Questionnaire analysis

Target audience questionnaire

This is my target audience questionnaire; I made this survey using survey monkey - I posted it to my social media accounts to gain more responses as I know that social media plays a big part in today's society.
I created this questionnaire as it is important to gain audience feedback from those who are interested in reading my magazine. I included questions relevant for my audience, such as their interests and what they would like to see in the magazine. In doing this, I am gaining vital knowledge of the likes and dislikes of my target audience. From the results I will be able to ensure my music magazine is pleasing for the readers.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

+ research

http://www.billboard.com/artists/top-100/2014

For extra research and insight into popular music in today's society I have found 2014's most popular artists on the Billboard website which will help me gain more information into what genre of music is most listened to and so therefore I can include this in my music magazine. 

https://www.apple.com/uk/itunes/charts/songs/

https://www.apple.com/uk/itunes/charts/albums/

iTunes is a great source for my research as it shows me the most download song and album at the required time and so I can see what artist and album is most popular which will also help me create a good sense of knowledge about popular genre in which my audience will enjoy most.

Analysing Q magazine

Q magazine collage from Bethany Quigley

Front cover 

Q magazine was founded by Mark Ellen and David Hepworth, the first magazine was published in October 1986 by EMAP media group – after much research I have found that Q magazine, along with other magazine titles, was passed from the EMAP media group to the Bauer media group. Q magazine, at the time of its first release, bought a high-standard of music and arts that many magazines didn’t have – this enabled Q magazine to rise to instant popularity. As of its first few releases; Q magazine was named ‘Cue’ as to emphasis the word ‘cue’ in the music industry. The name was changed to avoid confused with the popular sport; snooker, which also had connotations to the word ‘cue’.

Q magazine is published monthly at the price of £4.99 which is a very low price for the informational content provided for the readers.

The house style of Q magazine is instantly recognised as a house-hold name in the music and media industry – the white, red and black colour scheme identifies the magazine as Q magazine and so the reader are welcomed by the colour contrast. The use of the large capital Q is quick and short for the reader to recognise and so their attention is quickly brought elsewhere in the magazine.  The coverlines displayed on the front cover have been included in the house style of Q magazine – they show all colours of white, red and black which goes in contrast with the largely white and dark background.

One coverline is larger than the others showing that this coverline needs more attention from the audience that the others – a better storyline or an attracting article in which is more interesting. The use of the + symbol introducing the coverlines implies a sense of informality for the audience as it is not English words yet a slang sign for ‘also’ or ‘plus’.

The slogan which can be seen along the top of the masthead reads; ‘the world’s greatest music magazine’, helping the reader determine that indeed it is and so is confident in buying the magazine due to the statement/ fact that they produce the best articles surrounding the music and art industry. The use of this slogan gives the magazine a USP whereby the reader can only assume that this is a fact – they may have been awarded this title.

A big feature which is displayed on the front cover is the use of a quote from Dave Grohl, featured on the front cover. This quote has been pulled from an article within the magazine and shown on the front cover alongside the main image to tease the reader into what is being said in the article. This intrigues the reader and so they are more likely to buy the magazine.

The main image on the front cover of Q magazine has been incorporated into the background and foreground of the other features on the cover. In doing this, the image appears to be a part of the magazines house-style; however we know that it is only this month’s main feature. The main image features rock-cultures most known – the Foo Fighters. The positioning of the band mates is carefully placed to attract the reader to the most famous face of the band – Dave Grohl. The other band members are seen in the background of the high angle shot however the main focus is on Grohl who is showing a relaxed down-to-earth body language; welcoming the audience to read the magazine. concerning the mise en scene within this main image – all member of the Foo Fighters are wearing old-style, casual outfits which present them in a non-media way whereby they are not obsessed with the characteristics of other pop-stars such as Nicki Minaj or Lady Gaga; rather the laid back, music writer look. This helps the band create an image that only music and fans matter – relating back to Q magazine whereby the look to be the best ‘MUSIC’ magazine out there. To further help the reader feel welcomed – all band members are making eye contact with the camera and so there is an element of direct address promoting the reader to buy the magazine. The main image on this Q magazine takes up around 80% of the page and so the audience are directly forced to look at it.

Another image which has been included on the front cover is Prince – alongside a coverline of a featured article about him inside the magazine. This image is very small compared to the main image of the Foo Fighters – so therefore we, the audience, presume that his article is not as detailed as that of the Foo Fighters. However, the use of a skyline beside the image reading; ’20 page special’ helps gain more readers with the trusting hope that indeed the magazine features Prince in great detail. The skyline which has been used to promote this is not the usual skyline for a magazine – in fact the skyline only relates to one article and is displayed lower off the top of the page.

Contents page

There are a number of perfume advertisements that come before Q’s contents page - these adverts include; Chanel, Hugo Boss, Q Presents and a new film release, Black Sea. In doing this, Q magazine are enabling their brand deals to make a very good first impression on the readers.

The contents page continues with the house style of Q magazine – the white background makes the black font stand out to appeal to the audience more. The masthead on the contents page reads; ‘December 2014 Q contents’ in block capital letters – this presents the magazine in a formal way. The font used can be described as New Times Roman – the font is formal and readable for the audience which is the best concept for the text. The masthead is displayed within a black box which adds to the design of the contents page.

The layout of the articles which are included in the magazine is quite different from the usual layout of a contents page. The use of black lines separating each article aids the design of the page – the page is presented in a youthful, fun way which is appealing to the reader as musicians and music fans would be liberal in their thoughts and designs and so this page represents this well. Each article has a small blurb on what the article is about, what is included. The use of this blurb is surprising as usually a magazine would include a small piece of the article under the title of the article, however, Q magazine has decided to describe and introduce the musician featured in the magazine. By doing this, the audience can make the decision whether or not to read the article – whether it interests them or not.

The use of the coloured speech bubbles which contain the page numbers of each article adds different colours to the house style of Q magazine. Colours include; blue, red, grey, pink, yellow, orange, and teal. These colours make the page numbers more recognisable for the reader and so they are more attracted to reader the article blurbs. Surprisingly, the Foo Fighters, who featured on the main image on the front cover, do not have the biggest image/ attention on the contents page – instead more attention is given to an image of Noel Gallagher implying his article may interest more readers – may be due to what is happening at the moment in his life.

The font used on the contents page contrasts to the masthead on this page – most likely the font is New Times Roman which is very readable and plain. The use of this writing helps the reader glance over all article blurbs because the font is so easy to read and so they will be more inclined to read the rest of the magazine because the use of this font. Furthermore, the size of the font is small yet still large enough for comfortable reading. The use of sub-headings grab the reader’s attention to each article making sure no article is unseen by the audience. 

Double page spread

Q magazine has many double page spreads due to the length of the magazine – this double page spread is very interesting however; the contents of this page are youthful, fun and displays lots of images which help to invite the reader.  This double page spread is a promotion page as we are directed to a logo by bright colours including; red, white, black and purple. This logo is sponsored by Sony Xperia which implies to the audience that Q magazine work in close contact with the big music companies such as Sony and iTunes- this appeals to the audience more. In doing this, the reader is not only supporting Q magazine but Sony as well – we can assume they are partners.

In terms of the layout on these two pages each article has two images and a small blurb about an artist. Due to the length of the articles it shows us that Q magazine are only introducing the artists to the reader – they are not big stars or attractions to the audience so therefore these types of articles are not given in great detail. The overall layout of these pages is quite informal and laid-back – the reader is presented a fun yet orderly double page spread whereby the text and images are displayed in quite an abnormal fashion. Many of the images overlap each other and so provides this youthful feel to the pages – which aids to the narrative of the pages; new and younger generation of music.

The body text on these two pages is printed in New Times Roman which is easy for the reader to read – this helps create a laid back and easy read magazine. The use of bold red headings on each article piece helps to direct the reader to read the articles in order and ensuring the layout of the page is correct and formal. The background of these pages is white which helps the black font stand out – the background colour white continues the house style of Q magazine.

The main image is printed on the first page of the two; the purple neon lightening of the image helps to suggest an electric musical concert which does not comply with the front cover – which seems to imply a rock feel to the magazine. Purple, as a colour, combines the stability of blue and the energy of red – it symbolises ambition and creativity which helps to suggest to the read that indeed new artists are evolving and they have first glance at the future of music. This is confirmed by the masthead of the page, “The next generation”, in promoting this page as the ‘future’ of music the audience are instantly attracted to reading the articles on this double page spread as they will want to know who is the new upcoming artists – as music magazine readers we can assume they like the world of music and so will want to acknowledge new faces in the industry. 

HOT PRESS magazine analysis

Hot press magazine collage from Bethany Quigley

Here I have analysised HOT PRESS' magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread as part of research for my music magazine. I have done this in preparation for creating my own music magazine - this will benefit me as I will be able to include design, layout and colour scheme ideas as well as learning how to address my audience for my magazine.

Front cover

HOT PRESS magazine is released fortnightly; it bases its articles on music and politics. Located in Dublin, Ireland it was founded in June 1977. The magazine title, HOT PRESS, is a pun for a common Irish term for an airing cupboard. Masthead can also symbolize the idea of paparazzi and ‘press’ in the media – they have the hot press, the ‘not-to-be-missed’ press. Furthermore, the masthead can also give the idea that the magazine knows everything you need to know about music. The title almost sounds like a gossip-centre place; the HOT PRESS. As though the magazine directly tell their readers everything – nothing is held back which creates a friendly feel to the magazine.

The magazine has a circulation of 17,179 (ABC, January – December 2012). The magazine is sold in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland which means they have a wider target audience and market. The magazine is mostly directed at individuals aged 18-35 with 90% of their audience being in that age group. 45% of this percentage is 18-25 years old while the other 45% are between the ages of 26-35. The magazine is aimed equally at both sexes with 52% of their readers being male and the other 48% being female.

The house colours for this magazine are; gold, black and grey. This helps the magazine become a house-hold magazine for its readers, the colour scheme is dark and rock ‘n’ roll like. From this house style we can assume the magazine promotes non-pop music such as arctic monkeys, Jake Bugg and of course U2. The gold and black contrast of colours suggests an award-like magazine as these colours are used in the music industry for platforms and awards. This makes us the audience assume this award-winning magazine who features award-winning musicians. All words and letters printed on the front cover are displayed in block capitals which suggest that all information is important on the cover and so the reader should read it all. The issue vol and issue number is displayed alongside the date in which the magazine is published; this helps the reader determine how long the magazine has been running and ensures they are reading the up-to-date edition. The font of this is small and printed at the side of the masthead. The layout, choice of colours and design of the front cover has created a niche audience – those interested in vintage, old-school music. This helps to create a ‘fandom’ for HOT PRESS magazine as they will have buyers who will buy every release and those who buy for their favourite band who may be featured in the magazine.

The masthead of this magazine is HOT PRESS; the O in hot is replaced by a fire symbol which further implies the idea of the word HOT – as though their music and articles are on fire, a metaphor for the best.  The masthead is printed in a stamp-like fashion which connotes a homely-feel for their readers.

The main image is displayed on 70% of the front cover which instantly attracts the audience to look at U2. The use of this band helps to introduce new readers to the magazine as people may see U2 as the front cover and may be interested to read it- therefore an increase in audience numbers and sales. The image is in black and white which is in contrast to the house style of the HOT PRESS magazine. The black and white image could further suggest that the band are ‘old-school’ and so therefore a black and white image would deeply present the band as the ‘kings of music’ – to many people they may be. Not one band member is making eye contact with the camera/ reader which intrigues us to as why they do not make eye contact- this makes us believe that ‘the big interview’ may include some mistakes and secrets in which the band have made throughout their careers and so this intrigues the reader to read on. The image was taken at eye level which helps to emphasises the band as down-to-earth people – who make music. The use of this eye level angle is very naturalistic and even. Every band member is seen equally in the shot and so there is no ‘main’ singer-band member. This further gives us the audience that U2 want to create a new image- which the angle of shot helps to establish this. The main coverline is displayed in front of the main image which suggests to the reader that U2 is based on their music not their image – which is uncommon in today’s music industry.

The mise en scene presented in the main image have been carefully chosen to highlight important aspects of the band. The musicians look very relaxed – this helps the reader connect to the band on a humanly basis. The use of sunglasses on two of the musicians symbolised what they may be hiding from their past – two without sunglasses show how they’ve changed, moved on. One band member is wearing a monkey hat; which would usually see on a hard working man, such as builders or carpenters. This hat represents to the audience how hard the band have worked to get to where they are – although mistakes (sunglasses representation) they have worked hard.

‘The Big Interview’ is presented to the reader in a faint font; it is not instantly directing the reader to what it reads. Yet, as the reader is attracted to the main image it is when the look down they can notice this coverline. The wording interests the reader at once as the adverb ‘big’ is used which implies this interview is not something to be missed. Furthermore, the white writing under the coverline reads; ‘BONO, EDGE, LARRY AND ADAM TALK TO OLAF’, this line is displayed in block capitals to further imitate the house style. The magazine has chosen to print all band members’ names which is strange and interesting because most people and readers would only recognise Bono- who is the main singer. By doing this, HOT PRESS magazine are promoting the band as a new generation of themselves; because the band are older they need to become more relevant with the new generation of music.

More coverlines are displayed on the strapline of the front cover; these are printed in a careful way- where by the reader is only appealed by them once they have saw everything else on the front cover. The wording is direct and only tells the reader some of what is furthermore featured in the article. The mode of address presented in these coverlines continues with the exact wording of the main coverline. The coverlines displayed on the HOT PRESS front cover can be labelled as ‘headings’ or ‘titles’ which present the magazine is quite a formal way.

From the front cover I can suggest that HOT PRESS magazine focuses its content on mostly males – this is only based on the fact that the house-style does not represent women in any way and so the use of these colours would more likely attract male readers.

Contents page

Firstly, the reader’s attention is instantly attracted to the large teal heading of the contents page; it reads, ‘contents’ in block capitals – further emphasising the house style of HOT PRESS magazine. Under the main heading it states the vol and issue number once again however this time it gives the reader a vintage feel as the font is quite antique looking. The ‘HOT PRESS 3820’ once again shows how many magazine publications this brand has had. In doing this, the reader feels like the magazine will always been published and so will be intrigued as the magazine must contain popular and interesting articles- therefore the reader will want to read on due to this.

Furthermore, the contents page additionally emphasises the fire we see on the masthead of the magazine. The fire image on this page is in the blue teal colour with a circle of different coloured sections around it. This implies to the reader that this fire image is the magazines’ logo and so apart of the house style of the magazine.

There is only one image on the first contents page – an unusual convention of a contents page. The image is once again the band U2 which again displays them in a black and white image. This image is on the bottom of the page and alongside the list of page numbers. HOT PRESS’ contents page does not follow the conventional layout of a contents page. There are two page of contents pages which gives the reader a larger idea of what is inside the magazine. Both pages follow the same style of the dots and font suggesting the the first contents page is a ‘cover page’ for the contents page as it is the page with the masthead and the main story image. The first page  only displays two highlighted articles within the magazine; one of which concerns music while the other, politics. The name of the article is highlighted beside the page number to give the reader clear guidance on what the story about U2 is. It then goes on to describe the main narrative of the story which helps intrigue the reader.

Diagrams of dots, in the teal colour, are seen on above and below the heading ‘contents’ and ‘HOT PRESS 3820’. These dots present the magazine in a professional and neat way which helps the reader understand what they should be attracted to – the page numbers and U2 image. The font used on this page provides the reader with an old-English presentation. In doing this the audience make a prejudgement of the mode of address in which the magazine communicates with the reader. We, the audience, can assume from this appearance that the magazine is very formal in the way it communicates and so gives off a professional feel.

The overall style of the contents page in this magazine is very sheik and vintage which further emphasises the fact that U2 is an older band. This gives us, the audience, the impression that this magazine features the older bands, the ‘chiefs of music’, and the house-hold names within the industry.  

Double page spread

The choice of band for the double page spread in HOT PRESS magazine implies to us that the target audience is old-school rock – the audience would be of an older age. This means that the magazine can make references to music and musicians that shaped the world of music. U2 have such a large fan base and so by including them as their double page spread HOT PRESS magazine are increasing their circulation and therefore sales. The use of a large dark image which white font suggests that the band have a darker, more gothic side – a new album could be suggested in this. The white font is displayed in many different fonts, some of which include; Algerian, and Calibri (body). This helps create an artistic feel to the article which promotes the reader to enjoy the layout and design of the page not just the body text. The colours used on this page do follow some part of the house style of HOT PRESS magazine – black and white is used throughout as well as the black and white image however no gold is used which does not support the infamous house style.

Language used on this page is quite humorous and uses some puns when describing a band member. For example, “guitarist The Edge – passport name: David Howell Evans – is strapping on his seatbelt and discussing his many years of air travel”. This caption introduces the article – it eases the reader into which band member it is about and what are they doing at the present moment of the interview. The pun is humorous and so is inviting for the reader to sit and read the rest of the article. It shows that the article is informal and low-key. By stating the fact that the interview took place in a taxi going down the Luton airport runway implies to the audience that indeed the band are down-to-earth and live a low-key star-studded life. Further on in the article is written in the point of view of the interviewer, whose name is printed clearly before the body text. In doing this, the audience are submitted to see and feel what the interviewer, Olaf, is experiencing when interviewing the band. This also helps the reader feel as though they are a passive audience which helps to create a sense of conversation between the band members and the reader.

In terms of the layout of the double page spread in the HOT PRESS magazine – the main image takes up nearly one full page which instantly attracts the audience as the reader would most likely want to look at the image rather than read a large article. The double page spread is based on one band member – The Edge, which does not comply with the image as it contains all band members. This suggests to us that the article goes on for a number of pages to focus on one band member at a time; giving the audience a full coverage of their favourite band. A blurb is printed below the image on the first page – this helps to sum up everything that has recently happened concerning U2. This helps to audience become up-to-date with the band and so they will understand the article fully. The overall design of the page is very gothic, emo which implies a very different look to the band – again suggesting a new sound or look for the band. Only one image has been used on this page which creates the idea that this image is the most important to the article – one that contains all band members equally shot. The mono toned image has connotations of rapid succession as used in film drama whereby draining the colour of an image can shift and add complexities, meanings and convey that a deeper message is hidden. The quality of having no colour can be for a number of reasons but purely has been used to create a wholly symbol.

Music magazine research

Music magazine research from Bethany Quigley

Evaluating my school magazine

Created with Padlet

School Magazine

This is my finished school magazine front cover and contents page. I did not completly follow my first instructions as I had previously planned - many photos I had took seemed blurry and so I changed a lot during the Photoshop process. I feel that there are improvements to be made on both pages however I am pleased with my result as it was my first time using many programmes such as Photoshop. 

Photoshoot plan

School Magazine Prezi

Contents and front cover flatplans

 

Analysing questionnaire results

 

Question one- The results for this question gave me the gender of my target audience. From this question I now know that 98% of those who will be reading the school magazine will be female and so therefore I must adapt the magazine to have female connotations which will attract a wider audience. From this question I know that the school is a majority girl school and so I have to direct the contents of the magazine to a female audience.

Question two- I chose to include this question in my questionnaire as I thought it would be necessary to find out the largest group of students who would read the school magazine and which year group they belonged to. From the ages I laid out I knew which the most likely year group they belonged to. Therefore this question gave me an idea of the age of my target audience. With 13 out of 20 aged 17-18 I presume that most students are sixth form. This means the magazine will more likely be about UCAS and career advice; I have also included a question to answer that question also. This kind of question is important for a school magazine questionnaire as I can adapt the suitability of the articles in the magazine.

 

Question three- Student profiles and career guidance were the most popular article types selected by the students. The results were even with these two choices which further suggests to me that the school magazine will be most likely read by sixth form students. I chose this question as it is important to understand what students would actually read in a school magazine. This market research is essential as now I know that students would read the magazine if I did articles on student profiles and career guidance.

 

 

 

Question four – I chosen to include this question because the front cover is what will firstly attract the reader so therefore I wanted to know what would attract the students to the school magazine. From these results I can see that ‘students’was the most popular choice for the front cover and inside articles. With 11 out of 20 students choosing this option I feel as though the school magazine should be based on students rather than teachers or specific students such as music and drama and top achievers. I think ‘students’ was the most popular option as ‘normal students’ will attract more readers as everyone will have a chance to be in the magazine.

 

 

Question five- This question was included as I wanted to know when students wanted the school magazine to be published. If I published it too often then less people would want to read it as it may be a ‘burden’ to read to be content. As I can see from the results, students would prefer to have the magazine published Termly which means the content would be relevant and contain more information as weekly may be hard to get relevant and different articles therefore the school magazine should be published Termly. 17 out of 20 students requested this.

 

Question six- This type of question is important for a questionnaire as appearance is very important for the reader. As the majority of my audience are female I will have to make female connotations throughout the magazine and on the front cover. In this question I included the option of‘school colours’ which proven the more popular option with the students who answered the questionnaire. I think the colours of the school were popular because it represents the school rather than random colours. The next common colour was yellow which is a ‘girly’ colour; comparable to the fact that the majority of my audience our female. Furthermore, the results showed zero students wanting the colour blue as the colour scheme for the magazine which means I will not be including blue as a main colour on the front cover. The colour scheme must be popular among the audience as the colour scheme of the magazine will be one of the first things to attract the reader so therefore I will have to make it appealing.

 

 

Question seven- I wanted to include vouchers in my school magazine so therefore I felt it be necessary to see what vouchers students would actually want in the magazine. As a result I included this question in my questionnaire. I know now that most students would rather iTunes and Topshop vouchers to be available in the magazine. I guessed that these options would be most popular as majority of students have apple devices and therefore would use iTunes and Topshop is a very popular shop within the student community. ITunes is just below Topshop in the results so I believe it to be better if I use both choices as vouchers in the school magazine.

 

 

 

 

Question eight- I included this question as I thought it would have been helpful to see what kind of competitions students would like to see in a school magazine, if any. The response showed me that Spot the Difference was the most popular. The results were Spot the Difference was 8 out of 20. With both crosswords and questionnaires coming equal I think they should be included in the school magazine less frequently than Spot the Difference to add variety to the competitions in the magazine.

 

 

 

Question nine- This question was very important to include in my questionnaire as I need to know if students would actually pay for the magazine as if so how much. As expected the results show that 16 out of 20 would pay nothing for the magazine while 3 would pay £1.00. This means that I will have to sell the magazine for free as this is where I will get the most sales. As the audience are students, many may only have change and so they may believe it to be a waste if they had to pay for a school magazine.

 

 

 

Question ten- I decided to include this question because I feel that if students have a choice of what size the magazine would be they would be more likely to read it. Knowing that the readers will be students I thought about the size as they may find it more comfortable for a A5 magazine as they could fit it in their blazer pockets. However, the results of my questionnaire show that students would rather a school magazine of A4 size; the ratio between A4 and A5 in the results were 2:1 which means A4 was more popular among the students.

 

 

Question eleven- This question was essential to include in my questionnaire as it was important to know the mode of address the students wished to read; either formal or informal. Of course, the results showed that the students would rather informal writing; this would be common among students as they will understand the articles more if there are no complicated words or stories in the magazine.

 

 

Question twelve- I included this question as I was looking to know if a student comment section was a good idea for my school magazine. And with the results being 19 out of 20 saying ‘yes’ to this question I believe that the student comment section would be a very good idea to include in my magazine. I think students will like to become more involved in what they want said and this column will allow them to do this which is why I believe majority students said yes to this question.

 

Questionnaire

School Magazine Questionnaire

 

 

      Which gender are you?

 Female __            Male __

What age group do you belong to?

 13-14 __      15-16 __        17-18 __ 

What would you like to see in a school magazine?

School Achievements __    Student Profiles __    Upcoming Events __    School News __

Revision Tips __    School Trips/Exchanges__    Career Guidance__

What kind of people would you like to see on the front cover?

Teachers __    Students __    Sports Teams __    Drama/Music Students __    Top Achievers __

When would you like the magazine to be published?

Weekly __    Monthly __    Termly __    Annually __

What colour scheme would you prefer? Tick multiple

School Colours __    Red __    Yellow __    Blue __    Green __   Pink __

What vouchers would you prefer to see in the magazine?

New Look __    Topshop __    iTunes __    GAA Shop __

What kind of competitions would you like to see in the magazine?

Quizzes __    Spot the Difference __    Crosswords __    Questionnaires __

How much would you be willing to pay for the school magazine?

Nothing (free) __    £1.00 __    £1.50 __    £2.00 __    More __

What size would you rather the school magazine to be?

A4 __    A5 __

Would you like the magazine to be written as formal or inform?

Formal __     Informal __

Would you like a student comment section where students can write columns about things relevant to the school?

Yes __     No __ 

School magazine front cover analysis 2

The first thing we are drawn to is the masthead of this magazine. The masthead reads, “Prep School” in large attracting font. The masthead is printed in a formal font to present the school appropriately. The word ‘Prep’ indicates to us that this school may be a primary school or a preparation school for college.  The magazine is appealing to both pupils and parents alike. The white and blue colour scheme of the masthead is compared to the other features of the magazine; the overall colour scheme for the magazine is blue and white. The bold white writing stands out for the blue background which has been purposely done to grab our attention. 

The colour scheme has been chosen to most likely symbolize the schools uniform, which can be seen in the main image. The colour scheme is bold and bright to highlight the positive features of this magazine. The colour for this magazine ties together well as the main image further carries on the white and blue colours. The blue banner is clear-cut and formal looking.  The house style of this school magazine is formal due to the blue banner and font of the headings and coverlines around the main image. The spelling and punctuation is correct implying that this magazine is formal. Dues to the formality of this magazine the circulation would probably be more popular among the older age, for example the teachers and parents. The way the magazine is present may not attract younger readers.

There is no indication of a price of this magazine which indicates that this school magazine is free; encouraging more sales. However on the skyline it states the year printed and the issue number. This highlights the fact that the magazine is an on-going magazine most likely printed annually or termly. Due to the presents of the issue number we can indicate that the contents of the magazine will highlight the positive things that happened since the last magazine. 

The slogan of this magazine is printed under the masthead, it summarises the statement that the school carries proudly, “reflecting the best”, this highlights to us that the school must receive good results either with academic results or the students are very bright young people. The slogan emphasizes to us that the school is a prep and junior school i.e. for younger children, before high school. 

The main image is spread across the front cover; the image is displayed behind the coverlines and the advertisement shown at the bottom of the front cover. The main image illustrates young children with iPads; this highlights an issue which may be written inside in the magazine. We can guess that the subject in this issue of the magazine is to do with IT and how it will positively impact pupils; we can indicate this as the students are smiling with iPads in their hands. We can further perceive the subject matter of the magazine on the coverline which is displayed on top of the image. It reads, “A focus on IT”, this suggests to us that IT is the main story in the magazine.

Analysising a Contents Page.

 The heading of this contents page is in a bold front to attract us; the heading also informs that this issue is from the 2012 summer term. The contents page contains the main features of a contents page; page numbers, main stories, and photos of certain pages.

The list of main stories covers half of the contents page; this list is very important as it guides us to what is in the magazine. The contents page gives us the option of what we want to read in the magazine.

The use of numbers beside the articles highlights to the reader the main or exciting stories which may entice them to read on. This layout of numbered articles adds formality to the magazine as it comes across organised and professional. Due to the fact the numbers do not go up in order implies that there are many more articles within the magazine; while the contents page only displays the 'editors pick'.

The advertisement on this contents page 'satips' implies to us, the readers, that the Prep magazine is most likely sponsored which means there may be extras added to the magazine in aid by 'satips'. The advertisement gives the reader the idea that Prep magazine is very popular and most likely run b y the school as they may be in partnerships. Due to the display of this advertisement we can assume this magazine is published often; this idea is reaffirmed with the issue number printed on the skyline of the page.

The images printed on the contents page give the reader a teaser of what's to come further on in the magazine. An image on the contents is used to attract the reader as too much text may not appeal to the reader. One image shows a young boy wearing the school uniform; in class reading a book. This illustrates that Prep School is an academic school where students seem happy to complete school work such as reading. This image will also be very appealing to parents of potential students as they can see that productive work is done in Prep School.

The first bullet point reads; "from the editor" this gives us the implication that this page is dedicated to the editor of the Prep Magazine. Further on, the list of pages also has the author printed beside each article. The bylines of the pages is interesting as we assume the authors may be students within the school as each article is written by someone different and on a completely different subject.