Evaluation of College magazine

My college magazine, WCM, represents the college in a very positive way because it shows how the college believe in their students and that we can all succeed. It also shows that our students are aiming for a more healthier lifestyle, if they have one already or are trying to accomplish one.For my magazine I didn't want to be very conventional because Wyke college is not coventional and is one of a kind so I wanted to show that through my magazine.
I did a lot of things that was conventional such as title in the left hand corner and used red colouring. Also I have four images used on the front page. What I didn't do conventionaly was the layout of using scatterd poleriod photographs to show my other images. Usually a magazine just places the images on the page around the main images.
The audience for my magazine is students ranging from 16 to 19 who live in Hull or the East Riding. My audience is also for students interested in the college and what's going. It aslo will attract students willing to take all the adivice the magazine offer.
My audience could also be staff, teachers and parents of the college students, because they will want to know what is going on within the college and news about it.
To attract my audience into reading the magazine, I have used images of students, so that would make people who know the students want to read on. I have also used a very modern layout which doesn't make the magazine look so serious when in fact it looks very fun.
From  creating this magazine I have learnt how to use the basics of photoshop, for example I can now add text to and image. Also by using the new version of microsoft words i was able to make my images polaroids which I never knew how to do.
In comparason to the Grimsby institute magazine I think that 'GX' magazine looks more proffesional than my 'WCM' magazine but because of this my magazine looks more appropriate for college because its asif a students of the college put it together which appeals to the student audiance knowing its not adults writing about topics.

Analysis Of the Front Cover

This is my college magazine front cover.
As you can see I have chosen red writing so it stands out more and its easier to read.
I decided it would be a good idea to add some text into the bottom of the Polaroid pictures as they fit perfectly and it looks neater.
My first article is about a student who has gained a role on hit soap 'Corrination Street'. This shows that the college are very pleased for the student. It also shows that by going to college you can achieve which sends out a good message to people deciding whether or not to gain more qualifications.
The top article is about how the Wyke building has been officially opened and in the article it would include how the college benifits with having the new building and all the new facilities. Also it would include some interviews with staff and some opinions off of students.
The Next image of the bikes is an artical to show Wykes healthy college lifestyle, it includes WCM's Top Ten be healthier tips and  helps to persuade students and teachers to be healthier.
The bottom image is also to do with a healthier lifestyle. The arctical is about how the NHS has donated some money to help wyke students and teachers stop smoking. It features lots of ways to help them quite their habbit. This sends out a positive message about the college because even though everyone who goes to the college are legal to smoke the college are still saying 'its very bad and you shouldnt do it, we can help'.
My catch-line is 'Be the best you can be WCM'. I chose this immediatly because in my head I wanted the magazine to give more advice than general information because college life is stressful and with this magazine giving tips and being very insperational it can help students in many ways. I also think its very catchy and has a ring to it.
I aslo mentioned the Halloween party at the bottom and used the font 'chiller' which make it look more sinister and fits the theme of halloween as it looks like blood dripping although its in black. I chose to mention it because it shows that the college is a very social place to be and 'if you work hard you can party hard'.

The Contents page

This is my contents page. As you can see I have gone into detail about what the topics on the front page are about, I have done this because not always on the front of magazine covers it tells you what the topic is about, this makes the reader want to read on. Also I thought it would be a good idea to have a few words off the principal at the bottom because he runs the college and not a lot of people see him about and he could possibly give a peice of advice for the week or something insperational.
The contents page is very simple.
I think by making it very basic its more easier to find out what page your looking for.
To match the front cover I would also have the background white and have the main writing in red, for example the headline such as 'Wyke student gets a role on Corrination Street' would be in red. The captions underneath would be in black to show information.

For an article I wanted to show how Wyke College is a healthy college and mention 10 ways on how we can make it healthier. So as the image for this I thought I would show how many people come to college on a push bike. The top image is the one I will be using but rotated as there looks like there is a lot more bikes then there is. The bottom image however I like but because it its in black and white it looks  very dull and not as effective as it is in colour.

Layout and ideas etc..

For my front cover i want something very different and interesting and not just your typical boring layout. I want it to appeal to teenagers so it will have to be very modern and quite 'funky', although it has to be easy to read and kept quite simple.
I decided to have my main image (obviously) and then for the other images on the page to have them look like scattered Polaroids, which I think will look very artistic and fun.

I think this is perfect because you can see the main image perfectly and the Polaroids up the side look really cool and don't hide the main image. Also by using red text it will make it easier to read and stand out more.
I did this layout by using Microsoft Word.

More images

This is for my stop smoking idea I have. The top left image i edited to look as if smoking makes you dull and grey but I dont think it works as well as I thought it would. The image next to it the boy smoking is laughing which doesn't send out the right message at all. The bottom image will be used in my magazine because the boy looks in deep thought and deppresed about smoking. I editied it so its slightly sepia so it looks dull and dirty, which could represent how smoking is bad.

Magazine Name ideas

Short and Snappy titles are more common and catchy among the general public eg. NME, Now, Look.
So I want something along the lines of this.
My first idea was 'WCM' which is Wyke College Magazine but shortened, which is sweet and simple but I Thought that could be quite boring and dull.
My second idea was Whizz but then it sounded to cliche because a lot of magazines for colleges would be called that.
I also came up with these ideas:
ReadBook, which in its own way is very humorous as it sounds like Facebook and then it's a shorter way of saying read this book. But it doesn't work for me as a title for a college magazine.
YourWyke, I really liked this idea because it's directing the audience as individuals and makes them feel in a way more involved.
I have now decided to use my first idea, WCM, as my title because its short and catchy even though its a bit dull.

Images

 This is the image I will be using for my magazine cover. It's ideal because its very light and all the colours are mainly white or grey so by using red text it will stand out more. The student is smiling and sat very posed. She has no piercings and looks like a role model for the college.

This image is slightly off colour and darker than I would of liked. Also the student is about to laugh and doesn't look very serious.

Liiar analysis of two college magazines

 lol

This is the Grimsby Institute magazine, ‘GX’. 
The college is a further and higher education college which allows people of any age to attend and acheieve qualifications.

The masthead is very short and snappy and is in big bold letters, which is very conventional because most magazines use a red, short and snappy title.

They have put the cover lines in white and they stand out but would have looked better in black to look more dominant as they are against a cream wall and one of the men in the image has a cream jacket on.  The cover lines are also very catchy and go into detail about them underneath. They also fit perfectly into the image without it covering the band member’s faces or spoiling the image which makes it look more professional without it looking to serious.

The main image of the band is highly symbolic because just by looking at the image you can tell immediately what genre of music they would play just by looking at the pose (which is quite rebellious) and also by the clothes they are wearing.

The smaller image below the main image is totally different. For example it is more posed. 

The college clearly shows you that they believe in all of their students and want them to follow there dreams and succeed.  You can see this because by looking  at the main image of the band you can see that they are a bit of edgy and fun which is not what you would usually see on the front cover of a college magazine. What you would see on the front cover of a college magazine is a clean-cut, smartly dressed student smiling.

East Riding College Magazine is very different in comparason to GX magazine, its very simple and not as edgy and interesting looking as it. The main image isn't really what you expect of a magazine. It doesn't catch the attention of the 16+ audiance. You can't see there faces and its of more then 4 people which makes it very boring and doesn't make you want to read on. Its a college magazine but just by glancing across at it, it comes across as possibly a photography magazine or a travel magazine so I don't think it was that well thought up.
I think the magazine is very bland and doesn't appeal to its target audiance. Also it doesn't really mention the contents of the magazine clearly, what they have done is placed it at the bottom section of the magazine.  The college itself welcomes more than 1,500 full time students each year and thousands more take on part-time and higher education courses. The main campuses are in Beverly and Bridlington and there is also a site in Hull. They have a memorable logo at the bottom right which I think is in a awkward place. Overall I think the GX magazine ticks all the boxes for a college magazine as this Student Life is very boring and wouldn't make me want to read it.

Analysis of the Brief

Language:

Images that will represent the college in a good way and show how the college is always moving forward. Also showing how the college will give advice to students or staff to lead a better lifestyle. A catchy  title or memorable logo. Text that is appropriate for the topics etc. A headline that will make the audiance want to buy or read it. Cover lines and price (if its not free) - then also a barcode.  I decided to my magazine free because then it shows the college is quite generous to students and wants them to have there advice and news for free.

Institution:

Wyke College six form

Approximately 1300 students

50% from outside of Hull

99.7% pass rate

Ideology:
Excellence in education.

All students to be treated equally and with respect.

Healthy eating
Sexual Health
Having a good time and college and making the most of it.

Audience:

16-19 year olds who are from East Riding/Hull
Staff , Teachers and Parents of the College students

Representation:

Students, parents, staff and teachers. Who all believe in excellence in education and succeeding.
To give the best advice to students so they can live the college life in the best way possible.

College Magazine

The Brief

This project requires me to create the front page and draft of the contents page for a college magazine. We are only allowed to use DTP and a image manipulation programme. We must present a mock-up of the layout and contents page to show our though process.