Preliminary Task

Sophie Thompson

Magazine Analysis 1• In this issue of Q, the masthead is large and simple. It

creates an instantly recognisable title. The colour red stands out against the fairly dull colours of the rest of the cover.

• The tag-line: ‘Life inside rock’s new royalty’. The word ‘royalty’ links to the image: the men are well-dressed and looking important. The colour gold used for the headline also symbolises royalty. The words ‘life inside’ draw the reader in and suggest that Q has an exclusive look at the band, something that no other magazine can offer.

• There is only one headline of this issue: ‘Kasabian’, this shows that this is the main feature of the entire issue. It also creates a very simple and mature-looking front page.

• The image of Kasabian takes up the entire page, again showing that they are the main feature of the issue. The colours are fairly dark and it is shadowed around the edges. The men are in the foreground (partially covering the Q masthead) and the shot is a low-angled one, showing their importance, and why the readers should pay attention to them.

The font used for ‘Kasabian’ is strong and bold. Capitals draw the reader’s attention. The Q is a slightly more curved font and is more friendly and sophisticated.

Magazine Analysis 2• It states that it is The Shadow Puppets ‘first major review’,

which is a hook, to attract potential readers. • The callout of a quote from Alex Turner saying “I was

worried the Monkeys would think I’d had an affair”, acts as a tease for the reader to want to read the rest of the article. The use of a quote also makes the article seem more personal.

• The tone of the text, for example in “Pretty. Odd? Pretty. Ace?” is casual and friendly. This links with the audience, who are usually older teens.

• The image is of the two artists, with their names underneath. The picture makes them seem mysterious, which creates a sense of anticipation for the reader to find out about their band. Their picture makes them seem iconic.

• Across the top of the cover, there is a brightly coloured ‘Studio News’ strap line. It mimics the ‘news just in’ on news channels.

• The cover is very busy with lots of articles, making it seem like it is packed full of articles and is good value for money.

• The masthead for NME is bold and links with the colour-scheme for the rest of the magazine. The colours are bold red which is attention-grabbing.

Magazine Analysis 3• The colours of Marie Claire are blue and red. The

blue is fresh and new and the red is eye-catching. Together they are cheerful and fun. They encourage the reader to choose Marie Claire.

• The prominent tag-line is ‘Smile!’ written in a friendly, curved font and an exclamation mark. This links in with the line “It’s the happy issue.” These are both linked with the image.

• The image is of an easily recognisable celebrity, which encourages the reader to buy the magazine. Her skin is almost glowing and she is laughing, which links with the theme of the issue: happiness. Her image overlaps the masthead, drawing the readers’ eye to the image of happiness.

• The marketing technique of ‘the happy issue’ is a clever one, as people instantly gravitate towards the idea of happiness and a happy face.

• The cover is very busy and there are lots of articles advertised. It is used as a quick look for the browser to see what is included in the issue and see if there is anything they are interested in.

Magazine Analysis 4• The colours of the issue of Vogue are eye-

catching yet by pairing the red with the black, it remains classy and neat.

• The image is of a high-fashion model which means it attracts a certain audience, and keeping the classy persona of the magazine.

• The front cover is full, but not exceptionally so. It is full enough to keep it looking full and value for money, but the large and different coloured titles keep it looking clean and neat.

• The masthead is bold and is the same style in each issue, which keeps continuity. However, the colours change which means the theme can too, keeping interest. The font is bold yet sophisticated and makes the whole cover look neat with clean, straight lines. The masthead takes up most of the page, drawing the eye. The fact that the image is behind the masthead shows that the importance and attention lies with the name of the magazine.

My Student Magazine Cover for The University of Edinburgh

Contents Page for My Student Magazine

Evaluation• To do this task, I researched other magazine covers to find out what magazine

convention is. It was useful in giving me a vague design for my magazine, but did not help as they did not have lots of text on the cover as lots of student magazines do. I used my own knowledge of student magazines to create this design.

• I choose to have a clear layout, with a few news stories on the front page. I wanted it to be informative but not overwhelming for the reader. The audience for my magazine would be a university student, as this is shown through the mature language used and grown up colours. I used one picture on each page to keep it to a minimum and keep it looking mature.

• To create my front cover, I was taught how to use the ‘Indesign’. However, it was not necessary in creating my design for a student magazine, so I used ‘Microsoft Publisher’. As I have been using this program for longer, I thought it would be easier to use to create my magazine cover and contents page. I also used the internet to get research on Edinburgh University so I could make it as accurate as possible. A digital camera was used to take the pictures.

• Feedback on my magazine was mainly positive. My audience liked the general layout as it was smart and professional looking and they liked the colours. However, they thought that I could change the placement of my picture and use more of a variety of fonts. They also liked the layout of the contents page and it was clear, but thought that there could be more information.

• Overall, I am pleased with how my magazine cover and contents page has turned out. I think it is clear and easy to read, and fits in with magazine conventions whilst incorporating a unique and original design. However, I agree with my feedback in that the picture placement could have been better in a different location and that more information is needed. I also think the title on the contents place should have been more lined up.