Evaluation

When the pre-lim task was set, it was clear that the first thing to do was sketch out rough ideas of what i wanted my front cover to look like. Once i had rough ideas or atleast some basic outline i looked at other magazines which had been designed by schools. One which i looked at was St. Mary's school which came across as being very professional and upper class.

I had a fairly good idea what would appeal to an audience so i kept to that idea but also made it more fun and attractive so that it deffinatly would make them want to read it but at the same time i also wanted to make sure the school was represented professionally and given a new, healthy image. My target audience was mainly students which parts that parents would be interested in reading.
I came up with the title 'equality' after coming up with the name for another piece of work i was doing, however it seemed to fit better on the magazine as it actually represented something important. It says that all of us together are equal, as we are a multinational and multicultural school, it dismisses all types of race and religion differences and focuses on the main fact that we are here together to learn and have fun at the same time.

I came up with the idea of my photo by wanting to show the changes that the school has undergone since the beginning of the year (09). I wanted to have a line that represented both the changes of the school and a student that had felt an influence from said changes. I asked several people if they had realised any changes of the school, and any which had helped them improve their attitude towards learning and the school as a whole. I took a few images but none which i was very satisfied in saying 'this could represent the school' and none that also fitted with the line.
The line i wanted to have was 'A face of change'. Meaning the face of someone who had been influenced and had an input into the changes around the school. As the transition of the school is the main thing people have been and still are discussing, i thought it best to tie that into the line on the front cover. I didnt manipulate the image of the cover as i thought this would give it a fake look and feel the magazine as a whole, i understand that several teenagers buy different types of magazines each week where the model on the front has been airbrushed and changed so much that it doesnt look realistic anymore.

I based the cover around the way the observer monthly magazine had been designed. The main image taking up most of the page, the writing placed infront of the model and with 3 sub sections placed about the main image. However, instead of placing them on top, i placed them below the image as i know that when people typicaly look at the cover of a magazine they read in a Z shaped way.. Across the top from left to right, down diagonally to the bottom left corner then across the bottom to the bottom right hand corner. By placing them at the bottom it didnt let the readers attention slide away from the masthead. I placed no inset images on the front cover, as i felt this might distract the reader from the main focus of the magazine, instead i placed one on the contents page, as well as the main contents image, so that it gave readers something more to look forward too within the magazine.

For my contents page, i used the same colour to keep a constant theme. This is something used within all top magazines. NME for example use three common colours which are black, red and white. All throughout their magazines. Consistency is a key theme in many top magazines.
At the bottom of the contents page i placed the editors letter, placing it here meant that there would be focus kept on the main images but would give the reader an insight into what the magazine is about. It is common for glossy magazines like OK! and Heat to contain a letter from the editor, i found that by putting one in a school magazine it gave a warming feel right at the beginning. By making it sound friendly and welcoming, it encourages readers to continue on throughout till the end.
I placed the school logo at the top right hand corner of each page, including the front cover to show who and what the magazine represented. Mainly, on the front page it shows a clear link between the masthead and the image, showing that there is equality at the school.
There was no need to place a price or barcode on the first issue, this is because it isnt going to be sold anywhere. It is a free magazine created by the school and for the school, however i would charge a small amount after the first issue to help cover the issue with printing and the production etc, nothing more than 10p or so.
I took a photo to go in the bottom right hand corner of the page to link with the page listing so that there was some reference together on that page. I placed the main image to the left hand side of the page with the editors letter beneath. There was a story which already linked to that image, as well the page guide on the right hand side covered the rest of the magazine.

Overall, had i used my time more efficiently, i think i would have improved one or two minor things which would have helped sway my attitude to thinking i had produced a very good peice of work, however i still think i have produced something which would help to present the school to the public, parents and pupils in a positive way. For the pupils, for them to say that they are proud they attend this school, for their parents to say they are proud that they send their children there knowing they get an excellent education and finally, for the public to see what the school is all about and then be persuaded to send their children there in future years.