Product - My sixth form magazine analysis

Front Cover

Masthead:

Besides the model, the masthead is the largest section on the front cover of a magazine. I have used this convention for my own magazine and used an impactful, bold font to emphasise the masthead. I added a drop shadow to give the masthead more dimension since the colour is a light grey and would have easily blended into the background. The font is modern and slightly futuristic - this will appeal more to the students since it gives the magazine a contemporary ambience.

"Vision":

The word vision holds connotations of sight and glimpses into the future. This is the purpose of the magazine - it provides readers with an insight to the life of the school/sixth form and also gives readers a snippet of the future and of what they can expect during the school year - for example, there is mention of an upcoming production of "Hairspray".

Image:

I have placed the model slightly off-centre and more to the right of the cover. This follows the codes and conventions of other magazines and makes it a lot easier for readers to read the cover lines since most people typically read from left to right. The model is represented as a typical student; she has her blazer on and by holding a folder she appears academic. There is direct mode of address to make the magazine more personal and relatable for the target audience: students.

The background is slightly out of focus so that the model is all in focus; this connotes the magazine is aimed at students. The background is very toned and there is a lot of greenery. This juxtaposes with the concept of the magazine being modern and contemporary. However, it makes the school look more appealing (especially with the natural lighting from the sun) and could perhaps attract potential students to join the school during sixth form. 

School logo and motto:
At the bottom of the front cover, I have included the school logo and the school motto. The logo gives the magazine a brand identity and so readers are aware of the fact that the magazine is associated with the school and the content is about the school. 

The school motto is appropriate for the cover because it suggests that by turning the page (i.e. "entering" the magazine), readers will discover and learn a lot about the school and its community. 

Cover lines:
The articles featured on the front cover follow the codes and conventions of sixth form magazines. There is use of different fonts (but not too many) which suits the house style. To give the magazine a more professional look, I used the logo of "Hairspray" instead of simply typing the word out. This essentially breaks up the white/light grey writing and easily attracts a reader's attention. 

There is use of sensationalistic language such as "exclusive" and "gossip" which many other magazines use. These words connote how the stories are not available anywhere else and are only featured in the magazine so readers should read it to find out more.

Contents

I incorporated a house style to this magazine by using the same font for the "Contents" title as I did for the masthead. This once again reinforces the concept of the magazine being more youth-orientated and suitable for a younger target audience.

The background is a light grey colour that has a subtle green tone to it - this fits in with the colour scheme of the magazine but also complies with the house style and gives the magazine a more polished, professional look.

The featured articles include the articles featured on the front cover (Head Talks and Hairspray). This is a convention followed by many magazines and one I have also used in my magazine. The article "Efficient revision tips" is essentially a guide to how students can learn to revise effectively and how to avoid leaving it all last minute. This demonstrates how the magazine is targeted towards a student audience. It also strays from most sixth form magazines which just included articles about the events happening within school. This article offers tips and useful information for students on how to improve their skills.