Looking at other students Work.

To help us understand the positive and negative sides to a magazine we looked at other students work. We had to say what we thought the strengths and weakness's were and also what grade we thought it would have got.

Name of product	What I thought were the strengths	What I thought were the weaknesses	What grade you think it got?
AMPLIFY	Good use of font on the contents and front cover. Good colour scheme. The font cover has most of the necessary information a front cover should have (e. barcode, price, masthead, main sell lines and sell lines, advertisement. )	On the front page and contents page the images have been cut round and this is clearly visible to the readers.  Also on the double page spread the text on top of the image isn’t clear and in the bottom right hand corner there is a random pattern to full in space. Also the font is plain and the kicker and main text aren’t separated so it’s hard to tell the difference. Also all three images were pixelated and didn’t look professional like most magazines. There also isn’t a background colour on either page making It look plain and messy. It’s not exciting and engaging and there is nothing about it which would make you want to read more.  On the front image the top of her head is cut off into the masthead which is clearly visible and looks messy and unprofessional. Also the contents image is random and when the picture must have been take the model is against a wall whereas on the contents she is just standing in a random position against nothing which doesn’t fit in with the topic.	U
ETA	The strengths of this magazine are the font cover looks like a professional magazine. It has a suitable colour scheme which fits in well with the image. The masthead and main sell lines look professional. There are advertisements and usp’s which both fit in with the magazine topic and colour scheme. The font cover has all the necessary information needed, e.g. barcode price date and issue number.	The images on the double page spread are blurry isn’t what you would find in a real magazine. As well as the images the writing on the double page spread is blurry which makes is hard to read and gives it an unprofessional look. The images on the contents page are pixelated, unclear and not in any certain position making it looks unprofessional. The contents page also has no colour and is very plain which could bore the readers and makes is look untidy. The masthead and the main sell line are both equal size which isn’t like a professional magazine.	C/D
FUNK	The double page spread looks professional and is set out well with a relevant image. The front cover has all the necessary information needed. The colour scheme fits in well with the images. The contents page is set out well and is clear to read but also looks effective as it isn’t all text but images to split the page up.	The image on the double page spread and front cover is badly photo shopped and it clearly visible the mistakes and the way they have cut round the image. The masthead doesn’t look professional and is hidden slightly by the image. On two if the images in the contents page the page number isn’t clear to the reader.	B

Over all looking at other students work gave me different ideas about what i want my final piece to look like. It helped me decided what type of theme i wanted to base my magazine on and also the type of image i am aiming to use for my magazine. It also made my realize what i needed to include in my magazine to help me achieve the higher grades.

Double page spread

                    This is my deconstruction of the main parts of a double page spread.

The main parts include:-

• Drop Cap
• Columns
• Pull Quotes
• A dominant image
• Kicker
• Introduction
• Strap-line
• Article title

Looking at his has gave me a lot of ideas about my final product. I now know that i want to have an A4 image on one side of my double page spread along with the text on the other. I hope i stick with this and when taking my photos take into consideration one of them will need to be used for a DSP image.

The aims of the course

The aims of this course are to:

• Enhance your enjoyment and appreciation of the media and its a role in your daily life;
• Develop critical understanding of the media through engagement with media products and concepts and through the creative application of practical skills;
• Explore production processes, technologies and contexts;
• Become independent in research skills and their applications. 

Deconstruction of a front cover

This is a deconstruction of the front page of a magazine called 'The Crack.'

This is a deconstruction of the front page of a music magazine called 'Top of the Pops.'

This is a deconstruction of the front page on a music magazine called 'Billiard.'

Mast Head 

The Mast head is the name or brand of the magazine, it is usually placed above the magazine and usually conjured to be bright or eye catching. In some cases, especially the very well known magazines can have part of the Main Image overlap it, very much like the one above. The mast head always is larger than the other text on the cover

Main Image

The Main Image is a photo that sells the magazine, the main image can vary to; brand of the magazines, genre of the magazine, special editions and of course every monthly issue. The main image has also been known to be very provocative ranging from the weird, eccentric, bland and downright sexual. 

Sell Lines

The Sell Lines are pieces of text scattered around the magazine, they are placed to include more information to what is in the magazine itself. Sell lines are typically short, straight to the point and ambiguous to attract readers into buying the magazine. They normally are in different font compared to the Main Sell Lines to stand out.

Essential Info

 The Essential Infos are pieces that usually dictates the edition of the magazine, e.g. Feb 2012. Essential Info also shows the price of the magazine, and they are always very small to hide the actual price of the magazine. The location of the Essential Info can vary from underneath the Mast Head or close to the barcode.

Main Sell Line

The Main Sell Lines is what attracts the interested buyers or readers, Main Sell Lines are usually very big, bold and bright to be able to catch the eye of an semi-interested buyer from a distance. The Main Sell Lines in every magazine is also know to have a unique font that you and I normally come across. Much like the Mast Head they normally overlap the Main Image and can be usually located near the center of the magazine or Main Image

Sub Head
  
The Sub Heads is always located below or near the Main Sell Line, they are placed there to add more information to the Main Sell Line. Sub Heads are usually a different font, size and color to the Main Sell Lines.

Barcode

The Barcode is usually located at the bottom right of magazines, however they can feature on the front cover or the back cover of the magazine, depending on the choice of the head editor. The main purpose of the barcode is for scanning on the tills for the retail prices.

Deconstruction of a Contents page

This is a deconstruction of a contents page from 'The Crack'

Feature	Description
Masthead?? How is it positioned? Font Style? Colour Where on page is it positioned?	The masthead is featured at the top of them page, in the centre just below the introduction. It is in big, bold. Block capitals in black.
Necessary Information?? Date? Issue Number? Page number? Where are they positioned? Website info? Links?	The necessary information is positioned in the bottom left corner. There is a contact number, email address, postage address and fax number.
Text?? What is it? Form of address? How much text? What is its purpose? Subheadings? Order? Layout? Use of numerical features?	The main text is all positioned in the center of the page just below the masthead. The mini subheadings include the page title and number and are in a darker and bigger font. The text is telling readers briefly what is going to be on each page.
Font?? What font is used? Are there different font styles? Why is this? Colour? Are italics used? Where? How? Bold text?	There is mainly the same font used across the full contents page.  All of the text is black, but there is a lot of bold text in the use of subheading and mastheads.  The page title is in a different colour so it stands out from the other text and so the readers know what they are reading.
Images?? How many? What size? What are they of? Are the images anchored? (i.e. by a caption?) Is there writing over any of the images? Positioning of images?	The images on the page are all positioned down the right hand side. The main image is the same image as the front cover but in a smaller size and is positioned in the top right hand side. This image is anchored by a caption. The rest of the images are underneath the main image and are attached to page numbers. This is another way of giving readers information about the pages without using writing.
Composition?? Framing? Layout? Layering? Relation of text to images? Image led? Text led?	the pages layout is very spacious and spread out. There is a lot of space between text and images.  There is no relation of the text to images. The introduction is at the top of the page above the masthead.
Linguistic features?? Rhetorical questions? Alliteration? Assonance? Enigma Codes? Puns? Anything else of note? Effect of linguistic features?	There is no use of linguistic features. There is use of advertisements.
Colour?? How many colours are used for text? Colours of images? Effect of colours?	The main colours used are black white and yellow. This makes everything stand out clearly. A few different colours are brought in through the images down the side. The full page stays with quite dull colours.

This is a deconstruction of a contents page from a music magazine called 'Mixmag.'

Feature	Description
Masthead?? How is it positioned? Font Style? Colour Where on page is it positioned?	The masthead is positioned at the top left of the page.  It is in a bold, big white impact text which stands out very Clear on the dark background.
Necessary Information?? Date? Issue Number? Page number? Where are they positioned? Website info? Links?	The necessary information is at the bottom left of the page. This includes the date and issue number. The website is located bottom right.
Text?? What is it? Form of address? How much text? What is its purpose? Subheadings? Order? Layout? Use of numerical features?	The main text is down the left hand side on the page. The text is in white writing like the masthead. The is use of page numbers also down the side. The subheading is in a bold white text in a slightly bigger font. The page numbers go in order.
Font?? What font is used? Are there different font styles? Why is this? Colour? Are italics used? Where? How? Bold text?	All the text on the page is white and the entire font is the same. It ranges in sizes and changes to bold on occasions. All the text is of this colour because of the dark background. The page numbers are in a whiteish/yellow colour just to give someone change.
Images?? How many? What size? What are they of? Are the images anchored? (i.e. by a caption?) Is there writing over any of the images? Positioning of images?	There is 4 four main images on the page. The main image is in the center of the page and is big and bright.  Another two images are smaller and are positioned below, and then finally in the top left hand corner there is the smallest image. This is a small picture of the front cover. The other two images are linked with page numbers to give readers ideas of what each page is about.
Composition?? Framing? Layout? Layering? Relation of text to images? Image led? Text led?	The layout is very neat and looks very organised.  The text links in with the images. There is no use of layering.
Linguistic features?? Rhetorical questions? Alliteration? Assonance? Enigma Codes? Puns? Anything else of note? Effect of linguistic features?	There is no use of linguistic features.
Colour?? How many colours are used for text? Colours of images? Effect of colours?	The main colours are black and white but the colour from the images brings brightness to the page.

This a deconstruction of a music magazine called 'NME.'

Feature	Description
Masthead?? How is it positioned? Font Style? Colour Where on page is it positioned?	On this contents page this isn’t actually a masthead with the page title on.  In the top right hand corner they have the magazine name which in this case is used for the masthead. The masthead is pink in a big bold text.
Necessary Information?? Date? Issue Number? Page number? Where are they positioned? Website info? Links?	The necessary information is positioned at both the top and bottom of the page. The date is positioned at the top where as the contact information is at the centre bottom.
Text?? What is it? Form of address? How much text? What is its purpose? Subheadings? Order? Layout? Use of numerical features?	The text is positioned all over the page. The text ranges from advertisements, to information on each page to contact details. There is use of a lot of subheadings. The text is very compact and there isn’t a lot of space.
Font?? What font is used? Are there different font styles? Why is this? Colour? Are italics used? Where? How? Bold text?	There is a variety of fonts used.  Most of the writing is in a messy style which fits in the with the magazine type. The subheadings and mastheads are all in bold are either in pink or white. The fonts do this so we can tell it apart from the other text.
Images?? How many? What size? What are they of? Are the images anchored? (i.e. by a caption?) Is there writing over any of the images? Positioning of images?	There is three images on the page both of music bands and both relate to the text. There is use of layering as one image is covering some text. The biggest image on the page is anchored by a caption. The images are all linked in with the text.
Composition?? Framing? Layout? Layering? Relation of text to images? Image led? Text led?	The layout of this page is very cramped and hard to read. There is text everywhere mixed in with a lot of colour which makes is hard to read. The main image is linked into one of the page, but links into the full magazine as it’s a picture of a band.  The use of layering is used with the advertisements.
Linguistic features?? Rhetorical questions? Alliteration? Assonance? Enigma Codes? Puns? Anything else of note? Effect of linguistic features?	there is use of rhertoical questions to get the readers involved with the advertisements.
Colour?? How many colours are used for text? Colours of images? Effect of colours?	There is a lot of colours used on the page. It makes it slightly hard for the reader to look at. The main colours are black, white and pink.

Doing these constructions helped me gain knowledge and understanding of what a professional magazine's contents page would look like. I also started to understand fully the content of a contents page, the layout and colour use. Although I don't plan for my final product to look anything like the three annotated contents pages it has helped in greatfully.