Evaluation Of Preliminary

Overall i think my task went well, i followed the instructions set and i came up with all of my own ideas and took all of my own photos.

Before i started my task i analysed some examples of college magazine front covers and contents pages to identify strengths that could help me when creating my own magazine, weaknesses that i should avoid and conventions throughout college magazines so i understood what should be included in my magazine. I then went on to plan my task using Microsoft word then finally i took images and created my magazine in Photoshop.

The image i used clearly denotes a college atmosphere as i took the picture in a library using an actual college student; my model is looking at the camera but doesn't look too engaged as this could be off putting for readers as it would look too posed and cheesy. I used Photoshop to dim my photo slightly and highlight the title of the magazine so that it stood out against the picture and was easier to read; i also used light coloured writing against the image so the text and headlines contrasted against the background.


If i did this task again i would probably using a different image for my front cover as it was hard to put text against the background of a library and it would have probably been easier to put it on a blank backdrop and just have the image of the student. However i think that my magazine resembles that of a real college magazine as i followed all of the conventions of a college magazine and avoided mistakes i found on the magazines i analysed such as ensuring that my magazine didn't look too informal or ''handmade''. I also ensured that i used language appropriate for the target audience as it had to be interesting for the reader but at the same time not too informal otherwise it wouldn't make sense and could look unprofessional and childish.

Magazine analysis

I looked at some examples of college magazines to help me decide what to do when planning and creating my own.

I think language in this magazine is used cleverly to connect with the audience which is teenagers at college. The use of catchy lines such as ''not just a pretty face'' help engage with the target market as the are informal and chatty. Also the use of the tag line ''the word on the street'' adds to the teenager effect of the magazine and act as a memorable catch phrase that will help people recognise the magazine.

However it is not made very clear who the producers of the magazine are; there are no definite logos and as their are quite a few headline type titles on the front page it looks quite busy and is hard to determine who the institution is.

It is easy to tell that this magazine is aimed at teenagers going to college; the bright colours help grab their attention and the chatty style language makes it more applicable to the target market. Although its possible that the producers have gone overboard when trying to make the magazine looks young and funky as it is very busy and parts look unprofessional and perhaps too informal and more comical.

Overall I think this is a fairly good example of a magazine aimed at teenagers; although it does look unprofessional in parts, it does use good language that connects with the client group and the images of students on the contents page and the issues raised on the front cover make it obvious that it is for a college audience.

The audience of this magazine is clearly students at college; the masthead'' student life'' makes this obvious, and the bold colours make sure it stands out and is easy to read. Also the logo ''east riding college'' makes it recognisable to those who it is aimed at as they will obviously know what the logo of their college is. Finally, the images of students will grab the target audiences attention and make it obvious that the magazine is aimed at them as the main picture is large and will probably be the first thing they see whereas the ones on the contents page will reinforce the idea that it is a magazine for students and preview what the magazine contains.


The language used on the magazine cover is simple and formal, this makes it easy for the reader to understand and clear so it quickly catches their attention. The masthead ''student life'' is short and catchy making it easy to remember. The contents page is easy to read and makes it obvious what the features are about.

The institution of the magazine is East Riding College; this is made obvious by the logo on the magazine cover that takes up the right hand bottom corner; however it is not used on the contents page of the magazine so it is not made very clear throughout the rest of the magazine that it is an East Riding College publication.

Overall the college is represented as a warm, friendly and interesting place to go. The images help promote this through the front cover showing a trip abroad and ones on the contents page showing students that are smiling and look friendly. However, readers may be put off as the style isn't very chatty or friendly and both the language and the colour scheme seem formal and quite grown up which isn't the sort of thing most college students want to read.

College Magazine Cover

This is the front cover of my college magazine. I have created it using photoshop and images that i have taken.

I will now get feedback on my document and redo my front cover accordingly.

Planning for my magazine front cover and contents

These are the mock ups of my front cover and contents page, I will now continue to create a digital copy of my front cover using original images on photoshop.

Magazine Name

I will need to think of a name for my college magazine, it will have to suggest the fact that it is a magazine for colleges and be something that is memorable; I have several ideas for the name which are:

• College
• Students Now
• Stepping Stone
• Target

After looking at the different options i think the best name for my magazine is Target, i think that the name reflects a college atmosphere as targets are something that are recognised by all college students; the name is also very catchy and remember able so it will work well as the headline of the magazine.

Preliminary Excersise

For my first task I have to produce the front page of a new college magazine. I will produce planning, a mock up of the layout of a contents page, the front cover including a picture i have taken myself and and evaluation.