2. Brief
Our brief was to create the front cover of a school magazine and a contents page,
using Photoshop. We were instructed to include a photo of a student in medium
close-up, a mast head and some other text on our cover.
In order to meet this brief I intend to do research and look up other examples of
school magazines in order to analyse their conventions, strengths and weakness.
This will help me to know what to include and avoid when creating my own
magazine. I will also conduct audience research in order to find out what my school
magazine should include. I will do this by asking the target audience (students)
some questions and recording their responses in a table to use as part of my
research.
3. Bold title which is done to
capture the attention of the
reader, but the CHS is not in
bold which means it doesn’t
stand out as much and does
not advertise the school’s
name very well.
Advertising something extra that
comes with the magazine which is
probably aimed at the parents as
they are the ones cooking for the
child, which suggests this
magazine is aimed at parents
rather than students.
Issue number, date, website
and price are listed. However,
the text is quite small and
hard to read at a glance. I
would’ve thought the website
at least would be in bigger
font as it advertises the
school to prospective parents.
Drawing attention to good
GCSE results in order to
advertise the school and its
achievements. Saying they’re
the best will catch the
attention of parents who
want their child to have the
best results.
It’s hard to identify which is the main
article as the image on the front
usually gives an indication, but to me
the front image could match any of
the articles on the front. I’d say the
guide to coping with teenage stress
is probably the main article as it is
written in white and yellow as
oppose to just white like the other
articles which makes it stand out and
it is also central rather than to the
left which again separates it from
the other images.
Including an article from the
town’s mayor instantly makes
the school more appealing to
parents as it is praise from an
outside figure of significance.
This magazine is designed to
appeal to parents and prospective
parents of students, as it is doing
a lot to advertise the school’s
good qualities (good GCSE results,
praise by the Mayor etc.) which
will encourage people to buy the
magazine and then send their
child to the school. The magazine
gives the school a good name, as
it looks professional and well
made which suggests the
resources and teaching is of a
high standard.
Research
4. Title instantly suggests it is a
school magazine and also
tells the reader how often
to expect an issue. However,
it does not tell us the name
of the school it comes from
so an outsider would not
want to pick this up and
read it, it seems directed
towards the students.
Date is included, but no issue
number or price, which
suggests it’s free.
Main article is identified with
a heading and use of a
different colour which
separates it from the other
stories and will catch the
attention of students wanting
to know the results.
The articles featured are all
targeted at students, pictures of
the prom and dealing with exams
are things that appeal to students
and don’t really concern the
parents which suggests to me
that this is a magazine made for
students by students.
This magazine does not
tell us anything about the
school it is from, not even
the name, so I think it is
probably a magazine
aimed for students within
the school and not a
magazine to advertise the
school like the previous
one was.
Research
5. Audience research
What do you expect to see
in a school magazine?
School news 12
Upcoming
events
9
Studying tips 10
Coverage of
school events
8
Puzzles (e.g.
quiz)
7
Reviews 2
Local news and
events
4
How much do you expect a
school magazine to cost?
Free 10
50p 6
£1 3
£1.50 1
How often should a school
magazine be published?
Daily 2
Weekly 5
Biweekly 4
Monthly 7
Annually 2
6. Analysis of a previous student’s work
The magazine has a simple but effective design, the front cover does not look too cluttered which makes it
appear more professional looking. The title is bold and eye catching, which helps to advertise the magazine
and its name. The headings of the articles are also bold and eye catching, which will draw the reader to them
as they know the content which will be featured. The student has done well to use text that catches the
attention of the reader straight away and to develop a lay out that looks organised and professional.
The contents page is clearly labelled and organised well. It also features pictures that match the content which
help to make the article more appealing.
However, there are improvements that could be made. The articles are all listed down one side which makes
the other side look a little bare and makes the front appear slightly uneven. To improve this the student
could’ve put some things on the other side in order to balance it out. Also, the numbering system on the
contents page is confusing as the numbers are out of order and some are repeated. To improve this the
student could’ve arranged the contents page a little better and grouped together articles that were on the
same page.
I think I would be able to produce similar work as I have a fair understanding of how to use Photoshop and I am
able to judge what looks neat and professional and what doesn’t. However I think I would also to improve my
skills to make my own magazine look more professional as my knowledge of the program is basic.
7. Target audience:
(age range, interests)
Although it is a school newsletter you still have to think about your
audience and how to appeal to them.
The target audience will be students of the school so in order to appeal to them I will include content that is
relevant to school life and may benefit them (e.g. study tips and school news), but also include things that will
interest them like puzzles and activities.
Possible title ideas:
(masthead / title block)
What is your magazine going to be called?
Something with the school name in it so it will be recognisable to outsiders who see it (parents, siblings etc.),
maybe Priory People or Priory Power as they are catchy due to the use of alliteration.
Main image:
What will be the focal point of your front page, remember, your
work “must include a photograph of a student in a medium close-up”
It will feature a photograph of a sixth form student in order to promote the main story about what it is like to
be in sixth form.
Main cover line:
What will be the main story?
Life in sixth form (will be informative to younger students considering going to sixth form).
Additional key images:
What other images will be on your front cover?
Remember, it is a school magazine.
Include an image of the school logo and maybe another image of a student.
Additional cover lines:
Other features, stories or selling points which will be inside the
magazine, these need to be audience appropriate.
Studying tips to help the students with exams, information about open evening and other school events that
are upcoming.
Typography:
(style, size, colour of copy)
Think about the writing and the style of the writing on your front
page.
Bold typography and use red for titles and black for additional information, keeping to a colour scheme of red
white and black.
Background colour/image:
What will be in the background, remember you don’t want to take
the focus away from the main image.
White background in order to make the image stand out as no one will look to the background when it is
simple and plain.
Technical considerations:
(equipment, setting, props, costume, lighting)
Be realistic and creative, think about what you have access to and
how you could use it.
Take the photo outside in order to have natural lighting which will be more flattering and give the cover photo
a nicer appearance.
11. Overall, I think I did manage to fit the brief as I did create a cover and contents page for a school
magazine which included the required photograph, a mast head and article names. I think my
front cover looks eye catching and I succeed in including most of what I had intended to.
However, I feel my contents page was not up to the same standard as my front cover, the right
hand side looks very bare and the photos at the top are arranged rather sloppily. Therefore I will
make sure that all elements of my music magazine are up to scratch.
The preliminary task has helped me to improve my understanding of Photoshop and allowed me
to develop the skills and confidence using the program I will need when I move on to creating my
music magazine. I now have more than a basic understanding which will allow me to make use of
more features which will aid in creating something that looks neat and professional.
Reflection