Front Cover

I inserted text to support the background image and also text to tell the reader what will be inside the magazine to make them want to read it. I have used the colours blue and yellow as they stand out and are easy to read against the background. I made the quote blue as it is a cold colour, demonstating Sarah's depression. I have chosen this particular font as it it is easy to read and looks good.

Creating the Front Cover

I began my front cover by inserting the name of the magazine and the headline onto it. I decided for the name of the magazine 'School Today' to be in red because it is bold and eye catching. It draws readers in and the name of it also makes it clear that it is a school magazine. I chose the colour black for the headline 'Are you being bullied' because it supports the background image well as it is black and white, demonstrating that the headline and image are linked together.

Photo Editing

I used Paint Shop Pro to edit the photo so that it is black and white. I think this makes it look more effective as it makes my model look more upset and alone. I cropped the photo and altered the contrast aswell to strengthen the image.

I was going to use this photo as my main photograph but i decided against it as my model's face is hidden.



















I also decided against this image as I believe my model looks too posed and not very natural.

Photos

I used Sarah Biswell, my sister, as my model as she is a student at my school and so has her own school uniform. In all the photos below, looks really upset as my cover story in my magazine is anti-bullying. I had her with her make-up running down her face to make it look as if she had been crying and tried to make it look realistic. I thought having her located in the bathroom would be effective as it looks as if she is shutting herself away which i empahasised by having her sit in front of the door. I took the photos from above so she looks smaller and more vulnerable. I also had her sit with her legs tucked up against her so she looks more vulnerable and alone.

This is my chosen front cover photo. I think this would make a very good main photo as she is looking away from camera and looking down so it looks natural. I will crop it so that she fills the whole photo and edit it to black and white.

Layout

This is the layout i have chosen for my magazine. I designed it by hand and scanned it in. I have decided that my main photograph will be used as the background of my magazine and i will have it in black and white. The title will be red as it is a bold, powerful colour and is eye catching. The text will be in blue and yellow as these colours will stand out against the black and white background. The text will be in the bottom right hand corner and i will place a second photo in the bottom right hand corner.

Contents Page Research

This contents page is eye catching because of the bright coloured background. The title stands out against the background, however I do not like the chosen font. It is hard to read and looks unprofessional. A more formal font should have been chosen. The pictures are too small and would look better if they weren’t as overlapped. There is also a lot of space left on the page.













I like how the blue background colour fades white as I think this is really effective. However I think the name of the magazine should be in a darker font as it does not stand out very well. I think it’s effective how the photograph of the student is faded so that the text is bolder than the photo but at the same time the image is the main focus of the page. The word ‘contents’ overlaps the image












This contents page has a very eye-catching background which attracts the audience, however i think it is too bright. The headline is blue which does not look right against the orange background and i think a more legible font should have been used.

School Magazine Research

This front cover is very effective because the photograph of an American football game is covering the whole page and headline is overlapping the crowd in the background. All the writing is infront of the picture, making the picture the main focus of the cover. The headline stands out as it is white on a black background, drawing the reader in. The men in the picture are staring at the camera looking very serious beneath the heading 'Nations Best' which makes them look somewhat intimidating. Wearing black and white makes them stand out infront of the colourful background. The fonts used are bold and eye catching.

The name of the magazine is strong and bold and the orange colour makes it stand out against the black background. I like how the main image of the man cheering is overlapping the magazine name. It makes it look more realistic and the magazine more professional. The picture is also very natural looking. ‘School Sport’ includes lots of different features making it look professional, like a proper magazine.

The magazine uses the colours orange, white and black throughout the front cover for consistency and to make it look more attractive. The orange is a warm colour making it appear happy and exciting.

At first glance, this front page doesn’t look like it is for a school magazine. The colours used and the headline ‘I Love Fashion’ suggests it is targeted at girls. The fonts used are soft and girly and stand out infront of the dark background as they are white. The headline is effectively on a pick, translucent banner.

I do not particularly like this front cover as I think the colours used are boring and unexciting. More features showing what is inside the magazine should be included on the front cover.

This magazine is eye catching as it uses bright, bold colours. It has a dark background making the title and pictures look very affective in contrast to it. I believe the picture on the front cover relates well to the title ‘school arts’ as it is very artistic. There is no text which is clever as because it is an art magazine, all the focus is on the images. The front cover draws you in to the man at the front as his face is very detailed and he is bigger than everything else on the page making him the main focus on the front cover. The other blue men on the page have slightly blurred faces and are less obvious.

Target Audience and Cover Story

I have decided to aim my magazine at all students in secondary school as I believe it is easier to aim my magazine at a larger range of students. As I attend an all girls school I would aim the magazine at girls.

In addition to this, I have also decided to have the cover story as anti-bullying as I think this would attract attention and is an effective idea. I will display a picture of my sister in her school uniform looking like a bullying victim.

Brief

Preliminary exercise: Using DTP and an image manipulation program, produce the front page of a new school/ college magazine featuring a photograph of a student in medium close-up plus some appropriately laid out text and a masthead. Additionally candidates must produce a mock up of the layout of the contents page to demonstrate their grasp of DTP.