potential. 

Negatives:

The positioning of the models is not very appropriate as they look too informal. 

This is the photo that I am going to choose for the cover. 

It is portrait so no cropping will be needed for it.

The models are the centre of the photo making them the main focus, this also means that it will be easy to position things around them.

There is also space at the top meaning that the masthead will fit perfectly.

I like the way the models are positioned because it shows that they are relatable to the target audience. 

In addition to the tree symbolism above, the models standing back to back representing that they work together to overcome any difficulties. 

Why I chose the models...

It shows that sixth form is open to both genders. 

Their ethnicities show that the school does not discriminate in any way.

The models look fairly smart as one of them is wearing a suit. 

I chose two models because one model would only show a specific type of student, whereas choosing two models that are different to each other shows that the school has a spectrum. 

Analysis Of Questionnaire...

 

These are the results from my questionnaire.

Looking at the responses from my audience, I have decided that...

 

My magazine will be called: News@Beaverwood

 The theme for the magazine will be: Halloween.

The price of the magazine will be: 20p.

Three articles that will appear in the magazine will be: Upcoming events, revision tips and horoscopes.

The magazine will be once every month.

There will be a problem page in the magazine.

Media Questionnaire...

Media Questionnaire

 

Please circle your answers….

 

1.      What name do you think is the best for a school magazine?

·         The Beaverwood Times

·         Beaverwood News

·         BW Exclusive

·         News@Beaverwood

 

2.      What theme do you like the best out of the following?

·         Christmas

·         Halloween

·         Easter

·         Bonfire/firework night

·         Valentine’s day

 

3.      How much would you be willing to pay for the magazine?

·         20p

·         40p

·         60p

·         More? (If so say how much)…………

 

4.      What articles would you like in the magazine? (You can say more than one)

·         Revision Tips

·         Exam Tips

·         Gossip Page

·         Upcoming events

·         Horoscopes

·         GCSE Results

 

5.      How regularly would you like the magazine to be?

·         Once a week

·         Once a month

·         Every term

 

6.      Would you want a problem page? (People can write to the magazine, and get advice)

·         Yes

·         No

Analysing Contents Pages...

The colours that have been used for this magazine are black and purple, these make the magazine look quite dull and not very welcoming.

The font that has been used is quite spread out and clear to read, this shows that the magazine's target audience could be lower years, such as years seven and eight.

The use of images is good for a contents page and I like the way that they have put the article's page number on the image it relates to. However, they have possibly used too many images, they take up most of the space on the page when the articles and their page numbers should be the main focus.

The images that have been chosen show students socialising and doing school work, so it presents the school in a good way because it shows that there is a balance.

The articles in this magazine show diversity. There are articles on social issues, such as, bullies, boredom and embarrassment. And there are also articles on the more academic issues such as, revision, achievements and learning. This variety is good because it can appeal to lots of types of people not just one.



The colours that have been used for this contents page are grey and white, there are no bright colours which suggest that this school wants to look very professional.

The font that has been used looks very fancy which reveals that this may possibly be a private school. It may also suggest that this magazine is aimed at years twelve and thirteen.

The images that have been used are of a student on a rugby field, holding a rugby ball, this could mean that the school specialises in sports or physical activities. Although the images have been positioned well, it would have been better if there was more variety in them-the person reading this magazine would not know about other subjects available at the school. There also could have been other students featured in the photos as this would have been more welcoming. The picture of the entrance to school is appropriate for the magazine as it would be the first thing that people see when they visit, so it is something familiar.

The quotes on the photos suggest that this is quite a competitive school and that they aim high, expecting the best possible results.

The articles in the magazine are a mixture of "fun" and "serious"- they range from sports news and interviews to exam results and avoiding stress. Because they have used variety in this magazine it would seem that it is very interesting and would appeal to most people.