Evaluation for Magazine Cover

For my preliminary task I had to create a front cover for a college magazine. To do this I first conducted a L.I.I.A.R and conventions analysis of existing magazine covers. I analysed three college magazine covers as these were in relation to my product design. The conventions included the positioning of the masthead, sell lines and main image. This helped give me an idea of what I should include on my own magazine cover. I then went on to look at examples of shot types to have a better understanding of the different connotations shown through the images. 

My most preferred shot type to use was the two shot because it helps portray to the audience the relationship between the subjects which impacts on the way they perceive the image. For example the main image I have used on my magazine cover is a low angled two shot of two students studying. This portrays a friendly and welcoming mood as the students look like close friends. This also shows that the students attending the college are hard-working and the low angle of the camera gives the impression they are important.

The next stages in my planning were creating an initial ideas spider diagram and mock-up of the cover.  The spider diagram was created on PowerPoint and included the shot type, colour scheme and fonts I planned to use. I used the mock up, which I had created on publisher, to show where I planned to place the sell lines and masthead as I had not included this in my spider diagram. I created two mock ups of the cover as I added an image to the second to give me a better idea of the overall layout.

I then created a mood board which included a range of  images which related to my target audience-college students. It also includes colour schemes and fonts that I was thinking of using on my final magazine cover.

My magazine cover represents young teenage social groups who attend college. The main image I used also represents willing and confident students who attend the college. This links to my target audience because my product is aimed at college students.

I attempted to attract my target audience by using sell lines which appealed to them. This included advertising student discount. Using an image of people the same age would also attract the target audience as they feel they could relate more to those in the magazine. I also created a colour scheme by matching the colour of the sell lines to the masthead. This meant that the cover was not over crowded with colour and was easy to read. This would attract the audience as it isn’t overpowering to look at and seems more welcoming to read.

Looking back at my perfume task I have learnt a lot more about planning and organizing before I produce a final product. This particularly helped me when deciding on the conventions and features of the magazine cover and made me think more about the connotations of the product.

If I was to do this task again I would conduct more research with my target audience and look at a wider range of related media. Conducting more research would have helped me understand what should be aimed at the target audience.