Draft layout design for school magazine

This is my draft design for my magazine, have have used the software InDesign to create my layout. By following the conventions I have learnt from my analysis i have created a layout appropriate to my magazine type. I have placed the title at the top of the page as shown by every magazine I looked at. I have also chosen to have one main picture as the background. I have drafted my layout so that i have a rough idea of how i want things to look. I will later place picture, text etc in the boxes, perhaps making some alterations to the layout at a later stage.

                         

Contents page Analysis

 Simplicity/clear – The contents page is shown as simply, clear and easily to interpretate. This is important as the contents page must be easily understandable to avoid confusion between pages. The white background is good as it makes all text clear, causing a contrast with any colour. My contents page will also be clear and easy to read as it is targeted to a young audience so has to be appropriate to:

1) Their reading ability

2)  Attention span

3) gender 

Title - The title of the contents page is a lot larger and normally placed in the top left corner. Although in this example it is placed almost in the center of the page because the image is taking up majority of the page. I am going to make my title higher up then this one as i think the image should be a minor element of the page and the actual information should take up more of the page making it clearer to read.

Numbered - All the pages are clearly numbered and colour coded again conforming to the connotations that contents pages are clear and concise. My magazine will also be as clear as this however I think too many colours have been used on this contents page. The 'rainbow effect' this creates is quite childish, appealing to a audience that is perhaps too young to be reading a school magazine. I am again sticking to the minimalism look using around three different colours - like the front cover.

Analysis of School Magazine

Title – This is a convention not only in school magazine but in all magazines Its placed at the top as it is the most important thing on the front cover and usually doesn’t change or move in every issue. The title has also capitalized to further exaggerate the importance of it making it stand out in comparison to the rest of the page. The title has also been slightly blocked out by the model this is a stereotype of magazines, it is effective as it makes the model the centre of attention however relies on the brand power as the title is partially covered. This is a convention I am going to reciprocate in my magazine as it is possibly the most common convention in magazines. As for the model covering the title I may not do this as my magazine is more focussed on the school as a whole rather the individual(s) on the front.

Barcode - A barcode is usually a common convention in magazines as majority of magazines cost money and are sold in shops – but not school magazines as they are usually free. This magazine however is a school magazine and has a barcode. This is breaking a convention of school magazines. I will not be using a barcode on my magazine as is does not follow the conventions of a school magazine. My magazine will be free as students should not be expected to pay for a school magazine – especially if they might feature in it.

Picture - This magazine features an attractive model student as its main photograph. They have done this as the model on a magazine is usually an attractive – stereotypically a female, person. Depending on what kind of audience a magazine is targeting depends on who the model is and how they are presented. This magazine uses a young attractive female student. She is shown to be holding books, showing her academic side, this is the main sign that she is a student. Without the book props she could be anyone. She is dressed in a smart blouse buttoned to the top covering all flesh making her look formal. This picture has not been cut out particularly well; I will make sure to cut out my images better when making my magazine as it gives a more professional finish. For my magazine I think I will use a slightly younger model as it follows the convention of a school magazine better as school is associated with young children more than a young female. My model will also be dressed in a more obvious school uniform making the school logo noticeable.       

Colour scheme – The colour scheme is very important on a front cover as if the colours aren’t best suited it will not be aesthetically pleasing and people will be discouraged towards the magazine. This magazine has a three colour scheme consisting of green, yellow and red, a three colour scheme is a classic convention of all magazines as any more colours would make the cover to busy. The green has been used as the colour green has representations of health and nature, presenting the school as eco-friendly and healthy – all good representations. The yellow also appeals to these representations but is there as a contrast on the green. The red however is a bold contrast to the green scheme making the tagline stand out the most, drawing the reader to look at what the tagline is saying “The no.1 source for sixth form news”. For my magazine I will also be using a three colour scheme as it is fitting to the codes of magazines. However instead of my colours representing things like health etc., I will be making my colours fitting to the school logo and uniform, contrasting to the colours making the text stand out. The uniform colours I am using are reds and blues; I’m keeping my options vague currently as lots of experimentation is needed to make it perfectly aesthetically pleasing.

Placement – The text placement is important to the visual look of the magazine. In the magazine, the headline has been placed two thirds of the way down the page, this is a convention of magazines as it is central to the page but far enough down to show the model off but not so far down that the headline is overlooked. Beside the photo there are also previews to what articles are inside of the magazine. I will be using both of these techniques on my magazine front cover as they are effective conventions that are pleasing to the eye.