Transition school magazine comparison

1. EllisDear
Comparison Evaluation
 Font: On my school magazine cover I have mainly used sans serif fonts. The masthead,
headline and standfirsts are all in a sans serif font. I chose this font type because sans
serif is represented with a younger generation and is more modern, friendly and
current font, so this will help appeal to my young target audience of school students.
The masthead and headline are in a much bigger and bolder font, as they are
important type and need to be very eye-catching to draw attention in to my magazine
cover. The only serif fonts used on my magazine cover is the ‘INSIDE’ headline and the
website address. This is because these parts are more informative and serious, so are
typed in a more serious and traditional font. This helps give my cover sophistication
and class, but still keeps it up-to-date with the sans serif fonts. However, the school
magazine ‘FFH’ which I am comparing my magazine to, uses all serif fonts on its cover,
so is very different to mine. Having all the type in a serif font gives the impression that
this school magazine is aimed more at the parents, than the students. This is because a
serif font type is more traditional and plain so will be typically aimed at adults, as
younger people are less interested/attracted to them, so they are not likely to read.
However, like my magazine, the masthead and headline are both in a bigger and bolder
font, to draw more attention to their importance.
 Layout: The layout of my school magazine is very traditional, as I have used the
popular route-of-the-eye technique. I used this layout because it makes the cover easy
and interesting to read, as its designed simple, yet still effective. Route-of-the-eye is
used on my magazine cover because it starts with the school logo in the top right
corner, with the masthead travelling across the top to the right. The route then carries
on down the cover and cuts through the ‘INSIDE’ headline and the students’ face, to
the bottom left corner where the main headline ‘Back To School’ is. Below, the
standfirst then travels across to the bottom right, ending where the school’s website
address is. All following the route-of-the-eye pattern. Similar to my cover, the ‘FFH’
school cover also follows the route-of-the-eye pattern. Mostly because of the same
reasons I chose to use it, as its simple and effective, giving the cover a professional
look.
 Images:There are two images used on my school magazine cover. The first image is
with the logo, giving a preview of what Neale-Wade Academy looks like and so the
magazine clearly links in with the school. The main image is a mid-shot of a female
Neale-Wade student walking to school on the first day back after the summer holidays,
so the image links in with the headline ‘Back To School’. I used a mid-shot for the
image, as it easily shows up close the students face, school uniform and the school
books she is holding, so readers can automatically tell that this is a magazine made
about a school. The student is happy and smiling in the image, so that it tells readers
going ‘Back To School’ is nothing to worry about and gives the cover a friendly

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impression, so people want to read. This also gives a good impression on Neale-Wade
school, as the smiling student shows readers the Neale-Wade is a school where
students are happy, keen learners and is an enjoyable place to be. The image also
shows Neale-wade’s logo on the students’ school uniform. This help show even more
that the magazine cover is designed especially for Neale-Wade. However, the ‘FFH’
school magazine also has pictures of students and is a mid-shot, but there are three
who are wearing hats that they have made in school. This image gives a good
impression on the school too, like my cover, as it shows readers what students are
learning in the school, by wearing the historic and world-famous attractions hats,
which they made. The three students wearing school uniform with the school logo on,
also give away to readers that what they are about to read is a ‘FFH’ school magazine.
 Colours: The colours used in my school magazine cover are mainly red, orange and
yellow to match Neale-Wade’s logo and school colours. I chose to use these colours as
it gives my cover a professional and sophisticated look, as it shows that my colour
scheme was designed well for the school. Also, it helps my magazine be easily
recognised with Neale-Wade. The headline ‘Back To School’ on the cover has been
written in a bright red colour and also the headline ‘INSIDE’ is written in a bright
orange, which both match the school colours. Also, the bright colours helps them stand
out so they’re seen and makes the magazine look more interesting/eye-catching. The
rest of the writing, eg, the masthead, standfirsts and the web address are written in
black/white, as these are classy colours that still give my sophistication, but are also
more serious colours, as these are more important parts of text. The black/white
colours also clearly stand out and are seen to reader against the other shades of bright
colours. The ‘FFH’ school cover colour scheme is very similar to mine. This is because
‘FFH’ school colour is red, as of the uniform, therefore the masthead and type
surrounding it, is also red. The headline is in a bright yellow colour, as it is important
information, so a bright colour is eye-catching and makes it stand out to readers. These
colours also make the magazine look happy, colourful and interesting.
 Mode of address: The tone of my school magazine cover is informal. This tone is
created through the use of fonts, images and colours. The fonts used are mainly sans
serif, so it gives the cover a less formal and serious tone, so the cover appears informal.
The image also helps give my magazine cover an informal tone, as it is of a young
student who is happy and smiling, which gives an impression of friendliness to readers,
so they feel less formal towards the magazine, as they can relate to her. Finally, the
colour as give an informal tone, as bright and interesting colours are used, e.g., red,
oranges and yellows, whereas if I had just used black, white and grey the magazine
would look boring and more serious, with a formal tone. However, the ‘FFH’ school
magazine creates a more formal tone with its image, fonts and colours. The informal
tone comes from the fonts. This is because serif fonts have been used. This font type is

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more traditional and older; therefore the cover appears to be more serious when
reading it, giving a formal impression. Whereas, similar to my cover, the colours and
image give informal tones. This is because the colours used are bright and fun, not
plain and dull, so look more informal. Also, the image includes happy smiling students
(also like mine), which gives another informal tone, as it makes the cover look
enjoyable and intriguing to read.
 Conventions: My school magazine cover is very conventional, as it includes many
features that are typically seen on the front of a school magazine. For example, it
includes a masthead and two headlines, which are bright and bold, as they need to
stand out and be easily seen because they are important features on the cover. My
cover also includes standfirsts, which are conventional, as they explain more about the
headline and persuade the reader to read the inside articles. My cover is also
conventional for a school cover because the image contains a happy student, wearing
the school’s uniform, which gives a good impression to the school, as it shows readers
their students are happy, friendly and keen to return back to school. The layout used is
also conventional because it follows the route-of-the-eye pattern. This pattern is
conventionally used as it keeps the cover simple, uncluttered and till effective, as
readers view the cover in a certain way, to notice all features. The colours used are also
conventional as red, yellow and orange are mainly used to match Neale-Wade’s school
colours. This is conventional, as it is a common thing for school to follow in their
magazines, so that the school is immediately recognised with the magazine. Finally,
the sans serif fonts which are used on my cover are conventional because this type of
font is mainly used with a generation of younger people, as they are very modern,
stylish and simple/easy to read. So, considering my magazine cover is aimed at young
students, the fonts were conventional to used, as they help the cover appeal to its
readers. The ‘FFH’ magazine cover is also very conventional for a school magazine, as it
too follows these conventional points, just like my school cover, however it used more
serif than sans serif fonts.