Student Magazine - Contents Page Design

This is a rough outline of what my Student Magazine contents page were to look like if i was to make it. I designed it in a similar style to the front cover of the Student Magazine so that they link together and it would also make it look more professional, aesthetically pleasing and recognizable to the consumer.

Preliminary Production - Written Evaluation Of Student Magazine Front Cover

Our task for our preliminary production was to use DTP and an image manipulation program to produce a front page of a new school magazine, featuring a photograph of a student in medium close-up plus some appropriately laid-out text and a masthead. Additionally candidates must produce a mock-up of the layout of the contents page to demonstrate their grasp of DTP.

I mostly stuck with my initial ideas from the Provisional Submission where my target audience was specifically directed towards Sheldon Sixth Formers. My sell lines included of beating bordem, revision techniques, what to do after Sixth Form and i also thought it would be a good idea if i included information about local bands which are in the area which then can provide Students with some entertainment and a way to relax throughout the stressful exam period.

I found both my sketches very useful in helping my design my final front cover. My final idea for my Student Magazine Front Cover was based on one of my rough sketches that i did which consisted of the main image of the model in a medium close-up shot, facing the front looking directly into the camera with the sell lines to the left of the image and the title which was made up of different font types. However i did alter one aspect of my sketches which was to have the sell lines slanted across the page rather than being verticle. By doing this, it made the cover look more original and made it more aesthetically pleasing.

I found it quite easy to get photos, as i asked my friends to model for me and i also used the school camers to experiment taking different types of photos with. I chose locations for my photoshoot which were full of natural light and which had plain backgrounds, such as the bright blue wall of the Sixth Form block. I look roughly 10 photos in all to get a good variety. I then picked the best 4 which were best suited for my Magazine front cover. Out of the 4 photos i then managed to pick the best one for my front cover. In my photos i decided to keep it simple by not including any props/scenery so that the main focus would be entirely on the image of the Student and the sell lines.

I have used Photoshop before as i have it on my computer at home. I used Photoshop to re-size my chosen photo to A4 (21 by 29.7). I also used some of the tools on Photoshop to experiment and help to manipulate my photo. I used the 'dodge tool' to make the photo brighter which then makes it stand out more. I also experimented with the 'lasso tool' by lassoing the main image of the model and desaturating the background but keeping the model in colour. This looked effective but i did not feel that this was suited for my Magazine Front Cover as i wanted something bright and colour to attracted the consumers gaze and also using bright colours helps portray a fun, happy atmosphere which is what i was aiming for.

The front cover of my student magazine consisted mainly of four colours. Light blue for the background and orange,red and yellow for the text. I chose these specific colours because they stand out from each other which makes them easily legible and looks aesthetically pleasing. For the main image of the magazine i asked a friend to pose in a casual position for me in front of a plain, bright background. I wanted the pose to be casual to help represent the happy and calm atmosphere at Sheldon. I also explored with the title of the magazine to find something original but also something which would be easy to remember. In the end i decided the title should be a combination of words which represents Sheldon and which also represents Sheldon Sixth Form life. The word i came up with was 'Sheldent' a combination of Sheldon and student. I like it because it is short,easy to remember and represents what the magazine is about perfectly.

During my exploration of the connotations of my title, i also came up with the idea of having each individual letter in a differnt font. This would then help catch the target audiences attention as it stands out and looks different. I also didnt want the font to be anything to plain and formal as this was not what i was trying to represent in my magazine. The sell lines of any magazine are a crutial factor when trying to sell to potential buyers. My sell lines consisted of things which Sixth Form students would be interested in, such as, 'Beating Bordem', 'What to do after Sixth Form has finished', 'Revision Techniques' and also 'Local Band information' .

The layout of my cover is very simple but effective. The title 'Sheldent' is situated vertically in large,bold latters at the top of the cover. The price of the magazine and the bar code are situated next to the title on the right hand top corner. I put them there so they are easy to see on the page and because they dont take up that much room. The image of the model is located directly beneath the bar code and price, to the right hand side of the page, and takes up about half the page. (I tried to stick to the 2/3rds rule however when i got the image on the computer it was actually larger than i first expected and i had run out of time to take another the right size).

The sell lines are then positioned next to the image of the model on the left hand side of the cover. Each sell line is made up of 4-6 lines, keeping each one together so they are clear to read and are nicely balanced on the page. I also put a small photo of Oxford University underneath the title to help represent the sell line 'what to do after Sixth Form - University?'. In the bottom left hand corner i placed a photo of a drum kit to help represent 'band information'. Lastly i put Sheldons Logo in the bottom right hand corner with further information right at the very bottom of the page. I feel the layout of my Magazine Cover is effective because it isnt over-crowded with text and images, each image and sell lines is nicely spaced out and the main image on the cover is the model student, which is who the magazine is directed towards.

Overall i think i chose the right photo for my magazine and i had good sell lines and title. However, if i was to do the project again i would change the positioning of the smaller images on the cover as they were not positioned next to the sell line which they were trying represent/promote. Also i would change the colour of the title to help make it stand out from the rest of the text on the cover.

Finished Student Magazine Front Cover :)

This is my final Student magazine front cover. I am very happy with the overall appearance of the magazine cover. I like how the colour of the title 'Sheldent' stands out from the background colour (light blue). Also the colours of the sell lines (red,orange and yellow) compliment each other and also are easy to read against the blue background. This makes the magazine cover clear,easy to read and aesthetically pleasing. I also feel that the font of the title fits in well with the rest of the cover as it is stylish yet easily legible.