My Final Evaluation Of My School Magazine Front Cover

This is my overall final school magazine front cover. It is named the ‘eye of the Misbourne’ which i personally think is really catchy as the word ‘eye’ has connotations of someone’s actual eye meaning that it is the real life view of what it is like to be at ‘The Misbourne’ itself and it can give a new person a real experience and heads up of what the school is actually like on an everyday basis.  As someone’s eye is constantly on the lookout, and watching for the latest gossip and information to post in the magazine itself. I decided to use a bold font for the masthead as it will stand out from a distance but it is also clear as well meaning readers can reader it from a distance as the font will make it stand out. But the font is also quite serious which could reflect on the school for having a serious attitude towards learning as they want their students to do the best that they can to their ability. I also decided to place the masthead at the top of the magazine as it will then be clear to people what the magazine is actually called but also what type of magazine it is. For the actual font itself instead of writing ‘eye’ I decided to use an image of an eye that I edited using photo shop as it is different and unique from any other magazines and because of this it would get remembered more. For the font colours I decided to use white and black as we didn’t want it to blend in with the background, we wanted it to look clear and engage readers that are looking at the front cover. It is also eye-catching meaning it would stand out from other magazines if it was on a shelf.

For the background image I decided to go for a long shot as we wanted to capture the whole background in it especially the steps. So we placed the model at the top of the steps as we felt like this was like climbing the ladder of success. The model also has a big smile on her face and is looking directly into the camera which is also like looking directly into the readers eyes which is the direct mode of address. But because she is smiling this also is very friendly and welcoming for new people who wish to come to the school as the girl looks very happy. We decided not to use a 3 colour principle however because of all the background images I don’t feel like this was the right decision as it looks messy and unprofessional. The font colours clashes with the background image meaning that you can’t read the actual font. The colours are too bright on the background meaning it looks really messy and unprofessional. You can also see a bin in the background image which I personally think ruin the picture as bins are usually associated with dirt and rubbish.   

Many fonts were used on the front cover of the magazine. They are all bold and stand out on the page which is good because they will engage the readers. However all the font is very squished at the top of the magazine and then at the bottom it gets less and less which makes it look unfinished but then again not over the top. They have used black and white for the font colours however I don’t believe these were the right colours to use as the white clashes with the white/grey steps meaning that it is really hard to read what it is saying, this may put readers off the magazine as they may feel if they can’t read what the magazine on the front cover then they may think it is rubbish and unprofessional inside.

I wrote cover lines that I thought would be appealing for our target audience which is students and parents. Our first cover line is ‘3 ways to get A’s’ I think this is a really good line as it is really appealing to young students, especially those who want to work hard and try and get the best grade that they can possibly get. It also gives 3 bullet points as well which could draw the readers in and then make them want to buy the whole magazine so then they can read the whole article and get the correct information into getting 3A’s.  They also all apply for students and how to help them get through their school life which is what the point of the magazine is all about. However this cover line I thought would also appeal to parents as it will show them how to help their son or daughter in getting the best possible grades that they could get.

I have also used ‘sell lines’ which I believe will engage the reader and then make them want to buy the magazine. One of my main sell lines is ‘head girl’ I have then also placed it on a head girl badge which I believe really stands out on the front cover and makes it looks really professional. I believe this will be really engaging as everyone would usually be eager to find out, which means they would buy the magazine purely just to find out this information which then may then lead onto the student reading the rest of the magazine which will include some brilliant tips. 

Another one of our sell lines is ‘prizes to be one’ however I don’t think this sell line is very effective as it doesn’t specifically say what the prize is and I believe the only way this target audience would be interested if it is was to specifically say what the prizes were and what you have to do to actually win these prizes. Otherwise at the moment it just sounds boring and sounds like it has just been stuck on the page for no reason. Although it does look really eye-catching as it is on a bold font and has a background shape on top of the central image to make it stand out even more and interest people into buy the magazine. I dont think this sell line would interest the parents either as it sounds more like it has been directed to the students. 

For my header we also decided to include a link to the school website so if people were interested and wanted to find out more information then they could have a look. I have also included the basic information such as the price which I feel is an acceptable price and then also the month so people know that it is a monthly magazine. I have also included the barcode on the front cover to give it the finally professional look.

Over all this is a good magazine front cover however I think it needs a lot of improvements to make it look perfect and to also give it the professional finish. However it does include a lot of key features so which may tempt people to buy the magazine.