2. Introduction to the task
For my Media Studies
preliminary assignment,
I was asked to design,
take a photo for and
create a front cover and
contents page for a
sixth form magazine,
using my knowledge of
the many conventions
of other magazines I’ve
analysed.
3. Front Cover
• Masthead: I chose a large,
clear, and bold sans serif font
for the Masthead as it’s easy to
notice and read. I wanted the
name to be easy to recognise
and remember, so I used three
letters which stand for Sixth
Form Weekly, inspired by NME.
I chose white, as it stands out
in front of the black and I made
the ‘F’ red to link it to the colour
scheme and highlight a key
letter, which could also stand
for Fallibroome, the school that
the magazine would be based
at.
4. Front Cover
• Key Image: I chose the conventional
shot for my front cover’s key image, a
mid-shot of a person looking directly into
the camera. I also considered mise-en-
scene when shooting my cover, I wanted
the image to look like a shot taken as if
of a model, so I used studio lights to
make the face’s features softer and
more professionally done. I used a black
and white filter to make the image look
more classy and I also told the model to
try and do a serious, model-like pose. I
tried to do this in an ironically humorous
way. Considering the costume, I told the
model to wear a light grey suit, as it
would work better with the black and
white and also fit in with the idea that
this is a sixth-former. To keep the photo
classy and professional-looking, I used a
plain black background for my image.
5. Front Cover
• Key Cover-line: The first cover-
line is the main one, it reads ‘The
Look! The best hair and beards in
the sixth form scene right now!’
This cover-line refers to an article
inside the magazine, presumably
about the style-orientated side of
sixth form. In this article the reader
would expect to see images of
sixth formers who are wearing
particularly stylish clothes or are
sporting a very cool hairstyle or
beard. This is why the cover-line
helps to anchor and support the
key image, as the key image is of
a sixth former who is posing as if
they are being photographed for a
fashion magazine.
6. Front Cover
• Language used in cover-lines:
All of the cover-lines have an
initial title (‘The Look!’, ‘Griff!’ and
‘Inside!’) that are all followed by a
short description in order to give
the reader an idea of whether
they are interested in the article
and if they want to read more.
There is also an exclamation
mark at the end of every
sentence to make the article and
the magazine seem exciting and
also to get the reader excited
about reading it. The way it is
written also suggests that the
story each cover-line is referring
to should be of great interest to
7. Front Cover
• Other Features: I decided to
establish a colour scheme of three
colours which work well together
before making and shooting the
cover and decided on red, black
and white. I chose these because
it gives the cover a classy look and
the colours all contrast very well
against each other. I also
considered the hierarchy of font
size, which has the most important
things, like the masthead and the
cover-lines in a larger font than the
descriptions and interview feature
because they need to be noticed
more, so that the reader would
want to go in for a closer look.
8. Contents Page
• Key Conventions:
Contents page title
Grid layout
Issue number and date
Consistent font and colour
scheme
(Brand identity and house style)
Montage of images
Witty cover stories
Clear, bold, sans serif font
(Draws the readers attetnion and makes it
9. Construction – Taking the photo
Comments:
• Pose of the model is effective
• Facial expression works well the
impression that the photo was taken on a
photo shoot.
• Model’s clothes are appropriate
Improvements:
• Use make up to enhance parts of the
model’s face and hide freckles.
• Use a model who has particularly good
hair or an exceptional beard, to make it
more relevant to the cover-line.
• Have the model face the camera, as it
would engage more with the reader if the
person on the cover was facing towards
them.
10. Using Photoshop
When using Adobe Photoshop for creating my front
cover and contents page, I used certain tools to
enhance my photo. For example; I used a black and
white filter on the photo and adjusted the contrast
and brightness settings until the model stood out
enough to draw a readers attention to it. I also used a
patch tool to make the model’s skin clearer and softer
looking. I encountered a couple of difficulties during
the process, including finding it hard to use the tools
and to position the text around the model so that it
wasn’t too small to read but didn’t cover the model.
