Evaluation of School MagazineFront Cover and Contents Page

By Hayleigh Chamberlain

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions or real media

products?

Front Cover

In my school magazine I followed the following codes and conventions, these are a main central image. This dominates the whole magazine front cover. I have a masthead ‘School R’ US’ telling audience what the school magazine is called. Underneath the masthead I have an issue date and price of my school magazine. Following the conventions of real life magazines. To criticise this, I didn’t follow the conventions properly as I could have made the issue date and price a smaller font that does not try to dominate the coverlines used. I have used six coverlines in total with one main coverline. To criticise my work on my sublines, I could have made them to be less more to the point, and to let people guess what the story will be.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions or real media

products?

Contents Page

In my contents page I have a three columned layout. My layout follows ‘NME’ and their contents page spread. Firstly with a feature and regular column, completed with a main central image in the 2nd column and a description of the story and image in further detail. Another convention I followed is, the masthead ‘contents’ like any other magazine, to develop this, I could have changed the masthead to the middle of the page. Again, like most other magazines, I have an editors letter, inviting the readers to the magazine. My information section is clear, but could have been more professional and less messy, again with my credits bar at the bottom of the contents page. The coverlines in my contents page are visible to the audience but to improve I could have went a font size lower to not dominate my main central image of my model. To add to this, I could have made my page numbers smaller, and chose a more appealing colour than ‘coral’ to attract audiences.

How did you use new media technologies in the construction of your media product?

Front Cover

I used new media technologies within the process of my school front cover by using Photoshop. In doing this I learnt skills on how to use Photoshop properly in order to create my school magazine front cover. This type of technology used for this was more appropriate than any other technology in order to make my front cover work well.

How did you use new media technologies in the construction of your media product?

Contents Page

I used Quark Express to create my whole contents page layout for my final school magazine contents page. This included 3 main columns in preparation for the detail that I was going to be putting on my contents page from the coverlines, main central image to the masthead. I gained many skills from Quark.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of both the product and your use of new media

technologies?

Front Cover

Strengths of my finished school front cover are that it is clear, and very straight to the point. My model is giving direct address towards the audience and the coverlines and clear and so are their sublines. Strengths of Photoshop are that it is rather easy to cooperate with and it does not take long to get the finished product done.

Weaknesses of my finished school front cover are that I had not finished my puff, leaving it blank. Another weakness is the issue date and price are a larger font than normal, interfering with the coverline underneath. A weakness with Photoshop is the layers get confusing and sometimes I got my font sizes mixed up.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of both the product and your use of new media

technologies?

Contents Page

Strengths of my finished school contents page are, that it includes the main features of a contents page. The 3 columned layout, masthead and coverlines etc that make up the contents page as a whole. My model is also giving direct address on this picture towards the audience. Strengths of Quark Express is that once you know how to use it properly, getting everything you need onto the layout is very easy.

Weaknesses of my finished school contents page are, my coverlines are larger than I would like them to be, including the coral colour that does not contrast great with the black and white. I had not finished the credits bar and I feel my contents page is very bare. Weaknesses with Quark Express is that it is a lot more confusing than Photoshop, from adding text and images it is a lot harder to work with.