Preliminary task first magazine analysis 'SUCCESS'

The masthead of this school magazine is ‘success’ this was probably chosen as the title because success is relatable it’s something we all want to gain in life.consequently, this eye-catching choice of title not only suggests that the magazine is up to date, which makes it perfect for students but it also encourages us to do better in achieving their goal of success by striving to do their very best. Also the one word title is bold and eye catching which makes the magazine more noticable and attention-grabbing. As is common among the majority of successful magazines, the masthead is situated at the top of the front cover or skyline. ‘SUCCESS’ is written in uppercase letters in a large, bold, vibrant font to perhaps make the magazine seem more informal and appealing to students.

The colour scheme for the masthead is fitting for the magazine as there is a lot of blue in the background associated to the school, but it has quite an unusual font using big blue letter with the inside shaded white which makes it stand out and present itself in a more appealing light. Using such a vivid colour of blue makes the magazine stand out as the magazine itself shows lots of dark blues and the bright and vibrant blue just makes this magazine stand out a whole lot more which is more attractive to the younger people.

The colour scheme for the masthead further supports that they are sticking to a theme using mainly blues and whites as their magazine cover. Contrasting the bright and vivid colour of blue makes the title even more striking and is effective in making it more for the younger generation.

Although it is somewhat difficult to see, behind the masthead and slogan the words ‘Whitley bay high school’ are imprinted on the building that serves as the magazines background image. The reader is permitted to presume that this is the name of the school; it is possible that it did not need to be a focal point of the front cover as the magazine might be well known. It can only be assumed then that ‘Whitley bay high school’ have published the magazine as there is no conflicting information to suggest otherwise. As it is a school magazine, it is unlikely that the school would be publishing any other genre of magazine and if it is, again it is not stated.

SUCCESS’ is a magazine clearly directed at the pupils of the school obviously although some of the information may prove useful for parents and teachers it is clear that this magazine is aimed mainly at teenagers. The cover lines ‘what’s cooking in Whitley bay high school’ and get creative with some tips from the gcse art students’ shows that it is a normal school magazine aimed at the school pupils.

The main image depicted on the front cover is of a young girl – presumably a student of the school; navy jumpers are a generic symbol of school uniforms and so her clothing could undoubtedly be recognised as part of this school’s uniform.

Through wearing the uniform: as students of the school, readers would be able to relate to the figure on the magazine and her smiling face only serves to further increase likability. Taken from a front facing angle, the medium shot positions readers as looking straight at the girl. The girl in the main image looks relaxed and is smiling portraying the school to be a happy fun place with photos of her doing various activities in workshops bring us right back to ‘SUCCESS’ which emphasises you can’t go anywhere without doing the work in this magazine students will reach their full potential and gain their success by following the tips provided for gcse students. Her purpose on the cover is to signify the student body as a whole and present the school as a friendly and welcoming whilst professional environment. The combination of a smile and the uniform ensure this idea is created in the minds of readers.

In the left corner we see a puff highlighting the fact that the magazine is free and through the inclusion of a personal pronoun here, readers are directly addressed and encouraged to read. Another puff is incorporated in the form of the issue number letting us know how many have been published showing it’s been a success ‘issue 12’.

In terms of the magazines overall presentations is bold and cool appealing to the niche audience which is teens and young people, With the use of bright colours, bold fonts and an image of a young student; the front cover projects the general feeling that ‘SUCCESS’ is a magazine created for students, by students. For me, this is something that would make it stand out among many other school magazines which can often be quite plain and formal. It is a very common design. Also, the fonts and image are not incredibly creative – something more eye-catching could have been used. As this is a school magazine, it is not entirely surprising that there are no endorsements or advertisements for products on the front cover – this is not to say that they are not inside.