Firstly I will look at the East Riding College student magazine. The front cover for this magazine isn’t particularly eye catching. Although it seems to hold a house style, it is boring and doesn’t grab the reader’s attention. This issue of the magazine was published in spring 2010, and the image doesn’t really correspond with this. The mast head stands out as it is in a large font, and also in a bright colour. However there is a lot of bare space above the headline that could easily have been filled, making the magazine seem more interesting. Because of this, it isn't the dominant feature of the magazine For me, the anchorage of this front cover doesn’t draw the reader in as in my opinion, it's boring. The front cover doesn’t include a slogan, relying on the mast head to draw the reader in. It is also free, which contributes to drawing the reader in as we all know people love free stuff! It also contains the bare minimum of information about what is actually in the magazine, which is not conventional of a typical magazine front cover. However I do like the way that it incorporates the college logo and name into the front cover. It is also in the bottom right hand corner which is conventional of a typical magazine as it’s where you put your fingers to turn the page, forcing the reader to look at the logo. The audience for this magazine is largely students aged from 16 to around 18, but also certain staff who show an interest in what is going on within the college. This target audience is portrayed in a positive light, however the main image isn't backed up by any main article mentioned on this cover. The main image here isn't a full page image. It isn't clear and also the people featured in the image aren't making eye contact with the buyer. This doesn't draw the reader in, making them less likely to purchase the magazine. There are also no advertisements or competitions advertised. No fund raising is mentioned which doesn't really give the reader any reason to buy the magazine. A conventional feature of a magazine is the teasing features advertised on the front cover as they draw the reader in, making the magazine more appealing to them and therefore they buy it.
The contents page eliminates any house style that the front cover may have given the impression of. It has a very basic layout, including a few pictures without captions. Without these captions, the reader has no clue which page to look at to find out more. Also the borders around the images are not continuous, giving the contents page a messy finish. The information for page numbers contains no detail, so the reader barely knows what the topic on the page will be about. There is no more mention of the institution logo or name, meaning the anchorage isn't drawing the reader in, this may result in any potential buyers not purchasing the magazine as it doesn't visually appeal to them. It doesn’t really contain any continuity, and if the two pages were ripped apart, the reader wouldn’t realise both pages were from the same magazine. On the other hand, it does contain conventional features of a contents page. The bright green box draws the readers attention to the most important section of the page, the topics featured in the magazine. The masthead for this page stands out much more than the one on the front page as it takes up the majority of the space and is also in a bold font, standing out to the readers.
The Grimsby Institute
The mast head for this magazine is extremely effective. It is large and covers a fair amount of the page, making it the main feature that people look at. The complimentary colours also draw the reader in. With the image also being the background to the magazine, it stands out more. It also gives the reader a large amount of information about the college and also the content of the magazine. It also gives the reader an email address where they can contact the college and also find out yet more information. This is a very informative front cover drawing the reader in and also, containing a house style. I particularly like the image for this magazine as it is informal and easy on the eye. With it being in cartoon form, it appeals to a much larger audience. It also includes a couple of images giving the reader an insight into the information about the topics within that specific issue. The audience for this magazine is largely students aged from 16 to around 18, showing this by the use of the cartoon image. Staff may also have a quick glimpse, but it’s evident it’s mainly intended for student usage. This front cover also includes the college logo and slogan, making the reader constantly remember which magazine they are reading, but more specifically, which college it is form.
The supposed house style for this magazine is now completely different to the front cover, much the same as the East Riding College magazine. However, there is a lot going on, which makes it appealing to the reader. Although the images don't have captions, they are much clearer than the East Riding College images It has advertisements on the left hand page, which appeal to the target audience of students. The images relate to the topics on certain pages, and we know this as each page number has a title and extra information about that certain topic. Also, the headlines on the pages have connotations of college life, relating to the students and therefore appealing to them. It also has extra information of how to contact the college which again, appeals to the reader. The colours on this magazine are very bold and bright, making the topics on each page stand out and catch the readers attention. This is a conventional style for a contents page of a magazine as it has a detailed description of the topic on each page and also includes images to give the reader a visual interpretation of these topics. The anchorage of this contents page is particularly good as it draws the reader in and also follows on from the front cover. It has the name of the institute printed on the left hand page along with the advertisments and also has the masthead 'contents' on the right hand page, which constantly reminds the reader of the magazine they are reading.
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