1. Be able to extract information from written sources
Use pages 24 – 26 to help you make note
1.1 What Information am I looking for?
Similar Products – looking at products similar to the one you have been asked to produce will allow you to get
ideas about content, style and format.
Costing/ Budgeting – a budget is what your production is going to cost. You will be expected to treat it like a
‘real’ product.
Legal and Ethical Constraints – being ethical means ensuring that you are working within accepted social
‘norms’ – that you are being principled in your actions and making sure that rules and values are upheld.
Constraints are the limits put on your production – what you can and cannot do – and they must be taken into
consideration at all times.
Distribution/Commissioning – this relates to who is paying you to make a product and where that product will
ultimately be released to the public. You will need to look at where and when they schedule similar products
and gain an understanding of the commissioning process.
1.2 Where do I source relevant information?
These are all secondary research:
 Books
 Internet
 Newspapers/Magazines/Journals
 T.V
Primary Research - original research to obtain new information using techniques like:
 Questionnaires
 Interviews
 Focus groups
1.3 How Do I Extract Relevant Information?
Skim Reading – quickly skimming over a text to get this gist of it
Scanning – searching through the text looking for specific key words or phrases
Using an Index- in print products, the index allows you to find where a topic is mentioned
Using word and Phrase Search – these are electronic search methods

2. Masthead or logo This must be distinctive, eye catching and relevant to the magazine.
Publication date This must show when the magazine is published, for example, weekly, fortnightly,
monthly or quarterly.
Main image This usually relates to the main ‘feature; within the publication and again should catch
the eye of the reader or target audience.
Cover lines These are the sections of text that are spread over the front page and again relate to the
features and content of the magazine.
Main cover line This should go alongside the main image and relate to the main ‘feature article’.
Bar code All magazines have a bar code that is scanned at point of purchase; thought needs to go
into its placement so that it does not interfere with the main features of the front cover.
Selling line This is what will sell the magazine to the consumer. It needs to be punchy and give the
reader a reason to pick up the product and buy it. Consider it in the same terms as, say,
a headline in a newspaper as a summary of the content.