FRONT PAGE ANALYSIS 1

I decided to analyse a Sixth Form magazine in order to familiarise myself with the appropriate layout of these kinds of magazines.

From first glance, I know that this magazine is a Sixth Form magazine and is very appealing. This is because of the clear representation of the ideology of a Sixth Form student, due to techniques used (listed below) which have a direct link to the appropriate conventions of this kind of magazine.


Background Image 
The background image is the main image and dominates the majority of the front cover. It has very influential effects as it is the main draw for  new readers and it is usually the first thing. In this magazine, the image is in mid-shot which is commonly used in magazines. The photo connotates that they are enjoying Sixth Form Life due to their posture and smile. Both of people in the photo have a direct gaze which is used to address the audience. This picture directly relates to students and formally addresses them due to the uniform they are wearing. Mid shots also make it easy to register facial expressions. In this example, the reader will immediately recognise that they are happy at their school as the photo denotes this.

Mast Head
The mast head is the main title of the front page and is used to advertise what the magazine contains. It is also the main draw for the audience and takes up a majority of the space. It is usually in the same font and in the same location on every issue in attempt to build a  The mast head is 'in view'  and is white. This contrasts with the green background making it more powerful. The font, draws me to the form of a student magazine and is rather stylish. 'in' is not in bold and 'view' is bold. This makes the magazine seem more professional as these kind of techniques are used to highlight the bold word 'view'. The way the mast head is presented clearly conveys a professional and high achieving school.

Headlines/ Cover lines
The feature cover line in this example is 'Step up to sixth form' which is used as the main attraction point for new readers. It is usually in big bold text and situated at the bottom or the top of the magazine. In music or television magazines, they usually contain the name of a celebrity in attempt to relate to the readers and encourage them to read about them. They are usually rather short and catchy. These bits of text are important when referring to the appropriate form. In this example, I can clearly see that the cover line links in with the form as 'step up to sixth form' relates directly to a sixth form magazine.

Strap-lines
Strap-lines are usually situated under the headline. In this example, the positioning of text stays true to the conventions of a normal magazine. The strap-line is used to add extra information about the magazine. The strap-lines are not the immediate pull factor of a magazine and are usually the secondary. The reader usually will read the headline first and then read the strap-line situated under it. In this example, the strap-line is 'students enhance their learning with a broad range of opportunities'. This agrees with the forms and conventions of a sixth form magazine. This particular strap-line is in my opinion, very effective as it is professional and highlights the professionality of the sixth form that will in turn, attract new students.






In this particular example, the devices used by the school, portray the form and conventions of a Sixth Form magazine through the way it is set out and the content it includes. This particular example of a student magazine is in my opinion, extremely well presented and this is why I chose this example. It also connotates a clear link to the target audience which is in this case, a Sixth Form student. This analysis has helped me decide what to include in my magazine and how my decisions are vital in influencing the targeted audience.