Evaluation of finished products

Before starting the production of my magazine cover I first decided to look at the common conventions of various popular magazines such as Empire, GQ and Kerrang, it was clear that a central image was a common convention. My magazine breaks tis convention as my main image is slightly to the right, this break in convention however gives it its own unique style. I did not want my magazine to look to busy or overload it with text. This often gives the illusion of a more interesting and diverse content. However overloading the contents page with text would not of complimented the use of bold colours, the magazine has a very simple but bold style which made it easier to stick to a colour palette. The colour palette I used was red, blue and purple, this worked well with the colours of clothes my model was wearing. The masthead font originally the same font as the rest of the cover, however it became clear that it simply did not stand out or had no expression or taste. I later changed it to the font seen below, using multiple fonts was definitely not a common convention however as it was only used on the masthead I feel as though it was acceptable. The size of the masthead does follow common convention as it takes up at least 1//8th of the cover. It is clear and there are no distractions behind it like seen in the Bodmin College college magazine.

I wanted to make sure that my cover appeals and represents the the social group and age group that the mass of students fit into, simply because this is the primary target audience of the magazine. Looking at my survey monkey results the age group is 14-16 however this was simply because of the limitation of who was available to fill out the questionnaire at this time. Realistically the age group would be from 11-19 as this covers all ages from students who attend the school. I think the cover has a very positive feel to it, which goes against stereotypes towards youths, many regard youths as disrespectful, depressed and trouble makers. It goes against Stanley Hall's model written in 1904 which states "all young people go through some degree of emotional and behavioural upheaval" My cover represents a very positive attitude towards higher education. The stories in the magazine are linked to this positive attitude as they are all about recognising achievement. It was important to also remember the secondary target audience, parents of students. They are going to want to know what their son/daughter is doing at school, or even opportunities that are available. I also took this into consideration when choosing the colour palette, it had to aesthetically appealing, and not to contrasting or order to deter the secondary target audience from taking and interest in it. The layout of the magazine does break the common convention as the so called centre image is actually slightly to the right, however as this is not a commercial magazine I feel as though this gave me an excuse to break convention, looking at the cover I feel as though the break in convention paid off. The layout is not confusing and the font is of an appropriate size in order to make it clear to the reader.

The typography of the cover flows well with the basic and simple layout and design of the magazine, I thought that if i used a font that was too complex or intricate then it would contrast too much and look terrible with the block and basic colours. There is not masses of information on the cover page as I did not want it to look busy however I still wanted it to look as though the magazine was not struggling to find interesting stories. The text is not collaborated all in one particular area of the magazine, I used the so called sweet spot, the top left, in order to highlight a particular interest or story which again follows common conventions. I again had to look at my primary target audience and decided not to overload the cover with text as it may even deter them from taking an interest in the magazine an overload of text may overwhelm someone who is simply looking to read leisurely.

The main image has obviously broken a common convention, my reasoning for this is explained above, however, the image itself is obviously of a student or at least someone who fits the target audience. It would not be fit for purpose if it the image was of someone who was completely irrelevant to the topic of the magazine or the target audience. The images in the bottom left of the cover are there to accompany the stories above them, it makes the story look more interesting and adds colour to the cover itself.

Overall I think that my cover page represents the needs of my target audience well. This was because I used the common conventions of popular magazines such as a clear and sizeable masthead, a main image, even if the positioning of the the image breaks the conventions I think this was needed as the simple design makes it hard to give the front cover a sense of individuality. This may be seen as a fault in the covers design, however it would be something for me to look at in future productions. The cover gives insight to the consent inside and I think it is fit for purpose.


I also looked at the common conventions of contents pages from the magazines, GQ, Empire and Kerrang. One thing that really stood out was that these magazines had a "features" section in which the most interesting stories are highlighted. I decided to include this in my contents page in order to follow this convention.

I wanted the design of the contents page to be consistent and contrast well with the front cover. I used the same colour palette that was used on the front cover in order to achieve this constancy. My first design had the word "contents" at the top, however this was a poor decision as people don't need reminding that a contents page is the page after the cover.

The typography used again is very basic and follows the same theme as the cover, because of the bold colours used I did not want to make the text to complicated as it would contrast terribly. The font used in the features is very bold and also underline simply to emphasise that it is a feature and is the main highlight of the contents page. The word '"features" uses the same font as the word "student view" found on my cover page. This again was used in order to achieve some sort of consistency between both the cover page and the contents page.

The images used on my contents page are simply students at the college, this is used on order to highlight who the target audience is, however looking at them now the pictures lack action, they are inanimate and simply boring as they are just looking at the camera, given a second opportunity I would of used images of people doing something. The images are all the same size as I did not want one person to be a highlight as the real highlight of the contents page should be where to find the contents of the magazine and also the features of the magazine.

It was harder to make the contents page appealing to the target audience as there are many common conventions of contents pages however many magazines simply use their own unique design. There was not much in the way of comparison as usually the contents page uses the theme of the magazine in order to shape the page itself.

Overall I think that the use of consistency made the contents page work well with the cover, I think that the contents page is fit for purpose for use in a college magazine. As mentioned though there would definitely be some changes that I would make to the images given a second opportunity, overall I think that looking at the individual aspects of the magazine it is hard to find where I have strayed from the common conventions of contents page production.

Contents Page Analysis

Contents Page Analysis

For this analysis I will be looking at two different contents pages, the first is GQ.

The target audience of GQ is mainly 21-35 males, it is generically known for being a popular fashion magazine however offers a lot more in terms of lifestyle. It shows you a lifestyle you can live regardless of your of your income level. It informs you about current styles and trends, food and even regards to sex life.

Layout – The GQ contents page has a very minimalistic look to it, everything is much conformed to a very simple design. It almost goes against convention of other contents pages as it uses different sections to list page number depending on the category you are most interested in – GQ intelligence, features and fashion. This makes it much easier for the reader to identify the particular topic they are most interested in reading. The effective use of using the magazines logo in the top right gives the contents page a professional feel to it.

Colour – The white background adds to the minimalistic feel of the magazine mentioned earlier, a busy background can sometimes draw attention away from what the magazine publisher wants the reader to be looking at. The combination of such a plain background and the use of vibrant colours to represent the different sections in the magazine is effective. It stands out, the colours are fun and exciting, and this could be a representation of the lifestyle they want you to be interested in. Overall the colours do not clash the use of red, green and blue does not represent an emotion as such but more of an idea, simplicity. The simplicity of the contents page works, you don’t have to think about it, this is a common convention in GQ magazines.

Typography – The fonts used on the contents page are in conformity to each other, there is no font more fancy or complicated than the others, adding to the simplistic feel of the magazine. Variation of fonts can make the contents page look busy and deter a potential reader. The font is more bold and bigger in size looking at the page title, it then gives you a short description of what the story is about underneath in smaller and thinner text.

Images – The images used on this contents page are large and of a high quality, they go against convention as man contents pages do not have more than one or two pictures, they do not relate to each other, I see this as a positive as it makes it look as though the contents of the magazine is very diverse, rather than having three pictures of men in suits they have only included one, accompanied with a pictures of food and another black and white photo behind which stands out due to its unconformity of the vibrant colours used throughout the contents page. The sizing of the pictures is irrelevant to their importance as they are unaccompanied by text to show exactly what they are about. They are simply there to be used as teaser and also to look aesthetically pleasing. If a reader is interested in the images used they may be more likely to read on in the magazine or look at contents page to see if they can find accompanying text regarding the image they were interested in.

Conclusion – Overall I think that the GQ contents page is very simple and has a minimalistic feel to it, it is not overpowering in terms of text or images, the balance between them is just right. It serves it purpose as it gives the reader exactly the information you would expect to see on a contents page. They have cleverly used colours to filter or sort the different stories found in the magazine into the design of their contents page. There are no obvious faults in the design of the magazine and it would be interesting to see other contents pages from GQ that are from a different time of year or the stories inside are of a complete different nature.

Empire magazine contents page analysis

Empire magazine is a popular movie magazine aimed at 18-30 year olds, it includes review on all the latest movies which to some act as a decision to see a movie or not, personally I would say this particular magazine is aimed at those in social classes C1 and above. To view a movie in a cinema in the modern day is becoming ever more expensive and the magazine itself is £3.99

Layout – Immediately it is easy to identify that the use of images is important to Empire magazine, straight away you can see that the contents page has been built around the image and not the other way around. The word “Contents” is being covered by the female which shows this image dominance, people don’t need reminding that the first page in a magazine is a contents page. The page number is very clear on the black background and overall the layout seems much boxed in and dramatic. The clearness of the page number is appealing to the reader as it does what a contents page should do, it tells you what stories are where throughout the magazine.

Colour – The contents page uses a 3 colour palette which is a common convention is successful magazines such as empire. The background picture is black and it has a very dramatic feel to it, there is nothing in the background that breaks it up no pink flamingo in the background to divert your attention away from the important information the designer wants you to look at. The red used adds to this dramatic and almost dark feel the magazine extrudes. Red is commonly associated with blood, murder or even love, passion or desire. The white is used simply to stand out, the important information is colour white as that is what the designer wants you to be looking at. The colour palette ensures that it is not aesthetically pleasing to the reader and makes it look conformed, not busy which may deter potential readers.

Typography – The word “Contents” is the main feature text wise simply because it is the biggest, the font used is not fancy or elegant but bold and simply, adding to the dramatic mood the magazine has. Again the colouring of certain pieces are text work well with the design of the magazine and fit in with the colour palette, personally I think that the red colouring of the page titles is straining on the black background and would be more suited to be placed on a brighter background. The page numbers stand out due to their tactical colouring the font used for the numbers has more elegance and class to it than the rest of the text used which is simple, bold and to the point. Too much text equals a busy page, I think the dominance of the photograph used in the background does make this contents page look busy which may deter potential readers.

Images – The whole background of the contents page is one image, with the woman being the obvious point of interest, it supports Laura Mulvey’s theory that woman are used in magazines in order to attract males to read on or even just buy a magazine in the first place. The image is unusual, you cannot tell what is going on from just looking at the picture. The only detail you are shown is that the woman is in handcuffs, her facial expression is almost emotionless, however a small smirk indicates guilt or mischief. The image may make the background look busy when text is added on top however overall I think that the photo gives the contents page a feeling or mood to it, drama and guilt.

Conclusion – Overall empire magazine’s content page generates a dramatic and mysterious mood to it, these moods are popular within the movie industry which may be influential to the designer’s choice of colours, personally I think that it does look busy however I think a simple tweaking of colours would fix this issue. It is fit for purpose and has all the necessary information you would expect to find on a magazine however it does not offer any insight to the contents of the magazine with other teaser images which I think would benefit the contents page overall.

Analysis of College Magazines Cover

Analysis of College Magazine Cover

The target audience of this magazine is mainly students, 11-19, parents of students at Bodmin College and also teachers, who are the secondary target. There is no preference over gender. It is not aimed particularly at one social class, rather a mixture of social classes depending on who the student/parent is. Social classes that are frequent in Bodmin are mainly B and below. The purpose of this magazine is to be informative about events and news at the college. It also attempts to be entertaining, though it is somewhat lacking.

Mast – The masthead does not work well at all, the background picture used to create a autumn feel simply does not work with rest of the magazines design. The title of the magazine simply says what it is, meaning you do not have to think at all about the magazine or what is in it, the familiar Bodmin College logo is used and the word “magazine” is written in a small and thin font making it inappropriate to use on the already busy background. Many of the popular magazines such as Kerrang have bold and appropriate fonts that are relatable to the subject of the magazine and the target audience. This particular magazine does not. The masthead overall should be larger as well and should take up 1/8 -1/6 of the magazine in order to stand out. It does not represent the target audience or what the magazine is about.

Main – A common convention in a popular magazine such as Kerrang will usually be to have a main image, which is usually a medium close up of someone or something. The Bodmin College Magazine has 3 images that take up the entire space of the main body. The quality of the images is also very low. The contents of the images are mainly girls, which may be attractive to males following Laura Mulvey’s theory on woman being used in advertising to attract men, however the fact that the images are all about dancing then it may also put off potential male readers due to the subject of the magazine. The lighting in the photographs is not consistent and lowers the saturation of the pictures making it less appealing. The magazine does not use the method of using a conventional 3 to 4 colour palette instead it uses the colours which are in the photographs as they take up the entire main body of the magazine in order to cover any “dead space” The colours completely clash against the busy green background of the masthead. Popular magazines use colour palettes, which are consistent throughout the cover of the magazine. The purple smoke in this magazine does not belong to any palette, as a colour palette is non-existent.

Layout – The layout of this magazine does not fit in with any conventional layout of magazines, the top 1/6 of a typical and successful magazine would be used to highlight the main contents of the magazine and would be used to attract the masses of its target audience. The top 1/6 and left 1/3 is the area of a magazine is the area in which the eye is instantly attracted to. Magazines such as cosmopolitan use this to their advantage by splashing words such as “sex” all over this so-called “sweet spot”. The Bodmin College magazine does not use any sort of layout apart from the obvious shoddy masthead. Bodmin College has gone against another convention known as a reverse, a method used by successful magazines such as Empire in which white text is used on a dark background in order to add contrast and depth. The heavy use of images does not work well on this magazine front cover as it give no insight into the contents of the magazine, instead it seems apparent that the designer has used images in order to cover any dead space.

Text: The Bodmin College magazine does not have any text apart from the title of the magazine used in the masthead, which is simply “Bodmin College Magazine”. In conventional popular magazines text is used in order to draw the reader in as well as tactical use of images. The Bodmin College magazine does not use teasers or give any insight to the contents of the magazine by using titles or and text based information, popular magazines such as Empire and Cosmopolitan use text and images to attract the highest amount of its target audience, previously mentioned, using the word “sex” to attract potential readers. Empire offers other leading stories on its front cover in order to attract a secondary target audience who may not be interested in the main headline or story. Menu bars used at the bottom 1/8^th of a magazine are also used to attract other potential readers.

 Analysis of Skive magazine

The magazine is very text heavy and gives a lot of insight as to the contents of it; this is not commercially effective as it gives a sense of misunderstanding as to who exactly the target audience is.

Masthead: The masthead of this magazine is very effective, the non-conventional font gives us a sense of which the target audience is and at a first glance I would agree the target audience was 11-18 years old, which is a positive as this magazine is intended for students. The use of the smoke gives us a sense of the atmosphere the magazine is trying to create as well as the word “skive” and its meaning creating an almost rebellious mood toward the atmosphere. It is also represents fire, which may be to show that the news inside is hot.

Colour: The magazine has followed the common convention of using a colour palette consisting of 3 to 4 different colours. The colours used do not represent a particular gender. The main colour is black, which again gives a representation of rebellion and negativity it also gives a nice background for the teaser pictures to sit on as this way the colours do not clash with the background. I think the colours used are definitely effectively used in order to attract the target audience. The rebellious mood to the magazine supports Stanley Hall’s theory. Black often represents rebellion, which is stereotypically related to youths.

Teasers: The teaser pictures are very effective as they are sticking to the theme of the magazine, they are not all the same size and are parallel to the border of the magazine and looks rough and shoddy which again backs up the representation of rebellion. They are on a white background, which makes them look as though they are Polaroid pictures. They do relate to the supporting texts surround the magazine cover however they are not represented logically, the text supporting the teaser of the life boat is located in the menu bar, where as the text supporting the Africa trip is located in the top right of the magazine in much plainer sight due to its typography.

Images: The images used in this magazine are typical to conventional and similar images used in the magazine industry, A main picture is used and contains other smaller images to act as teasers/spoilers. The heavily edited and highly exposed image gives an unsettled feel to the magazine. The extreme close up of the girl again adds to the unsettled feel that the magazine has by having the unsettled picture so close to the reader. This contradicts the theory of Laura Mulvey in the way that the girl portrayed is not being used in any way to attract the opposite sex into reading the magazine but instead used as a representation of an emotion. Stress. The photos are of a high quality and contrast well with the colour palette

Layout: The layout of this magazine follows the common convention of using a main image with supporting teaser photos and text to give an insight as to the content of the magazine and to also grab the reader’s attention. The issue number gives it a professional feel and also the cracked background adds to the representation of stress and rebellion. The title of the magazine as well as the effects used connotate stress and rebellion; the cover looks busy as it is filled with many teasers and stories, which is effective as there is no dead space. The spacing of the words could be improved and also the size as it gives a false representation that size is important however that is not the case.

Typography: The typography includes the teasers and the text used to attract its target audience. The text used is very simple as it is does not represent a particular gender, which represents that target audience is not gender bias. The font used is consistent throughout the cover, excluding the words “stress” which has been given a cracked font to indicate or represent stress.

In conclusion I would say that the Skive magazine front cover is effective in attracting its target audience with a combination of both high quality representative images, an effective masthead and title which again stick to the theme found throughout the front cover, stress and rebellion. It has successfully used a colour palette and overall has a very professional look about it.                                                                                                                             

Analysing College Magazines

Analysing College Magazines

In order to understand what the common conventions of popular and successful magazines are, which need to be used in my magazine cover and contents page, I will be analysing two different college magazine covers to find out what is effective about their design and what is not. This is important as my magazine needs to represent the needs of the target audience and show what the target audience expects to see. This is backed up by the ideas of the following theorist, a creative process will be successful when developed it it follows existing conventions of the target audience.


'Creativity results from the interaction of a system composed in three elements: a culture that contains symbolic rules, a person who brings novelty into the symbolic domain. and a field of experts who recognise and validate the innovation' ( Caikazentmihalyi, 1996)

Preliminary Task

Preliminary Task

Before beginning the main task I need to complete a prelim task, this involves creating a cover and also an accompanying contents page for a college magazine. This gives me an opportunity to develop my skills in photoshop, it also gives me a chance to analyse the target audience and begin to understand how effective a piece of art such as a magazine cover influences a potential buyer. I hope to develop my knowledge of this particular part of the media industry and aim to create a professional looking, effective magazine cover and contents page.

AS Brief Choice

As Brief Choice

After looking at each of the 6 different briefs and comparing each of them, i have decided that the most appropriate one for me would be the Print Brief. I feel as though this is the most interesting of all of the briefs and the most appealing.  The brief is also related to the music industry, a topic in which i am equally as interested in. I think designing a magazine would give me a good opportunity to work on my skills in photoshop as well as explore the common conventions of popular magazines. I hope to improve my knowledge of both design and the media in general.