Research and planning: Analysing student magazines

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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.