Healthy Magazine

For part of the planning for our own music magazine we have to analyse magazines. The first magazine cover we analysed was Healthy.
The cover is the most important part of the magazine because it’s the first thing people see so it has to draw them in and make them want to buy it. The way the cover looks is dictated by the publishing and editorial strategy that it is designed to put across.
There are tow selling lines on the cover of Healthy magazine. The first one, ’The UK’s top selling health magazine’, draws the reader in by saying it’s a popular magazine so therefore it must be good. The second selling line, ‘Your natural health expert’, says a bit more about the magazine. The vocabulary used draws the reader in. By saying natural, the reader immediately thinks no toxins or chemicals and by saying expert the reader thinks professional advice.
The main cover line and important cover lines are shown on the left side of the cover because in shop where not all of the cover is shown it still needs to draw the reader in, this is called the left third. This also means that the title must be easily recognised so the publishers use a recognisable typeface so that in cases where only the left third of the magazine is shown regular readers can recognise the magazine and pick it up quickly and easily.
The image on the front of the magazine is important because it is usually the biggest and most upfront feature on the cover. There is usually only a single image however multiple images may be used to illustrate the contents.
The models in the images are chosen to look younger than the target market (except in teen magazines) because, in the case on Healthy magazine, the readers will want to buy the magazine thinking the advice and tips inside will make them look as young and as healthy as the model.
When the cover image is being shot photographers focus on the eyes with wide-open pupils because it invites the reader in and makes them feel welcomed.
Numbers are used a lot on magazine front covers and the bigger the better. Editors prefer numbers such as 88 (as shown on the flash button on the cover of Healthy’ to 80 because it sounds like there are more things in the magazine.
The colour red is used a lot on the cover because it stands out and contrasts with the blue background. Editors tend to avoid the colour white but I think it has been used in this case because it signifies purity which is related to being healthy.
The month and year (date line) is shown on the cover so in situations like when someone is reading it on a train etc the know how recent or old the magazine is.

Nature Magazine

For our first assignment we had to design and create a nature magazine using photoshop. I found it quite difficult to use photoshop as I had never used it before but I soon learnt the very basics.



I came up with the idea for the title because ‘Al fresco’ means open air in Spanish. I thought this fit the criteria because nature is all about the outdoors and natural substances. It also sounds very crisp and I think it is catchy and something people will remember. The font I used for the title is crisp and fresh which also fit’s the brief for the nature magazine. Although I thought the title and the font I used went well with the specification I think I made it too big and it takes up too much space on the front cover.
The images I used is a picture of a waterfall which is very natural but I think there I too much going on in the image. It I quite distracting and because there is so many different colours in it I couldn’t place and text over it because you wouldn’t be able to read it properly.
The cover lines I put on the cover were both about nature. They are about different types of nature which would attract different people so I would have a wider range of readers but at the same time they fit the brief.
I placed the barcode where it could be seen easily by the customers and they people scanning it in a shop. However because the top part of the magazine is too plain it looks like it I just hanging there and draws too much attention away from everything else. I priced the magazine at £3.99 because it would be a monthly magazine which is high quality and packed full of information.

My first blog! (:

Okay, so this is my first blog!
I know its very late but I have my reasons! Firstly I got a bit stuck as to whether I wanted to carry on with sixth form or start again at college in September, but...as you can see I decided to stay at sixth form and after a bit of help and support from teachers and friends I'm feeling so much more dedicated to my work! (: BUT...after I'd decided to come back to sixth form I got very ill and was unable to come in. So that is why my work is late! However I do intend on making the most of this half term to get caught up on all my work and make it as good as i possibly can (:

Anyhow..
I'm quite excited for this unit in my media class as I think its quite creative. I'm not the type of person who can sit down and write for hours on end without getting distracted or bored so doing things on photoshop and going out to look at magazines etc is the kind of thing that I love to be doing! We've already been set our task which we will be working on for the rest of the year, we have to design and create a front cover, contents page and double spread page of a music magazine and blog everything we do that helps us to do the task! That means blogging all the magazines we analyse, images we edit on photoshop and the planning for our practice magazine and final magazine.
I must admit the thought of designing a magazine exactly to my tastes and how I would like it to be quite excites me! I've already been doing alot of thinking and I know exactly what I want my magazine to look like and what will be inside BUT I'll save that for later (;

Ciao for now!