Evaluation of college magazine

1. Evaluation of College
Magazine
By
Toby Powell

2. The masthead is centred at the top of the front
cover to make it easy to spot and read. I made sure
to make my masthead a unique font, from the rest
of the text used on the front cover. To make it
stand out, I also made sure that it was the largest
sized text on the page. I further edited the
masthead by adding a 3D effect onto it to, making
it more fun and interesting, targeting my college
audience.
• Size set to international paper.
• Opened image for front cover and
dragged onto page using Move tool.
• Used patch tool on Photoshop to
cover marks on blue background.
• Added text box for masthead. Then
used fonts and bold tool to find
desired look.
• Then I used shape tool to add
rectangle then I angled it across the
cover.
• The barcode was copied and pasted
from google images, then positioned
in the bottom right corner.
• To create the splash I used the
shape tool again. I picked the colour
yellow to make it stand out and
catch the readers eye. Then I added
the text over it in bold.
• The cover lines were created by
simply adding text onto the file,
then i positioned them to the right
of the main image.
• Once all this was done I found a
colour to contrast with the blue
background and make the magazine
look more aesthetically pleasing.
Evaluation of front
cover
The splash I used is a bright yellow colour, this is
because it stands out and catches the readers eye.
It gives the reader an incentive to buy the
magazine.
The main image used is a medium- close up shot of
my classmate. This fills the front cover but also
allows enough space to add the masthead, cover
lines and other key features.
I included two cover lines with the page numbers to
give the reader a idea of what will be included in
the magazine.

3. Evaluation of
contents page
• Firstly I imported the main image and a
jpeg of the front cover to the file
• Then once they were sized I postponed
them like on my draft sketch.
• After that I made the title ‘Contents’ in a
big and bold font to stand out from the
page. I positioned it at the top on the
page to give it a clear layout an look
cleaner.
• I used the same colour scheme as I did on
the front cover to give the magazine a
theme.
• I then divided the content titles into
categories: Regular and Features. This
will make it easier for the reader to find
what they're looking for.
• I used the shape tool to create two
parallel, linear lines across the top and
bottom of the page. I think this helps
brake up the plain blue background and
make the contents page a bit more
exciting to look at.
I positioned the contents masthead at the
top of the page to give it a clear layout and
will catch the readers attention as it is the
largest text on the page. I have also used the
same style masthead as the one on the front
cover, this creates a sense or repetition and
formality across the magazine.
I also used the same colour scheme as on
the front cover to again create a unity
between the two pages.
I divide the content title into sub
categories: ‘Regulars’ and ‘Features’. This
allows the reader to efficiently find a
specific article they want to read. They are
also listed with the page numbers so the
reader can find the page.

4. Strengths:
• Used, medium close up, main image with a
plain background colour which makes it look
cleaner and more professional.
• Used clear cover lines to give reader an idea of
what is in the magazine before reading the
contents page.
• Adapted the layout around the subject to
create a clean, formal look.
• The splash is very eye catching and the yellow
colour is very vibrant.
• Barcode is clearly positioned in the bottom
right corner with out blocking anything.
Weaknesses:
• Masthead isn't the biggest text on front cover.
The colour doesn't pop out the page and catch
your attention.
• Cover lines are too simple and default. Should
have used a variety of different fonts.
• Reader may not understand cover line for the
main image as the subject is not in a rugby
uniform.
• In my opinion the colour scheme doesn't look
professional while comparing it to other
magazine front covers.