Features Article Analysis: High Profile and FFH

I also annotated some features articles from school magazines 'High profile' and 'FFH' to get a better idea of colour schemes and layout (please see annotations)...

High Profile Magazine

Here I noticed how the first features article fades into black at the top which is an effective way of making the white text show up. This is also done for the front cover of this magazine. A key quote in the article was also picked out and put into the centre of the page as large and bold text - this is to lock the interest of the reader.

The second features article is from the same magazine, but the layout is very much different. The green accent follows on from the green on the front cover (see Front Cover Analysis 1: High Profile), this carries on a theme and relates to the school colours.

Both articles have a 'footer', one of which consists of the article title, name of school and date, and the other which consists of the school's website address - both of these are placed under a single, thin line.

FFH

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The first article follows the colour scheme of the front covers for FFH, much like the article above. The page, like the articles above, contains contact information. This seems like a convention of school magazines. This would make sense being as one of a school's aim should be to offer easy means of communication between the school, parents and pupils. 

The bottom article consists of five images, one of which is used for the front cover. Had I been able to produce a features article, I would take this into account. 

Contents Page Analysis 4: Closer

Here is a front cover and contents page from the woman's gossip magazine 'Closer'. The most vital part of this is how the colour scheme is carried over from front cover to contents, and how a theme is carried across. The feminine bright pink remains constant throughout close magazine, which gives it an identity so readers are always aware of which magazine they are reading. The half pink, half white contents page is girly and eye catching to draw the attention of Closer's target audience (younger women).

I will try to use this idea in my own work, as I shall try to keep to a colour scheme for my front cover and contents page.

Contents Page Analysis 3: Sight&Sound

This neutral contents page for 'Sight&Sound' magazine is aimed at both men and women. You can tell this by the use of plain colouring and a mixture of images.
Again, the contents have been categorised and numbered so that it is easy for the reader.
There is a date written on the page under the magazine name.

Again, this is a simple contents page with a fairly straightforward layout.

Contents Page Analysis 2: More

This is an example of where there is one main image in a contents page. This is simple yet effective. The plain white background makes the plain black text show up easily. This contents page is split up into different sections i.e. 'This Week's Features' in order for the readers to find what they need/want to read quickly and easily.

White and black are predominantly used with highlights of yellow and red (two colours which are quite complimentary).

An image of a man who is topless suggests that this magazine is for women, as does the free give-away next to it.

I want my magazine contents page to be fairly simple like this one.

Contents Page Analysis: You

Note to the Examiner: Unfortunately it was very difficult to find school magazines with contents pages, so I have analysed other contents pages instead.

There is one main image with text written over the plainer part (background). The background is a shade of white and so the black text stands out well. The main image of the woman is separate from text so that it is clear and easy to read.

The colours used are plain and simple for class and elegance. A similar colour backdrop has been choosen according to her hair colour, this helps the black of the dress and text to stand out.

Over the word "Contents" is the date and website address so that readers know if they are reading the newest  issue or not and to let them know that there is a website that they can access.

The text is separated by subheadings including ‘features’ and ‘regulars’. This makes it easy to read and navigate.

There is white text over her black dress which is probably about the feature's article that she is in. This is a taster for the reader and will make them want to read more.

Front Cover Analysis 4 - FFH

This contents page is slightly more simple than the first.
Under the masthead reads "The news magazine of Fearns Community College ISSUE 2 SUMMER 2006". This is to show which school the magazine belongs to and when it was produced.

Like the first, the colour scheme is claret with hints of blue, however a yellow accent is used  for part of the name of the features article. This is so that it stands out and grabs the reader's eye. Because there is less going on in this cover compared to the first, another colour added does not make it look unprofessional.

The image used is an interesting shot of children hiding behind masks. This directly relates to the name of the features article "Behind the Mask" which is placed over the image.

Front Cover Analysis 3 - FFH

This cover uses interesting shapes to appeal to the reader and also to make the components of the cover easier to see and read.
The colour scheme of this magazine is obvious - claret, blue and white. The masthead and shapes used are maroon, which is the same colour as the PE kit that the children are wearing in the image. The pupils are also wearing white, which reflects in the white text used. There are some shadows on the white shirts worn which look slightly blue. The majority of the picture is of a blue sky with a few white clouds. Blue and claret compliment each other well because claret is close to orange, so the colours are pleasing to the reader's eye.

The image has been chosen carefully to represent the school and to link with the main features article. The beautiful blue sky represents the summer. The ball in the image is yellow which stands out against the blue. This might also symbolise a bright yellow sun. When we think of summer, we usually associate it with happiness and joy. This is exaggerated further in the children's smiles. A sense of enjoyment and happiness makes for a good school reputation. The summery image also links to the time the magazine was produced - 'Summer' - this is placed above the image, under the masthead.
The camera shot is a low angle to give a sense of power and to show the importance of the students. The low angle shot exaggerates the girl's action ( jumping for the ball) - the children are playing a game of netball.

The fact that they are playing sport links to the name of the features article - "Sports Overview, a Successful Year..." which is the only text layered over the image to show a direct link. Under the name of the article is "...see back page sports news" which tells the reader exactly where to find the article so that they may turn to this first.

The masthead is separated from the image by a thick, claret coloured, line which curves at the end (almost like a tick). The masthead is placed over a white background inside the shape created. White is used so that the cover looks professional; sometimes too many colours can make a cover look tacky.

Over the masthead is the school motto "ACHIEVINGSUCCESSTOGETHER" which is written with no spaces in between each word. Instead, the words look separate from each other because they are written in slightly different shades of maroon. This is unusual and interesting.
Underneath the mast head is "FURTHERFASTERHIGHER | The news magazine of Fearns Community Sports College". This has been written in the same way as the motto, but tells readers what the magazine name stands for. Separated by the word "faster" being in bold, this is made to look the same as the motto to link the two together; insinuating that success means being further ahead, faster and higher up than everybody else. These words have also been carefully chosen to link to sports, and the fact that the school specialises in sport. The name of the school is also included because the name of the magazine does not directly link to it. By including the name, the magazine is given an identity.

At the bottom of the page is another interesting shape with a 'mini contents page' inside. The text "in this issue" is placed at a 90 degree angle to add dimension and effect. To the right of this are three small pictures which overlap each other. Each one links to an article listed and are used, again, to add interest.

This magazine cover also has no barcode like 'High Profile'. Therefore, my magazine will not have a barcode.

Front Cover Analysis 2 - High Profile

The layout of this cover is the same as previous, the only changes are the image used, the colour scheme and the text.
Again, the plain white text is used over the image which fades to black on the top and the bottom.
The features article title is placed over the main image so that the reader automatically links the two together. "'Hair' Raising Show" is the title of the features article which generates readers' interest - especially as this is a pun (the show is 'Hairspray'). Under this is an explanation of what the article is about and a page number so that again, readers can turn to this page first if they want to.
This time, the image is mostly pink. This is due to the lighting used on the subjects - not because there are actually objects, i.e. items of clothing, which are pink. Also, like the first cover, the pink is used for the word 'Plus'. The wording has changed  from "In this Issue", probably to variate the magazine covers so that they are not too monotonous. The magazine now has colour scheme to work from.
The image used is not a posed camera shot but a natural one. The students look like they are enjoying themselves and this creates a positive vibe which is good for the reputation of the school.

Front Cover Analysis 1: High Profile

The most noticeable colour on this cover is mint green (in the background and an item of clothing). Because of this, a similar coloured green accent is used for the text 'In this Issue'. This automatically gives the magazine a colour scheme (see Features Article Analysis for High Profile). Apart from this, all of the text is plain white to not detract from the image.

At the top of the page, above the masthead, is smaller text stating the school's name and also the website. Being as the name of the magazine does not link directly to the name of the school (King Edward VI High School For Girls), this is useful because it gives the magazine an identity and sense of belonging. Under the masthead is the date so that the readers know if what they are reading is relevant or not to when they are reading it. 

'Profile' is bold to separate it from the word 'High', as otherwise it would look like one word - this is grammatically incorrect. The bold may also be used to draw reader's attention to it and the school may be putting across the message that the magazine acts as a profile for the school.

The main features article title is written over the image. As the reader, we automatically link the name of this to the image - especially as this is the only text over it. 'A Star is Born' is catchy and draws in the reader's interest; the reader will want to know who the 'star' is. Under this, smaller text tells us that the article is about 'The Little Shop Of Horrors p4', so that the reader knows exactly what page to turn to and may well do this first. 

At the very bottom of the page, the 'In this Issue' section tells us what we can expect to find in the magazine. This is done so that the cover alone will attract more people; not everybody will be interested in the main features article, but they might be very interested in 'Charity Week' or 'Sports'. The different article names are separated by bullet points to make them clear and easy to read.

The image fades to black at the top and bottom in order for the white text to show up clearly. Without this, the writing would be difficult to see and read.

It is also important to note that this contents page does not contain a barcode. This is probably because most schools do not have the equipment to scan barcodes (nor does my school).

Production Brief

Welcome to my AS media studies coursework blog. In this section I shall present my research, planning, production and evaluation for both my preliminary school magazine.


Below is the production brief...


Print

Preliminary exercise: using DTP and an image manipulation program, produce the front page of a new school/college magazine, featuring a photograph of a student in medium close-up plus some appropriately laid-out text and a masthead. Additionally candidates must produce a DTP mock-up of the layout of the contents page to demonstrate their grasp of the program.

Main task: the front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine (if done as a group task, each member of the group to produce an individual edition of the magazine, following the same house style). Maximum four members to a group.

All images and text used must be original, produced by the candidate(s), minimum of FOUR images per candidate.