PRELIMINARY TASK!

Below is my final piece for the preliminary task:

Evaluation

My preliminary task was to plan and design a front cover magazine to appeal to 6^th form students, between the ages of 16-18. The magazine’s purpose was to provide enjoyment and helpful advice to the students. It is a magazine you can turn to for guidance and for a good laugh. The magazine believes balance is needed in the student’s life as A level can be a very difficult period.

Being a, A level student is an advantage because I can relate to the target audience. This made is much easier for me to appeal to my target audience. As the target audience is both male and female I made sure to use neutral colours that both genders can relate too. I think blue is neither to manly or too girly. Also it is one of the main colours of The Douay Martyrs School.

            Another way the magazine relates well with the target audience is that the sell lines are all about topics that revolve around the target audience, for example, the main sell line is about a former student coming back to Douay and giving advice to the target audience on how to revise for the exams. This will help the students as the former student is roughly the same age and she is talking about an issue which is a big part of the target audience’s life. I also had to make sure the sell lines are not biased to one gender. All my articles are helpful and exciting to read. For example, to attract the males readers there is a sell line about sport; “Come on team Douay!”

            The main image is of a model who is a similar age to the target audience and someone who has received well A level grades. She is liked by everyone and some people may even aspire to be like her; this is why she is relevant to the target audience. They do not feel as if there is a stranger on the front cover.

I think overall my design is done to a good standard. The planning for my design was the bit that went well. I enjoyed making the mock up and it was a useful guide for me when it came to make the real product. Also by having a variety of different sell lines thought out it made the process of choosing the relevant ones much easier. I think that I chose the right sell lines for my magazine front cover and this is one of the things I think went well overall.

Even though I feel my design was completed to a good standard, I feel that it could have been improved a bit more. I think that the additional images that I have added onto the front cover could have been blended in a bit more to make it look a bit more professional. Also I think that I could have added a banner as there is empty space at the bottom of the front cover.

However by doing this preliminary task I feel that I am more prepared for the main task. I think my adobe Photoshop skills have improved a lot and I feel more confident in using the software. I have also learnt that research is extremely helpful to the actually production part of the task and I will do a lot more research for the main task in order to make the best magazine that I can.

Mission Statement

The name of my new, upcoming magazine is ‘The 6^th Form Hour’ and it will be issued every month as the target audience will not have enough time to read the magazine and my writers will not have enough information and time to produce a weekly issue.

The target audience will obtain the magazine in their common room as this is a room which is used all the time by all students. This means that the target audience can easily see the magazine and will be more likely to read it as it will be in an easy reach.

My magazine is a school magazine which is aimed at sixth form students but also written by sixth form students; this already forms a relationship between the magazine and the target audience. As it is aimed at both males and females there will be various styles in the magazine to cater to the needs of the target audience.

 The values of the magazine are to help student cope with the stresses of being a sixth form student and showing them that a levels can also be a fun thing to be a part of. Our key belief is to show students that whilst work is important, you turn school into an enjoyable experience. My magazine will provide a service to the students, it should guide them through A levels and also inform of the journeys to come in the future.

As my magazine will be issued monthly there will be various different topic areas to cover. All the topics and subjects will be related to the target audience’s school life, social life and their future.

 Revision and stress control tips will be a very big topic in the magazine as the target audience will be going through periods of many exams and this magazine can provide helpful information. So each month my writers will definitely be writing about this topic. The future will also be another topic which will be in the magazine as it will focus on the next part of the target audience’s life. Also each month my magazine will focus on a different university and this will be our feature article. This will inform students on the courses and entry requirements needed. As well as focusing on the important and serious issues, my magazine also aims to show students how to keep the balance in their lives and there will be articles every month on upcoming parties and concerts. My researchers will keep an eye out for the latest events for the target audience. Another article will include a double page spread of the embarrassing pictures which people can send in to the magazine. These pictures will be of the students caught in funny pose; this will lighten the mood of the magazine.  In sixth form students have to dress in smart business wear which teenagers can find quite boring and unpleasant; each month our fashion editors will give fashion tips to males and females about how to glam up their outfits whilst still looking smart and sophisticated. Along side the main articles there will be smaller articles such as a job vacancy section, student of the week page, and a segment which informs students on discounts they can receive in various shops and restaurants.

My target audience will be vibrant, hard working, sixth form students at The Douay martyrs school, aged 16-18. Despite being a school magazine, my magazine will follow the codes and conventions of other magazines and will fill the target audience with joy and pleasure whilst reading it but also make them more confident in their school work, social like and also to help them make important decisions for their future. 

Target Audience Profile

The target audience for my magazine will be male and female 16-18 year old, sixth form students, either starting there A levels or completing them.

The target audience are fun-loving students who have a great sense of humour, extremely sociable and who take pride in their appearance. They like to take interest in the world around them and are an active member of the community and also a good team player as well as taking initiative to work well on their own. Friends are a big part of the target audience lives as most of the time will be spent socialising with other students. They are trustworthy, loyal and truly value their friends.

As they are a young and vibrant target audience they have many different hobbies and interest. Their main hobby will be socialising, as they like the experience of meeting new people ad making friends. They may also play sports for their school and continue this interest outside of school too. Playing instruments and being part of a band will be another big hobby and interest for the target audience. Music is a very big part of their lives as they listen to it whilst on their journeys and also whilst revising. They use music as something to relate to.

Media texts are a very big part of their lives. The target audience have a mobile phone to socialise and an IPod to listen to music. They also have a laptop for school work and so that they can go on social networking websites such as ‘Facebook.’ In their free time they also like to unwind by watching television. Their favourite shows would be reality television shows such as ‘The Hills’ and also comedies such as ‘The Inbetweeners.’ As they like to be kept up to date with the latest gossip they read magazines regularly and this is why they would read a school magazine.

There day begins at 7:00am, an early start to the day as they head of to school. After school they may go out to the nearest shopping centre or restaurant with friends to unwind and then go home where they will complete any homework they have received that day. Their weekend will be similar as they would go out with friends to the cinema to watch either horror or comedy movies, or shopping and also be doing work for A levels. However many of the target audience will obtain apart time job to earn money. As they love going out but they need a lot of money to do so.

As they have chosen to continue further studies, they take pride in their work. Whereas in the past years they may have not taken education seriously, they now have developed a love for learning specific subjects and take pride in their work. They want to make sure they do well as they know A levels are a vital part of achieving their ideal career.