School Magazine Analysis
Front Cover
I believe one of the best things on my magazine front cover was the photograph I used for the cover. All 4 of the people I have used are at different heights and all look slightly different in terms of facial expressions. The different height levels’ adds depth to the background. Also, it allows me to place writing spaciously around the cover without putting it in front of faces. The different facial expressions used make the photograph look less like it has been posed for, and more like the subjects have just had their photo taken mid-conversation. Another thing I am also quite pleased with from my front cover is the colours in the photograph I have used. For the most part, the predominant colour is grey, which makes it easier to find a font colour to use. However, the whole photograph is not grey; some colour has been added to it by the shirts of two of the subjects used. I think another of the strengths of my front cover is the colours and font style I have used for my text. I have put a slight glow on the text which helps it to stand out from the background photograph. The text is white, with a black glow, which keeps it simple but at the same time attracting attention as the white stands out well on the black.
However, there are some things on my front cover I could have done better. One thing I could have done better is the photograph I have used for the cover. The photo has been taken from a slight distance and not all of the people in the photograph are at a medium-long shot range. I will look to address this when making my music magazine. Another thing I could have done better is the strapline. My strapline is not very clear due to the small size of the font. I have had to make the font smaller than I would have liked to so that it does not overrun over someone’s face. This again leads back to the error I have made with the background photograph. I will also look to address the readability of my text when I do my music magazine.
Contents Page
One of the things I am not pleased with on my contents page is that the text is all very cramped together. I have a lot of contents, and because of this it was hard to find a decent size font to use so that I could fit them all around my background image spaciously. I am also not too sure about the hyphens I have used in front of the contents article. My reasoning for using the hyphens is that I believe it helps give order to the contents. From my contents, I am pleased with some of the cropping I have done with the photograph, and the colour scheme in the photograph.
Things I have learned whilst doing the preliminary task
One of the best things I have learned whilst doing this task is how to use macromedia fireworks. Before the preliminary task I did not know how to use firefox, but now I do which will help me to do my music magazine on it. I have also learned lots of terminology whilst doing my preliminary task that will help me with my main task, such as mastheads & straplines. From doing this task, I have also experimented a lot with cameras, taking photographs of people from different distances and angles to see what I liked and what worked. This experience with photography will help me to take photos and choose the best ones for my music magazine.
To what extent has my magazine reached its target audience?
I think that my magazine has done well to reach its target audience. My target audience was anyone of a school age, parents, governors or teachers connected to the school. I think that the contents of my magazine will appeal to younger students as they can read about their peers’ successes in sport, ‘Ask Fishleigh’ & interviews with a celebrity visitor to the school. At the same time, older generations will also be attracted to the magazine because it has contents such as the head teachers’ column, and the governors’ repor