Preliminary Task

For my Preliminary task I had to create a front page and contents page for a new school/ college magazine. I chose to base it around my school and so used the name, colour scheme and logo in my magazine.

I decided to specalise it for the sixth form at the school and as it was for this age range I used informal language. In order to appeal the magazine further to this target audience, I chose informal font which has a casual look to it as well as tailoring the headlines and contents for their current lifestyles. I manipulated the mid-shot so that no background was visible, giving it a proffesional, tidy look. I left a slightly hazy outline as well around the picture to add to the effect. The thought bubble is made up of the schools logo and so make it directly personal to our sixth form. During sixth form, we are pushed to think about universities and our futures in general. As this is the next big step following sixth form, I chose this as my main headline. I tried to keep the layout and design simple but eye-catching, which the use of red does. The simple design is again, because of my target group. They do not necessarily have a lot of time and so by simply glancing at it they can quickly see whether or not the issue is suitable and of use for them. The fact that there is little text would appeal to the sixth form as it gives the image of the contents not be complicated but easy to understand.

My contents page follows the same house-style with the colour scheme, logos and use of font in the title. I tried tis same font for all of the contents page however it made it look untidy and so I went for a clearer font for the page information. I featured the same picture on the contents page as i did in the front cover to give it continuity.

The articles on the pages are all relevant to the school and sixth form. It includes everything from the standard revision advice to celebrations and other trivia. This helps make the magazine informative as well as informal and relaxed thus being perfect for sixth form.

I have learnt from this task how to use photo editing software which will come in useful for my actual magazine. I have learnt to experiment with fonts as to what looks good and works well within the context. If I did this task again, I would experiment more with the use of colours as I didn't use many, however I do like the fact that the red is bright and so grabs readers attention.