What I have learnt so far.

 I have learnt how to create a blog, and how to use the blog productively in order to represent all my media work in an informative, professional way. This included learning how to post images and text, and also to make my blog look attractive.

Key terminology is key in media and I have learnt a lot of this within my opening lessons, such as:

• ·      A header, this is the writing at the very top of the page which provides the key information such as the date of the issue and issue number
•  The masthead, this is key to magazine covers as it is the ‘title’, this is normally definitive of the magazine and doesn’t change from issue to issue- it remains the same.
• Central image, this is the main image that is typically a medium shot.
• Cover lines, these are like short story lines to give the reader an insight into what the magazine entails.
• Plugs are extra information on the cover lines and are found below the cover lines in smaller writing.
• Graphic features, this is images made from a computer which is found on a lot of professional magazines more than school ones.
• The 3 color principle, this is when three colours are used as a colour scheme with the cover lines, header and masthead.
• Barcode is a key feature to a magazine as it is a key selling point, it is almost always found in the bottom right hand corner.

I have also done some research into school magazine covers and I have analysed three that I found, this helped give me ideas of what to include and what to not include when I make my own magazine cover. It has also helped me develop confidence using the terminology. The key things I picked up on from my research was that the main image should be a central medium shot as this allows the audience to see the facial expressions and engage with the personality of the reader from the dress sense and body language.

I also found that almost all-magazine cover’s mastheads are large and therefore stand out and need to be in a bold colour. Further, I have learnt more professional ideas such as using computer and creating a catchy but simplistic colour scheme. Finally, a key subject I will need to focus on will be making short, snappy cover lines to entice my target audience to my magazine and give them some knowledge of what to expect within the magazine.

Overall I believe that my research and learning has helped me develop knowledge I never knew and also helped me come up with ideas I would like to include within my own magazine.

This is my mockup for my school magazine cover. It is very basic but shows a brief overview of the way I plan to present my magazine cover.

I will follow the conventions of having the masthead central and dominant which is why it is placed centrally and quite large in the mock up. The font used here I’m not sure if I will use on the magazine, but as you can see it is clear and formal. Next to the masthead on the left hand side I have placed the typical logo of the school to show symbolism and intertextuality of the school.

 I have followed this by the main image being typically central and I plan for the model to have a direct gaze at the reader. I plan to use a happy model to give an upbeat atmosphere to the magazine and make show the general feeling of being at the school as happy.

I will include a small header so that the information of the magazine is give, such as the date, issue and website of the school and magazine, along with this simplistic feature I have also included the price and barcode as these are typical of a magazine and make it look professional.

The sell lines are directly under the main image this is also following conventions. The cover lines and plugs will be used to further sell the magazine and give more of an insight into what is in the magazine. These will be catchy and provide small bits of information about the inside content.

Lastly I will also include the three-colour principle by using the school colours blue and red and then a neutral black. This will hopefully look professional and suit the magazine well.