Research for my college magazine

I have chosen to feature Wyke College in my college magazine. I have chosen this as it is the college I attend, and therefore I know a lot of information about the college, and will be able to include upcoming competitions and events in the magazine.


 Cheadle and Marple College Magazine

This magazine cover has a very bold house style. It includes extremely bright colours, instantly drawing the buyers in. It also includes many pictures of topics included in the magazine, giving detail about the main story by including the page number also to draw the reader in. We know the institution is Cheadle and Marple college immediately as the name of the college is shown directly underneath the mast head. Underneath this it has the issue number and term, conventional of a college magazine. The mast head for this particular magazine is very eye catching. It’s in a large font, covering the full width of the page. This draws the reader in by catching their eye. It portrays the students in a very positive way as it shows many pictures of successful students from the college, also drawing in possible sixth form students. However this magazine doesn’t feature a main model, which is unconventional of a college magazine.

Lewishm College London Magazine

The mast head of this magazine is very eye catching. It is very large which is conventional of any magazine, and also has the college name within it, instantly telling the reader which college the magazine is for. It also includes the college logo at the bottom right hand corner of the magazine which is again, conventional of any advertisement, including advertisements of colleges. The model featured in this magazine is also extremely conventional as the college is a performing arts college. This is a stereotypical image of a performing arts student and therefore will draw the reader in as they now know what the college features. It also has information of topics within the magazine, showing the readers what will be in the magazine, also interesting them. In the top right hand corner it has the issue number and term, conventional of a college magazine. However, there is a lot of black space around the image, making the magazine seem empty or making it seem like there isn't much content.

Mid Kent College Magazine

 The mast head for this magazine isn’t particularly large, making it unconventional as it doesn’t draw the reader in. However the two models are conventional of a college magazine. As they’re pointing directly at the reader, making the reader feel involved in the magazine. It includes some information about certain topics covered in the magazine but not many. We can see an obvious house style for this magazine, as we can see the next page of the magazine has a black background, making blue, grey and black the 3 main colours. These colours are unconventional of a college magazine as the colours are usually bright and have conventions of happiness and cheerfulness. The next page has an editor’s note, which is also conventional of a magazine, including some images underneath it of the editors.






Demographics and Psychographics

Demographics -

Gender and Age:

The target audience for my college magazine is 15 to 24 years, both genders. This is because the majority of students are this age, and the majority of people aged 15 will be looking to go to college the following year, so I will make my magazine appealing to them also.

S.E.G:

I will be aiming my magazine at people in category E. This is because students fall into this category, and many people in any other category are already employed and not looking at colleges. However I may also include category D as these people may be unhappy in their job and may want to improve their skills and attend college to do this.

Psychographics –

VALS:

I will aim my magazine at those who fall into the outer and inner-directed category. This will include belongers, emulators and achievers as well as i-am-me, experimentals and societally conscious people. This covers a wider range of people, creating more potential buyers. This will interest many people at my college as there are a wide range of interests at my college. This will also show how diverse the college is, also representing students in a positive manner.

Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs:

My magazine will also cover all five stages of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. This again broadens the potential buyers, aiming to satisfy every college student or potential college student that picks up my magazine.

I am aiming to make my magazine free as I don't think students would be willing to pay for a college magazine purely because the vast majority are unemployed and would rather spend their money on other things. I will publish new issues every term as it is beneficial as it would be the best way to inform the students of new happenings going on every term.