Preliminary Student

Magazine Evaluation

Brenae Douglas

SimilaritiesMasthead

Banner

Cover lines

Main Image

Puff

Consistent colour Scheme

Model

Main cover lines

Similarities

Page Numbering

Secondary Images

Main Cover Line

Subheading

Consistent Colour

Scheme

Differences

Direct Address

Issue Number

Secondary Image

Anchorage

Tagline

Logo

Barcode

Website & Date

Differences

Anchorage

Icons

Main Image

Social Media Pages

Page Title

Date

Masthead

Summary of Contents

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge codes and conventions of

media products?

In my magazine, I have followed codes and conventions so that it was successful. I ensured that my masthead was at the top of the magazine, as it is the first thing that will draw the reader’s attention. I included a secondary lead regarding my library article so that it attracts my niche market. I didn’t include a spread as my magazine only consisted of a front cover an contents page. In my puff,

I added a tag which was “tip”. I did this because, I wanted to grab the reader’s interest. By doing this, I am able to attract my target audience; who are students of all genders and ethnicities. Reason being, students are more likely to look for ways on how to save money, as they have expensive taste. On the other hand, I chose not to include a pug because I thought that it distracted the reader from the masthead too much. I thought, that it disguised the masthead which took the connotations away from the masthead and main image. However, my main image challenged codes and conventions because it is not showing direct mode of address. I purposely did this because my model is posed in that way to show connotations of fear and confusion. I thought that this would be a clever idea because the college is different from secondary school; meaning that the individual has to adapt to the environment.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge codes and conventions of

media products?

In order for my contents page to be successful, I followed codes and conventions. I ensured the layout consisted of 2 columns so that my magazine looked professional and organised. This made the contents page appear more structured. Also, I included page numbers on the correct images so that the reader is able to access their desired page.

At the top of the page, I included the name of the magazine so that the reader was aware of the brand. However, I challenged codes and conventions by not including the word contents or the issue date. I did this because, I preferred not to add the date. Also, the word contents ruined the structure of the magazine.In order for my contents page to be effective, I used the same, simple colour scheme as the front cover. By doing this, it made my magazine appear organised and well structured.Additionally, I challenged codes and conventions by not including the page number or magazine title at the bottom of the page. Instead, I included social media icons so that my target audience would be able to follow the magazines pages.

Overall, I believe that I challenged codes and conventions more than I used them. Reason being, I wanted to emphasise the rebel behaviour that 16-18 year olds like. I think that by challenged them, it gave my magazine a sense of individuality.

Comparison to my drawn draft

I have not completely followed my drawn drafts. This is because, once I began creating my front cover, I decided that certain features would look better if they were changed. For example, I decided not to include the pug in the corner of my magazine because; it drew the attention away from the masthead.

Therefore, I decided that the masthead would be more effective without one.Another feature that I decided to change was my masthead font. This was because, I didn’t think that it would appeal to my target audience. Reason being it was very unattractive and boring. By changing the font, my magazine looks more appealing and stands out. Additionally, the masthead colour was originally navy blue. However, I chose to change the colour because it blended with the main image. This caused the masthead to appear faded and irrelevant, when the aim was to make my masthead appear bold and enticing.

Comparison to my drawn draft

For my contents page, I have followed my drawn draft more than I did for my front cover. This is because I liked the design and didn’t think that it was necessary for me to change it. Although I kept majority of the ideas the same, I changed some things so that the contents page appearing more appealing to the readers.

For example, I changed the bullet shape to page numbers because it wasn’t clear what topic was on what page. By doing this, the reader is able to easily access their desired page without having to flick through the magazine to find it.

I also included social media icons because I thought that by adding social media pages, my target audience will feel like the magazine is designed specifically for them. I used the most common social media platforms that 16-18 year olds use, so that they didn’t feel like the magazine wasn’t suited to them.

Apart from that, I kept everything the same because I thought that the contents page worked well with my front cover.