16TH JAN 2012

Today was our first day blogging. 
We looked at what is and isn't a good magazine cover, and then made a note of everything we could see in the frame. 


http://www.kehs.org.uk/UserFiles/File/HP_AUT_WINT_09_lowres.pdf


When deconstructing this example I found of a good magazine cover we found characteristics that all successful magazines had:

• a clear bold title at the top - the word Profile in the title is the second word but the only word in bold. Therefore making the viewer focus upon this word. If the word High was in bold then it could bring people to think of drugs. 
• the date and title of the school included with the magazine title however in a smaller font - this is because it is still important but not as important to the consumer as the recognisable title will be. 
• a rhetorical question - this is also in quite a large font. This aspect of the cover is important because it is what draws the buyer in to being interested in the magazine. If they don't think that there is anything of interest in the magazine then they aren't going to buy it.
• the image covers the whole page with the font on top of the picture - this is often done to show the main story of the magazine and create a colour theme. 
• the font is consistant showing a mature approach to the magazine as apposed to a amature approach

An example of a poor attempt at a magazine is the magazine Crazy Chillin' from an english school in Germany.




This isn't a good magazine because of various reasons:

• the colour theme of the colour, not only being different to the rest of the magazine but also being yellow. The colour yellow has been proven to be a colour to avoid because it makes it harder to view. 
• the font is inconsistant and therefore makes it seem amature 
• by having an intensional italic in the title of the school for the word the it makes the magazine seem even more amature, as though they are just trying to include loads of different effects. 
• the title of the magazine is in a special effect font. Although this may have been done to make the consumer think it is "cool" it just makes it confusing to read and should probably have been left in a clear bold font. 

The contents page of any magazine is important and although it does benefit this magazine by having one, because it has been done in such a way that looks boring childish and basic, it means the consumer is just going to be even less interested in the magazine. 

• the font is inconsistant again, so almost confuses the eye of the observer
• the colour, although has changed from the original yellow is now just all white and so adds to the boring theme the magazine will now hold
• although it has many different headings and subjects within the magazine, as the saying goes "its quality not quantity" and just from reading the page titles, it becomes very repetitive and basic. 
• no colours or images have been used to draw the consumer in so it is likely they won't want to read on. 

All magazines should contain a double page spread. This is just usually to show one of the main stories of the magazine or one of the facts they feel will be most appealing to the reader. 

This double page spread is not only bland, but inconsistant. The article is an interview with a teacher. However the font used is continually changing, there isn't a consistancy with capital letters and full stops.