COLLEGE MAGAZINE EVALUATION

COLLEGE MAGAZINE QUESTIONNAIRETHINGS THAT WENT WELL THINGS TO IMPROVEI COLLECTED INFORMATION WHICH HELPED ME WITH MY MAGAZINE. FOR EXAMPLE, I ASKED PEOPLE WHICH TITLE THEY LIKED MOST WHICH WAS HELPFUL TO ME BECAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT TO MAKE THE MASTHEAD APPEALING TO THE READER SO THEY WOULD BUY THE MAGAZINE.

ALSO, I WAS ABLE TO GATHER INFORMATION ABOUT HOW MUCH SOMEONE WOULD WANT TO PAY FOR A MAGAZINE, WHICH IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IF YOU CHARGE TOO MUCH PEOPLE WOULD’Y BUY IT. ALSO IT HELPED ME TO PICK THE COLOUR SCHEME. MOST PEOPLE FELT THAT THE COLLEGE COLOURS WOULD BE MOST APPROPRIATE AND I AGREED BECAUSE IT MADE THE MAGAZINE RELEVANT TO THE COLLEGE.

I FEEL THAT I SHOULD HAVE ASKED MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STUDENTS AND THEIR LIVES RATHER THAN LESS RELEVANT THINGS. IT WOULD HAVE MADE MY AUDIENCE PROFILE EASIER IF I HAD ASKED THEM ABOUT THEIR INTERESTS AND HOBBIES AS I WOULD HAVE HAD A CLEARER IDEA OF WHO MY AUDIENCE ACTUALLY WAS.

ALTHOUGH THE QUESTIONNAIRE HELPED ME WITH DESIGN IDEAS, I GENERALLY THINK MY MAGAZINE WASN’T THAT USEFUL WHEN THINKIG ABOUT THE STORIES AND COVER LINES BECAUSE I DIDN’T ASK ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LIVES OF THE STUDENTS. FOR EXAMPLE HOW THEY TRAVEL TO COLLEGE, WHERE THEY EAT WHEN THEY GO OUT, ETC.

AUDIENCE PROFILEI THOUGHT THAT MY AUDIENCE PROFILE WAS SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE I INCLUDED THE INTERESTS OF MY TARGET AUDIENCE. ALSO THE BIO WAS QUITE DETAILED SO I HAD LOTS OF INFORMATION TO WORK WITH WHEN DESIGNING MY MAGAZINE. I DIDN’T THINK IT WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE I HAD TO USE MY OWN KNOWLEDGE TO CREATE IT AS MY QUESTIONNAIRE WASN’T VERY USEFUL IN HELPING ME MAKE AN AUDIENCE PROFILE.

I used lots of images to make the audience profile look better and to show what my target audiences’ interests are

I thought the bio was successful because it gave lots of information about my target audience and the things they are interested in

FRONT COVER FLATPLANI DECIDED TO CHANGE SOME THINGS ABOUT MY FLATPLAN FOR MY ACTUAL MAGAZINE COVER. FOR EXAMPLE I DIDN’T PUT A PUFF/BUZZ WORD ON MY MAGAZINE BECAUSE I DIDN’T FEEL THAT IT LOOKED RIGHT. ALSO I PUT A PRICE ON MY MAGAZINE WHICH I DIDN’T PUT ON THE FLATPLAN. THIS IS BECAUSE I REALISED THE IMPORTANCE OF PUTTING A PRICE ON THE MAGAZINE WHICH I DIDN’T WHEN MAKING THE FLATPLAN. I THOUGHT MY FLATPLAN WAS VERY USEFUL BECAUSE IT MEANT I KNEW WHERE TO PUT EVERYTHING AND HOW TO TAKE MY PHOTO SO IT WOULD FIT AROUND MY TEXT.

I decided to put a puff/buzz on my flatplan to draw the reader in and make the magazine look exciting.

I put the college logo on my magazine twice to reinforce the message that it is a college magazine.

I used a stock photo to show where my models were going to be. This allowed me to position the text around them and save myself time when designing the actual magazine cover.

I used place holder text to allow me to see what my magazine would look like with the cover lines in it.

THE FRONT COVER: THINGS THAT WENT WELL

I WAS PLEASED WITH MY FRONT COVER BECAUSE I FEEL THAT THE COLOURS WORKED WELL AND LOOKED VERY EFFECTIVE AS THE COVER OF A COLLEGE MAGAZINE. THIS IS BECAUSE THE COLOURS ARE THE CITY COLLEGE NORWICH COLOURS WHICH MAKES IT EASILY IDENTIFIABLE FOR STUDENTS AS THEY KNOW THE COLLEGE. ALSO I REALLY LIKE THE FONTS I USED BECAUSE THEY ARE EASY TO READ AND MAKE THE MAGAZINE LOOK CLEAN.

I like the black and white background because it puts emphasis on the college logo and the students which emphasises the fact that it is a college magazine.

The colour scheme is nice and simple (the CCN colours) and it is also used on the contents page which give the whole magazine continuity

The path leading to the door makes the college seem inviting and easily accessible which is very important as it gives everyone an equal chance to succeed

I like the fact the models look natural and happy because I wanted to promote the happier element of college rather than stress and other negatives which might put people off reading the magazine

The cover lines are simple and readable. I think they look good against the dark background

I like how I used the logo as the letter ‘C’. This is because it is a clever way of bringing the masthead and the logo together

I put the barcode and cover price at the bottom so they aren’t distracting from the main picture. This means that people are going to focus on the image and cover lines rather than the barcode.

THE FRONT COVER: THINGS TO IMPROVEI FELT THAT THERE WERE SOME ASPECTS OF THE FRONT COVER THAT WEREN’T SUCCESSFUL. FOR EXAMPLE, I DIDN’T PUT A DATE OR ISSUE NUMBER ON THE MAGAZINE. THIS MEANT THAT THE READER MAY NOT KNOW IF THE HAD THE CORRECT EDITION OF THE MAGAZINE AND WOULD LEAD TO SOME CONFUSION. ALSO I SHOULD HAVE USED MORE THAN ONE FONT FOR MY COVER LINES BECAUSE THEY ALL LOOK THE SAME WHICH DOESN’T LOOK VERY APPEALING.

I should have put a date and issue number on the magazine so the reader would know if they have the latest edition of the magazine

I could use different fonts for my cover lines instead of just one to make it look more interesting and exciting

Although I left this space empty for a reason, I could put a puff/buzz there to draw in the reader

CONTENTS PAGE FLATPLANI DECIDED TO CHANGE A FEW THINGS ABOUT MY CONTENTS PAGE FLATPLAN WHEN I DESIGNED THE ACTUAL MAGAZINE. FOR EXAMPLE, I TURNED THE FOUR STORIES AT THE TOP INTO ONE STORY. I DID THIS BECAUSE IT MADE THE STORY SEEM IMPORTANT AND TO GENERALLY MAKE THE LAYOUT MORE INTERESTING. I THINK THAT THIS FLATPLAN WAS QUITE HELPFUL WHEN I DESIGNED MY MAGAZINE CONTENTS PAGE. THIS IS BECAUSE IT ALLOWED ME TO SEE WHERE EVERYTHING WOULD GO AND IF IT LOOKED GOOD FOR MY TARGET AUDIENCE.

I used place holder text which allowed me to see where my actual stories and folios would go to see if the contents page looked right

The boxes show where the images were going to go. I took all of the images myself.

CONTENTS PAGE: WHAT WENT WELLI LIKE THE COLOUR SCHEME THAT I USED BECAUSE IT IS THE CITY COLLEGE NORWICH COLOURS WHICH SHOWS THAT I HAVE LINKED THE MAGAZINE TO THE COLLEGE THROUGH COLOUR. ALSO I ONLY USED PHOTOS WHICH I TOOK MYSELF SO THEY ARE ALL ORIGINAL.

CONTENTS PAGE: THINGS TO IMPROVENEXT TIME, I WOULD PUT AN IMAGE IN THE BACKGROUND BECAUSE THERE IS LOTS OF EMPTY SPACE AND ALTHOUGH THIS LOOKS ‘CLEAN’ IT LOOKS SLIGHTLY BORING. ALSO I MIGHT CHANGE THE LAYOUT TO MAKE IT LOOK MORE UNTIDY AND APPEALING TO A COLLEGE AUDIENCE.