AS Media Studies Coursework Preliminary TaskSchool Magazine Design

By: Filip Stojcic

IntroductionTo successfully fulfill preliminary task criteria this unit of work will be

divided in to a three main productions stages. Pre-production: at this initial stage prior to rough draft design I will carry

out research into existing school magazine front covers and content pages, as well as market research into a desired target audience.

Production: using research findings this stage will focus on photo shoot and selection of images for front cover as well as content page.

Post-production: at this final stage original images will be digitally enhanced and using design and audience research findings I will produce unified school magazine front cover and a content page.

Project evaluation: at the end of the preliminary task I will critically evaluate the production as well as school magazine final outcomes.

School Magazine Questionnaire Sample

Questionnaire Results

40%

25%

35%

1. Would you be interested in reading a school maga-

zine?Yes No I would consider It

75%

25%

2. Are you in Secondary or Primary?

Primary Secondary

30%

20%

50%

3. Would you participate in the school magazines by answering questionnaires or

giving aninterview?

I would always help and participate I would prefer not to participateDepends on the questionnaire/interview

65%

35%

4. Do you purchase magazines outside of

school?Yes No

15%

55%

30%

5. How often do you think a school magazine should be

released?Weekly Every two weeks Monthly

29%

10%

5%24%

19%

14%

6. Which topics would you like to see in the school magazine?

Tv shows and movies Current world events School gossipSports Fashion Science

55%45%

7. Would you like if the teachers participated (ad-vice, interviews etc.) in the

school magazine?Yes No

10%

90%

8. Would you like the school magazine to be

written in formal or casual language?

Formal Casual

45%

40%

15%

9. Would you participate in competitions and giveaways?

Always Sometimes Never

60%

40%

10. Would you discuss articles you enjoyed with your friends and classmates?

Yes No

Questionnaire SummaryFrom the results gathered from my questionnaire I have gotten a more clear idea of the design and final outcome of my school magazine. The overall content and design will be more age appropriate for the older GCSE and A level students, however I shall keep it casual as 90% of the students would prefer a casual style over formal which portrays the friendly atmosphere that will be conveyed in my school magazine preliminary task. The demand of diversity in different topic shows how widespread and unique each students wants are and what they would prefer to read. On top of the wanted topics, the content would be made up of interviews and different segments from students and teacher s who would agree to participate. Students have expressed overall interest in magazines as most would read or at least consider it , moreover a high number of students also purchase magazines outside of school. Due to a high number of students willing to engage in competitions and giveaways, those will be held monthly. The largest audience has expressed interest in reading the magazine every two weeks. The magazine shall receive positive feedback and popularity as nearly half the students questioned have admitted they would discuss articles they enjoys with their friends and classmates. All this information gathered and analyzed shall aid me in designing my School magazine preliminary task.

Secondary research• School Magazine Front Cover Analytical Deconstruction• School Magazine Content Page Analytical Deconstruction

This is an exiting, informal sans-serif font that has been curved to make the heading more appealing to the audience. The headline is not the main concern that’s why its set to be behind the man in the picture as he is the main focus of the front cover. The yellow stars under the title make it seem more exiting and American, since they are selling an issue that is focusing on American football.

This Article Heading uses a different, brighter color than the heading to attract more people as the player mentioned seems to be the main focus of this magazine issue. This foreshadows he will be the main topic of this issue. The players name is in a bold and enlarged yellow to show his successful youth and energy. It followed up by a complimenting white in a smaller font that describes his success this season.

The mise-en-scene for this school magazine is linear and common for all sport-type magazines. The player photo is a long-medium shot so he appears larger increasing his significance in this issue. This alongside the high key lighting and low angle shot it was taken from was supposed to give him a godlike status that would influence the audience into thinking he is a very important sportsperson and portrays his dominance and power. The player looks confident and successful with his face and body language which indicate why he is the center of the magazine. He is wearing a stereotypical American jock outfit to be iconic and visually straightforward. The background is a simple blue that gets lighter from top to bottom but is not eye-catching on its own, showing it only serves as a soothing background for the main focus, the football player.

The anchorage text and cover lines have a smaller font as they do nor describe the main story of this school magazine but rather foreshadow other topics that may interest consumers that are not interested in football. They all have different colors to make the magazine stand out and not appear monotone and soulless. The yellow banner is a refreshing yellow that draws attention to the other articles the magazine has to offer as it is noticeable and a change in the otherwise single-colored blue background.

This is an informal sans-serif font that has been enlarged ,differently colored and patterned within the letters to make to make it seem casual and appealing to the to the target audience which in this case seems to be teenagers. The color variety and swirly patterns make the title stand out in its rather unusual presentation. The graphical design and bold letters make the title look instantly noticeable and recognizable due to its similarity to brand logos.

The mise-en-scene or this school magazine is very formal and academic. The pupil is dressed in a suit, showing formality and professionalism of the school but also the lack of identity for individual students. . The vibrant tie tells us that the students still have some individuality and are unique, the tie also stands out and shows personality of the student despite his standard uniform. The model demonstrates the multi-racial environment the school endorses and the different ethnicity's that all study together. This close-up phot0 taken at eye-level show us that this schools main focus is its students achievements and knowledge. The student himself doesn’t pose but rather continues to work, enforcing the idea. The background is a classroom environment which compliments the student perfectly and show to the target audience that this is a serious school. There seems to be a contrast in the magazine as the student and his surroundings are formal , however the title of the magazines design is very informal. All of the text is left aligned so that the main focal view is of the student.

The cover lines have emphasized their keywords in a similar design as the title. Their purpose is to be eye-catching at first sight and get the audience to read the rest of the cover lines to see what they foreshadow and what the magazine has to offer. If the whole cover lines would have been designed this way it would stand out less and attract fewer of the target audience. The specific color red is chosen because it is a strong color easily read from a distance. The strap line is a soothing and mellow light blue that is supposed to be catchy and motivational for students. As the cover lines descend they become more right aligned wrapping around the student. They are inverted compared to their top counterparts to bring more colors, variation and contrasts. They have chosen purple to signify the importance of the text as it is also appealing to the teenage female audience.

The purple color ,which represents nobility, royalty and luxury give the magazine and elevated and classy feel that gives the impression of professionalism and class. The purple harmonizes with the white to appeal to a wider audience which is in this case college students which are more formal and serious than teenagers.

The large, black and bold mast head synergizes with the powerful purple banner to create an eye-catching but focused content page. The serif font increases the professional feeling and attitude the magazine is try to show.The large numbers make is easier to navigate through the magazine and find the wanted article. They are left aligned in a single file, displaying the organization the magazine contains. The headings are informal and intriguing as they contain capital and bold letters, unfinished sentences and rhetorical questions.

The layout is very orderly and serious, creating a very striking and professional impression on the target audience. It has a large masthead that covers the top of the page, which is followed by the article heading which are left aligned and a picture of the a girl from one of the main feature stories to interest the audience. On the bottom of the page the monthly focus story is presents with a strapline that emphasizes its importance, a description that foreshadows the content of the article as well as a photo of the two people giving their interview in the article.

The two pictures describe a different sides of the school. The upper pic is more informal as the female pupil has dressed casually . The background in this picture is a brick wall, representing the solitude and old-style impression that it gives off making in feel more prestigious and more like an institution than a regular school.

On the other hand, the second picture is more formal as the two students are both in suits, radiating confidence and professionalism. The males head has broken the strapline showing that the picture is significant in this issue and that the two students have said something of interest and value. The background is more open and creates and impression of freedom.

The layout in this school magazine is very conventional and simple. The snapshot style photos are placed on the left, and all the article headings and sport s on the right. The background is a neutral white with a faded background image, it is done so that the front images and content are the focus of the magazine. In The bottom right there are no article headings but a rather informative block of text used to attract sport target audience .This is very quickly and basically done using CAM such as Microsoft publisher. There is a red banner to make it easy for the audience to see this is the latest magazine issue. This content page gives the impression of hasty work and amateurism.

The pictures are all organized in a formal snapshot style to appeal to the targeted teenager audience. They are all taken outdoors giving a sense of freedom and natural beauty. Playing sports and the hanging out pictures show the audience the friendship and synergy between these two subjects. Most of the shots are medium-long shots stressing both importance of the main character without disregarding the background.Through the magazine content page red color is chosen as it represents energy, strength and power. These traits are all important since this is a sport focused school magazine. Red is also chosen as it a powerful eye-catching color and easy to read.The masthead of this content page is very simple and informal. It is written in a sans-serif font as it is bold, clear and eye-catching. and contains no banners around it. It is enlarged so it is more noticeable as well as the insides of the letters have been made red to made it seem more appealing and energetic instead of simply bland and boring. Red is combined with a black coating to make it more visually attracting .

The article headings are formal, due to the serif font used which also gives the feel of order as it used in amateur and professional magazines. As well as informative, briefly explaining to the audience what they are going to read about. There is use of rhetorical questions and exclamation marks appeals to the teenager audience and gets them exited to read the rest of the magazine. The language is simple, effective and casual as they target sport focused audience.

Typography analysis

This type of masthead belongs to a well known and worldwide established music magazine. This type of typography could be categorized as a serif style. The specific font type is relaxed, script style informality and has a certain uniqueness which connotes a feeling of friendliness and an easy-going atmosphere the magazine conveys. The unique masthead is iconic and globally recognized. It is red, which makes it easy to recognize and read, with white outlines and black shading which give it a specific sense of style.

This is the masthead of a famous US political magazine, that still deals with both domestic and global issues. The type of typography can be identified as serif , which gives the masthead impact and a tone of seriousness and professionalism. The simplicity and the straightforwardness make it easy to read, however they also make it modern and contemporary. The red color makes it easily readable and noticeable as well as gives it an aura of strength, power and energy.

This masthead symbolically defines a well-known men's magazine which features metro-man contemporary issues such as health, sports, fashion and current affairs. This serif script written font gives it a sense of familiarity and established the unique identity of the magazine itself. This style resembles a signature which makes the target audience, the men, identify with the identity of this magazine. The black color gives the masthead a sense of mystery, which intrigues people to buy the magazine, as well as a feeling seriousness, power and strength. The serious black color contrasts with the playful type of typography to create a balance.

Color SchemeI have chosen this bright-colored scheme as it is exiting and visually appealing to the reader as well as befitting to the school magazine name ‘Shout’. With this vivid, energetic and carefree set of colors my intended target audience is teenagers. My masthead will be in red as it is easy to read and noticeable from a distance, similarly some of my cover lines will be in a eye-catching bright blue. Blue color represents school and academic life, it is a very formal and professional color. I have used the light blue and light grey colors to balance the magazine out yet still keep it exiting to look at. My banner will be a light color so it wont take away attention from my main image however it should still attract the customers attention towards it.

School Magazine Cover and Content Page Rough Draft 1

School Magazine Cover and Content Page Rough Draft 2

School Magazine Cover and Content Page Rough Draft 2 Analysis

In my school magazine cover and content page second rough draft I have found certain elements of both that I would like to keep and numerous improvements I can make for my final draft. For both of my designs in my final draft I will use original photos that I shall take instead of pictures from the internet. Furthermore I would like to keep and possibly expand on my color scheme which consists of the gender neutral white, the balanced grey which combines nicely with the strong and professional blue and the eye-catching red. I would keep my front cover top and bottom composition design, however I would make my top banner tighter so there is more space on the page for the rest of my front cover. On top of that I would need to include a webpage account so that my audience can contact me through the internet. I shall also improve my cover lines by changing their color scheme and possibly word art so that they would stand out more and wouldn’t blend into the background. Mimicking my front cover, I would replicate certain features from it onto my content page such as the graphical features top and bottom design, the color scheme and choice of font so they are matching and the audience get a sense of similarity. For both cover and contents page I would use up to three colors and font. So in my final draft content page I my cover lines wouldn’t all be in different fonts as that is unprofessional and my page numbers will be in different size from the text. Furthermore for my content page I will add more article cover lines so the reader has more topic options visible and make them more exiting by adding quotes, short summaries and rhetorical question.

School Magazine Cover and Content Page Final Rough Draft

Photo shoot planningFor my photo shoot I shall select one image for my front cover and four snapshots for my content page from a wider selection of images I take.

For the front cover I shall need to take a selection of images featuring informal student behavior in school that will give the school magazine a friendly and inviting vibe. I will try to take a photo of students shouting or informally hanging. For the mise-en-scene the picture will be taken on school grounds to portray school can be fun and relaxed and the students will wear casual clothes instead of uniforms to convey individualism and comfort. During the photo shot the pictures will vary in shot frames from medium long shot to long shot in which I will select the ones I shall use in the post production. For my props I will try to have my selected models use certain school related props such as desks and books showing formality and professionalism however this will be contrasted by other props such as headphones and mobile phones which represent informality and entertainment, this contrast shall represent the school as both a place for education and entertainment.For my content page I will chose four pictures that relate to my cover line article topics. For example I shall use a picture of Novak Djokovic for one of my snap shots. I will also use other pictures relating to my articles in topics such as sports and art. My snapshots will be used to attract the audience and easily explain to them what is going to be features in my school magazine before they read.

Front Cover Photo Shoot Final PicturesFront Cover Final Picture

Content Page Photo Shoot Final PicturesNovak Djokovic at walk a mile event

Content Page Final Picture

Content Page Photo Shoot Final PicturesArt Design Photos

Content Page Final Picture

Content Page Photo Shoot Final PicturesSchool Trip Photos

Content Page Final Picture

Content Page Photo Shoot Final PicturesNew Teacher Photos

Content Photo Final Picture

School Magazine Final Front Cover And Content Page Design

AS Media School Magazine EvaluationFor my AS Media preliminary task I have created my own original front cover and content page.I have used media conventions to make my school magazine seem more informal and approachable to students however have tried to keep a certain sense of formality since it is school related. The layout I have used is informal so it can be entertaining to the students. I have used contemporary and modern fonts and language so the students can easily read the magazine and feel comfortable in doing so. The front cover image is of a student posing and listening to music to show the fun aspects of school that reaches out to students better. My content is mostly about new events since the beginning of the school year, this is done to inform the students about the latest events that go on in school.In my school magazine I have attempted to use media language to connect with my target audience, the students. My main front cover image is a close-up, at face-level angle so that the audience can identify with her, of a student listening to music, with the cover lines around my main image to show its significance and impact. In my content page I have arranged my images in a snapshot style to show more design variety and attract the target audience. The snapshots convey the school life and events if students and are linked to the articles on the right. The font I have used for my front cover are informal, colorful and visually attracting, that addresses the target audience through their unique design and informality. The front cover article lines are however a bit too different and all over the place. There is also inconsistent spacing between the cover lines to show informality nonetheless it still seems a bit amateurish. However they are more formal in my content page as they have to be more easily readable. The layout is spontaneous and exiting to the read. The masthead I have chosen is powerful and eye-catching. My color scheme is dominantly blue to show professionalism and school life. The design lines used in the content page are used to make the contents seem more exiting and less monotonous. The graphical image of the star was used to the giveaway more importance so it would be noticed by students and so it would stick out of the background but not take away focus from the main image. The articles on my content page are supposed to address the students as they are about current school events and the popular hobbies such as listening to music and watching movies, to which many students can relate to and take interest in the magazine.

During the production of my AS media school magazine preliminary task I have developed my analytical, research, planning and production skills. My analytical skills have improved through the analysis of other school magazine front covers and content pages, on top of that my research skills have also gotten better due to the primary and secondary research completed. However I feel my planning and production skills are not yet adequate and I wish to improve them for my next magazine production.