Research and planning: Questionnaire results

1) Which title is most appealing to you?

After analysing these results i have come to the conclusion that i am going to call my magazine 'Banter' as this is the most popular title among the group with 8 people saying this is what they would prefer it to be called. 

2) What contents would you like to see in the magazine?

Using the results from my questionnaire i have decided to mainly base my magazine around 'College news and gossip', 'Fashion' and 'Upcoming event's' and then during each issue i would include extracts from each other area to keep the audience interested in reading my magazine. 

3) What price would you be willing to pay for a student magazine?

Due to the results found i have decided that i am going to charge fifty pence for each issue of my magazine, as this is what the majority of people have said they would be willing to pay for the magazine.

4) Would you prefer a more formal or informal language in the magazine?

I have decided to use a mixture of formal and informal language in my magazine depending on the subject which is being written about. As 8 people out of 20 have said this is what they would prefer. 

5) What colour scheme would appeal to you on the magazine?

Due to 12 people stating that they would like to see vibrant colours on the magazine this is the colour scheme i have decided to use. I also feel that this might be the most appealing as it will attract readers attention. 

6) What image would attract you most to a magazine?

After analysing my results i have decided to include pictures of locations in my magazine along with the majority of images being of college students as this would be most appealing to the audience. 

7) Would you prefer more pictures in your magazine rather than large blocks of text?

As clearly stated in the results the audience would prefer a range of pictures and large amounts of text in the magazine. Therefor i will try and include a range of both where possible in the magazine. 

Research and planning: Analysing student magazines

R

Impact – Nottingham university magazine

The central image of the magazine is rather different from many other magazines which are on sale in todays society. The general form that a magazine takes is one main central image of a person/object who has one of the main features in the magazine, whereas this magazine has more of a background cartoon image. This gives a modern futuristic feel to the magazine showing perhaps a new trend which is occurring? But also through the simplistic colour scheme this also connotes a sense of  moderninity with a slightly sophisticated feel alongside still being quite young and fun. With the ‘people’ all holding hands throughout the front cover shows a sense of unity and friendliness which would be appealing to a student audience. The sans serif font also creates a rather modern feel which is extremely appealing to the younger generation which the magazine is aimed at. The masthead of the magazine connotes a sense of importance and that you will gain something by reading it. The taglines which are included are also appealing to a student audience as they suggest that there are keys to success within the magazine, hinting that there may be tips on how to move from a college student to a ‘CEO’ –also very appealing.

The contents page also gives off a very modern feel to keep in theme with the front cover. With the sans serif font and slightly randomly spread contents this connotes a sense of fun and youthfulness which is appealing to the younger audience. As it is not structured specifically it also shows that there is nothing too serious, it is just ‘fun reading’ which is what a student magazine is usually all about. With contents such as film, music and travel the magazine is very appealing to the target audience and makes it seem very interesting. 

247 Student magazine

The bright colour scheme of the magazine with the pastel pinks and greens makes the front cover very appealing to the target audience as it shows that the magazine is quite fun and vibrant which is very appealing. The sans serif font also connotes a sense of youthfulness and also a positive energy which once again appeals to the young ‘fun loving’ audience which it is trying to aim at. The graffiti in the main image also connotes the sense of youthfulness as it is a stereotypically view of the younger generation to enjoy the fun form of ‘art’ of graffiti. With the central image also being of a young girl who seems like the ‘typical’ university student it shows the audience that the aim of the magazine is to attract and entertain the younger student audience.

The vibrant orange contents page also connotes a sense of fun but also a feel of sophistication as well. This is extremely appealing for the younger adult audience of the university students. With contents such as street art, fashion and food the range of topics is also very appealing for the audience with the main image on the front cover linking in with the contents of the magazine.

Research and planning: Textual Analysis of a Magazine Front Cover

I have chosen to analyse the connotations of the magazine ‘Teen Vogue’ as it is an extremely popular magazine aimed at the same audience as the college magazine cover which I will be creating. It will allow me to compare the different connotations in order for me to distinguish the techniques that I shall be able to use on my cover. 

The masthead is the name of the magazine which allows the public to easily distinguish between this magazine and any other brand. The magazine is a monthly issue and although the font, position and size of the masthead stays the same throughout, the colour scheme changes in order to suit the rest of the layout and the contents which is displayed on the front cover. In this particular magazine the masthead is a soft coral and pink colour, this connotes clearly to the audience a sense of femininity supported by the fact that the main image is of a woman suggesting that this magazine is aimed at a female audience.

Just above the masthead the date of the magazine has been located, this makes it extremely easy for the potential reader/buyer to identify when the magazine was released, in order to easily inform them. The barcode has also been placed on the front cover of this magazine, however in the bottom left hand corner. This is to inform the audience of a rather vital piece of information which is important for the buyer and the company as the magazine needs to show competitive pricing compared with their rivals.  By making the price easy to access it makes the magazine more appealing to buy rather than having to search throughout the magazine.

The taglines that are included on the front cover aim to be appealing to the female target audience, with tips on how to get ‘sexy hair’ and style tips this is stereotypically what females are interested in. The information that there may be certain pieces of ‘gossip’ about what is occurring in Hollywood for example is also stereotypically what females, especially young students are interested in, therefor they are likely to buy the issue.

There is also a coverline located in a pink circle on the front cover, this is to lure the target audience in to buying the magazine as it looks extremely appealing in the different shape and colour compared with the other coverlines.

Preliminary task

For the preliminary task of my coursework, we have been asked to create a front page and contents of a new school/college magazine. This will allow me to gain vital skills and techniques that will enable me to produce a good quality music magazine. The brief requires me to feature a medium close up of a student plus some appropriately aid out text and a masthead. The stages of planning and evaluating will all also be recorded on this blog. 

Preliminary Task Plan

Week	Tasks to complete
1	·      Set up blog ·      Put action plan on blog ·      Complete textual analysis of one magazine and post on blog
2	·      Complete textual analysis of school/college magazines and post on blog ·      Post research of target audience on blog and review findings ·      Begin to take photos for own magazine
3	·      Post mock up blog and provide commentary
4	·      Post final front cover and contents page on blog
5	·      Post evaluation on blog

Introduction to brief

For my AS Media coursework the brief has stated that I am required to create a music magazine, including the front page, the contents and a double page spread to include within the magazine. This blog has been created in order for me to record each stage if my blog in detail enabling me to produce a successful well planned magazine. In order to create this magazine I will be using ‘Adobe In Design’ and ‘Adobe Photoshop’.