Initial ideas / thoughts

 

Evaluation of Preliminary Task

To begin with our preliminary task the class and I took time to look at examples of front covers from previous copies of the 'Armthorpe Excel Magazine' picking out key media concepts that were contained on the front cover. The magazines related to the ones we are doing ourselves in the class, as it was a school magazine so we could use examples from these covers for our final peice. We found that the Excel magazines relied to much on the Mast Head and the large images in the background which stole too much attention from the cover lines etc. that are crucial to the front cover. The class decided as a whole that the magazines were fairly basic and was very minimalism, as they emphasized extreme simplication of form.

The target audience for these magazines are aimed at eleven to eighteen year olds, as they are the ages of the pupils in each year at the Armthorpe school, and are the people who will be reading these magazines as they are given to them. This explains why the magazine is very basic, as children are not interested in magazines if it contains too much information and uses many different magazine conventions, as it is not what they are used to, and will not understand what the conveyed message is and choose to simply ignore it. This can also mean that the pupils will not be interested in the images either, unless they are presented of a particular style which relates to their generation or contain images of the pupils themselves. The more informal side of this magazine would be beneficial to the children's parents, to find out about information which affect their child's everyday life around the school.

After we had finished looking at School magazines we began to plan ideas of our own. The planning process started when I drew three different front cover pages and three different contents pages. All of our ideas in the class were independent. We had to be individually minded, with the ideas being thought about to be provoking, different and effective. During this time we learnt how to draw specific key symbols towards a magazine, which help to correspond what and where something will be on the magazine, for example: A box which contains an 'X' through the middle represents the image which should be placed there. At first the desinging task proved to be difficult as we had to create these images on PhotoShop which I had never used before at the time so it was hard to focus, and because of this reason I simply chose to do a straight-forward design.

Finally, after drawing the three different front cover and contents pages we began to draw our template on the PhotoShop software. During this stage when designing the layout, none of us had taken our photographs yet, however we had to place the textual information where it was needed and then later add the images in the corresponded places. Taking the photographs was one of the most important sections of the preliminary task, as they were crucial to the main article, etc. in the magazine and it is one of the things that the reader will first draw their eyes to when the magazine is purchased. The photographs had to be taken accurately and by doing this the class followed the 'rule of thirds' process which explained all of the proffessional ways a photograph can be taken and the positioning of photographs, etc. for the magazine.

 

Completed Front Cover:

 

The Mast Head of the front cover is positioned towards the top left corner of the page as people begin to read from that side, with the size being not too large as it only needs to take up the top fifth of the page. I rotated the mast head slightly so that it fills the top, left hand corner of the page more efficiently and makes it more interesting for the reader. The font is large and presented as a dark colour over a light background. The font is displayed in sans serif, which reflects that the magazine is modern and not like a newspaper, to match the proffesional tone of the school's 'academy' status. This will especially engage the older pupils of the school and the parents of these pupils as the magazine is easy to read and has an informal layout.

The house styles of my completed front cover are light blue, dark blue and white. This is to coincide with the school's atmospheric tone and the uniform etc. The background image, which is presented as film strips painted in light blue and shades of white and blue bubbles is used to contrast with the house style, and also the theme of the feature article photograph which is displayed as 'movies'. The background keeps in co-ordination with the three house colours, to help contrast with the textual information so that they do not clash, to help make it visibly clear to the reader.

  

The feature article photograph is displayed as the main image of the front cover as it has it's own large advertisement. The image is large and takes up almost half of the front cover and was also placed to the right hand side of the page, which suggests a two-column house style. The photograph consists of Bethany holding up a video camera and was taken as a Medium Shot as it is from the waist up, which will entice the reader to the video camera which she holds up as it is the specific topic of the main article. If the photograph was taken closer up then the link towards 'movies' would not be evident. After this the image was then edited on Photoshop, which contains a variety of different tools for the user to apprehend, with an example of this being the 'rubber tool'. The rubber tool can be used to let you rub out the mistakes which were previously made or to discard parts of a photograph, e.g. the background which is not of a particular interest to you and simply not relevant. This was used for my front cover, because I had to rub out the background from the photograph of Bethany holding up the video camera as it was not relevant to the magazine, neither the main article and would have displayed lack of thought and imagination to the reader.

The Main Cover Line for the feature article photograph is positioned over the image towards the bottom. The cover line font is not as big as the Mast Head font and has been given a blue-coloured edge, which helps it to stand out. This was also to outline the importance of the cover line and how specific it is to the magazine's main article. I have placed the text almost in the center of the page at the bottom because if there were anything further up it would have taken away focus from the main image. To improve I could have altered the layout so that the cover line was placed over a different area of the image but further to the left, so it is more in the middle. A more subtle font could have also been used as I chose the font that was simply the clearest, rather than one that was specific to the main article or contrasting with the professional tone.

The secondary image consists of multiple students out of uniform and presented on a stage in colourful costumes with talented poses, so this would help the reader to understand that they are individually minded and experienced. The image is extremly small in size in comparison to the feature article photograph as I intended to focus more on the main image, however it is still specific to the 'movies' topic as it is acting and musical performances, etc. I have used the rule of thirds by positioning this image to the left hand side of the magazine. Although, I have displayed this image in a circle shaped outline which may attract too much attention away from the main image to the secondary image as it is a bold circle, however it keeps in control with the house style. The Cover Line for the secondary image is a logo of the musical production 'We Will Rock You', which will engage the reader as it is a well known production and is displayed as a different colour to the house style to promote the play. However, the logo is much smaller than the mast head or the cover line so that it does not draw lots of attention from being a different colour from the house style.

  

To conclude there were some disadvantages towards this front cover, one of them being that I did not use a date to explain to the reader what issue the magazine is, which is crucial to the front cover as the information and events etc. will refer to the specific time of year e.g. Summer or Winter. Another disadvantage would be that I did not add a strapline to explain more about what the magazine has to offer.

 

 

Completed Contents Page:

 

 

 

The house style of my contents page almost remains the same as the front cover, keeping with the similar layout so that they contrast each other, although I have added an extra colour - black. The positioning of the text is reversed into the middle compared to the front cover, so that the two images could be wrapped to the bottom of the page so that the textual information could be viewed from the top as it is the most important feature of the contents page and should be focused on first with the reader. This was also done so that the text and the images were not cluttered around in various, different places on the page. The mast head (The AA Issue) this time is placed at the top of the page, in the middle. In the final peice this did not attract to my liking as the reader begins to look at the mast head from the top left corner of the page, not in the middle, so this was a flaw that would make the reader focus on other areas of the page first rather than the title. However, by covering this up the text is presented very large, bold and colourful, to attract more attention to the reader with the font style again being Sans Serif so that it is visibly clear and proffessional. To improve this mast head I could have applied the 'emboss' effect to give an added depth into the layer, by using highlights and shadows to give a chiseled and three dimensional look to help it stand out more against the background.

There is a large box which is centred in the middle of my Contents Page which is the drop-down coloumn, explaining all of the contents which will be contained within the magazine. The box is presented large to show the importance of this box being on the contents page as it is crucial and also to give in full detail to the reader the textual information which is neccasary from the magazine. I chose to fill the box in a lighter shade of Black, to help the text stand out clearer so that it is easier to read and comply with the house style as this is the key area to the contents page, therefore explaining why it has been placed in the middle.

The Armthorpe School logo, which is also featured on the front cover is placed at the top of the contents page, both on each side. The logo keeps in with the house style as the colours are light blue, dark blue, white and black, which are also the same as the school's uniform etc. This was added because it promotes the school throughout the magazine as it contrasts well and the target audience would continuously notice it, to explain to the reader that the magazine has everything involving the Armthorpe School within the contents. The logo has also filled up the empty spaces which were left after the images and text were added, so that the page would not look dull.

There are two main images which are contained on the contents page, with both of them being at the very bottom. Both of them are the exact same size in width and length so that they fit right nicely next to each other, however the images are displayed as not too big so that the reader can focus more on what is most important to the contents page, which is the drop-down coloumn. The two images which are shown is one of them being a group performance on-stage and the other of the whole school together on the playground. I felt that these two images reflected the Armthorpe School values as the talented performers promote 'Ambition' and 'Pride' towards the  school, displaying charisma and talent to the reader, along with the other image of the whole school which reflects 'Respect' and 'Responsibility' as a school community by all coming together as one, showing a friendly atmosphere towards each other within the school by commiting to these duties. Interesting effects were not added to these images as this would have taken up a lot more than was anticipated and there would have been too much focus on these, as many people (men especially) tend to be enaged from the pictutes first, rather than the context. For this reason, the page numbers etc. will attract the target audience more than the images themselves as they stand out more. This is because I intended to have the images back up the style of the school that I have presented in the magazine, with the effects being applied more to the text which is crucial to a contents page to help make it easier to read, etc. This will be the last area that the reader will look at, if the layout of the content was altered then the reader would understand to look at outer areas, such as images and coverlines for additional information.

  

The page numbers on the contents page are much larger in size than in most which are found on normal contents pages, however by being presented in sans serif the reader will notice the page numbers before they do with the additional information as it helps make a greater impression on the eye. In addition to this it should help the reader semantically remember the page numbers over the other information, and keep them whilst flicking through the rest of the magazine.

To the top left hand side of the page the cover line is placed there, which reads 'Whats inside..' The colour links to the house style because it is presented in Black and helps bond with the proffesional tone and the font style as it is just as important as the Mast Head as it is what the reader first entices with, so the house style should be consistent. It also helps leave out abnormally large gaps which fill the contents page with blank places, which would explain to the reader that the editor shows no worthy talent, or imagination. By using creative cover lines such as 'Whats inside...' is interesting and thought-provoking as it includes an ellipsis, which effectively makes the reader move onto the further features of the page whereas if it didn’t have it they could have generally just skipped the page.  

Preliminary Task, Pre-production (Planning)



Mock Front Cover: 



The Juice:

 

 

 

Mock Layouts:

 

Front Cover Design 1:

 

 

 

 

Front Cover Design 2:

 

 

 

Front Cover Design 3:

 

 

 

Contents Page Design 1:

 

 

 

 Contents Page Design 2:

 

 

 

 Contents Page Design 3:

 

 

 

 

Photography for my Preliminary Task:

 

 

 

 

 

 



Re-Written Article

Ofqual vs. the Exam Board… Who will triumph?  

By Reece Vickerage.

 

Its hard to say that Ofqual have took a turn for the worst this year, with English GCSE’s being harshly marked down, creating utter chaos between the two boards leading up to a World War III. It comes as no surprise that the Exam board haven't given up yet, and want to be involved in the latest drama… Let the games begin!

Ofqual threatened the Exam board a demand to alter GCSE’s, and interweb bloggers have discovered leaked letters this week, explaining that this was even said just weeks before the results were even published. Can you imagine that? These letters show that the regulator wrote to Edexcel, chantering concerns about the plummet of C grades in English GCSE this year.  

The board b***hed back a day later, believing that it's proposed grade awards were “fair”. Have they not realised that the whole country has suffered? However, there was no justification for further changes… as expected.

As details of the letters were revealed, Ofqual’s chief regulator, Glenys Stacey may as well have just resigned, his background is certainly coming into the picture now - it’s not looking good.

Aggravated head teacher and former slave of the Ofqual board member ‘John Townsley’ states that “We can see, in the most certain terms possible, Ofqual applying immense pressure to the awarding body concerned in order to bring down the number of C grades awarded”, he said “Glenys Stacey should resign.” Seriously, who would want to be this Glenys person, right now?

Ofqual fight for their rights and argue back stating that the letters to and from Edexcel were “entirely proper” and were part of the regulators work.

Meanwhile, the poor teenagers of Wales will soon see the light at the end of their tunnel, as it emerged that hundreds of pupils in Wales are expected to receive higher GCSE English grades, after the big and important education minister demanded their papers be regarded. What the pupils wouldn’t give to be the welsh kids now…

Overall, the battle is still commencing and I’m sure there will be plenty more articles where this came from. The Exam board would have gone to hell and back by the time they agree with these alterations, but you never know… 

Analysis of a Double Page Spread

 

The double page spread that I am going to be analysing is a celebrity insider article from the Glamour magazine. The topic of this double spread article is Adele and how her stylist luxuries her. The target audience for this article would be aimed at teenage girls and young women, because she talks about her way of fashion. Teenage girls and women love fashion, and it‘s all about Adele’s life in fashion and most females will find her an inspirational and high-quality role model and may want to follow the stylish trend that she exposes on the magazine.

The main aspect of this article is the main feature article photograph. It is displayed as Adele half-way through getting ready with her stylist. Adele looks flawless in the image, which will attract women into thinking that they can look like Adele if they follow what the article says. What is special about this image is that the colour is presented in black and white, which will show the reader how professional the editor wanted this image to look, to match how professional Adele and her style is. Another reason why it is presented in this colour is because women are not drawn to black and white imagery, which is why she is presented in this way as women do not want to look at for example: exposed women, they want to look at what is behind Adele and her image. The photograph of Adele takes up one page of the double spread, which explains to the reader how important the article is and promotes this with the large photograph. It also shows how Adele makes up her time behind stage, with the multiple styles that she uses and the elegance that is put into it. This is not the only photograph that is featured in this double spread, as there is a smaller image of Adele who is performing at the ‘Brit Awards’ in her traditional black dress. The reason why they have included this image is so that the readers can get a grasp of what Adele looks like overall after the time that is spent on her. It is a presented as a full body shot, to show Adele’s style from head to toe where as the other photo is only of her head and waist. This image however is presented in colour, rather than in black and white. The coloured image will attract people’s attention more than the black and white image, and also to promote her performance from the Brit awards and the stylish trend that she brought onto the stage.

Underneath the image there is a quote from the article stating “When a look is working, Adele puts it on and feels it”. The magazine editor has placed the quote within the image, towards the bottom. It is the most eye-catching part of the article as the image will attract the reader, but the quote will explain to the reader what the article will contain and will overall explain to them whether they should carry on to read the article if they find the quote appealing. The colour of the quote is white and the background is black from Adele’s dress, this is so that the colours do not clash and contrast well with the photograph print. You can clearly see the quote with the clear type of text and font that is used, which is presented professional to match the precision of Adele’s styles.

The colour schemes of the double spread article are simple and elegant. The colours that Glamour has chosen are:

1. White

2. Black

3. Orange

The reason why these colours were chosen is because it is elegant and natural to match the neutrality of Adele and her beauty, as she is an elegant women and the colour compliments the images that are used. It helps the images come alive more with the white background, as black and white contrast well. If there were an assortment of colours contained on the double spread then the article would be all over the place and would not match the professionalism of Adele’s style and the articles professional procedure.The only major colour that is used is displayed on the title of the article, which has been used as a luminous orange colour to present the word “Adele’s”, which is also presented in a large font. This tells the reader that the article is about Adele instantly, which explains why there are images of her etc. The orange captivates the reader’s eyes, as it is bright and bold, with the writing on the article being compressed underneath the feature article photograph, with the size of the font presented small. However women love to read more than looking at the images unlike men, which explains why there is an altitude of text that is contained in the article as gossip interacts with women, especially with famous celebrities such as Adele.

Analysis of a Contents Page

The contents page that I will be analysing is Glamour. Glamour is a fashion, beauty and gossip magazine that is aimed towards teenage girls and Women. This is the specific target audience because they are the people who are devoted to things such as: Fashion and beauty related topics.

On the contents page it contains a variety of different options which will intrigue the reader, as there is a drop-down column which gives the reader a chance to look at what the magazine will contain breifly before they properly look inside. This also gives the reader an opportunity to look at the article/topic that interests them the most on the column first. There are also inside scoops into the latest gossip etc. within the column which will attract the younger generation, as they enjoy things like gossiping.

The main aspect of the Contents page is the bulky photograph of Emma Watson, which is placed in the centre of the Contents page on the right-hand side. It is what will meet the reader's eye first, and explains to the audience that Emma Watson is the main article as she has her own large advertisement (feature article photograph). This advertisement contains a caption on the left side of the photograph, which gives the reader a rhetorical question advising the reader to reveal ‘Emma’s Style Secret’ which will intrigue them to find out about the celebrities secret, and beneath this quote, the magazine gives you the page number in brackets, explaining to the reader that this is the main article as they are advertising it heavily on the contents page with the image and the quotes, etc. This may attract the reader into turning to that page straight away, to see if it is as good as what the magazine has hyped it up to be with the advertising. The colour of the large photograph next to the quote is presented in Black and White, which suggests to the reader that the photograph was professionally taken, crafted and edited, which would appeal to the more sophisticated audience of Emma Watson and Glamour. The image is also in Black and White because it will not attract Women to the photograph as women do not want to see exposed women etc. This is the reason the editor has presented this in Black and White, so that it displays a plain, grey and dull colour which will not draw women to the image at a high extent, and focus more on what is behind it, e.g. her 'style secrets', which is displayed on this photograph, further explaining that this picture was specifically used to advertise her style, before the reader actually reads the main article ,to get an in-sight into what they will be reading about. 

The image also breaks up the drop down column/ text, with the image breaking up the text which suggests to the reader that the magazine contains more images than the text itself, and that the image is more important than the text. Although, there is not a lot of information in regards to this image, which will intrigue the reader to find out what the image/article represents, and what it is about.

The colour scheme of this contents page is:

- Pink
- Orange
- Green
- Black
- White

The colour scheme is attractive to women, however, it is presented in a mature way so that the colours contrast each other well. The use of the green and orange used on the title/masthead stands out on the page as it is luminous, giving connotations of the Autumn season which is upon us, as the magazine is the Autumn issue. The text colour 'green' symbolises and gives connotations of nature, etc. to represent e.g. the natural beauty products that they promote in their magazine and the orange symbolises the sun for bright, exposed inner beauty, which would include the models etc. which they use within their magazines. The colours distinguish well with the plain white background and give a sense of maturity and professionalism. The pink used suggests the more feminist side to the magazine, and also the fashion and beauty which is contained inside. On the contents page they use four colours which are more than enough for a content page as it is not the most important part of a magazine. If it contained extra colours then the contents page would be extremely bright, and there would be too much going on for the reader to focus on the main information which is given, and the useful parts to the page.

Analysis of a Front Cover

 

Analysis

Target Audience - The target audience for the Kerrang magazine would be the people aged between 16 and 30, because they are the people who enjoy the latest rock/heavy metal bands which the magazine advertise, and are not affected by the use of explicit material etc, in this type of music and the information in the Kerrang magazine itself. For example: Green Day, who are promoted as the main article on the front cover, relates to the 16 - 30 audience as they are a band that fits into their generation and age group. The magazines target audience would also appeal to the niche audience, because it concerns topics and themes that are relevant to people who listen to and are interested by rock music and its background. They would have to be individually minded and independent of thought and musically experienced, just like the magazine and the rock stars etc. that Kerrang promote in their magazines.

Mast Head - The main title is presented at the top left, as people begin to read from that side. The font is large and bright, with a luminous yellow colour so it will be extremely visible and attractive to the people in sight of the magazine. The letters that spell out Kerrang are jagged, with scratches on them to represent rock and violence etc. The word Kerrang also ends with an exclamation mark, which gives the impression that it is shouting at the reader, attracting them to buy the magazine. The Kerrang title is overlapped by the head of the lead singer of Green Day, explaining to the reader that the magazine is well-known as the title does not need to be entirely visible, as people already know what it is. This will also attract many different audiences, as Green Day itself is a highly popular rock band. This will catch people's eyes from a shop window/shelf as the artist is displayed largely on the front cover, along with the brand name. Both Kerrang and Green Day mixed together on one cover will attract audiences alike, as they are both well-known and relate to each other.

Price - The price on the magazine cover is centred on the barcode, however it is presented extremely small. This is because the company are a popular brand and will not want to attract the reader to the price if it is too high. It might not meet the expectations of the buyer, which may put them off purchasing the magazine and would result in Kerrang losing out on a lot of the magazines main/key audiences.

Feature Article Photograph - Kerrang immediately clarify to the reader that Green Day are the main article/topic of the magazine, this is because they have their own large advertisement (photograph) as the front cover, which stands out the most above the rest of the illustrations and information on the page. The feature article photograph consists of the lead singer from Green Day, and Kerrang promote them by covering the front cover with a large image of him, who is focused as the main protagonist of the front cover because he dominates the whole page, and will be the first thing the reader notices on it. He is also looking directly at the audience, this is known as the 'direct mode of address', as it draws the audience in because it is almost as if the artist is addressing you personally. The photograph will attract multiple teenage girls/boys to the magazine, as Green Day are known to be highly popular amongst the younger generation with their latest songs and image. This will have the teenage audience engaged, as a well-known band is the main article and may want to purchase the magazine to read on about the latest gossip involving Green Day, which is also an advantage to Kerrang with the help of them being a well-known band internationally. This will especially attract the teenage girl sector as he could be, for example: An idol, or teenage celebrity crush, so with him being the main photograph on the magazine could make a strong impact on girls and also major fans, who may find him an attractive/very famous man, etc. The Kerrang magazine itself contains many rock bands and material which are designed to attract a lot more men rather than women, so by promoting young, attractive and famous celebrities as their front covers also explains to the reader that their main audience isn't based on just one particular gender, as they know how to please both, and ultimately tells the reader that the magazine is not gender-biased.

Main Cover Line - The main cover line is the text that reads 'GREEN DAY', which consists of only two words but will attract the audience almost instantly. This is because Green Day is one of the most influential and famous rock bands of our generation, so Kerrang would know that this would make a big impact on their fans and sales. The words 'GREEN DAY' are the overview of what the magazine will contain the most because it is the main article, so the audience are informed on what to expect throughout the majority of the magazine. The two words stand out the most, even above the Kerrang title itself, to outline the bands importance to the magazine. It is presented in a bright, red colour on a white background. This will attract people's eyes instantly as the colours contrast well together, and the lead singer of Green Day is holding up the sign in a flamboyant way. It will engage with men especially, as they're known to be heavily attracted to the colour 'red' which is presented a highly bright, coloured red, written in a crayon style, which can also describe to the reader that Green Day are lively and ebullient, by using creative, exuberant fonts and colours to advertise them.

Cover Line - An example of a cover line is the text below the 'GREEN DAY' main cover line, which reads "answer your questions" and "Bille, Joe, Mike and Tret, on musicals, make-up, punch-ups, riots and more!" This is extra information which is added, so that the reader can grasp a sense of what the main article will involve and contain. It also interacts with the reader by giving them an option to do something by using the word 'your', which can attract audiences as they can get involved in activities which are included within the magazine. The font for this cover line is slightly smaller in size compared the main cover line because it is not as important, and is presented in a dull, black colour. However, the font is this size specifically so that more information can be given to the reader.

Plug - An example of a Plug would be the quote in the middle of the right-hand side, that reads "What are Paramore shocked at?" which is the selling point of the magazine. This is because the quote concludes with a question mark, which will engage the reader and persuade them to purchase the magazine to find out more about that certain topic, so it is almost as if the magazine has done this on purpose. It also helps to be even more engaging when the plug includes famous bands such as 'Paramore', as people may want to catch up on the latest news on celebrities. Below the plug is a small image, however it does not explain the full topic so the reader would have to look inside to find out more, which will persuade the reader to purchase the magazine at an even higher extent. The picture underneath the Paramore quote consists of a famous star in a 'Celebrity Scandal', with an arrow pointing toward the hazard. To actually find out what it is, the reader would (again) have to purchase the magazine, concluding as the overall selling point.

Puffs - The front cover uses Puffs by using attractive and powerful words, such as: 'Ultimate', 'Rock' and 'Phenomenon'. This will attract the audience, as they make it sound as if Kerrang is as dominant as the words and information that is used, which will persuade the reader to buy the magazine.

Strapline - The strapline is at the very bottom of the magazine cover and explains more about the brand to promote it, by adding on extra information. For example: 'PLUS: THE CULT.' This is to explain to the reader that the magazine offers more than just one main storyline, and includes other articles that are involved around different, famous celebrities etc. For this issue of Kerrang, the Strapline would be beneficial to the readers who dislike Green Day who are promoted as the main article, because the reader is informed that there are many more storylines and activities that he/she can appreciate.