Completed Sixth Form Magazine Cover

This is my completed sixth form magazine cover. Due to my lack of experience with Photoshop I had not expected the end result to be so similar to the flat-plan, and for that reason I am rather pleased with the product. 

Masthead: Although some minor alterations have been made in the process, the cover does look very much like the flat-plan. These changes consist of the font being adjusted to Tw Cen MT Condensed Extra Bold, and I have also added a dark shadow and bevel to add an almost three dimensional aspect. In my opinion this adds much more visual interest since the majority of magazines, in particular academic ones, seem to be very flat and in my opinion quite dull.

Main Cover Image(s): Inspired by a cover of Clash, a popular music magazine that also focuses on fashion that I analysed in a previous post, I wanted the design to be somewhat similar. Whilst still maintaining a sense of originality, I tried to achieve a once again unique appearance that would lead to the cover standing out against other magazines that would only consist of one main cover image. So, I used Photoshop to attain this look which I hadn't really used before, having said that I am satisfied with it as it is bright and eye-catching; I do believe that it could glow better and therefore look better. This is most likely a result of my little knowledge of the software, therefore if I were to repeat this task I would try to aim for something that is more impressive and not so amateurish in it's appearance.

Main Cover Line:  Once again the main cover line is rather indistinguishable when trying to differentiate between the two, which I am happy about. I also think that it still stands out as a result of it being a very relateable topic to each sixth form student, regardless of one's intellect and organisational skills learning new ways of doing things can always benefit an individual. 

Cover Lines: Previously I had chosen to do one of the articles on an interview with past student, Samuel Moore, who is a London graffiti artist; whilst the other being about how students can adapt their school uniforms. I decided to change the articles as I thought these would be more relevant to students and interesting. Furthermore, I also added the dark shadow and bevel effect to these so that they would stand out against the background images, prior to adding the effect I found that they were very difficult to read.

Extras: - Dateline and slogan became one, because I thought it looked better and the black added something which I think has improved the overall look.

- I removed the barcode as the cover looked too crammed and needed some more space.

- I changed the colour palette to blue, green and red since it worked better; but I still believe that colours can be relevant to any audience as oppose to going for more particular colours that only suited one audience.

Opinion

Overall, I am glad with the cover for many reasons: I hadn't expected it to look so much like the flat-plan due to my lack of experience with the software; it looks better in some places when compared to the draft copy; it also stands out and is eye-catching. Despite the fact that there may be certain things that I would slightly alter, such as the cover images flowing better, this is essentially what I was aiming for.

Sixth Form Magazine Flat Plan

This is my flat plan for my sixth form magazine. Inspired by other sixth form magazines as well as a particular issue of "Clash", I am pleased with this draft. Despite saying this I think there will be attributes that may be altered during the process of producing the final piece.

Masthead:
By observing the layouts and designs of many other magazines most mastheads follows a bold and minimalist theme, which is clearly preferred throughout the industry. This is a result of many successful and profitable magazines being affiliated with the design.

 

Following the simplistic theme I decided that I would not go for a title that juxtaposed that, but instead chose a title that would reflect the term. For example, the first issue of the academic year would be called "The First", whereas the last would be called "The Fourth" taking after the terms. Whilst this may be seen as rather dull due to it's simplicity I believe that it would be effective, simply because students would be able to keep up to date with each issue. Additionally, the constantly changing title would almost reinvent the magazine, which would in turn hopefully be able to attract more students.

Personally, I think that the fonts above would all work well with the masthead, however I think that the third (Century Gothic) and fourth (Accord Heavy SF) would be the best, as they wouldn't detract from the rest of the cover.

Slogan/Selling Line:
With a touch of humour the selling line, "Educating the Wight Way", is a play on words which once again is a very popular technique that magazines use. The phrase also uses alliteration which is also a rather common method used in both selling lines, cover lines and headlines.

Main Cover Image(s):
Influenced by the issue of Clash that I did my music magazine analysis on, I thought that recreating a somewhat similar cover image would be eye catching. Unlike the majority of magazines that stick to one photo, I liked what Clash had done and thought I would add my own twist. Furthermore, using more than one image can really be eye catching and stand out from the rest; plus it also enables the reader to get a larger understanding of what the magazine will feature.

Extra Notes:
As for the colour palette, I wanted to go for something which would attract a wide audience and not just a particular group. Therefore, I have so far decided on red, orange and blue; all of which are gender neutral and eye catching.

Analysis of Music Magazine

Clash is a monthly magazine which features both popular music and fashion. First published in 2004, the publication has since gone on to win a total of 8 magazine awards, including Digital Magazine Awards' 2013 Music Magazine of the Year. 

Clash Music Magazine
I find this magazine in particular to be very original and adventurous with it's covers. Take this issue for example, it's very bright; eye-catching and yet unusual but in an appealing way. Due to Clash's unique style their publications stand out from the rest, which in turn makes perfect sense for it's success.

Masthead: Coloured in a bold orange, the masthead is vibrant which will attract a potential reader. Additionally, a common technique that the publisher follows is to always change the colour of the title. Bringing a breath of fresh air to each of the installments that I think adds creativity and progression without a great deal having been changed.

Main Cover Line: Sticking with the same colour as the masthead, as well as the font of the previous cover lines; it appears Clash has a clear colour scheme that enables the audience or frequent reader of the publication to familiarise themselves. As a result of this, despite the unbroken theme of utilising different colours, the audience will easily be able to recognise the article. Such minuscule and perhaps un-noticeable subtitles at times are still detrimental to the design; simply because it becomes a trademark and almost loses some of it's recognisability if these things were to alter suddenly.

Cover Line: Once again the cover line follows a minimalistic design which can only complement the front-page. Although, the description of the magazine may be discrete and very simple because the entire page itself is somewhat basic it doesn't hinder the theme.

Cover Image: Personally, I really enjoy this cover image, not only is it bold and eye-catching but also incredibly unique. Rarely do you see a magazine cover, let alone music magazine, that features torn up photos that come together as a collage. Consequently, the interesting layout would certainly grab the onlooker's attention; having said that it surprisingly maintains the simplistic idea that Clash clearly favours.

House Style: Clash follows an overall house style, some examples include:

 - Font

 - Colour pallet

 - Layout, being minimalistic.

 - As well as going for something unique, that can surely stand out from                                                   the rest.

Opinion

Whilst maintaining a fascinating and gender neutral front-cover, it seems as though there is no target audience. However, from my point of view it would not be a stretch of the imagination to say that the intended readers are young and attentive with their style of dress as well as choice of music. Ultimately, I very much like the entire appearance of the Clash, particularly this issue. Subsequently, I expect that my sixth form magazine will be influenced by this cover, especially the use of collages in order to have a peculiar whilst striking presentation.