Evaluation of the Preliminary Exercise

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of a school magazine?

My magazine uses the conventions of a school magazine as I have used a medium close up of a pupils and I have found this is commonly used on school magazines.




I did this because I wanted to make my magazine easily recognised by my target audience. I have included the school’s logo as the masthead for the magazine because it would be easily recognised by a pupil. In addition, I have used school events on the context page. I have also used a house style throughout my magazine cover and context page and this makes my magazine look more organised. The font that I have used is a san serif font, and this causes the text to look more modern and this will appeal to my target audience.

I have developed the conventions of a school magazine as I have included the school’s website on my magazine cover, so pupils can find out more information about the school. I placed colour text boxes over the writing – this can cause the writing to be seen more clearly and stand out. Furthermore the colours which I used were the same colours that I had for my house style and this shows that my magazine is well organised.

I have possibility challenged the conventions of a school magazine because not all of the colours I used were school colours. However the colours which I have used are bright and compliment each other so this causes the magazine to appeal the audience as they contrast against each other. Another way on which I have challenged the conventions of a school magazine is that I have used a kicker on my front cover.

2. How effective is the front page of your magazine in focusing on the ethos of the school?

My front cover links into the school's ethos, as it uses some of the school's main colours, this can show easily which school the magazine is aimed at. As well it keeps the magazine to a house style and this shows that it is well organised. I had also used the school's logo as the masthead; this links into the school's ethos because it shows that I have a clear house style. I think another way how they link together is that I have used a medium close up on my front cover and on the school's website they use images with medium close ups. This makes the front page more effective because it shows I have used the same style which the school would use; this makes my front cover seem more professional because it shows I follow a constant house style. Furthermore I have used the school's website on my magazine covers; this is effective because it shows that I thought where target audience could get more information about the school from.

My magazine cover can also link into the school's ethos, which is "pride, respect, dignity". As the students on my front cover are smiling - this can imply that they are happy and proud to be at this school. My front cover can show respect as their uniforms are quite neat, so this could hint that they respect the school's rules. My front cover can show dignity as the students are looking directly at the camera, this can show they could have pride for this school.

3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?

I have learnt from my audience feedback is that my magazine and context page contain both strengths and weaknesses. A strength of my front cover is that it includes the school's colours and this shows solidarity. As well it shows that the magazine is well organised and it makes it clear which school the magazine is based on. A weakness is that the background image doesn't really show the school and to improve I could have used a better image of the school. Another strength is that I've used a medium close-up and they are most commonly used on school magazines. However another weakness is the placement of the text. As some of it is lost when placed over the students and this makes the magazine look less professional.

A strength of the context page is the layout as it looks easy to read. While a weakness of it is the amount of text in the coloured boxes differs, so this makes it look unorganised and messy. However a strength of the context page is the colour theme is the same as the front cover so this links them together. As well it shows that I have followed a house style, making it look more professional. Another weakness could be in the text box for house events, there isn't any page numbers and it could make the magazine seem less organised as it looks out of place.

4. How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Before I made my preliminary magazine I researched images of other school magazines, this gave me an idea of how I could present my preliminary. In addition it gave me ideas of what conventions are included in a school magazine. Before I made my preliminary magazine I made a mock-up layout on publisher; I did this so it would give me an idea of what my preliminary could look like.

I have used the website called dafont to be able to find the text I wanted to use. The text that I picked was called Top Modern. I chose this because it includes san serifs and this can make the magazine look more modern. This can make my magazine be more effective because it will appeal to the target audience. I have used a program called Adobe Fireworks CS6 - which is a new version of fireworks. On this program I have been able to make my front cover and context page. I have been able to merge images together - so that they look more professional I’ve been able crop around images e.g. the students and get rid of the unneeded parts of the image. By cropping around them, this made them easier put them on another background. This makes the magazine cover look more effective and it also gives me practice for when I make my actual magazine cover.

By evaluating my preliminary it will help be able to improve my mistakes when making my actual magazine. As well it will give me more ideas on how to present my magazine, as well as deciding a suitable house style which will appeal to my target audience. By getting feedback from others shows me how realistic my preliminary looked as well it shows me areas on which I could make more realistic. Overall the evaluation of my preliminary will help me understand how I could make my actual magazine more realistic and professional towards my target audience.

Colour Symbolism

Colour symbolism is when a certain colour can cause you to feel a certain why or when it can be linked to a certain emotion or idea or even trait.

 

For example the colour red can be thought in a negativity way. As the colour can represented as anger or blood or violence. The colour red can also be seen as danger because it often used on stop signs and the idea of the big red button. The colour red also been seen as fire, which can emphasis the idea that the colour red is dangerous. However the colour red can also be seen in a positive way. The colour red can be seen as love and romance, due to red roses. In addition, the colour red can be seen as sexual and desire, e.g. bright red lips.

 

 

The colour blue can be seen in various ways. A lighter shade of blue like turquoise can be seen as natural and be linked to nature, e.g. lakes and skies. It can also be seen as calming as lighter colour are easier to look at than darker colours. However a darker shade of blue can be seen in as cold and represented sadness. In addition, it can be shown to represent depression; this because darker shade of blue isn’t as brighter as the colour turquoise so this can affect your mind in different ways.

The colour purple can be seen as royalty, this is because it used to be the most expensive dye to buy. As well it can thought of as spiritual because it is often used on candles and candles link to the idea of being spiritual. Mysterious also what the colour purple can be thought of, as it a bold colour, which stands out. While a lighter shades of purple like lavender can be seen as more feminine; and this can also cause the colour to seem more graceful and elegance.

 

The colour grey isn’t a bright colour, so this can cause the colour to be seen as boring. As well the colour grey is used on metals and locks – so this can create the idea that the colour grey is secure. As well colour grey is liked more by older people so this can cause the colour to be seen as sophisticated and well as old. Because this colour is quite simple it portrays the colour to be modesty. As well the colour grey can sometimes be seen as calming.

Mock Up for Preliminary

Before I made my preliminary I decided I would make a mock-up layout on powerpoint. I did this to give myself a rough idea of what my preliminary would look like. I included some ideas for main titles on the context page. In the end, I didn't follow the mock-up exactly  however I used it and expanded on it to make my preliminary.

On my preliminary I used a colour scheme of black, blue and yellow as blue is the main school colour, yellow contrasts with blue and black is a very clear colour. As yellow and blue are primary colours, they are quite bold and stand out; this could cause the audiences' eye. I used the font Top Modern, as it is san serif; so this makes it quite modern looking and also because the preliminary magazine would be aimed at teenagers. I used the main logo for the school as the masthead for the magazine, because it is clear then which school the magazine belongs too. On the context page I placed the blue text on yellow boxes because the colours contrast against each other and also it makes the magazine look brighter; and this can make the magazine look more interesting. 

Font Analysis

I might use this font on my preliminary magazine because it is a clear font, so it will show up clearly on colour backgrounds. The font style is very simple so it won't make the magazine look too cluttered. Also because this font has the letters spaced out so it can make it look more organised.

 

I like this font because it quite bold so I think it would look well on a coloured text box. The font also contains serifs and this can make the magazine look older and sophisticated. Also the font is quite simple and clear. This font looks very formal and organised - which is what a school is trying to be like.

 

I might use this font because it simple looking and won’t cluttered the magazine. This font contains serifs on the words - this makes the magazine look more mature. In addition, it can make them look more sophisticated, and as the magazine would be aimed at older school, the audience would like to think of themselves as being more mature. However the font doesn't look too formal and it looks slightly modern as well because of this it could make the font stand out on the cover and appeal to the students.

 

I think I will use the font style Top Modern as the font style my preliminary magazine.

Preliminary Analysis

This is an example of a school magazine cover. I will use this example to be able to create my own preliminary magazine. You can tell this is a school magazine, as it has children in a school uniform on it. It includes a house style of the red and white, which are colours that are used on the school's logo. You can clearly see that the masthead is used as the logo on the students' uniform. Also on the masthead it contains an acronym of the school's name. 

Double Page Spread Anyalsis

The background of black causes the photos to stand out more as it makes the photos seem sharper. The heading is written into capital letters and this suggests that magazine is excited or believe in the band. The words “The best MCR” are written in a different font colour and slightly bigger than the other words; this could show that the band are very determined to best that they can. The images also seem to frame the boxes of text. The double page spread uses a colour scheme of black, white and red; this makes the magazine look professional as the black and white contrast against each other. While the colour red dominates the page as it stands out clearly on both white or black backgrounds. This causes attention to the reader’s eyes, as they can often be drawn to bright colours. As well it can show that the magazine follows a simple house style and this can show that the magazine is very organised.

The magazine uses a main colour scheme of blue, yellow and white. The colours blue and yellow contrast against each other, making it clearer to see the writing and also it makes it catch the eye. The magazine uses capital letters for the headline and the subheadings; this suggests the magazine is excited or think that the audience will find this article to be very exciting. In the word “Boat” there is a boat wheel, and this links into the article as there is a section on making your own boat. The box of text uses a blue background, like the like colour of the balloons in the picture. The magazine highlights the band members’ names in the colour yellow rather than white, to suggest that they are more important. The double page spread uses at least three different types of fonts. This is done to shows that other parts of the page spread are more important, so they have a bigger font size and are bolder. The font uses san serif and this makes the magazine look more modern as it a modern style font. The photo used in the page spread is a medium long shot and this is so you can fully see the band members but also so your eyes can focus on the boat, which is what the article is about.

The magazine uses a medium close for the photo, so that you can clearly see the singer’s expression. The expression on the singer face seems to be like he is shouting, this can show that he is very excited. In addition, because it is also holding a microphone it can suggest that the article is very important and interesting to read. The photo is placed in the middle of the double page spread and is the first thing your eyes are drawn to. The picture dominates the double page spread and this could show that the magazine really believe in the singer. The subheadings and main title are titled around the photo, so this suggests that he is shouting out the subheadings and title. This makes the double page look more interesting to read so this could attract the audiences’ attention. The double page spread uses a main colour scheme of purple, yellow and white. The colours yellow and purple contrast against and this makes them stand out more, making the double page spread seem more inserting. The fonts that is uses a san serif font to because it more it modern looking and that will appeal to the target audience.

Content Pages Analysis

The context page on Elle magazine, uses a peach coloured font for the sub-heading as it links into the logo of the magazine. Also the magazine is aimed a women and peach is seen as a feminine colour. While the black text links into the black writing of the logo. There is a collage of pictures framing around the text making it stand out more and putting the reader’s attention on the information. The images have captains next to them saying what page number it is on. The use of lots of images shows that the magazine is packed with lots of information and articles for the audience. Furthermore the images could be used to promote the adverts that are in the magazine, such as the photos of make-up. There is also an image of the cover of the magazine explaining about the main article and also to enhance the main article which the magazine is centered around.

This context page uses simple colours of black and white to make the magazine to look more sophisticated. Also films used to be in black and white, so the magazine may have use this colour scheme to make the magazine look older. In addition because the magazine will be aimed at older readers the simple colour scheme makes the magazine look more professional. The sub-headings have been separated into different categories, so that it makes the magazine look more organised and this makes the magazine look more sophisticated and less childish. The images are also black and white like the text and this shows that magazine has been well organised. The photos as well give the audience an idea of what sort of films the magazine will reviewing in this issue.

The context page in Kerrang magazine is set out in a simple structure, making it easier and clearer for the reader. The font for the titles and the subheadings are all the same and in capital letters so this could emphasis how exciting the articles in the magazine are. The sub-headings are split into different categories and it makes it easier for the reader to read. Also on the context page there is a letter from the editor and this shows how thankful the company is that you brought the magazine; in addition, it tells you about the main features in the magazine. The colour scheme uses mainly neutral colours such as light blue, black and yellow, to show that the magazine is aimed at both genders. The kicker “Pop Punk’s Not Dead” links to one of the photos as they both use the same colours and font. The photos seem to slightly overlap each other and this can show that the articles in this issues are slightly linked together. By each of the photos there are page numbers, so it’s easier for the reader to find the main headlines in this issues. The biggest photo will be the main article in the magazine and it is placed bigger than the other photos to show that it’s more important than anything else in the magazine. Finally, there is an advert on the context page and this could be an example of something that magazine has reviewed in this issues.