Annotation of 3 Sixth Form magazines' front covers and contents pages to help me come up with ideas for my own production.

1. Sixth Form
Magazine
Textual Analysis
Leah Dean

2. Masthead in Sans Serif typography
because looks sleek and cool but lacks
sophistication due to teenage target
audience. Also, baby blue colour palette
connotes youth. Consistency of colours
looks authentic which I hope to include
in my magazine.
Skyline presents strapline which ‘sells’ magazine. In this case gives information about what school the magazine is
produced by for readers who do not attend the school and to make students feel proud of their college.
Dateline just has issue number
and date, not price or barcode
following codes and
conventions of school
magazines in that they are free
because students are
stereotypically represented as
being in the low socio-economic
group E.
Tag ‘new’ in block capitals and
in a box-out really promotes
the magazine to attract more
readers within the school.
Direct mode of address through eye
contact with the audience in the main
image, intrigues the reader. She
portrays a friendly gesture which would
positively represent the school and their
ethos.
The image is in black and white which
could promote equality. The SFX in
editing shows off creative talent within
the school which shows it off to be
skilled and having good principles to the
secondary audience of adults or future
students who do not attend the school.
Creative Corner is a slug; an in-house
logo known by the readers to signify a
recurring feature in the magazine.
This would help create a brand
identity and keep readers coming
back.
Coverlines and pull quotes give
the magazine a professional
touch which I would like to give
to my sixth form magazine.
The coverlines do well to frame
the model, however the
formatting and layout could be
improved by aligning the
coverlines more precisely in a
straight line.
Anchorage from the headlining lure. The codes and conventions of magazines is to
feature a famous person. The magazine aims to do this by starring a future celebrity
which would gratify the teenage female audience who typically have the psychographic
of an aspirer who look for identification according to the Uses and Gratifications theory.
Buzz words ‘Glee’ and
‘Jedward’ would attract an their
target audience of a young,
current demographic.

3. Unusual typography sizing, normally ‘Contents’ headlines in a larger font to stand out more. A switch to entirely serif font
shows a change in the page’s overall appearance of more formal and intelligent, relevant to the mood of serious school
news.
Irregular capitalisation gives an
amateur presentation. I will
thoroughly check my magazine
for mistakes throughout.
Layout of actual content is
quite discrete and remains in
just the last third of the page. I
will use more codes and
conventions by spreading out
the contents across the whole
page and including smaller
images appropriate to the
topics which could draw in
more of an audience.
The rhetorical question is a good
linguistic device of attracting
readers. I will use a technique like
this to gain attention.
Washout background of newspapers
to signify the topic, anchored by the
title. This is an aesthetically pleasing
way of editing which shows
professionalism and gives the
students a feel of reading an
authentic magazine. This would
gratify many of them who wish to act
more mature than they are.
Range of topics suitable for the
age range of 11-18 and both
genders which ideally targets
the audience without
restriction.
Page numbers follow magazine codes and
conventions and makes the magazine easier to
follow.
Smaller pictures of consistent
sizes nicely frame the text which
makes the page more interesting
to look at which the audience
would mainly be focusing on;
aesthetics.
Light blue colour palette is
maintained to create an in-
house style and brand identity.
It is also a code and
convention of all magazines to
keep colours consistent to
avoid representing the
institution as messy or
confusing.
Normally masthead is found as a
logo however because the
magazine is not established
enough it can not be used in that
way, this is also why
superimposition was not used on
the front cover. The masthead
‘Sixth Sense’ is a pun. It relates to
‘sixth’ form and the ‘sense’ or
intelligence people have in
college.

4. Masthead in Sans Serif typography again,
same reasons as ‘Sixth Sense’. The
typography has been shadowed in editing
to give the feel of a real spotlight being
focused on it. The light colour of the
typography is a denotation of a ‘spotlight’.
This rare poster cover has no coverlines
and is very artistic. It diverges against the
codes and convetions to make the iconic
main image stand out. It is effective in
grabbing the audience’s attention,
however the mise-en-scene is not
something that I would like for my
magazine.
Straplkine is in the traiditonal position which also gives information about
the school for the same reasons as ‘Sixth Sense’.
The dateline is also here, again no price nor barcode is needed because
it is free.
The background images
such as lipstick, teddy bears
and perfume all connote
girly, female products which
would suggest that the
magazine is targeted mainly
at the female students.
However, the main image
which is in the foreground is
a man. He looks lost in the
female
commotion, something men
in the school may be able to
indentify to according to the
Uses and Gratifications
theory. It also signifies a
comic book, something
heavily associated with
males. This sophisticated
representation would imply
that the magazine was
aimed at the older members
of the school, perhaps solely
the sixth form.
The sixth form is Hackney which is
represented as being quite a dangerous
and rough area of London. However, the
images on the background; Starbucks,
Lacoste, Olay, are all well renewed
institutions who aim at a target audience
in a higher socio-economic group. Since
teenagers, especially from Hackney, are
represented as quite the opposite it
indicates that the magazine is for students
with the psychographic of an aspirer. This
seems to be a common theme throughout
sixth form magazines so I will try to
include some elements in my magazine

5. Magazines have a code and
convention of an ‘editor’s letter’
on the contents page so for sixth
form magazines it is a good idea
to have a letter form the
headteacher. This follows the
codes and convetions of
columns and a gutter. The
picture of the teacher and her
friendly, smiley gesture is
anchored by the signature at the
bottom which gives her ‘very
best wishes’.
Page numbers and the
magazine’s name one
every page, including the
contents. Also included is
the date which is not
always a code and
convention. However I
think it is important to
have the page number
and magazine name or
logo.
Box-out separates two sections
to the contents. There is not
enough content to fill the page
because it is only a sixth form
magazine.
Heading with content menu in
columns following codes and
conventions. The short summary
of pages is a nice touch to fill
empty space and make the
magazine easier to browse for
the audience who may not have
much time. The target audience
students would have a lot of
work and the secondary
audience of parents may work or
have other matters to deal with.
Eye contact in the
smaller pictures creates
direct address with the
audience which make
them feel connected with
the magazine and school
therefore.
The mise-en-scene is
perhaps too plain that it
is verging on dull. A bit
more colour and
uniqueness, as seen on
the front cover would
follow through an in-
house style creating a
distinctive USP for the
brand’s identity.

6. Long box-out frames main image
and also resembles torn paper
which links to the school theme.
Masthead is a pun as ‘ed’ is also
an abbreviated version of the
word ‘education’; the genre of
magazine.
There is a slight outline around
the coverlines which does not
look too great because it breaks
the pages up into unwanted
sections. Without these faint lines
the magazine would look rather
professional, especially from the
high quality photography and
editing.
Main image is not making
eye contact so there is no
direct address which is a
code and convention of
magazines as it normally
draws in the audience more.
I will use direct address in
my magazine. She is
wearing a grey, dull colour
to contrast against the vivid
colours in the background
and of the typography so
that the appearance is
aesthetically pleasing and
not too overpowering.
Colour palette blue and
green is consistent in
masthead and coverlines
which gives an effective and
stylish appearance
appealing to the trendy
target audience who
appreciate a ‘cool’ edge to
magazines.

7. Slanted box-out resembles a
bookmark which sticks to the
genre of education. There is a
longer menu on this contents
page which I like; the page
looks fuller.
Musty coloured background
connotes a paper file or
envelope which all revolves
around the education genre.
The circle frame of the picture
and curved corners on the
box-outs add to the stylish
effect of the magazine which
gives the magazine a
professional and interesting
appearance compared to the
other sixth form magazines
seen.
This contents page is more
like a real magazine’s
contents page since there is
an editors letter there to
complement the main feature
which is actually the contents.
I think I will follow this code
and convention of magazines
because it looks more
authentic and saves content
for inside the magazine.
The bright colours red and
yellow contrast against the
background and are primary
colours which stand out. They
connote warmth which would
make the magazine’s institution
be represented as friendly and
inviting. The direct mode of
address made by the editor
with the audience would add to
this atmosphere. This positive
and happy representation
seems to be a common
convention for magazines of
this genre.
Because this is a more professional sixth form magazine compared to the
others looked at, it includes the institution’s logo, a website and contact
email address. These add synergy to the magazine making it more formal
and focussed to the secondary audience of parents.