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Analysis Of A School Magazine Front Cover

Font: On this school magazine cover, the majority of fonts are written in a sans serif form. This includes the masthead, the headline and the standfirst. This is because sans serif fonts are more commonly used with the younger generation. This is because they are more eye-catching to younger people due to them being more modern, sleek and simple, with serif fonts being a more formal, sophisticated and older font for adults. So, by using sans serif fonts, the magazine is more likely to appeal to the young readers it is targeting at. The sans serif font therefore gives the effect to its target audience, that it is a friendly, fun and up-to-date magazine they will be interested in reading. The only writing on the magazine cover in a serif font are the words discreetly at the bottom ‘The

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News Magazine Of Royds Hall’. This is because this line is informative and more traditional, as it is probably printed on every single cover, so it is kept in a more serious and classic font. An ‘@’ sign in the masthead is used. This is because it’s a very informal and current way to attract it’s potential readers, by using an abbreviation which they can relate to, to make them appeal to the magazine and create the impression that it’s youthful and ‘cool’ to read. The fonts used are all different sizes, e.g., the masthead and headline are much bigger and bolder than the rest of the text. This is because they are the main and most important texts on the covers, so making them a bigger size lets them stand out and appear more eye-catching to people viewing the cover.

Layout: The layout of this school magazine cover is very ordered and spacious. This gives the effect to the reader that the magazine is an easy read and that it’s simply designed and not too cluttered, so that it is difficult to read. The ‘route-of-the-eye’ technique has been used in this layout. This is because in the top right corner, there is the text ‘summer 09 edition 3’, followed by the masthead further along in the top left corner. Under the masthead is then the text ‘A specialist college for science and mathematics’, then with the ‘route-of-the-eye’ carrying on, cutting through the boy and the girl’s faces, so that they are a main attraction of the cover. The headline is then placed near the bottom left corner with the standfirst underneath it, then with the text ‘The news magazine of Royds Hall’. This all follows a ‘route-of-the-eye’ pattern, which makes sure every important feature on the magazine gets noticed and is read. It also creates a simple, yet effective layout. There is a higher ratio of text to image in the magazine cover, as there is only one image and several pieces of text. However, the one image is very large, so when first looking at the cover you see more of the image, then the texts surrounding it.

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Colour: The main colour schemes of this school magazine cover are different shades of blue. For example, the background, masthead and even the students’ school uniform are blue. This gives readers the impression that most probably Royds Hall College colours are blues. This shows readers that the colours on the cover are designed well, so that the magazine can clearly be recognised with ‘Royds Hall’s and it links in with the college. The headline on the cover has been written in a bright yellow. This is so that the text stands out and is eye-catching; so that readers can straight away see what topic the magazine story is inside. The rest of the text is white, so that it can clearly stand out and be seen to readers against the shade of blues.

Images: There is only one image used in this school magazine cover and it is a midshot of two students learning. A midshot has been used as they are sitting at a table, doing a science experiment. This means the midshot can show readers what the students are learning and also easily see their faces, as the shot is focused in on them and the table. The image is of two students looking happy and smiling, as it suggests to readers the Royds Hall is a friendly college, where students enjoy themselves and this gives a good impression on the college. The image also shows them both doing a science experiment, as the college is specialised in science, but also shows readers that students at Royds Hall are hard workers and that there is plenty of learning, which also gives another good impression on the college. The props that have been used in this image are plant leaves and a scientific microscope. This is because, as the magazine text states, Royds Hall is a college that specialises in science and the headline of the magazine is ‘under the microscope’. As of this, these were appropriate props to use, as it’s showing students of the college taking part in a science experiment (which they specialise in) and the microscope (which is also next to the headline) ties in, as it is what the main article of the school

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magazine is about, as the headline is ‘under the microscope’. The costumes that have been used in the image are school uniforms. This is obviously because it’s a school magazine cover, so school uniforms are used for costumes, as it is very conventional for all school students to wear a uniform. This means that when people first look at the cover and see two young people wearing a school uniform, it immediately shows readers that this is a school magazine.

Mode Of Address: The tone of the school magazine cover is very informal. This is created through the fonts, language, images, and colours. For example, the fonts are therefore giving the cover a less serious tone, making it more informal. The language is also informal as it uses the abbreviation ‘@’ in the masthead. This is informal because it creates a young tone, which will appeal to young students, and also, a formal tone would never use abbreviations and everything would be written out fully. The image is also informal, as the two students are looking away from the camera smiling, giving the colour a happy and friendly informal tone. Finally, the colours also give the cover an informal tone. This is because the colours are not a serious and boring black and white, (which would create a very formal tone) instead they are mainly blues and a yellow. These colours are eye-catching, bright and fun, so give the magazine cover more of an informal tone again.

Conventions: This school magazine cover is conventional as it includes many features that are typically seen on a magazine cover. For example, it includes a masthead and a headline, which are conventionally big, bright and bold, as they are important magazine features so they need to be easily seen and stand out. The cover also has a standfirst, which is conventional as it explains more about the headline to the reader and is commonly on many magazines. This magazine is also a

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conventional school cover, as it contains an image of two students happy and learning, which mostly all school magazines have, to give a good impression on their school. The layout is also conventional, as it follows the popular route-of-the-eye pattern. This pattern is conventionally used because it keeps the cover looking simple and uncluttered, but also effective, as readers view the magazine in certain way, so that they notice everything. The colours used are also blues in the cover, which match the school uniform. This is conventional, as schools normally do this, so that the magazine links in with their school and has a professional look. Finally, the san serif fonts used on the cover are also conventional because this type of font is more commonly used with the younger generation, as they are sleek, modern and simple. This means they were conventional to use, as school magazines are aimed at their young students, so it helps the magazine appeal more to its readers.