Evaluation: CoverHow does your magazine

represent particular social groups?

In the image I have 2 students. This creates a generic idea for the stereotyped student. This will attract other students to the magazine as it makes it relatable. The image itself had 2 students in it. I made them look away from the photo to give it a more relaxed, laid back kind of look to make it more appealing towards students as it doesn’t seem to formal.

I used appropriate information on the cover photo that I was able to find out from my primary research that I conducted. From this it provided information on what students were interested in reading about. I then included the most popular into the cover lines as it will attract my target audience. The cover lines that I used were also blue and were Century Gothic I used this font throughout the design to make it recognisable to readers. The font was also easily readable and clear so my target audience wouldn’t have any trouble viewing the text.

Also in the background of the image it has the logo of the college this will also make it seem more relevant for the students. I chose blue as my main colour as blue is eye-catching and it’s on the badges that students of city college Norwich use. Also I continued this colour throughout the design.  It also is clear and easy to view on cover. It also has a professional look to it that would be appropriate for a student magazine.

The title is “your college” this was the most popular name choice from my questionnaire so I decided to use it. It does however use direct address as “your” this gives it a more personal touch meaning that the students will feel it’s for them and be more encouraged to pick up a copy.

On the front cover I also included a puff that states “free magazine” this would attract more of my target audience as most students don’t have a source of income or if they do they don’t have a lot of money to spare. This means that because it’s free more people will be encouraged to pick it up and read it. The cover lines also have information about vouchers for fast food discounts and books. This will also make it more appealing because from my primary research people wanted this and because it will attract most students because of the money off.

Evaluation: Contents pageHow does your

magazine represent particular social

groups?

On the contents page of my magazine I decided to use a single page spread as all the information is able to be compacted into the one page. On the cover page I decided to place an image at the top third of the page of some students. I decided to use this because it gives the magazine a continued laid back feel to it I made sure that the students were looking at the camera to get a direct gaze so that the reader feels it’s more personal but at the same time I made sure that some students were waving at the camera and were smiling. This meant that it didn’t seem too formal and managed to fit the design theme used throughout the magazine.

On the left third of the page I listed all the page numbers. I also included a bit of information about what to expect on each of the pages making it more intriguing and grabbing the attention of my readers.

I also included an image of a mobile phone with music, I captured this image and on this I made the Avicii album cover art be displayed in the centre of the photo. I took the photo at a desk with a keyboard in the background. This provides an image of the stereotypical student work environment along with some headphones so the user can work at the computer along with some music.

I also included images of brands that I would have been interested in using for sponsorship or for advertising purposes. I decided to use these here so that my readers would know and recognise these brands and trust the magazine. I also included images of social networks that I would have my magazine on. I included this so that readers would see this and then follow the magazine brand on their chosen social network meaning that people will see more coverage of the magazine including when the next issue will be available meaning that people will continue reading.

The title of the contents page is “Where its all at” I decided to use this rather than “contents” this was because I didn’t think lasting it as contents fit the design style that I was hoping for. So I changed it to something that fit the design choices and was able to interest my target audience.

What aspects of your work are you pleased

with and why?

I am pleased with the way my photos went for both the cover photo and for the contents page. The image on the front cover went well and meant I was able to effectively place text and images overtop of the photo without parts getting in the way. The contents page photo also went well as I was able to place some text over the photo without anything getting in the way. This made it easy to design the overall layout of the magazine without any complications or too much photo editing. I was also happy that I used the same font throughout the design of the magazine as I was able to use the same font and colours making my overall design consistent.

What aspects of your work could be improved and why?

On the main cover I used hyphens between words that stretched over lines. This did not give it a very profession look. Next time I would make sure that these were not used as I want a more professional look. The barcode on the picture does seem to stand out to much next time I would use a different background so that it wouldn’t stand out as clearly. Also some of the text could be hard to read so next time I would make sure the colours that I chose don’t clash with my background. On the cover page I didn’t use a background colour and left it as white. This seems a little dull and doesn’t seem to fit the design features of my college magazine. Next time I will make sure that I use a more appropriate background that is more eye-catching and gives it a more professional look.