College Magazine Evaluation

My college magazine front cover uses many conventions that are seen on real magazines everyday. These include: main image, head mast, colour theme and text with cover line articles. Initially, I took the main image of a mid-close up of a dancer; this was to show that the model is a dancer, but also a student, by the college books she is holding in her hands. As well, in the image the background shows a dance studio and familiarises where the model is and that the magazine genre is dance. Another convention i added to my magazine was a large, bold head mast. I created the head mast to be called 'Wyke dance co.' because that is the name of the dance at Wyke and it relates the magazine to the college. Moreover, I placed the masthead at the top of the cover so that it stands out and summarises exactly what the magazine is about. I chose the text to be large and contrast against the dark background, so that it is clear to read. In addition, I designed the magazine to have a colour scheme. This consists of purple and white. I chose these colours because purple is Wyke's theme colour and the white outline around the purple text, allows the text to stand out against the dark background of the main image. By all of the colours matching it makes the magazine cover to appear professional and well organised, so that it looks like a real magazine. Furthermore, I have spaced cover lines all around the main image, stating the different articles that the magazine will feature, this will persuade the reader to buy the magazine. Finally, another convention that I added to my magazine is a barcode in the bottom left hand corner. This creates the magazine to look real and is verisimilitude.

            My college magazine would be targeted for college students, who preferably attend Wyke College. Also, it would be suitable for either dance students or students who are interested in reading about Wyke Dance Co. Although the main image features a female model, the magazine is targeted for both genders and between the ages of 16-18.

           I attracted my target audience through several features of my cover. For example, the model is a female dance student from Wyke College, because of this many of the target audience students will recognise the model and will therefore be persuaded to read the magazine. As well, the cover line placed around the cover all relate to the college, this is significant because the readers will know about the articles and will be persuaded to read on.

           I constructed my magazine cover through different types of technology. For instance, I captured the photograph of my main image using a digital camera. From this I have learnt new skills of how to work the camera for future references. Also, I constructed my magazine cover on 'Photoshop' on an Apple Mac. I am new to using the Mac and Photoshop, so I was therefore learning and developing my knowledge on how to use them as I developed my magazine cover. Once I got used to the programme, I found working on it got easier and I could add more detail and develop it.

          I found that since I had produced my perfume advertisement, I was a lot more confident and was used to working on 'Photoshop' than before. This is because I could recognise the different tools on the programme and had previously learnt what techniques I could use, such as the use of different layers. Due to this I could develop my magazine cover a lot faster than my perfume advertisement. Moreover, when I produced my perfume advert, there were a few effects that I didn't know how to use and design onto my design. Compared to when I was creating my magazine design, I discovered how to use that effect and adapt it into my work. Overall, I feel that since I produced my perfume advertisement, I have improved my skills and can create my magazine using these skills.

         If I could change anything about my finished product it would be to adapt my main image. I felt that I didn't spend enough time on trying to capture the specific image that I wanted. Even though I took a range of different photographs with my model, the photo that I finally decided to use was the best out of the range, although the quality was not as good as I wanted it to be. Therefore, to improve this I would take more time with the camera for capturing the photo, to improve my magazine.