Contents

front cover

Draft Design 2

I draft designed my magazine cover like this because i thought it would be attractive to the eye as well, and would catch the eye with all the lures and images. Both designs aren't dramatically different as i didn't really want to change much and i feel i would like to use bits from both designs. This design doesn't have the image central and could make the images, and lures clearer to the readers instead of having everything piled on top of each other. The title is in the same place as that is the most appropriate position for it as like said before, it would need to be clear when stacked in shops. 

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Draft design 1

I chose to design my layout like this as it quite a usual and effective design that i see in a lot of magazines. I've included 4 images, one being the main image and there will also be around 4 - 5 Lures. I think having a few but not too many images will help grab the audience into reading on. Having the lures next to them will be making them want to know more information. The title will be large and at the top so it's clear and obvious what the magazine is, especially when stacked in shops.

Questionnaire analysis

I surveyed 10 14-16 year olds to find out what they wanted from a magazine. As my magazine is aimed at both males and females, I asked 5 girls and 5 boys. In order to get a non biased result, I asked completely random people.  The answers they gave me will be analysed below and taken into consideration to help me make my choices.

This analysis tells me that most people would buy a magazine that had a valued price between £1 and £2 and that no one would buy one more that £3 out of the 10 people I surveyed. As a result, I will aim to price my magazine between £1 and £2. 

This chart tells me that the majority of the 10 people only sometimes take an interest in school handouts. This may suggest that people may only sometimes take an interest in my magazine. As a result, I would have to determine what school handouts are interesting and what their topics are, so I can think about what topics to cover in my magazine.

include a good variety of images. I will also only include a freebie every now and then as it wasn’t a popular choice in the survey.

I found that the colour, images and the topics are what gives off the ‘for boys’ or ‘for girls’ information. As my magazine is gonna be aimed at both male and female, I am going to make sure that I use appropriate colours throughout the magazine, especially on the front cover.

I also found that most girls would like topics to do with fashion and beauty tips included in the magazine, and boys would want there to be freebies or things to do with video games and amusements. This will help me with the extra bits to include within the magazine other than the stuff about school and topics they could eventually get bored with. Having the freebies or topics they are interested in will help lure them into reading on.

Questionnaire

1. How old and what year are you in?

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2. How much would you pay for a magazine?

50p - £1    £1.50 - £2    £2.50 - £3    More

3. Do you take an interest in school handouts? (e.g. newsletters) 

Yes, all the time    Sometimes    No, never

4. What usually makes you want to buy a magazine?

Images    Gossip    Title/Headlines    Freebies

5. What mostly makes you suggest a particular magazine is aimed at boys or girls?

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6. What would you prefer to have included with in the magazine?

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Colour Testing

The pink would be good when writing a section for girls or if the magazine was directed at girls, but I don't think it should be used much in the magazine I am creating as it is aimed at both boys and girls. The same goes for purple as it just wouldn't be a colour many boys use, although it would be better than the pink. 

This blue again shouldn’t be used too much in the magazine I am creating as it could come across as quite boyish. On the other hand, blue is quite a common colour for both boys and girls in certain circumstances, which means I could maybe use it more than I would use the pink.

Yellow doesn’t tend to show up clearly on white or light coloured backgrounds, which wouldn’t help lure the audience into reading the text. If the text was being written on a dark background such as black, then yes yellow would a useful colour to use.

Red is definitely a colour I would use, as it’s a bright, attention-seeking colour that is appropriate for both boy and girl. It also has the extra effect of sometimes having a meaning behind the text like for example having ‘DANGER’ or ‘STOP’ as it makes you feel the sign it’s giving you. Perhaps it would be the fact red is the colour of blood, that makes ‘danger’ look more effective.

There are many greens that could be useful to use, as again it is a colour that both sexes would like. On the other hand, if the green was quite dark and dull like this for example then it wouldn’t really attract to many girls and would be more appropriate on the boys section, or in fact not even used because a dark and dull colour isn’t very eye catching at all.

Font Testing

This font is called ‘Hobo Std’. I think it would be useful when writing the main title of the magazine as it is big and bold and also isn’t just normal like ‘Arial’ for example.

This font is called ‘Lucida Handwriting’. It has got the ‘own handwriting’ look to it and would be useful when including a student or adult comment in the magazine.

This font is called ‘Apple Gothic’. I think it’s the type of font I could use for the normal text in the magazine that doesn’t need to stand out or be someone’s comment. It also has a slightly bigger gap in between the lines, which could make it easier to read in the magazine.

This font is called ‘Chalkduster’. This comes across to me as the font that makes headings in magazines look good and aren’t just big, bold and boring. It could also be used when making a particular section stand out for people to read.

This font is named ‘Marker Felt’. It is another font that also would be good as the normal text as it is slightly bold and easy to read but again isn’t just the same old ‘Arial’ font. Also as it is small, it may be useful when needing to write a small section of text in the magazine.

  

Here is an image of a normal teen magazine and by the looks of it, aimed mostly at girls. It has quite clearly used a lot of colour and easily grabs the audience's attention through the image of Zac Efron - a popular celebrity icon. The text in some parts is big and bold, especially the magazines name, which will help grab the eye of the reader. I think the fact that it has 'teen' in the name is a good way of getting the younger readers, because some magazines can be aimed at adults and so then perhaps not very interesting for teens. It uses a good technique when telling whats inside, having celebrity gossip and certain styles. This usually make the reader want to read on as they will want to know the gossip or and the day-to-day trends.

   

This front cover shows school-related topics being from 'first day jitters' to being how smart you are. The cover shows good use of colour, in fact there is hardly any black or dull colours used at all. The colours are bright and also quite random which will advantage on catching the eye from the audience. The teenage girl holding a school book automatically tells us that the magazine is to do with school, even if it's just the slightest. Surrounding the girl are the brightly coloured headings telling us whats told in the magazine. These will draw the reader in whether they're teens or parents from it asking parents a question too. I would say the magazine would be more popular with girls as to boys because the cover could come across as quite girly with the pinks and light greens, and also the young girl pictured.  

Preliminary Task

For my Prelim task i will be creating a school magazine for people who are starting their GCSE's. As they are starting an important year, they will need help on choosing the subjects they want to study. It will also have help on study skills and tips. 

The magazine would need to stand out and capture its audience's attention quite easily in order for them to know the magazine exists and they therefore have the help they may need. I would do this by using bright colours and images. I will also be looking into past magazines to give me an idea on how they are been done before and what techniques i could maybe bare in mind.