The E.T.

I was thinking about the appropriate name for my student magazine, something that will be original and familiar to the reader at the same time. It has to represent the college and link to it but also be something that comes from outside the college. It also has to be eye catching and create certain thoughts and associations for each reader. 

Here is an advert which pushed my idea to further development:

This is a very original, eye catching, in a way funny and very smart way to grab people's attention. Even though it is absolutely irrelevant to the magazines, the idea of using something already so familiar to people and use it in a absolutely different way as it is used to be thought of. 

All this thinking led me to this - the Edmundian Times magazine, or simply the E.T.

Originally E.T. stands for the Extra-Terrestrial, a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg. Few years ago a popular American singer Katy Perry released a hit with the same name. So I thought, it will associate with either movie or song  depending on the age of readers, meaning that everyone will find reasons to read it. Also, this is a perfect abbreviation that has Edmundian name in it. 

So, let the E.T. production begin and soon you will see the first pages of it! 

Photoshop ''magic''

In today's lesson we were learning the basic tools of photoshop and how to work with it. I've had unsuccesseful attempt to use photoshop earlier so I can probably say that this was my first time I've actually USED photoshop. I did get a little bit confused at first but in the end I managed to finish the task.

Our task was to turn this:

Into something that would look like this:

Here are somee tools I've used:

1. I've used a ''pen'' to select the crab and than made a selection to make the tool work.

2. I've created a grey-brown background and copy - pasted the crab, and the lemons, on it.

3. To create a spine I've selected a part of background, coloured it in pink and added texture to it.

4. The final step was to add text on the image using the ''T'' tool. I've used it twice to create a heading of the book and a slogan.

  

Questionnaire analysis

So, I've published my little questionnaire earlier, however I also made printed copies of it and asked different people around the school to fill them in. I've end up with 30 answered questionnaires and here are some results and analysis of them.

First of all from the results I've realised that people divided in three groups according to the ages:

• 12 to 14 years old
• 15 to 17 years old
• 18 and above

The biggest group was aged 15 to 17 and there was one person who was 18.

 Also within 30 people more then a half were females. 

I've summed up all the answers and circled them on a questionnaire paper as you can see below

These are the results for each question:

3. What age should the student magazine mainly aim for?
 Majority of people voted for magazine having something for all the year groups, however there were 9 people who thought it should be targeting the A-Level students, and 6 people circled "for years 10 to 11".

4. What gender should the student magazine aim for?
 It was almost unanimously (27) voted for magazine being suitable for both genders, however there were 3 exceptions  - 2 female and 1 male.

5. How often should the magazine be published?
 Out of 5 choices only three were chosen by students. Some wanted to see the magazine every half term, some every term but 18 people thought it should come out every month.

6. What do you want to see more in the student magazine?
 Really there was a little bit of everything, but students seemed to be most interested in latest news and updates. There is a little interest in advices for better studying, however for a student magazine their choices are pretty balanced. No extra ideas were offered.

7. How much are you willing to pay for the magazine?
  There seems to be two groups of 12, who are either prepared to pay between 1.5 and 1 pounds or want to get it for free. Only two people agreed to pay 2 pounds, and 4 of students would by the magazine for less than 1 pound.

I've also been proposed to include some fashion pages in my student magazine, but make them related to school. For example, discuss the subject of school uniform and maybe put up some looks.

To conclude, from the results of the questionnaire it follows that my student magazine should be aimed for all the genders and ages. It should be a monthly issue and include bits of information about school, world, media, fashion and entertainment as well as education. It should be charged not more than 1.5 pound or given for free.

Thank you to everyone who voted and might read this post. Also, even though I already have results, you are still very welcomed to answer the questionnaire online. 

Questionnaire

Hi everyone, 

Here is a little questionnaire which will help me to decide how to present my student magazine and what to include in it. If you have a spare minute or two, please be free to answer the questions in the comments. 

Anyway, thank you. :)

1. Your gender

     - Male       - Female

2. Your age

     -12 to 14   -15 to 17  -18(or above)

3. What age should the student magazine mainly aim for?

     - For years 7 to 9   - For years 10 and 11   - For sixth form only  - For everyone

4. What gender should the student magazine aim for?

     - Male       - Female     - Both

5. How often should the magazine be published?

    - Once a half term   - Once a term   - Monthly    - Weekly     - More often

6.What do you want to see more in the student magazine?

     - School news   - Tips on better studying and revision    - Latest music, movies and books updates

    - Fashion    - Entertainment (jokes, quizes etc.)     - Interviews of students and photos     - Other

*If you have chosen "Other" please write your idea (with a little star next to it)

7. How much are you willing to pay for the magazine?

     - £3 to 4     - £2    - £1.5 to 1   - less than £1    - Get it for free

8. I might have forgotten to mention something, or you might have your own ideas which you would like to see in a student magazine, please share them.  

Analysis of a content page - "Fourth wall"

I've chosen one of the content pages of the "Fourthwall" magazine as I've already analised its cover page. 

• it has an overall white background
• the headline is in bold black font which contrasts with the background and stands out on it
• all the writing has two main colors - red and black, they both stand out very well 
• the layout of images and text is very smart - all the text is placed in a column so the reader isn't distracted from the main information
• the pictures reflect the main articles in the magazine
• the biggest picture of Andrew Scott links contents back to the cover
• pictures have bigger variety of colors rather than being black-and-white which makes it less serious as it would seem and brings a hint that it is aimed for younger audience

Overall the contents page reflects the cover page of the magazine. It has everything the contents page needs: headlines of articles, pictures and short descriptions of what the articles are about. It has some bright colors, but it creates an overall impression of an interesting magazine aimed for older students. 

Analysis of a student magazine - "Honor student"

Honor student is an American student magazine.Student Magazine is the place where the high school students can find the best information in preparing for college and more. Its target audience is geared towards high school guidance counselors, parents and most importantly, the students.

Musthead: 

• the masthead is in two different fonts but both are serif which suggest it is targeted for older students and is more serious
• yellow and white colors are used so it stands out more on the red background
• because the musthead itself has a red background it doesn't overlay the main picture

Main picture:

• it is a mid close up picture of a student and it takes all the cover page
• the focus is on the girl and background of the photo is blurred  - this emphasises the student
• it is very bright and warm colors are used
• if look closer, the girl in the picture is studying and college or university building i seen at the back. 

Cover lines:

• all the cover lines are more to the right of the cover page so in a way they balance it with the girl's picture
• there are not many of the cover lines what suggests that magazine is not very big and has a limited circulation
• all are written in bold font - this again suggest that magazine is targeted to an older audience and also makes the cover lines stand out more on a very colorful background
• many different bright colors are used, however they combine well with bright main picture

The magazine cover is very eye-catching because of its bright colors. It creates a really warm and positive image of education overall. Even though it is targeted more for older students, it is still can be read by school students and even parents as it contains useful information and tips. It is not widely published however for a student magazine it looks very good and even professional. 

Analysis of a student magazine - "Fourth wall"

Fourthwall Magazine incorporating The Drama Student is the first and only printed publication dedicated to those seriously pursuing a career in the entertainment industry. This magazine is for anyone associated with the performing arts and entertainment industry. It is published quarterly with each issue packed with inspiring interviews, features, advice and news, covering all aspects of the performing arts.

Musthead:

• ·       Unusual, as it is not in capital letters, however still a big font
• ·       White colour, which makes it stand out on the grey background
• ·       Overlays the main picture
• ·       Consists of two words, second stands out more as it is in bold letters

Main picture:

• ·       Takes about 60% of the cover page (perhaps even more)
• ·       Midshot of Andrew Scott suggests the main interview or the main article in the magazine will involve him
• ·       The picture is in black and white, however creates an overall image of grey

Cover lines:

• ·       All the cover lines are placed at a slight angle – unusual to see on the cover
• ·       All in sans-serif font  - makes it look like an older student magazine
• ·       Three main colours used – black, white and sandy yellow – stands out very good on the grey background picture
• ·       Cover lines are also highlighted what helps them stand out even more

Overall the cover of the “Fourth wall” magazine shows that it is published for older students, probably the ones who go to uni. It is very simple, classy black and white however ways in which these colours are used makes the cover interesting and not boring at all. Third yellow colour stands out and the magazine catches the eye, partly to colours and party due to the image of a famous actor. It is unusual to see a celebrity on the cover of a student magazine, however the “fourth wall” has a certain audience within students who are looking for carriers in entertainment.