Advertising my magazine virally

For advertising, there is one main way that I would use - and this would be using the internet! This is because, as my target audience is teenagers, and it is commonly known that most teenagers use the internet in one way or another. If I were to use the internet I would more than likely open my own web page for the magazine. This web page would be made up of the colour blue as this is the colour that is used on most social networking sites - something that teenagers are very familiar with. I would also set up a special twitter account and facebook page for the magazine, just like the Wyke Student Association has, so that it was easier for people to access it and know about it. I would ensure that it was also available on the wyke website.

This is my own mock up of the web page that I would make. I ensured that it was done in the colour blue as this is the colour that is associated with social networking websites - something that teenagers are very familiar with. I gave details of when the next issue would be situated also, as it is vital that the audience know this. I gave examples of links that would be on the page, such as to the twitter and facebook accounts that I would create for the magazine.
The actual magazine would be very different to the website. I would not want an actual online version of the magazine to be available on the website as then people would be able to just get it for free and not buy the actual thing. The website would be very simple and yet would still provide the links and information that is needed. Another thing that I would include on the website would be hints of what will be in the next magazine, so that it is tempting the readers to find out what is really going to happen in it and tempt them to buy it.

Contents Page

I like my final draft of my magazine cover as I believe that I have tied it together well with the front page. As I have edited the photo that is used as the background to eb the same colours as the text and boxes used on the page I believe that this gives it a more professional feel. The header is very clear and stands out on the page since it is a dark colour against quite a light background and it is also in a font suitable for teenagers.

I asked a friend their opinion of my contents page and they said that it looked very professional and that the colours tied in well together. They said that one thing that they would change would be to add more to the page, since there is only the header, the background and the article titles. However they did mention that the article titles are very easy to read and to associate with the page numbers.

Final Front Cover

I believe that I have done the best that I can on the front cover that I have produced: as I think that it looks quite professional as a front cover for a college magazine and very creative. I have ensured that the cover is very busy but in an organized layout and that all of the text is clear to see. I have kept a consistant house-colour scheme as I have used the colours teal, dark green and white. I have included things like the price and a bar code on the cover and some of the articles that would be included.

I asked a friend on their opinion of this cover and they said that it looked very professional. They said that the way that I have set out the cover, they would want to buy it. Another comment that they made was that the colours were enticing and that the picture on the cover drew you in and made you want to look at it. A criticism that they made was that the font used for the header was slightly old fashioned and might not have been the best for my target audience. They also mentioned that I should have placed the price of the magazine in a better location on the cover.

First few drafts

I asked my Dad on his opinion of this draft and he said that it was a lot better than the others and that it looked very professional, but that it lacked things such as the issue number and page numbers.

I asked my Mum what she thought of this product and she mentioned that in the bottom left corner, the "Wyke" text could have been clearer. Either this or that I should have placed it in an area of the cover where it would have been more visable. She also mentioned that I could have added more photos to the cover before I saved it as a draft, to see what it would have looked like more.

I asked a friend their opinion on this draft and they mentioned that the box where the text "WIN AN iPOD" is, it is covering too much of the photo and is also in an awkward place. They said that they liked the editing that I had done on the photo, but that the header could look more professional.

I asked a friend on their opinion of this draft and they also said that they liked the lighting and editing of the photo. They said that they also liked the decorative box of an image of space as reaching for the stars ties in with the header "Ambition".

Photos for magazine

My draft of what my magazine cover will look like

Prezi on my initial ideas

My initial ideas on a college magazine cover and contents page on Prezi

Price/How often it will be published

The price that I have chosen for my magazine would be 50p. This is because, what with the students at college being classed in the sociate economic group "E" - the last one - it is initially thought that most teenagers could not afford a pricey magazine. At the price range of under £1, this is then classed as a cheap magazine and the students could then afford this with their dinner money. I would then release this magazine perhaps every month, as this is less than a term yet it is still not frequent enough that the students would have to buy it a lot. The magazine would then be able to have more articles in it as it would be able to cover an entire month.

Target Audience

My target audience for my magazine is briefly teenagers that attend Wyke College. This is because by selecting just one college for the magazine it means that I can aim it at events and notices within just that college - making it more specific and therefore less vague. If it were just aimed at teenagers within Wyke College, this is then the thousands of students that attend here and this is quite a large target audience for a college magazine. As most students fit in a stereotypical category of what college attenders are like, this would make them then easy to target. Considering psycho graphics, I believe that most teenagers would fit in the groups of outer-directed belongers and emulators and achievers. This is because most people usually go to college so as to achieve in the future. Another point is that they like to be belongers as they tend to follow fashion trends to fit in and even copy celebrities in order to help them discover who they really are. Within demographics, however, they fit both genders and they fit the age group of 15 - 24. As they fit in the very bottom of the scale within the sociate economic groups, however, it would mean that they are usually stereotyped to not have a lot of money and could therefore be taught things like how to manage money in the magazine.

L.I.I.A.R Analysis of given two college front covers

"L.I.I.A.R" - Language, Ideology, Imagery, Audience, Representation.

In order to understand what kind of work we need to do, we are evaluating three college magazine front covers, in order to know what we should do and what we shouldn't. To do this, we are using the "L.I.I.A.R" system which works very well within Media. This stands for the Language, Ideology, Imagery, Audience and Representation that the advert has used. 

The first magazine that I am going to analyse is that of East Riding College's.
This magazine cover is definitely very simple and unprofessional and must be a very low budget magazine to produce. It has many things to criticize about it, which I am therefore going to analyze. The first point that I am going to pick at is the language that is used on the cover. Firstly, the masthead that is used on this cover is not very efficient as it does not stand out and is simply just a slightly larger version of the rest of the text. It is not eye catching towards anyone who would want to buy it and is not doing what it is supposed to for the magazine. Secondly, the main image that is on the page is not very well presented as it is a landscape image that is not of a medium close up shot. It is not very clear, and although it may relate to an article within the magazine it does not advertise the magazine well. As it is not a picture that is full scale on the magazine it makes the cover look a lot less professional. Also, since the people in the photo have their backs to the camera, it is then evident that they are not making eye contact with the audience.
The colour scheme on this cover is also very dull as it is simply black and white. This is not very appealing towards the target audience as they would want to look at a colour scheme that was more eye catching than simply black and white. Although it does keep a very good house-style of two main colours, it does not appeal to the audience and is therefore not efficient.
Another aspect that they have on this page, however, is the logo of the college. This is in white against a black background and yet it still does not stand out. They have also included a header on the photo saying what it relates to and which page it is on which is efficient - and the image does relate to the main article.
The imagery used in this cover shows that they are trying to fill a gap in the market - but only within their college and on the lowest budget that they can. I think that the magazine would have been created by students, perhaps in a project within Media. Either this, or it could have been created by a teacher in their spare time. It is different to other college magazines as it has a less professional look and therefore it is apparent that it is free - which is useful for the students.
For ideology since the cover of this magazine is very simple it does not appear to be sending out very many messages. As the main article and photo on the page are about a media trip, it is therefore showing students how much dedication the media classes had put in - sending out a positive message. Two of the headers on the page are "anti-bullying" and "making a positive contribution". This shows that the magazine focuses on improving the attitudes within the college and helping the students that read it. The magazine would not advertise for students to participate in any negative activities as they would not want their students to join in with any bad behavior.
The target audience within this cover is clearly shown as it is aimed at students for their "Student life" and it is aimed specifically towards students at East Riding College. The only thing on the magazine cover telling us that it is aimed at this college is their logo - had they not included this it could be apparent that the magazine was aimed towards any student anywhere in the world. It is very important that they have included the image of the media students in Berlin also, as the target audience could be those students and also anyone who was interested in that trip.
Finally, I believe that through this simple front cover we are given a very positive outlook of the college and the students. This is because, as the students are all grouped together in the photo it shows teamwork and the ability to get along with one another. As they also went to Berlin to do their media studies it also shows how dedicated they are towards their college work. Another aspect is that there is a page within the magazine about Anti-bullying - this then sets a bad example as it shows that there is bullying in the first place, but also shows that they are willing to put a stop to it. All in all, they set a good representation of the students.

The contents page for this magazine is also not very well presented. This is because it has a very large border around the page which is over lapped by pictures which borders that are different sizes. It is also very simple and unprofessional. The colour green has however been introduced to this page, which is perhaps their attempt to add colour and brightness to the page. They had also not included any page numbers along with the pictures and so you do not know which go to which title.
The magazine cover for the GX magazine, the magazine that is used in the Grimsby Institute, is very different to the first, as it is a lot less simple and appeals to teenagers more.
For example the mast head on this magazine is a lot more eye catching. As they have used white against a blue background it is very visible and is located in the top right corner in a large font size. The font used ties in with the rest of the fonts yet looks different, making it stand out from the page. The main image used in this magazine cover is definitely very different to that of East Riding College's. This is because it is made out as an animation/graphic of a male and female teenager, done in the colour scheme of the entire page. Although this one is also not a medium close up shot, is not a photo of a student making eye contact with the audience and is not a clear image of the subjects face, it would not be efficient for my criteria of a magazine cover. It is, however, better than the one of the last magazine cover as it is a brighter, clearer image that would draw in the attention of teenagers.
The colour scheme in this magazine is much like the scheme that I would like to use. This is because it is a neutral colour of blue throughout the full page and stands out very well. The colour blue is appealing to both genders and is a colour that is often used on social networking sights, making this magazine tie in with the stereotypical student nature. They therefore keep a very good house-style throughout.
The front of the magazine also features things such as graphics and photos that relate to the headings of the articles within the magazine. Although these headings are quite difficult to see initially, they are better than the last as they look more professional and eye catching. They also feature a slogan on this page saying "the word on the street", which is an attempt to appeal to students and the language that they would stereotypically enjoy.
I believe that although this magazine is more professional than the last, this must have also been produced by students or teachers within the college. It fills a gap within the target audience as teenagers at that school would not have a magazine based on the college if it were not for this one. The publishers of this magazine have done well with it as it would be appealing to teenagers and has a more professional look to it.
This front cover, however, seems to portray a less positive outlook on teenage life than the other. Although it would be more appealing to teenagers to read about modelling and the fact that one article's title is "booze, drugs and life", this does not set a very good moral example. Although it may help anybody who wants to get into a modelling career, the initial impressions from modelling are not positive. Using a title like "booze, drugs and life" may also appeal teenagers but this also does not promote positive morals that teenagers should be thinking about.
The target audience for this magazine is very similar to the other, what with it being towards an audience of students from a certain college. It is aimed at any student that attends this college, but is specifically only aimed at that college and would not be useful to anyone who went to other colleges.
The final aspect of the L.I.I.A.R analysis is Representation. I do not believe that the students at the Grimsby Institute are very well represented by first sight of this magazine as it speaks of "booze, drugs and modelling". Modelling is not associated with college work or a positive reputation which therefore does not make the magazine look appropriate. Even more inappropriate if the article titled "booze, drugs and life" which is then not stated whether the story will be for or against this life style. It is showing the stereotypical side of teenagers but in a more negative way, such as most programs and news stories do, which is not how teenagers should be represented - especially by a college magazine. 

The contents page for this magazine looks very crowded and professional - it is set out much better than the other magazine's contents pages. It is set out with pictures that have equal borders and yet still are not specific to which article title they are related to. It has their logo at the bottom of the page "The word on the street" which they also have on their cover. The title of their contents page stands out but could have been slightly bigger so that it was more noticeable on the page than it is. However, they have used very professional images.

Another magazine that I am going to analyse is that of Lewisham College's. These are another local college that could be competition.

Firstly, Lewisham's masthead on their front cover is not very distinctive and is not very appealing to the viewer. It is the same font and colour as the rest of the text on the page, only it is slightly larger. It is very plain. It is very similar to the college East Riding's magazine cover in it's simplicity and an unprofessional mannor. Another language techniques used on the page is the photo used. This is not a medium close up either and therefore would not fit the criteria of the magazine that I am making. It is a very professional photo however. It appears to be matched with an article header that says "Meet the faces of Lewisham College", despite the fact that you can hardly see her face at all - meaning that she is not making eye contact with the audience and that it isn't very clear.

The fonts used on the page are not very entertaining and do not draw you to the magazine. They are all the same and simply in black and white which, although it keeps the same house-style throughout, does not necessarily matter. Another thing that they have on their front cover is the logo of the college.

I believe that this would have also been produced by either students or teachers at the college that it is for. This is because it is not professional enough to be made by a company and it also does not look as though it has a price. I think that most college magazines would  produced by people at the college as not many students would want to buy a magazine that was overly priced. It would fit a gap in the market with it being at a specific college and so it would mean that they did in fact have a magazine specific to them.

I do not believe that there is a very strong field of ideology in this magazine cover as it is so simple that it would be hard to pick things that depict morals or values to the audience. The picture on the magazine could however show a positive attitude as it is a picture of somebody dancing, clearly being active and working towards what they would like. These seem to be the only morals on the page.

The audience of the magazine are teenagers that attend Lewisham College. Much like the other colleges, this college aimed it's magazine at the students at their specific college, so that they can keep it precise and add more details from their college specifically.

All in all I believe that they have represented the college quite well with the picture and headings on the front of the page. The only thing that they have used to represent the target audience well is the picture, however, as the headings are not anything about improving or helping their selves in any way. As the photo is of a girl dancing and working hard, however, we are shown that the students do in fact work well.
The contents page for this magazine seems very business like and it is not very noticeable. The font on the page is very small and there is a lot of it, meaning that college students probably would not want to read it as it looks very boring. After the cover they keep a house-style of a certain few colours, but these do not relate to the cover at all as the colour is black and white.

"Identify and explain choice of College to feature in your Preliminary task"

I chose Wyke College for my preliminary task as I know a lot about the college, the basics of it and it makes it extremely simple to do. By choosing one specific college instead of simply just any teenager that attends college, I can also include things that are only specific to the college which would make it less vague and a lot more specific. By doing this I can also take pictures inside and of the college without having to act as though it were a different college or having to take pictures of a different place.

L.I.I.A.R Analysis brief of College Magazine front cover

For my college magazine I would firstly like it to include a short masthead that was very specific to the college and towards the students. I would like to call my college magazine "Ambition", as it is a large theme within college's and it is simple yet catchy. It is also very memorable since it is short. I would have the masthead at the top of the page like it should be on most magazines, and ensure that it was very bold and stood out very well.
The main image that I would use on my magazine would be of a student's face and shoulders only, and it would be a medium close up shot. This will be spread across the entire page and will definitely be a portrait photo. I intend for the image to be of a student smiling surrounded by the usual corridor or outside activity, as this resembles the every day life of the magazine. It will be a clear shot used on a very good camera so that it looks professional, and I will ensure that the student used in the photo will be making eye contact with the audience by asking them to look into the camera when the photo is taken.
Another use of Language on the front cover of my magazine will be the colour scheme used. This will be very important as I should only use 2 to 3 colours within my magazine in order to make it look professional and neat. This will ensure that my magazine cover has a clear house style which will make it more appealing to the target audience. The colours that I would like to use are different shades of blue as this colour appeals to both genders, is one of Wyke's main colours and is also very natural.
Other aspects that I will have within my front cover are the thumbnail images that will represent what will be within other articles in my magazine. For these I will take small images of college related situations that will pair up with titles of articles. Another thing that will be placed on this page is the barcode. As I have been thinking that my magazine would cost around 50p, a low budget for the students and yet enough to cover some costs, I would then need a bar code on it.
I would then just include things on the front cover like any competitions that could be entered or any free gifts that were to be included.
For the imagery of the magazine I would have to imagine a publisher and the similarities to other magazines they had made/the differences. For example, I would like to imagine that the Hull Daily Mail newspaper had published my magazine for my college so as to appeal teenagers to something they had written as well as the newspapers that were read by adults. This would fill a gap in the market as it would appeal to a certain group of people who could afford the magazine and who would benefit from it also. However, it would only be aimed at that one specific group. The target audience would therefore be teenagers that attended Wyke College.
For the ideology of my magazine I would focus on giving a very positive image to the students and offering as much good advice as possible. I would ensure that it had aspects that appealed to the students but it would also be a way of teaching which behavior is right and wrong, how to solve things and what not to do in certain situations. I would make sure that there would be nothing that would cause anything beyond normality on the front cover which would ensure to keep good behavior among the students.
My target audience, as mentioned before, is teenagers that attend Wyke College. This could be any one who goes to this college as it is aimed specifically at the events here and therefore to any student that attends. I chose to aim it at only one college as this then defines the events that are happening within that college and not those that are happening over a wider base.
Finally, I will represent my magazine at the stereotypical college teenager. This means that there will be advice on family problems, sexual relationships, studies and many more within the magazine - due to it aiming at the stereotype. I would also include things like music and events that were going on within teenage lives. This would be a positive outlook as I would definitely include the positive aspects of the stereotypical teenagers e.g the hard work they do at college, and not the negative arguments about teenagers e.g the side of them that program's like Skins portray.

Preliminary Exercise

Using DTP and an image manipulation program, produce the front page of a new school/college magazine, featuring a photograph of a student in medium close-up plus some appropriately laid-out text and a masthead. Additionally you must produce a mock-up of the layout of the contents page to demonstrate their grasp of DTP.