Evaluation of final magazine

          Our final magazine cover has turned out to be successful however there is a lot of changes from the design template we made. The reason we made those changes was based on the peer assessment of our template, one of the main criticisms of our original design was that it was too crowded for a front cover. After taking this into consideration me and Ellis decided to reduce the content of text on the front cover, this would make the magazine more visually appealing but would also make the magazine less cramped. 

         In addition to this we also changed the image layout on the page, this is because we came to realise that there should be a main image on the page, and that it should be clear which image is the main image. So instead of having a big block of text in the middle as shown in the design, we chose to use this space for a main image with less text! This turned out to be a success as it resulted in the front cover becoming more professional. 

          We then had to decide what the main image was of and what text should go with it, from our format research we knew that a lot of magazines used text and strap lines that were specific to the school to advertise it, this would appeal to the parents! For this reason we used the upcoming event of trekco for the year 12's to show the schools extra curriculum trips, this is something that would attract the parents as they would see how the school are interested in the students fulfilling their time at the misbourne. To emphasise this and to make our front cover more effective we used a pull quote along with the main image because it comes directly for the students, this makes the article relatable and ensures the parents that it is something the students enjoy. The main image has a direct mode of address as the sixth former was looking directly at the camera, we did this purposely to engage the audience.

       Furthermore the aspects we stuck with from our magazine template was the masthead with both horizontal and vertical text because it was something that we had constant positive feedback from. We also thought that the masthead was really engaging for the student and is something that defies convention of a typical school front cover. 

        The two images we used either side of the vertical text was the logo, which is the norms of a typical magazine as it is in the top left, and also a picture of the school in the top right to show the friendly environment of the school. 

        

       One key thing we wanted to ensure we kept the same when finally making the magazine was the target audience. We wanted to engage the students but also appeal to the parents. For the students making the magazine visually attractive was crucial because students aren't interested in reading the contents as they focus on what the front cover looks like. Then we had to make sure the cover attracted parents, we did this through ensuring the content of the text advertised the school, this is something we picked up from through our format research. 

          Overall I think bag the final product turned out to be a success and was something that was visually appealing. I think me and Ellis took into account the peer assessment and the changes we made were beneficial to the front cover. However there are some negative aspects of our final product which is how it doesn't look as professional as a typical school magazine, this may mean the parents aren't as appealed to it. Also I think that even though the layout of the masthead is successful, the font of the text doesn't carry on the engaging vibe you get from the masthead, to improve this we could have experimented more on in design and photoshop to make the text have a better appearance. Having said this the success of the magazine overrules the negative factors,  I am happy with our final product although next time I think I could improve based on this first experience.

Our finished magazine

Final misbourne magazine from Sashawallen

Magazine design template

Magazine design template from Sashawallen

Self evaluation

          The school magazine template that I designed with Ellis, my partner for this media task, is displayed above.Our masthead of the design challenges conventions of a real magazine as it has both vertical text linking to the horizontal text, shown through the T shaped blue box.  We decided to go against the norms to ensure that our magazine stood out and engaged our target audience, in particular the students

        From the previous format research I learned that defying the norms can result in your front cover being modern and current. One of the ways we did this was through using multiple pictures rather than just one main image, this result in the magazine catching the students attention. However we also wanted to interest the parents so made sure we had a balance of text and images. This is a successful aspect of our design as we attract a wider target audience.

          One of the norms we developed from our research in our own design was the content of the text on the front cover. We wanted to advertise the school to enable the parents to build up a good impression, which is why we selected the new uniform as a way to convey the professional new look of the students. 

          The research has helped me to learn and understand the typical format of a front cover, and has given me ideas on how to defy the norms. This has resulted in me thinking outside the box when we created this design. One key factor I wanted to ensure was that the front cover applied to both parents and students as that was one of the flaws in the other magazines I have analysed, therefore the research has enabled me to analyse my own thought process when designing a front cover and has guided me on how to make the front cover professional.

 

In addition to this we designed a school contents page template as a way of visualising all of our ideas. By doing a contents page we were able to try and obtain a consistent branding and try and use ideas from research as a way to compliment the front cover. I have used the norms through adding in key aspects like the flasher because this is a way to entice the audience in, I also stuck with the format of listing the pages as this is a substansial aspect of the contents page. I am to keep the colour scheme consistent when it came to the front cover and the contents page because this is a way to make a brand more memorable. Overall I am happy with the mock up of the contents page as I feel I have been able to create something that compliments the front cover.

We also were asked to get peers to evaluate our own design, because this would give us other peoples opinions on it. Allowing us to see what improvements could be made:

Peer Evaluation

           I asked three people for their opinions on my front cover to get a wide range of opinions. Henry said that the masthead was really well thought out and made the magazine engaging.  However one of the criticisms he gave me and Ellis was that the magazine was too cramped for a front cover, and was too crowded. In upcoming lessons me and ellis will consider this and will alter our magazine front cover so it isn't crowded.

                Next, I asked Millie who also said that the masthead and the layout is different and original. But she also had mutual feelings with Henry thinking that the page is too crowded. Having said this she said that the cramped look was the only flaw in the page. Finally, Holly said that it is clear who the target audience is, parents and students, from the modern layout. She also said that our design was well thought out and was something that would engage her. Her negatives included that there was too much text on the page, therefore making it look more like a contents page.

               Asking peers for their own opinion has given me and Ellis an idea on what to alter for our design to improve it. We will ensure that we make these changes in upcoming lessons to make our front cover more successful. I personally think that the getting peers to evaluate our design was a good idea as it picks out negative aspects that I wouldn't of picked out myself. Therefore giving a universal opinion on the positive and negative factors of the front cover design.

           

Evaluating the norms from my format research

    After doing format research on 3 different school magazines I have come to realise that some share the norms but others defy convention. The research I did taught me that normally the masthead is written at the top of the page horizontally . However one of the Hampton's school magazine I edited had the masthead was vertically down the page which defied convention. I actually thought that the vertically down masthead was a very effective aspect of the magazine as it stood out but also worked well with the space on the page, therefore I would like to use the idea of vertical text when designing my own magazine.
   
     There was no norms on the main image either as none of them had a direct mode of address due to there being multiple students, and two out of the three magazines I analysed had more than one picture. This defied convention but also made the focus school magazine stand out due to the number of pictures on the page. After evaluating all three magazines I think using more than one picture is effective because it can show different aspects of the school and it makes the magazine more visually engaging, leading it to be something I would like to use when making my own magazine.
       
      In addition to this all three of the magazines stuck to the norms by keeping a constant house style, which were all determined by the colour of their logo. This meant that they all had a professional outcome therefore appealing to the target audience of parents, and occasionally the students. I would want to apply the consistency of colour in my magazine as it is one of the norms that really appeal on all three magazines.

       Furthermore another aspect that all magazines stuck to was the strapline. The majority of the time the strapline's were quite dull because it tended to be specific for the school to advertise it, for example the Hampton's school magazine had the dofE award as a strapline to show the parents that they do extra activities outside school that would benefit the students. This results in the magazine appealing to the target audience, the parents. When designing my magazine I want to think carefully about the strapline because even though I want to appeal to parents like the other magazines, I would also like to engage the students.

        To conclude I think that the format research I did on school magazine front covers has benefited me in the way it has lead me in the right direction when I come to make my magazine. It has allowed me to find out the norms of the magazine, but it has also shown me effective ways of defying convention. Therefore guiding me on my future ideas for my upcoming school magazine.

School Magazine anlysis 3

My third and final analysis of the format of a magazine has allowed me to find out the norms and the aspects that defy convention. I will explore this so I can pick what I would like to incorporate when making my own school based magazine.

School magazine analysis 2

Magazine analysis number 2 from Sashawallen

This is my second analysis of a school analysis and I am beginning to learn more about the typical format of a school magazine. The terminology is also becoming easier to apply during my analysis.

School magazine analysis

School magazine analysis from Sashawallen

School magazine task

Our teacher set us a preliminary task of analysing different school magazines, by looking at the format of them. This will allow us to see positive and negative aspects of magazines, leading us to make our own ideas later on. I am interested to see what makes a magazine sophisticated and unique,as well as what makes a magazine lose the audiences attention.

AS Media

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