The document summarizes research conducted through a questionnaire to understand student preferences for a school magazine. Key findings include: - Most students read magazines monthly and expect to see topics like driving tips and information on trips. - Students prefer the magazine use their school's colors and include a balance of images and text, but with a slight bias toward more visual elements. - Gathering input directly from the target audience allows the magazine creator to design a publication that aligns with student interests to achieve maximum readership and engagement.

1. School Magazine
(Preliminary Task)
Research
Why have a school magazine?
Having a school magazine is important to allow students to feel as if they belong to a firm
community within school. Creating and distributing a monthly school magazine establishes the
sense of belonging among school goers. They have access to a platform to voice their opinions
and also have a talking point to create conversation, resulting in new friendships. Contributing
towards the magazine involves students in more ways than one, from making decisions to
delegating specific roles to others With guidance students can form into individuals that will stay
on the right track. School magazines also share student learning and achievements with families
on a monthly basis. Some believe that once you have a school magazine the possibilities of
information spreading further are endless. Some schools are starting to make use of modern day
technology and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. However if we combine
social networking sites and classic non-digital media there are a number of benefits:
• Non-digital media encourages face to face communication and eliminates the idea of cyber
bullying by allowing information to be up to date and factual – rather than logging on and
seeing anonymous comments.
• Using social media allows easy access at any time of the day or night, it allows for more
creative options e.g. interviewing a teacher and having a video of it rather than just text in a
magazine.
Kathryn Palos

2. Analysis of a school magazine front cover.
I assume that the
colors used are the
school colors, this
brings about school
pride and
individuality No
other school will
have the same front
cover as yours.
There is no masthead, however it could be interpreted
that the masthead is the school logo, this is extremely
different as it doesn’t follow conventions of the layout of a
magazine.
The school logo is the
main image used on this
specific front cover. This
brings the readers
attention fully towards
the school as there
aren’t any other images
competing with the
school badge for the
viewers attention.
The target audience for this
magazine could be for the older
The magazines
students as younger ones could
appearance is smart
regard the simplicity of the front
this could reflect the
cover as boring (with no sell lines
image of the entire
or images). Whereas older
school as a clean cut
students may find it intriguing
educational
because there is nothing giving
establishment.
away the content inside.
This is an example of a school magazine that
doesn’t stick to conventions regarding the layout
and visual content.

3. Tagline reading “Achievingsuccesstogether” This is of great
importance as it puts forward what the school essentially is
Only 1 obvious sell line so and how it makes them special. The school could be
this suggests there is only remembered for their tagline.
one topic of the magazine
Headline positioned to the
(the table below could
top left of the front cover is
also be interpreted as
outlined by a white
another sell line )
background (which is
different to the main image)
I notice that the main image
creating an eye catching
consists of girls, rather than
image thus making it the first
boys as they have a more
thing the reader sees.
welcoming nature
Color scheme fits well
encouraging those to read the
and could be tied in with
magazine. The angle that the
the school colors. The
photograph has been taken is
earthy maroon color is
also influential as it shows the
humbling + welcoming.
significance of the ball being
The target audience of this specific
used encouraging taking part
magazine would be the sporty
in physical activities. It is
students as the main focus is sport.
almost as if they are glowing
representing a happy and
This magazine does follow a few conventions of school
comfortable atmosphere.
magazines when referring to the colors used as well as the
use of a masthead, tagline and a few cell lines.

4. Masthead covers the whole width of the front cover, it is the biggest
font on the page therefore naturally your eyes will fall upon it first
when viewing the whole magazine. There are no capital letters in the
masthead this could reflect the tone that the school is trying to
portray as less intimidating, more relaxed and informal appealing to
the students.
The color scheme is different
This is the first
as it doesn’t reflect the school
magazine that follows
colors. It has more pastel
conventions
colors resembling youth. The
regarding the layout
green suggests intelligence
there are several sell
and sharpness, yellow suggests
lines showing the
happiness and pink is feminine
reader what content
and calming.
is inside urging them
The target audience for
to take a copy and
this particular magazine
start reading it.
could be the younger
female students as the
main image is a younger
The main image is a school girl she
girl and the colors used
doesn’t look photo shopped
Out of the 3 studied this
are childlike.
expressing the natural realistic view.
school magazine follows
She is smiling and holding direct eye
the most conventions.
contact with the reader persuading
them to read the magazine

5. School magazine Questionnaire Blank

6. Answers to the Questionnaire

9. Results of Questionnaire
Are you male or female?
Male
Female
This increases confidence in my questionnaire answers as
there is an even amount of boys and girls taking this
questionnaire therefore it represents both sexes equally. It is
good for me to see both opinions as my target audience will
be both male and female.

10. Do you read magazines?
Magazine Readers Yes
Magazine Readers No
These results show me that the majority of people from my
target audience do read magazines.

11. How often do you read magazines?
How often read Daily
How often read Weekly
How often read Monthly
Over half of the students asked chose the “monthly” option out of the 3 given. This
shows that they prefer to read a magazine on a monthly basis because it may not
become special and information would be sparse if there was a school magazine
published weekly. The cost of production will also be less as less paper and ink would be
used as a result of publishing a magazine monthly instead of weekly. However there
were some students who believed that reading a school magazine was a waste of time
mainly because they could already access this information online.

12. What do you expect to see in a school
magazine?
Horoscopes
Subject revision
Driving Tips
Trips
Fashion Tips
Volunteering Activities
I created this question to find out the interests of my target
audience. Their answers have helped me to choose which topics I
would include in my school magazine (in the contents page as
well as the sell lines on the front cover) The top two most
popular categories were Driving Tips and Trips, I will make sure to
include them in my school magazine.

13. What color scheme would you expect to see in a
school magazine?
School colors
Royal blue, black and
white
Red, green, yellow and
black
Orange, white and blue
The most popular option out of the 4 was the “school colors”
option. This shows me that my target audience are proud to be a
part of their school community and would relate more to the
magazine if it had school colors throughout it.

14. Would you prefer more images, text or
a balance of both?
Images
Text
Both
Most students chose “Images”. Taking this into consideration I will
try and get a general balance between the use of images and text in
my magazine but preferably use more images, as they entice
readers and make it easier to read the whole magazine.

15. How my research has helped me
•
I will try to make sure that I follow the codes and conventions of magazines as
closely as possible to achieve a professional looking school magazine. To add I will
also take under review my target audiences opinions from my questionnaire given
out.