To begin, I immediately noticed that the canditate has cut the image out very neatly on Photoshop to allow the masthead to fall behind, something I wish to achieve within my own magazine. As well as this, the images themselves appear very professional as they all have different backgrounds (e.g. brick wall, busy street, backdrop within a studio) and therefore do not appear amateuristic as if all of the images were taken on the same occasion. Furthermore, the simple colour scheme of red, white and black helps to avoid the magazine looking messy and over-crowded. On top of this, the way in which the masthead on he contents page is set upon a black background makes the page appear like it is from a real magazine as I found this was a recurring convention when deconstructing contents pages. Finally, I like the way in which the masthead from the front cover is included on the contents page.
On the other hand, many of the words within the main article are split between lines due to the fact that it is organised into columns and as a result they couldn't fit onto one line. This is not something which would occur so frequently within a real magazine and therefore gives a unprofessional vibe. Similarly, due to this, the word 'manager' appears as 'man- ager' despite the fact that it is all on one like and, once again, this makes the magazine appear unprofessional. Furthermore, spelling mistakes have been made such as the fact that they used the American spelling of 'favourite', 'favorite'. As well as this, the article ends mid-sentence with no indication, such as an arrow, that it continues onto the next page. Finally, I feel that the barcode is unnaturally large and consequently looks out of place and messy.
Overall, I believe this candidate completed the task to a high standard, particularly the front cover and contents page. The images are of a professional standard and the only real issue with it is the article itself.
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The second magazine I have chosen to analyse is called 'Talent'.
I do not feel that this candidate has been successful in creating a realistic looking magazine as even from a glance you can tell it appears very amateur. However, I do like their use of an original font for the masthead and feel that they utilised a pull quote effectively on the double page spread.
However, apart from this, the magazine appears as rushed and messy. Firstly, the front cover looks random and disorganised, particularly due to the fact that an image of Eminem is strangely positioned behind an image the candidate would have taken themselves. As well as this, I do not like the background of the front page and contents page, as fading from duck egg blue to white is not a style of background I have came across in any of the magazines I have deconstructed. Furthermore, the stars along the top of the front cover do not fit in with the rest of the page. Not only this, but the star in the top right hand corner has not been cut out of its white background which makes it stand out as unfinished. There is also another image on the contents page which has not been cut out properly as the original background is visible between the 'artists' legs. The images themselves are not of a high quality and I feel is another element which lets the magazine down. Finally, the double page spread appears very unlike a real magazine, mainly due to the use of Comic Sans MS as a font. I do not believe this font creates the impression of professionalism at all and therefore will not be using this font within my own magazine.
Overall, I feel as though this candidate did not spend as much time as possible and necessary to create a professional looking magazine. It is instantaneously recognisable as a piece of student work and due to this I do not believe they would have achieved a high grade.
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The final magazine I have chosen to analyse is called 'Shuffle'.
To begin, I like the way in which the coverlines on the front cover vary in size and colour but remain in the same font. This creates an element of fun whilst keeping the magazine structured. As well as this, I like the inclusion of a smaller image on the front cover however this is an image of an existing band and they should have used an image they took themselves. My favourite page within this main task is the contents page. The way in which the headings are set upon a red background follows a convention which I found in many of the magazines I deconstructed. As well as this, I like the idea of including a subscription advertisement on the contents page and competition on the double page spread however I don't find the way in which the candidate included these aesthetically pleasing.
As well as this, the candidate created their own logo with the inclusion of arrows into the masthead. This is an original idea which would set the magazine apart from the rest however, when deconstructing magazines, I did not come across a masthead which was made in this way. Due to this, this makes the magazine appear unprofessional. As well as this, the front cover appears over-crowded and the 'bubble' and heart behind the image appear extremely amateur. Furthermore, the main images on the front cover and double page spread appear messy as they have been cut out in a jagged fashion. Furthermore, the barcode is stretched and as a result does not look realistic. Within this magazine the candidate made grammar mistakes such as missing capital letters on names (e.g. The enemy instead of The Enemy) and spelling mistakes within the main article (e.g. 'devistated' instead of 'devastated').
Overall, I believe this candidate was unsuccessful in creating a realistic looking magazine however they completed some elements to a high standard. Similarly to 'Talent' it is very easy to recognise this as a piece of student work which is something I would like to avoid within my own magazine.
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My Magazine
From looking at last years student work I have concluded that it is very easy to fall into the trap of making an amateuristic looking magazine. Despite this, all 3 of the above magazines followed the major convention of positioning the masthead at the top of the front cover and main coverline between half way and the bottom of the page.
I would like my own magazine to look as realistic as possible and therefore not be instantly recognisable as a piece of student work. As a result, I am going to use a high quality camera to take clear and professional looking images. As well as this, I will ensure that my front cover is not over crowded and that I do not include too many colours. Finally, I am going to ensure that I use a small number of fonts and ensure that the font used for the main article is similar to a one I have seen in a real magazine as I do not want it to appear as unprofessional as the one in 'Talent', which used Comic Sans MS.
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