Evaluation of My magazine front cover.
For my college magazine I first researched into the industry
and looked at other magazines out there. I created a mood board of images and
words that inspired me for a magazine cover also looking at the colours I liked
most and existing examples of magazine covers and contents pages.
I analysed a magazine and looked at key connotations of the
magazine: the Mast head, headline, sub titles, date, barcode, price, main image
and the house style. When looking at all these features I noticed a pattern of similarity
between different magazine covers. The main image was always central and the
camera angle was between a mid- shot or a medium close up. The mast head was
always at the top of the cover page and was the biggest writing on the cover. I
noticed that these two features were the ones you noticed first and that the
producers of the magazine probably did this to catch your eye and if the
magazine is monthly you’ll know the title of the magazine and will look for it
straight away, by it being the biggest text it will be easiest to spot and
being at the top of the cover it will stand out when magazines are stacked in
front.
By looking at all the connotations you can see which
features are those that are used on every cover and depending on what house style
and images are used you can determine the class of the magazine.
After looking at the main features of a magazine, I looked
into the main image and the camera angles that could be used. There was:
close-up, medium close-up, Mid-shot, Full body shot, High angled shot and low
angled shot. In a close up shot you can only see the models face and maybe
neck. In a medium close up you can see more up to the mid waist. In the mid
shot you can see up to the lower waist and sometimes the top of the legs come
into this camera frame. The full body shot is when you can see the models full
body and the high angled shot and low angled shots and shots that are taken
from different heights. I took some photos of my model for examples of these
camera framing's to see which looked best but I decided that the medium close-up
was the best shot.
After looking at camera framing's I analysed a front cover
and a contents page from a magazine in the industry already. This was to help
me understand why the features were there and how they made the magazine look
good. I looked at other magazines also
and 3 existing college magazines. I then quickly analysed them to see similarities
and which features looked good. I also analysed a college magazine cover of my
choice and said why I liked it and looked at features that the producer had
used to see what I could use for my magazine.
After researching into the industry I then made a spider
diagram of initial ideas and what I would like on my magazine. I looked at the
language, audience, class and style, and what the magazine would represent. I
wanted my style to be quite high in the industry and so the text of my magazine
would need to be well written and stories that are about the college and students
instead of parties and things that wouldn’t be interesting to my audience. I
wanted my house style to be purple and burgundy, quite rich colours that are
also eye catching. Following my spider diagram I created two initial ideas of a
contents page and a front cover. I placed boxes and text of what would go where
on both of them.
I then took some original images of my own. My model was
Kathy and we went on location around college to take images at different angles
and in different places to see which I would choose for my final image. I took
some images of art and textiles to place on my front page to show other
subjects that happen inside the college.
I then made a mock of a contents page and of a front cover
on Photoshop. I created text in a bright colour to be eye catching and I created
some images on PowerPoint with special image effects, saved them as japegs and
placed them on my cover. I also created splashed in different shapes for some
text to go in. This made that particular story stand out more.
To make up my stories for my front cover I looked at other
college magazines and most were about the subjects and events of the college
and so I came up with new college subjects as one story, free Wi-Fi for
students as another and then a main headline about the model as my main image, Kathy,
saying that she had got into a top university. These stories would not only be
eye catching for students but for parents also.
For my final front cover I chose an image that I had taken
and then on Photoshop I used the same stories, mast head and created a special
effect image box set of my own images and placed it all together.
If I could have done anything differently I would have gone
on different location to another college or place but as it was restricted time
I had to use the college I went to.
