Final double page contents

My finished product.

Final front cover

This is my finished front cover.

Evidence

Evaluation of my school magazine

The making of my double page contents

Making my front cover

Making an original logo for my school took quite a long time as i used many shapes, shadows, backgrounds and had to find the right font to use. I stuck to my original house style of purple and red and the shapes of the trees are suitable to the name of the school, 'Ivy Meadows'.

As many magazines have a bottom strip, i added one so the page looks spread out and adds more variety that attracts the audience. The font i used for the lead story title was 'Microdot' which again fits in with the creativeness of the house style that i thought of. I underlined this title so the lead story is easily recognisable to the readers. I changed the colour of the issue number and date because this section does not appear inside the actual magazine. As i used a bottom strip, i made the sub heading title bigger which was a positive move because it is quite a long title.

I included more of the articles down on the side as there was space there and also added the issue number and date so the readers know it is the most recent issue. I did not add a barcode because my school magazine is free and is not sold in shops. The colours i chose are feminine as my target audience and school is aimed at girls but is also informative to the parents.

From the last screenshot, i added the second image that is obviously smaller than the main image because it is a sub feature but is an article that is specially advertised through the image.

This screenshot shows the titles of the other stories and other texts. I used 'Hobo Standard' to write about the sub headings as it fitted the house style as it looks a bit like the masthead font that is bubbly and creative. I had to move the text and image around to make the positioning perfect. I tried out backgrounds on some of the chosen images although i didn't use them because it make the magazine look unreal and fake so i didn't use any backgrounds at all as i wanted my magazine to look as realistic as it could.

Firstly, tried to make my background have a gradient and decided to pick purple and white because those were my colour scheme as well as red that i used for the masthead. I used the font 'Trendy' for the title because i wanted a creative, bubbly font that would attract females and the students as it is fun and eye catching. Also, i added a shadow on 'Communicate' that would stand out and makes it look interesting. My main image has a shadow on her that highlights the image to make it stand out even more. It takes up most of the page so it is recognisable as to what the lead story is about.

Screenshots of editing the pictures

I tried out a number of special effects and shadows and this is just one of them that i tried.

For this image, i decided to add a highlight on the students to make it look realistic as to what they were portraying.

I also used the clone stamp so there was no green to be seen and also used the regular eraser tool to get rid of the tricky, little bits that were left from the magic eraser tool.

By using a magic eraser tool, i clicked the background and got rid of the green.

I started on photoshop to edit my images to get rid of the green background so the images will be clear on the background i used for my front cover and double page contents.

My chosen pictures

I chose this image because it is a clear mid shot of the dance duo, the expressions are happy which show they are having fun and the pose is a classic dance pose. Therefore, it is easily recognisable that they are dancers.

This image shows the student showing off her colour tie and house which adds the competitive side of which house has won.
This image shows her looking proud and happy wearing her tie and is also a mid shot which is clear and a good angle.

This image was chosen because both students have the right expression that portrays competitiveness between the different houses. Also, the effect that they are both back to back gives of the right impression to the story.

This image is easily recognisable and there were many pictures that had all the right elements so i had a few images that i could have chose that woul have had the same effect. This image in particular has a ballet style, elegant pose from the arms' position and also the expression and the way she looks is clear that she is a ballet dancer.

I chose two images of the singer as they were clear and of good angle. This image was the main photo on the front cover as it portrays happiness, and looks as though she is actually performing.

This image went on the double page contents, as it looks like the image on the front cover, it creates a good effect as to what she is doing and shows her having fun.

Failure photography

As the photo of the dancers was going on my contents page, i wanted a mid shot as the image would come out more clearly. Also, the lighting looks a bit dull on this image.

These are the students that represents the dancing duo. I didn't use this image as i don't think it is believable that they are dancing and don't have the right expression.

I think that this image does not have the best quality and is a bit blurry. I decided to get some views of the students where they are looking directly at the camera in their uniforms with different ties. However, as the feature was on battle of the houses, i wanted them to be showing off their colour ties to make it more suitable to the story.

This is one of the images that i took for the article about the battle of the houses that have raised the most money. I didn't choose this image because i wanted the expressions on the faces to look competitive or have the same facial expression as eachother.

The expression wasn't right and her position doesn't create the effect of a ballet dancer. I need the image to have the actions and a specific look to make it easy to tell what she is representing.

I tried to capture her as she was on her tip toes as it would be easy to recognise she is a ballet dancer however as i took the photo, i was either out of time or the expressions was not right. Also, for my contents i decided it would be better for the image to be of a mid shot with her arms expressing what she is doing instead.

The reason i decided not to use this photo is because it is not recognisable as to what she is meant to be doing as it doesn't portray her as though she is performing. It is hard to tell that she is a ballet dancer and also i wanted a bit more expression on the face.

Even though, this is a close up of the singer, i did not use it because the expression on her face isn't what i wanted for the main image.

This is another long shot which is why i didn't use it although i liked the light shining on the face as it creates effect and the idea of a spotlight as though she was really performing.

This is the image of the singer, i decided not to use this image as i wanted an image where she was looking directly at the camera and i also wanted a close up of her face as the main image i used was going to be of the singer.

Articles

I have been deciding what my main articles will be about so i can take original images for these stories. Also, i have thought about what my magazine would include if i had to make the whole issue.
My lead story is about a school concert where students showed off their musical abilities. I took images of a ballet dancer, singer and a dance duo so it adds variety to the story. After i took these photos, i chose the few images that i was going to use depending on how they looked with the house style and where they were going to be positioned. When i chose the images, i edited them on photoshop to get rid of the green curtain i had used behind them. I got rid of the background because the images i used are recognisable as to what they were portraying.

My other feature story required two students from two different coloured houses as the article was about which house had raised the most money. I took photos of the students together and images of the individually where they showed off their ties.

In the double page contents, i had to think of more article that would be appropriate for a school magazine and aricles that would attract the target audience and would be interesting to read. I included: school news, battle of the houses, a spainsh trip, quizzes, a teacher interview, school olympics, the arts, advice column and GCSE tips. I wanted to make sure my magazine would cover most of the subjects that the students enjoy more than others such as art, music and p.e.

What I have been doing and need to do

Recently I have been flat planning my front cover and double page contents which I have completed.
The school magazine will be made on Photoshop Elements. I wil be taking my original images I need for the articles. As my lead story is about a school concert, I will take images of students showing off their musical talents. My other story that will feature imagery will be about a battle of the houses of who has raised the most money for the charity, 'Cafod' using two students in different houses showing off their colour ties.
I have only just started on Photoshop and have chosen my background which is purple and white suiting my house style.

My chosen logo

This is my chosen logo. The style i have gone for is mature and clear as the audience needs to be able to recognise this logo and as it is targetting parents, i have made it more mature, bold and strong.

Logo ideas

The school name I have chosen is Ivy Meadows school for girls. Above are images of logos I tried to make for the school. This school name goes well with the colour scheme i have chosen as my target audience is females and parents and the house style is stereotypically feminine.

Contents flat plan

This is my flat plan for the double page contents. It will contain five images so it will spread out evenly on the two pages. The list of contents will be on the second page so when you open the front cover, it is easily noticeable. I have decided to add a box where it will feature the headteacher's comments about what has happened recently in the school and also about the present issue. Throughout my front cover and contents, both will have a particular house style sticking to the purple and red colour scheme.

This is my chosen layout for the front cover-it shows more creativity than my first draft and shows more than one feature and more articles so the readers will be more interested as it has a variety of articles for them to read.

My first draft

This was my first draft of what my front cover will look like. I have chosen not to use this draft because in my opinion i think that it looks too basic and simple. I want my school magazine to be creative and have originality compared to other magazines.

Audience research results

The articles should be: interviews, real life columns, advice articles, articles outside the classroom, sport event, reviews, acting and articles that will attract all ages throughout the school.
The colours that were said: light colours such as blues, vibrant and bright colours, the school colours, black and red. The two most common colours that people were attracted to were red and purple and i have chosen these two colours as my house style.
People interests and hobbies: watching television, reading, art, writing, music, sports, an computers.
The target audience should be targeted at all ages in the school including teachers and the magazine should also be informative to the parents.
The central image should: be large, interesting, an image that relates to the lead story, it needs to be relatable and interesting to the people reading it.
The lead story ideas: sport events, after school clubs and events, and important things that are happening in the school.
All of the people i questioned about including interactive features in my school magazine said it would be a good idea as it would make it more fun and add more variety.
I also need to make sure my title is catchy and is appropriate to the genre.
Finally, the front cover will have more than one image so it shows readers that there is more variety and more articles that are happening or have happened in their school recently.

As most people prefered the purpe and red colour scheme, i decided to use this for my school magazine as my target audience would be attracted to these colours.

Audience research questions

Audience research

What types of articles would you like to see in a school magazine?
Which colours attract you?
Should the target audience be just one gender and just target the students?
What kind of central image should be used that would interest you?
Do you like reading about reviews from recent events that have happened in the school?
Should the magazine contain interactive features to make the school magazine more fun to read?
Do you prefer magazine with more than one image on the front cover?
Does the title of the magazine need to be catchy to lure you to read the magazine?
What type of articles should the lead stories be about?
What are your hobbies and interests?

I asked many people these questions about school magazines to get their opinions and ideas to help me as they are part of my target audience.

What I have been doing recently

I have started planning out the layouts of my school magazine front cover and the double page contents. I have annotated why I am using the features and still need to decide on the house style I am going to use.
I know what my lead story is about and now need to take the photos.
After I have the photos and have finished my flat plans, I will be able to start making my magazine.