Rough Ideas

Here is a selection of my rough ideas for the front page & contents page of my student magazine.

Experimentation pt. 2

In order to create the best possible magazine for your target audience, you must experiment with different modes of address to ensure that you have explored every different approach & choose the best option from there.

After researching similar magazines, I have gathered that the best mode of address would be an informal yet informing dialogue, to ensure that the target audience does not become bored nor do they feel patronized. I have also decided to use second person, as this will entice my readers & will make them feel more involved when reading it, as it is addressed to them.

Another thing that you might want to experiment with is masthead names, as they can tell the reader a lot about the type of magazine they are reading. For example, if a magazine is titled "Student" the audience might think that the magazine will be boring & won't bother reading it. However, if a magazine is titled "Fun!", the audience might think that the magazine is a bit naff & slightly patronizing, which would also put them off reading it. It is important to get a balanced mixture of fun & serious, even if it's just the title of the magazine.

I have experimented with a range of different magazine names, including:

• Student
• Students of Ludlow
• Fun!
• The Magazine of Banter
• The Hub
• The Groove
• Student Bible

 I decided that the best name to go with was Students of Ludlow, because I think it best represents the contents of the magazine, it interests local readers, and it does not sound too formal nor does it sound too informal.

Experimentation

In order to achieve the highest quality magazine, one must experiment with a variety of different fonts, colour schemes & ideas.
Research of my target audience (college students) show that they don't like magazines to be too bright, as they'd find them to be childish and patronizing; however, they're also not fond of magazines being too dull, as they'd find them to be too boring and wouldn't bother reading them.
During my preparation for my magazine, I experimented with a variety of colours varying from blue to yellow, and fonts varying from Ariel to . Below is a showcase of the different ideas & techniques I used.

The Target Audience of a Student Magazine & Their Interests

As my target audience are students that go to Ludlow College, I decided to ask them a few questions.

What sorts of things would you like to see in a student magazine?

• Local events, clubs, pass times
• Celebrity gossip (ew)
• Revision & studying techniques
• The latest & most hip media (films, books, music etc.)
• Entertaining stories
• Not too formal nor informal

How much would you spend on a student magazine? 

• Between nothing & £2

My Potential Ideas for a Student Magazine

Rough Ideas for my Front Cover

These are my ideas for my student magazine. From research of other magazines, I have made the central image large, so that is eye-catching & catches the attention of the reader.

I have chosen to place the masthead in the top left-hand corner, as this is where many other magazines place their masthead. People will usually see the masthead first, as people read from top left to right, so I have chosen to make it a circular shape, which I believe is different & may further interest the reader into reading the magazine because of this.

The coverlines go down the side of the page, being sure not to distract attention from the central image. They are fairly small, yet add a lot to the cover page, as they show the reader what sort of things they will find in the magazine.

 

Rough Ideas for my Contents Page

These are my rough ideas for my contents page. Contents pages are very important, as they highlight the best bits of the magazine & show the reader how to get there, which is vital if you are trying to persuade someone to buy the magazine.

The contents page will contain a continuous house style, similar to the style & colours used in the cover page. This helps give the magazine an organised feel, and will help the reader identify with the style used for this particular magazine. Similar colours such as blue & pink, and similar shapes such as titles contained in circles, will help create a continuous, organised feel.

From research of other magazines, I have noticed that they do not show every page on the contents page, usually only the best ones. One, to save space & keep the page looking tidy, two, to persuade the reader to read only the best bits, as these are the bits which will convince them most to buy the said magazine.

I have also included a small image, to give the page more interest & prevent it from looking too boring.

Colour Theme

Upon researching official student magazines, I have decided that the best colour theme to go with would be a variety of blues, as blue is not considered too childish, nor is it considered too boring.

I have also considered using the colour pink to give the page more contrast & to make it more eye-catching, however I am still undecided on this.

 

Evidence of student magazines using primarily the colour blue.

Textual Analysis of a Student Magazine

Pictured above is my textual analysis of the front cover of a student magazine. This includes a detailed analysis of its masthead, coverlines, central image & headline.

Plan

Using InDesign and Photoshop, we must produce the front page of a new student/college magazine; featuring a close-up photograph of a student, some appropriate pieces of text, and a masthead. We must also produce the layout of a contents page, to further demonstrate our understanding of using desktop publishing software and image manipulation programs.

Week One

1. Blog post on the generic conventions of a student magazine.
2. Complete textual analysis of student magazine & post on blog.
3. Blog post on initial or potential ideas for a student magazine.
4. Research the target audience & post findings on blog.
5. Experimentation with colour schemes and fonts, post on blog.
6. Experiment with mode of address & name ideas & post on blog.
7. Produce a rough front cover & contents page. Blog post.

Week Two

1. Organise photoshoot & take photographs for magazine.
2. Complete the front cover & post on blog.
3. Begin designing the contents page.

Week Three

1. Complete design of the contents page & post it on blog.
2. Start drafting evaluation of the magazine & our findings & complete for homework.

Deadline: Friday the 9th of October

The Generic Conventions of a Student Magazine

 

After researching many different student magazines, I noted down a couple of things they contained & had in common. This knowledge should help make my student magazine seem more professional, as it will now contain more of the things which are commonly found in student magazines. In my magazine I have included varying fonts, local events, continuity in house style, and eye-contact within pictures.