Final School Magazine Cover Evaluation

Final School Magazine Cover Evaluation

The Mast Head has been adapted through the drafts from a curvy font, to a more straight, professional looking, bold font. The colouring here stays the same, as in the drafts, this brings out the white wording from the red fill and projects the Mast Head off the page.

The Banner/Header Bar stays the same from the drafts, it only takes half the pages length, however what it misses in size, it delivers in colour contrast, especially on the red gradient serving as the background. "the SIXTH FORM special" puts more emphasis on Sixth Form, notifying the reader this particular issue is aimed at the year of Sixth Form. It also makes Sixth Formers feel a sense of exclusivity and belonging. (Aswell as making them very interested in reading the issue).

The Pug has one of the best colour contrasting appearances on the cover. A yellow & black circular bording with a plain red fill and black wording, allows the pug to gain some of the Main Image's attention. By placing the Pug just above the Main Image I feel I succeeded in doing this.

The Main Image holds a very similar face to the one in my very early drafts (However the face is more zoomed in on my final draft)  It shows a happy Sixth Formers face to indicate a sense of home and comfort. This makes the subject matter more easier to read for the readers as its a pleasant one. It also makes the reader relate to the Boy in the image. It is sized quite heavily which indicates the boy's face is related to the Splash. It also gains attention, which brings attention to the centre of the page, bringing more attention to the Splash and Pug etc.

The Splash for me has to be the weakest part of the cover and this is because of the lack of distinction of the wording on the boy's face. This makes it harder for the reader to understand, the colouring is a major factor in this.However the actually wording "SIXTH FORM? "EASY" SAYS STUDENTS" does the job for me, it brings a sense of humour to the front cover and gives a mood of ease to the reader, making them feeling at home reading the issue.

The Subsidiary Image and it's text, helps me put as much intriguing information on the front cover as I could. Bringing a more serious issue to hand, which may create a sense of empathy for the readers to toward the younger children, which may suggest more readers. The text is one of the best colour contrasts for me, yellow bold text on the red gradient background, helps bring out the text and promotes the Image.

The Footer Bar also grabs attention for having a more darker feel to the page. The white text with red surrounding on the black fill background, allows the Footer Bar to gain some attention on a feature that should have some attention. Its size is small, but the feature, for me, will pack a punch.

The Sell lines are nicely presented and shown in a collection of easy on the eye colour contrasts that bring attention towards the issue's other, less important features/articles. They occupy much of the space in the upper right side of the page, as I wanted to promote those features well and still occupy space on the page, to make it look as "Jam-packed" as possible.

The Red Gradient Background helps bring out the other parts of the cover off the page giving them a sense of 3-D as well giving off a real sense of professionalism and finesse. It also looks really nice behind everything, providing a suitable platform on which to base everything upon.

School Magazine Development Part Three

School Magazine Cover Development Part Three

This image shows that after 4 hours, there have been significant developments such as, a completely Red background which brings a un-comprehend able colour contrast to the page.

 The familiar Red background situated behind the Subsidiary Image was added so it would be easier for the Image to blend in with the other features on the page. Thus making it equally as noticeable, yet subtle.

There is also added Subsidiary Text below the Subsidiary Image to provide a easier viewpoint on the reader to understand the Image. Its font for me catches the eye aswell as the colour and stroke which provides the text to be seen as "Coming off the page" almost a 3-D sense.

A Pug has been introduced. A feature I feel makes the cover look alot more professional as it is often used by Magazines, to promote in this case a competition. The colouring is red (Again to mix with the fellow red colouring) The Border brings a sense of importance to the Pug and gives it more attention, aswell as adding to colour contrasts.

The Masthead font has been changed to a font which looks more formal and professional. This for me is more important than the previous font which had been used, because its that amount of professionalism which I want the Magazine to be remembered for.

Targets after more development:

1,    Bring a gradient to the background which would lift the Main Image off the page and gain more attention.

2,    Give the Subsidiary Image a slight border to give it space from the rest of the cover

3,    Change the "Glow" effect on the wording above the Subsidiary Image to normal, to give it a traditional look.

School Magazine Development Part Two

School Magazine Development Part Two

This Image shows my cover's progress after 3 hours. I feel since Development Part One. There has been some development in the following areas:

1,    The Red colour covering much of the cover- I feel this adds more contrast to the black wording. I feel this adds to the Main Image size increase which benefits because the Red helps the image stand out. It also match the Mast Head's colour.

2,     The Increase in size for the Main Image- This adds to the image giving it dominance over the other features and this brings a sense of superiority. This I feel also allows the reader to see the picture the way its supposed to be seen. It makes sure that the reader can see the student's happiness.

3,    The White Background for the Subsidiary Image- I feel this is alot better than having the original background, which draws the attention away from the Main Image, and that can't happen. The choice of white colouring wasn't supposed to be my final choice, it was a mere test to see whether it would look okay with another colour surrounding the Subsidiary Image.

Although they were the only developments in terms of visible changes I feel that with time, developments will come as will be shown in future blogs. 

My plan for future developments;

1,    To extend the Subsidiary Text- By extending this, it would enhance the cover's use of space and allow the reader to become more interested. I plan to fill in the area to the right of the Main Image and just above the Subsidiary Image, with Subsidiary Text which would eventually help seduce more potential readers.

2,     Shrink the size of the Subsidiary Image- By doing this it will allow the Main Image to increase in size and get more attention off the readers. This is very important as the Main Image portrays the Magazine's main feature.

3,     To in some way separate the Main Image and Splash- I feel this is necessary as the Splash is impeding upon the Main Image, this both covers the image, making it harder to see and makes it slightly harder for the reader to read the Splash. I feel this is essential to develop the Cover in the right direction, The way of doing this isn't clear, however its instrumental in bringing that professional edge to the magazine cover.

4,     To change the colour around the Subsidiary Image- This I feel needs to change as the white surrounding the image contrasts too much with the rest of the cover, which for me ruins the presentation, changing it maybe to a purple/pinkish colour I feel would benefit the cover's appearance. 

School Magazine Development Part One

School Magazine Development Part One

Image One

After my first hour on my Magazine Cover, this was the outcome, admittedly not the best looking, however I knew that after one hour this was a good start as I had time to develop the cover.

The Mast Head at that point for me, looked exactly as I thought it should. It was the colour contrast between Black & Red which I craved. However there is a gap between the right hand side of the Mast Head and the Banner Line, which I felt needed changing as I felt its not helping the professional edge which I feel the Magazine should have to prosper.

The Main Image was one of slight doubt for me as I didn't know whether I liked it, the Image I felt was fine, but it's background I felt may not be as supporting. I felt maybe getting the Main Image to be as big as possible, to enhance it's impact upon the reader. I would wish to ditch the idea of it having a border, and simply keep it it having a red background, which I feel contrasts well against the black wording again.

The Subsidiary Image, for me, is another hit and miss. It depicts what I want it too (A helpless young boy) But I also felt it showed to much (The Background) and I felt after looking at the cover at this needed to be cut out with a similar colour background to the Main Image.

"ALL COURSES EXPLAINED!" I feel adds to the urgency and exclusivity to the cover and it again seduces more potential readers in. The color scheme is primarily used to contrast against the Red & Black.which I feel adds to overall attractiveness of the cover.

The Splash does seem basic and for me was very hard to see how this could be developed into a much more seductive and attractive Splash for the readers.

The Footer/Banner Line I felt was one of the strongest features of the cover at this point and added again to the exclusivity to the cover, which helps develop the magazine's sense of professionalism.

Overall 

I feel this was a "good" start, however I know I have more time to edit particular parts like the Main Image and the Splash, among others.

"NME" Magazine Cover Analysis (No.2)

"NME" Magazine Cover Analysis

"NME" Magazine Cover Analysis

Features 

The Mast Head is the traditional "NME" Mast head. It uses the popular red colour, of which I plan to use. The use of Red contrasts against the white, black and light blue colours also used around the page. It has many layers (Them being the red,white and black) which suggests that there is more to the magazine than at first sight. It also suggests that the magazine has a special history which gives it a certain "Prestige" over fellow Music Magazines.

The Banner Line uses a really contrasting yellow which helps separate the Banner Line out from the rest of the cover, helping it extend it's existence. It uses slang of "GLASTO" to use minimal space. This slang would be another technique of "Mode of Address" as the usual readers would know the term "GLASTO" whilst those who don't read "NME" Wouldn't maybe know it means Glastonbury.

The Splash focuses on the band "The Wombats" which at the time were a headline act. This was an eagerly awaited interview which the readers then would of enjoyed reading. "Why Britain's gone silly for the lords of the indie dancefloor" Gives a sense of explanation and to those who like or listen to the band would be extremely interested in receiving more information on why the band (In their eyes) is so good. The rotated "The" in the Splash gives a sense that what you would read would "rock" your world.  

The Main Image Again focuses on the band "The Wombats" to accompany the "Splash". It is a good image as it shows all three members of the band and, each depict their "Unusual abilities" thus depicting the band to be unique, fresh and new. It covers the whole page apart from the "Footer Line" and "Bar Code" suggesting the importance and "Head Line" nature of the Band to the magazine.

The Subsidiary Images Both the Images are located on the left hand side of the cover, sticking to most simple layout of a Music Magazine. Both focus on the features inside the Magazine. The one focused on the band "The Cribs". It is accompanied by a Caption which entices the reader to find out more inside. The Image of "The Cribs" is slightly canted which gives a suggestion that the band is unique and "Out-there.

 The Pug at the bottom left corner has a picture of Damon Albarn of "Blur". The "Pug" offers a indication that inside the Magazine there is a tribute to the band "Blur".It is surrounded by a light blue fill, which gives a incredible feast for the eyes and helps (again) give the cover unbelievable contrast.

More Subsidiary Text is noticed to the right hand side of the cover, which helps identify any other worthy features located in the Magazine. The first of which uses a Pull Quote to expose a short quote of the Interview with the band "Muse". "I was sick before going on stage at Wembley" is something slightly shocking from a headline band like "Muse" which attracts more readers due the "Controversial" nature of the quote.

The Footer Line like the Header Bar attempts to bring more to the cover, and does it with accompanying colour contrasts (Dark Blue and White on Black). 

The Bar Code gives the readers the price, time of issue and the simple ability to pay at checkouts. One this issue it provides last ditch space to expose on last feature.

Structure and Colour

The structure to the cover is a very simple and usual structure. The Structure fits perfectly every feature just fits and is presented superbly with a exquisite use of colour, which contrasts fantastically for every feature.

 

School Magazine Main Image Analysis

"KHM" School Magazine Image Analysis

The following image is the un-edited copy of what I feel would be my main image:

1,  Unedited first Image

This image would be the main image which would accompany the "Splash". Obviously this is the un-edited version, so there would be major changes.

I feel that the image provided of the Will Kearse (The Boy at the forefront of the image) would be a really suitable evolved image of that on my draft drawing. It has the boy with a happy expression, which was the feature I was looking for.

The Mise-en-Scene however surrounding the boy I feel can be majorly improved and is the downfall of the image. However I plan to erase the boy's surroundings and to put a strong red as his background, which is one of the Magazine Industries's most used colours, and I feel this would make the cover look and seem more professional and would help contrast with the black wording on the page.

2, Potential Final Main Image

This is that desired Image. I feel after some time editing it this would be the final edit of the main image which has the Mise-en-Scene completely changed and I feel this would be a major factor in distributing the Magazine's mood toward its Consumers/Audience.

I completely cut out the background manually, to make sure that all his hair and (Most of) his hair remained, trying to give the image a sense of being complete and allowing the reader to relate to the image which I feel would be instrumental.

His face is also zoomed in slightly more to fit the template of the cover. I also feel this adds to happiness displayed on the cover, as the observer can then more clearly see the happiness on the student's face, as well as giving the reader more intimacy with the image.

There is a slight "cut" with the neck. A problem I bravely attempted to undo, however my skills betrayed me. However I feel this takes very little away from what I feel would potentially be my Main Image.

I did have querries whether the Red background would contrast in a bad way, however I feel this would work, when observing magazines such as "Q" or "NME" They had this colouring format in their covers from time to time and thus giving me confidence this would work.



In Comparison

These images help compare my original vision to what would most probably be the final image. Yes there are differences, however I feel that these differences benefit the image, the picture is closer, giving a more detailed/intimate look at the image. The Mise-en-Scene, is just Red, because my choice of black wording wouldn't be recognized. and I feel the Red is more positive.

"KHS" School Magazine Cover Draft Analysis

"KHS" "The Sixth Form Special" Analysis   | Toby Howell

This image shows an overview of my first draft over the School magazine "KHM" I felt this Masthead was a good one as it stands for "King Henry Magazine" Of which I feel is quite useful. The overall structure matches the basic structure of any successful magazine of having the "L" shape which is placed on the left hand side of the cover.

I feel the use of colour on the cover helps illustrate the magazine's mood of being mainstream and forward thinking (apart from the obvious, happy) Red is one of the most commonly used colours on magazine covers and I feel that using the colour would allow the magazine to be recognized as a suitable magazine.

The use of black coloured text is simply used as it is the most commonly used text colour, which again helps present the magazine to be as "mainstream" as it can get and also because it contrasts with the red which helps to propel the cover's image from being mediocre to dynamic.

The Masthead itself is unique. "King Henry Magazine" I feel this provides the reader with a sense of originality and perspective as it's the "King Henry Magazine".

The use of Red on Black uses the colour contrast wisely and emphasizes the Masthead. The Red around the Masthead/Main Image helps integrate the Masthead with the rest of the cover.

I thought the concept of having the letters "KH" connected to again illiterate that its "King Henry... Magazine" so that the "King Henry" part is together whilst "Magazine" is a new concept not connected to the school expect in this form. 

The Splash for me had to be a positive, yet exciting story which I could easily help depict in a picture showing a medium shot of one person. I feel this Splash fits that criteria. The positive news of Sixth formers believing that Sixth form is "EASY" is very comforting and gives the reader a sense of well being. The Subsidiary features ("FORM INTERVIEWS" and "HEADTEACHER INTERVIEW") Both add a sense of exclusivity and gossip which is always found in successful magazines.  The features I feel would attract potential readers as they would want to know what the Headteacher is saying, and see themselves in the magazine. The use of the colour purple, I feel.contrasts with the red, black and white. 

The Main Image had to express the delight and anticipation of the students's caption "EASY" And with my lack of drawing ability I feel I just about gave that interpretation justice. The KHS Shirt I feel gives the pupil a sense of family after leaving compulsory education.

The Black Streaks behind the pupil gives a sense of their sadder days are behind him and that Sixth Form is a much happier and nicer place.

The Banner line consists of "The Sixth Form Issue"  with a purple coloured background which again helps to a have another colour contrast. The "Sixth Form" connection which the issue focuses on makes the Sixth Formers feel like the issue is exclusive to them, thus they get the magazine, making this particular issue successful.

The use of Italic writing style, gives the magazine a sense of laidback, easy flowing perfection which also looks persuasive to the pupils.

The Pug reads "EXCLUSIVE: TOBY HOWELL SPEAKS" Which again gives a sense of exclusivity and a varied feature. The use o my name brings a sense of the Editor (That being Me) speaking in the magazine, is rarity. Obviously this wouldn't really happen, its more of a experiment of power rather than following current successful Magazines.

The Subsidiary features are "BYE BYE GCSES!" and "BE A PAL TODAY" both are positive features. The first is situated above the second. "BYE BYE GCSES" are a Sixth Form band which emphasizes their joys at ending their compulsory education. The feature unites the educational and musical aspects together. Of which the customer profile would be interested in.

The other feature "BE A PAL TODAY" engages the reader. It offers the reader to help the younger generation of the school. This I feel would attract more readers to help. The Image (Although lacking distinction) is of a Year 7 who would really benefit from a Pal. I feel this helps unite the article with reality.



In conclusion I feel this cover is a very good attempt at portraying a realistic school magazine cover. It uses colour and structure of which is commonly used in other successful magazines, which I feel would make this issue successful. I think the features, including the "Splash", "Pug" and the "Head and Footer bar" help give the cover benefits to become as successful as fellow magazines.

The features/stories I feel bring a unique image to the issue, leaping it out from the other school magazines.