2. The magazine represents students by showing a place
on the front cover that students are familiar with. The
cover lines are all things that students think about whilst
studying: how can I relax? How can I stop feeling so
anxious? How can I save money? So by having these
topics as cover lines it appeals to all students and is
something they can relate to. The masthead represents
students because people want to feel connected, they
want to feel a part of the college community so when
students see ‘college connect’ they think of
connotations such as; a link and social media
(something that appeals to them).
I decided to use an image where a student is facing a
different way is because it’s unusual, it will stand out
from the rest because most college magazines have a
front facing, medium close up shot with direct gaze as
the front cover. In order for people to know that this is
a college magazine with a college student on the front
of it I have juxtaposed the image with the masthead.
Front Cover- Representation
3. To get this image, I went outside and found the right lighting. I wanted the
image to show sunlight, because sunlight has the denotation of giving off
light so metaphorically speaking, college isn’t a dark or scary place to be
and the connotations of sunlight include warmth, happiness and it gives
off a positive feeling. Therefore it portrays college and its students in a
good way.
The colour of the masthead and cover lines link to the overall feel of the
magazine. It is an autumn edition and these colours hold connotations of
autumn, Halloween and the first term of college which is an important
time especially for new students, who will be reading this magazine. The
colour of the students hair in the image has the same tones as the text so
that also brings the cover together as a whole.
Continued…
4. The main way that my contents page represents students is
again, by having relevant information that is linked to
students. For example, a common connation of a student
is someone who goes to concerts in their spare time, so I
put in a picture of a concert and information about where
to find it in the magazine. Another connotation is when
some people think of students, they think of people not
having a lot of money due to only now getting jobs but
also having to study as well so by putting information
about earning and saving money, I am representing them
but also attracting students to my magazine.
I decided to use a picture that shows the college logo
because the magazine is representing the college so it is
important to include ways of how the college can be
recognised. It’s a relaxed photo with my model in a casual
pose, this is to set the tone of the magazine; chilled,
relaxed and although it is to inform students of things to
do with the college it is quite informal as this appeals to
most teenagers better.
Contents Page Representation
5. Originally, I wanted the background of the contents page
to be black because it fit in the colour of the front cover
however feedback I got back suggested that the
connotations of black (sad, fear, loneliness) were too
strong and that made the page to heavy and dark. It shows
up the white text well but I would go back and change it to
a lighter colour to lift the mood of the magazine.
6. Positive Point – Front Cover I am really pleased with how the masthead
turned out, I had an idea in my head of
how I wanted the letters and two words to
be positioned and it worked. I think it looks
professional and it stands out against the
background and of course to readers
because of this.
Another aspect of my front cover that I
think works well is the way I made the
cover lines look, white italic text to
draw the reader in and then matching
orange text to fit in with the masthead.
I wasn’t sure about having a cover line
covering the model at first but once I
tried it, I decided that it actually works
better.
At first I wasn’t sure on where
to place this because I wanted
it to stand out, so by having it
by the masthead it’s one of the
first things readers see and the
voucher advertisement will
make them want to read in
order to obtain it.
The overall cover of the
magazine is something that
I’m really pleased with; the
way they come together
and give off an autumnal
feel.
7. Positive Points – Contents Page
The layout of the text is
something that I got
inspired to do by one of
my favourite magazines
because it’s easy to read
and clearly shows what is
on each page but with
minimal text. I think that
because of the audience
of this magazine, it’s
important to be to the
point and clear to read
I didn’t want to overcrowd the
contents page with images so I
picked ones which were the
most relevant to information
available in the magazine.
Having them next to the
contents show what the reader
will be reading in a sense.
8. Improvements
Front Cover Contents Page
• At first, I liked the image because it’s
different from other magazine covers
and it would stand out. However after
seeking opinions from other people I
realised the connotations of someone
turning around are sad and lonely and
would be better fitting for a health leaflet
or something like that.
• Another improvement I would make is
the amount of cover lines; I would add
one or two more as the magazine looks a
little bare.
• Like I already mentioned on a previous slide, I
would change the colour of the page to make it
softer and to fit the purpose of the magazine
more accurately.
• I would also add another image, maybe across the
top to have main focal point of the page.
