College Magazine

The font that I have chosen on the front cover gives it a stereotypical look of it looking like it's a 'college' type font which would give subliminal information to the audience that it is indeed a college magazine. I have related back to my questionnaire and have used the three main colours in which seemed to be the most popular, in this case; the colours include: red, white and blue. I have used repetition on my front cover 'HOT HOT HOT' which gives it a snappy and noticeable main headline which would attract customers. Since red connotates as being hot, i think the contrast between the colour and 'HOT' is quite complementary which gives it a professional touch. I have chosen the main image to be a medium shot due to the fact that it allows the audience to communicate with the person in the magazine, since it shows the facial expression of how the person feels. To add to this, since blue was one of the most picked colours within the questionnaire, I have decided to make it stand out from the rest by creating a shape that would differ from the rest of the main colours (red & white). This effect would draw the attention to the blue shape and what information is within this blue shape, in this case, it promotes 'the latest footwear'. Furthermore, the word 'BOOM' is also an onomatopoeia which the effect on the reader would be that it gives it a sense of emotion, in this case, boom would give an effect to the reader to show how outstanding or unique it is. I have included the selling line which is a short, sharp description of the title's main marketing point or perhaps setting out its editorial philosophy. The cover line's font is red which gives a connotation of passion or determination which would promote the magazine since it shows how this student in the front cover shows these attributes of a passionate and determined student. I have also given it a white background due to the fact that the colours complement each other which makes it stand out from the background as well as the main image.

I have put the bar-code at the bottom left of the magazine which is used by retailers so that the sale of the magazine can be registered quickly during its purchase; this magazine is £1 which is fairly cheap; taking into considerations of other magazines that I've researched; breaking the meta.

Reader's response:

There is an appropriate number of coverlines as the reader will not be 'flooded' with information which the audience/reader may find it uninteresting and boring as too much information would lead to this and too little information wouldn't inform the reader so that they would be interested in the college magazine's contents. Furthermore, the boxes around the coverlines are not conventional as various college magazines do not so so as they changed the colour of the coverlines to make it stand out from the background. However, the use of the white boxes behind the coverlines make the coverlines stand out from the rest of the magazine's conventions (stands out from the main image, stands out from the selling line and so forth). Furthermore, the colours are complementary and do not clash thus not confusing or dazzling the reader. To add to this, there is a light/ocean blue star shape which intrigues the audience/reader as the colour is different in comparison to the rest of the colours that are used within the front cover of the college magazine which include: red,white and black. The use of blue would attract the attention of the reader/audience's eye, thus they would read the contents within the blue shaped star, promoting whatever that is in the star; in this case, promoting foot-wear.
Moreover, this photo that is used within the college magazine is a medium shot which is usually used in many other college magazines as it shows the expression of the model within the front cover.

The contents page: I personally think that I have balanced the image and information well so that it wouldn't be over flooded with information or too many images that would put the audience off. I have made the main topics in white so that the audience is able to distinguish each other so that it allows the reader to relatively quickly get to the section they would want to see. Furthermore, I have also chosen the same main colours as the front cover, which includes: red and white. I think that it gives it a professional and consistent touch due to the fact that too many colours wouldn't aim for the target audience which would be college/university students. The image consists of a long shot which shows the body language and emotion of the person. In this case, the person in the image is relatively happy and quite laid back which gives connotations of young students to be happy during education. 

 

Reader's response:

 

Within the contents page of this college magazine, the image and information are distributed evenly. However, there isn't much detail about the information provided as there usually is some sort of brief information shown to every aspect of the magazine. For example: On football results page 36, there should be added information giving a brief insight of what this issue would include. Example: '3 goals  scores in 5 minutes by Smith...'. Moreover, the contents of this college magazine is quite adequate as it seperates sections so that the reader wouldn't be baffled/confused over what sections they would like to go to as they the sub-headings are highlighted in white which is different from the black texr. By making the sub-headings white, this allows the reader to idenfity which sections within the college magazine they would like to go to as it is easily distinguishable. The image presented on the right of the information is adequate as the photo is not blurry and is relevant to the college magazine to some extent as the model looks like a student (In a judgemental way). In professional college magazines, they would usually use between 2-5 photos in the contents as they would relate to the information that is presented to persuade the audience to go to certain pages within the college magazine. To add to this, the contents page of college magazines usually has  more context in order to persuade the reader to read specific pages.

Flat Plan of College Magazine.

For my front cover, I have decided on an image that would be a medium shot in which would show the person's emotions towards the college magazine which would give it a positive impression. Furthermore, I have included the 'Splat' mark which would stand out from the rest of the front cover magazine which would catch the audiences attention; therefore more willingly to purchase the magazine. I have made the main cover line to be the biggest and boldest font due to the fact that it would show significance of the information that would be provided. Additionally, I will be using the background color that is most appealing towards my audience which would be decided when the questionnaires are completed. To add to this, I have added at least 5 cover lines since I do not wish the front cover to be packed full of information where it may seem too boring for our target audience who are mainly teenagers who are in college or university students that may seem interested. Moreover, I have added the price to be approximately £2 since I do not want it to be too relatively cheap as well as too expensive so that people wouldn't buy it, I have concluded to £2 due to the research that I have done online since they range from £1-£3.50 (mostly). I have also added the website, since technology is increasingly being used on the go, they may would want to check out the site for detailed information, or maybe purchase an online magazine. I will have to also add colors that are eye-catching so that my magazine would hopefully stand out from the rest.The bar-code is presented to be at the bottom right corner where it doesn't distract any other components on the front cover,so it is used by the retailers so that the sale of the magazine can be registered quickly during its purchase. 

On the other hand, as for my contents page, I have decided to have a long shot which would take up half of the magazine as it balances the fact that there wouldn't be much writing, conveying that it is straight to the point. Also, I personally believe that it would give it a more professional look compared to those that use many pictures which doesn't seem to allow the audience to focus on one particular subject; in this case, it would be the model. I have also chosen the front page as well as the contents page to have the same primary colors since it would give it a sophisticated presentation. I have made a sub-heading for each category so it would allow the audience to quickly navigate through the pages that they may seem more interesting compared to the others.

Analyse Of Questionnaire and the questionnaire itself.

For my first question:
 I have asked if people would like deals about any brands and all of my 11 participants have answered yes. Some of the people have said designer brands and some have said brands in which are more mainstream such as Nike.
For the second question:
 I have asked what 3 main colours in which would make my magazine cover stand out. The majority of the people have stated: white (everyone has said white), red (7 out of the 11 people have said red) and blue with 6 out of the 11 people. These 3 colours would be used to enhance my magazine cover so that it would attract the attention of customers.
For my third question:
 I have asked what genre people would be interested the most; 7 out of the 11 people have put hip hop as well as RnB for their preferences.
For my fourth question:
I have asked what types of brands would you like to be present on the fashion page; 8 out of the 11 has chose high street brands such as Nike and the rest has chosen designer brands such as Hollister and LV.
For my fifth question:
I have asked what types of genre would you like to be present in the ‘movie page’, comedy’ was chosen 7 times and Horror was chosen 7 times.
For my sixth question:
I have asked if they would want content about future technology to be in the magazine and everyone has said yes.
My seventh question:
I asked if they wanted to have the latest celebrities to be in the magazine. All of them have answered yes, but they have a wide range of celebrities that they would want in the mag.
My eighth question:
I asked them if they would want a sports page to be in the magazine. 6 out of the 11 people have said yes, and the remaining has said no.
My ninth question:
I asked if they want to see real life stories within the magazine. 9 out of the 11 people would want so.
My tenth question
I asked if they would want small and interesting fun facts around the magazine. All 11 of the people have agreed on this.
My eleventh question
I asked how often this magazine should be published. 7 out of the 11 people have voted weekly.
My twelfth question
I asked if they would want to have information about universities and careers in the magazines. All have agreed to have aspects of information from both universities and careers.

College Magazine analysis

The magazine cover lines consist of: ‘Make money on campus’, ‘jump up & wave’ and ‘the world’s sprint factory’. The purpose of the cover line is to present and promote the main featured article within the magazine. The colour of this magazine includes the 3 main colours which are: a yellow/green, black and white. The effect of these three colours indicates the matureness and sophistication of the magazine, however it shows the colour of yellow/green which connote as a welcoming sign to the consumers and more of a warm feeling in which of those who go to college may still be new will be welcomed to this kind of magazine to experience reality. The connotations of the colour black shows how ‘business-like’ and powerful a person is in the magazine which also suggests how education is also powerful; giving a good representative of college students to being dedicated to their studies which is shown by the books (props) that he is carrying. The barcode is displayed at the bottom left hand corner in which is used for retailers so that the sale of the magazine can be easily registered quickly during the purchase. This often has the price labelled next to the barcode so the consumer would know how much it would cost. Also, it would indicate how much the magazine would cost so that they know how much they are paying for this magazine; in this case, the magazine is $4.99 US or $5.99 CAN. The main cover line in this front cover magazine is ‘Dancehall’s Bright Future’; this is the largest cover line on the front cover. The main purpose of this is that it would display and promote the main featured article within the magazine, also the fact that it would draw the attention since it is in a larger font.

Firstly, this magazine is a college magazine which represents how young people like this person are represented in society. The masthead is “college” in which is in very bold and clear font. This is the visual branding of the title and is often done in a specially designed typeface to be recognisable and unique. This gives the effect of drawing in the audience to buy this type of magazine. Additionally, the bright green/yellow colour of the masthead is quite complementary to the background colour black as well as the cover lines since they are also a bright yellow/green colour.  The masthead is usually used on the contents page inside as well as the front cover, and as a logo for advertising and branding purposes. Furthermore, it would attract consumers who are dedicated towards this ‘masthead’ persuading them to buy this type. All cover lines are positioned around the model (main image) to make him stand out more as well as making the model more significant compared to the rest of the information on the front cover. The model also overlaps the masthead ‘COLLEGE’ which gives a sense that he is standing out of the magazine. There is also alliteration and repetition within the front cover which is: ‘HOT HOT HOT’. The effect of alliteration is that it provides emphasis and sometimes aids in memory since it is catchy which allows the consumer to refer back to it. The effect of repetition is that it reinforces the message to be important. These two effects attract the reader’s attention to look for this certain content within the magazine in which they would have to purchase it. The dateline on the cover is at the top right corner which has small orange font ‘Summer 2009’ , it shows the month and year of the production which allows the consumer to know if it is the updated version of this certain issue or the fact that they would want a specific issue. The selling line on this magazine’s cover is ‘Your exclusive guide to everything hip hop & happening’, this is a short and sharp description of the title’s main marketing point or perhaps setting out its editorial philosophy. This phrase suggests how this magazine is a guidance to everything that is up to date during this time period of summer 2009, giving the latest news about what is happening recently. Aspects such as money making and college may provide information for those who are interested in the latest up-to-date news. Furthermore, there is a pink splash on the right hand side; below the masthead of the magazine, this pink splat is also trying to stand out from the colour scheme of black, yellow and white due to the fact the pink splat shows that there is something unique and outstanding from the rest.The connotations of pink are that it is thankfulness and emotional tension. It may also indicate how there is a lot of ‘heat’ and gossip due to the fact that it is shown in a lot of celebrity magazines. Furthermore, the fact that it’s pink and the person in the magazine is a male; it shows that females are also the target audience of this magazine since it draws attention of the colour pink (stereotypically). To add to this; pink also links to different types of information that the magazine may provide, such as fashion, deals off clothing as well as the latest SUMMER 2009 trends which is stated at the selling line.The word ‘Splat’ is also known as an onomatopoeia in which means words that imitate sounds. The effect of the onomatopoeia is that it creates imagery in the consumers mind, allowing them to access a sense of emotion. In this case, splat could be used to indicate that there would be a range of many different types of information; (paintballing) that could intrigue the consumers that would want to buy this certain college magazine. To add to this, there is also a website below the masthead ‘COLLEGE’ which is ‘www.collegelifestylemag.com’ which also gives the consumers something to remember so therefore can visit the website in order to gather any new information or future updates about the product so that they may would want to keep up to date with the latest information around; due to the fact that the technology is evolving, they would want to promote their college magazine, not only on paper but online so that people are able to access it more easily. Reader's response: The college magazine's front cover was quite informative as it had many coverlines which allowed the reader to speculate certain aspects within the magazine. However, other people felt that there were too many coverlines displayed on the front cover as they felt that too much information leads to boredom and loss of interest. Additionally, the colour scheme of black,yellow and white are complementary colours which did not distract the audience from identifying key features of the front cover such as coverlines, and selling line. The main image is of a man in which the shot is a medium close-up shot which is commonly used in college magazines. The model also used props such as books to notify to the audience that this magazine is explicitly about college related content.

Re-make of loki-magazine.

The magazine above this text is the magazine that I have tried to re-make and this is what I have produced: (note, this is my first time using photoshop)

 

From looking at the original magazine from Empire, I personally thought at first, it was going to be very challenging since I had to find an image of loki that wasn't the exact image of the original since I would want it to be quite realisitic and professional. Additionally, I first found it hard due to getting used to the program and using special effects that would enhance the appearance of the magazine. I have decided to use a new background since I wanted it to be unique. I have chosen this background image because it still represents power and authority over the buildings and atmosphere around him.
Overall, I think that I did adequately well due to the fact that I only made a few more different things compared to the original magazine and tried to make font similar size and colour.