PERFORMANCESixth Form Magazine

AnalysisAnnotations and Denotations

SHELBY BISCOE

Front Cover

The main colour scheme of the magazine is green and white. I chose to do this because it is relevant to the colour scheme of the schools official uniform. Green is also a very bright colour, having connotations of spring or summer, which is a fun, happy time of year. This subconsciously makes the students and public feel that the school is a fun place to be.

I chose this photo as my main image because it shows a positive representation of the school. The main image is of a young sixth former, which is directly related to the main theme of the magazine. She is smiling, which shows she is happy, and paired with the natural setting of the background gives the impression that this is a happy environment to work in. The folders and books are a signifier to the academic side of sixth form, which is important as the magazine is to promote education.

I made sure to keep my puffs of information short because some students may be put off by huge blocks of writing, and prefer a light read that is still beneficial to them. Therefore, I made sure each puff was only a few lines long but contained the most relevant information to the subjects. I made some of the more important words bigger than others to make sure they catch the attention of the reader, and immediately put across the subjects of the magazine.

On the front cover, I chose to make the heading large, so it is easy to see and bold to make sure it stands out and catches the eye of the reader. I felt ‘PERFORMANCE’ was a suitable name for the magazine, because it encourages good ‘performance’ from students academically and socially, but also includes the word ‘form’.

Contents

On the contents page I have kept a similar colour scheme to the front cover to show relevance and continuity throughout the magazine, however, I have made larger use of the tartan pattern that is traditional to the school. The background of the photo is a natural environment suggested the school is also a natural environment.

I also kept the font of the ‘CONTENT’ title the same as the front cover, again to show a theme and continuity . The white font and black shadow makes the title stand out even more, to ensure the reader clearly knows the purpose of the page.The font I used for the page titles is also very bold, so the main subject of each page stands out clearly, so the reader can see the different topics with ease.

I decided to include a note from the editor. Just to briefly explain the magazine before the students buy it. This allows students to clearly see the topics covered, and whether they feel the magazine is suitable for them. It also makes the magazine more interactive with the readers and suggests a sense of community between the students, promoting the school in a positive light.

The photograph I used on the contents page is similar to the front cover, to emphasize the continuity of the magazine, but is of a different student. This subconsciously makes the reader feel that all the students are happy at school, and simply shows variation.For this picture I have followed similar codes and conventions as the front cover photograph.