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.
