Case Study: Top of the Pops magazine

Background and ownership

Top of the Pops magazine is a monthly magazine published by the BBC, which was originally launched to supplement the Top of the Pops television show and continued despite the termination of the TV show in 2006. TOTP was formerly aimed at young teenagers and resembled the 'Smash Hits' magazine but its emphasis on music has gradually shifted to focus more on young girl's lives and interests, resembling more of a stereotypical teenage magazine. The use of slang and informal phrases such as 'Christmas cringes' and 'Joe buffs up' relates to the young audience, as does the short captions inside the magazine accompanying pictures, rather than long articles.

Content and approach to music

TOTP magazine focuses on chart music and mostly features popular artists such as Girls Aloud, McFLY and Rihanna that appeal to young teeangers. However, the magazine's emphasis seems to be more on the appearance and private lives of celebrities rather than their musical talent, reflecting the caption on the cover, 'More gossip! More Scandal!' For example, the cover photo and main interview is of High School Musical stars Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgen, reflecting on their relationship, with the headline 'Together forever?', encouraging readers to buy the magazine to find the answer. The interview is accompanied by a section where photographs of the couple are analysed and their body language is seen as reflecting the state of their relationship, for example; 'Zac and Vanessa's fingers are interlocked suggesting an intimacy that can't be faked'.

Popular singers such as Jonas Brothers and McFLY are also interviewed in the magazine but are rarely questioned on their music and instead personal questions such as 'Are you single?' are asked to probe into their personal lives and uncover gossip stories beyond their musical careers.
The magazine also contains features on fashion and make-up tips, often resembling stereotypical teeange girl magazines rather than a music magazine and in this issue, Rihanna's make up is used to promote other make up brands to encourage girls to mirror Rihanna's appearance rather than her talent.



Editorial Content: 'opinion leaders' and reader interaction

In TOTP magazine, there are many chances for readers to interact and write in to the magazine by publishing letters from readers including photographs or their opinions on a certain topic. The letter page, run by DJs - JK and Joel allows readers to take part in discussions and express opinions on celebrities and gossip stories which is very different from other music magazines where readers interact by reviewing new music rather than the lives of the music artists.

Promoting the industry

TOTP magazine promotes and gives away prizes that appeal to the young female target audience, such as Nintendo DS games and High School Musical merchandise and promotes certain products and celebrities at times of popularity, for example, High School Musical features in almost every TOTP issue around the time of the film release. Pop singers and groups are also interviewed often when releasing a new single or album, for example Girls Aloud are interviewed in this issue of TOTP following the release of their new album. Nintendo DS is also promoted through this interview as Girls Aloud appear in these advertisements, as the target audience for Nintendo DS and Girls Aloud are likely to overlap. The advertisements in TOTP magazine consist mainly of products expected in stereotypical young teenage girl magazines such as female hygiene and Nintendo DS games, rather than music promotions as expected in a music magazine.
The free gift with this TOTP issue was a tin pencil case with matching stationary, appealing for young girls using this stationary for school. This free gift demonstrates how the emphasis on music for TOTP magazine has shifted to target young girls' interests and now is hardly recognisable as a music magazine.

Analysis of music magazines

Kerrang is a rock magazine, published weekly by Bauer Consumer Media. Its emphasis on certain types of music seems to change quite frequently with popular music trends and it has included music styles such as rock, heavy metal and grunge but more recently has focused on emo and metalcore music. The readership of 'Kerrang' is 60% male and 40% female and the choice of colour, style and male artists on the cover seems to reflect male interests rather than female. Metal and goth music have created subcultural identitys and the style and colour of 'Kerrang' is representative of stereotypical emo and goth fashion which has become more commonly associated with the word 'emo' rather than the music. In recent years, the media has associated emo with being emotional, shy, introverted or depressed and the dark colour scheme of black and red reflects this as well as the serious expressions of the band on the cover. The clothing of the band on the cover is also stereotypical of emo fashion as they have dark styled hair and are dressed in plain black clothes. Even without knowing the name or music of the band, it is obvious what audience they are aimed at, because of their stereotypical emo fashion. The same colours are The band Funeral for a Friend are a well known emo rock band and the use of their name in large lettering on the cover draws attention to them as the main feature which makes it obvious that the magazine is aimed at emo and rock music fans.

'Kerrang' uses words and phrases on the front of the magazine to support the loud and heavy sound associated with metal music, for example, 'Life is Loud' and the name 'Kerrang' refers to the sound of a block chord played on an electric guitar; a loud and abrupt sound to reflect its music genre. The language used on the cover is informal and the use of slang terminology shows that the readership consists mainly of teenagers and young adults. 'Kerrang' specifically targets the emo/goth subculture, presented by its dark colour scheme, style and fashion as worn by the band on the cover.

This is the cover for the weekly pop magazine, 'Billboard'. Although 'Billboard' is an American magazine, it covers popular chart and new music releases in various countries in print and on the web. This magazine cover contains a wider range of colour than 'Kerrang', immediately targeting a different audience from the emo or goth subculture and its use of dark colours on the cover. The readership of 'Billboard' is male and female young adults, however this particular issue seems to target female readers as the main use of text colour used is purple, a stereotypical female colour. The main photograph of the page is of Miley Cyrus, a pop singer/actress, popular mostly in America, showing that the main focus of the magazine is on American artists and chart hits. Miley Cyrus is pulling a silly but her expression is friendly, reflecting the fun appearance and style of pop music, in contrast to the serious expressions of the band on the cover of 'Kerrang'. 'Billboard' also features R'N'B or pop rock artists who's music is likey to also appeal to pop music fans of the magazine. The cover also includes captions of what features inside the magazine which are all featured around artists and their musical careers or latest chart updates. This is very different to the 'Top of the Pops' magazine, a pop music magazine for young teenagers which tends to focus on the personal lives of artists rather than their music. 'Billboard' uses informal language on its cover to appeal to young adults and its overall style and colour has connotations of fun and happiness, associated with popular music. I like the style of this magazine and will incorporate some of its conventions into my own.


This is the cover for the hip-hop and R&B music magazine, 'Vibe'.

Its focus is on urban hip-hop culture; fashion, politics and entertainment as well as its music, and has a circulation of around 8 million in various countries. 'Vibe' features many well known R&B artists as well as actors or other celebrities representative of the urban hip-hop culture. Artists featured in 'Vibe' magazine are predominantly black such as Ciara, Jay-Z and Kanye West and R. Kelly covers this issue of 'Vibe'; a stereotypical black hip-hop artist. Stereotypes of the hip-hop culture include aggression and the terminology such as 'thugs' and 'sickest' used on the cover reflect the common themes of violence and aggression in the lyrics of hip-hop songs. The colour and style of this magazine appears to be targeted at a male audience, with black and red as the main use of colours, mirroring the style of 'Kerrang' magazine, with its readership consisting mainly of males.

Evaluation

While carrying out my research, I found that sixth form magazines were quite hard to find as many schools publish a general school magazine rather than a specific sixth form magazine. Most of the sixth form magazines that I found seemed to be aimed at parents rather than students as most of them seemed to be 'selling the status' of the school by using the school name and logo as the main feature on the front covers, such as the Rainey Endowed School. These magazines seemed to be focusing on the sobriety and tradition of the school and could almost be seen as a prospectus than a magazine due to their formality which could be seen as 'boring' by teenage students as I found that the magazines that appeal to teenagers have 'busy' front covers with lots of text, pictures and bright colours to attract the reader. I also found that there was a lack of ethnic representation in the school and sixth form magazines that I looked at and I wanted to cater for different ethnic backgrounds in my magazine. I found that magazines such as Sugar, Heat, Look and music magazines are popular with teenage girls as older teenage boys did not seem to read many magazines and I based my design on the layout of these magazines as the majority of the sixth form and my target audience are girls. These magazines were very different to the style of the school magazines I found that were generally quite plain with no indication of what is inside the magazine on the cover.

I wanted to make a magazine that would challenge the forms and conventions of existing school magazines by making it fun interesting and lively to appeal to older teenage student readers rather than their parents.

I chose a medium close up photograph of a female sixth form student smiling over her shoulder at the camera for my cover, against a background of grass. I chose this photo as I felt it connotes friendliness and she seems independent and free to wear what she wishes as there is no sense of a uniform. This photo seems friendly and relaxed which would relate and appeal to sixth form students.

The font that I used for my title was less serious and organised than the standard fonts that were commonly used in school and sixth form magazines and could represent graffiti lettering which creates an informal feel to the cover that would appeal to teenage readers. I used yellow text boxes around the captions 'UCAS forms', 'Uni open days' and 'Revision tips' as they could represent post-it-notes that students would often use for revision or on noticeboards in their bedrooms, which also creates a sense of informality that would appeal to teenage students.

I read some of the magazines that were popular with teenagers to get an idea of the language used to address the readers which was informal and chatty, unlike the formal language commonly used in school/sixth form magazines. Therefore I used informal language on my magazine cover such as 'Meet the new team!' which creates an inclusive welcome and a friendly chatty feel to the magazine that would encourage teenage students to read it rather than parents.

On the front cover, I included a balance between school and lifestyle features to ensure that the magazine appealed to the interests of older teenage students as well as advice and information about school/sixth form. I was aware of the lifestyle of older teenagers and included a caption about a feature on the Reading festival as I knew that many teenagers attend music gigs and festivals and this would be popular with a large majority of both male and female members of the sixth form. I also included a competition to win an ipod and itunes vouchers as technology plays a big part in teenagers lives and would be appreciated by older teenagers.

For the contents page I had originally planned to have three photos in each corner with the text down the middle but when I started making it, I changed it to photos down the left side of the page and the text more to the right as I preferred this layout. I wanted the contents page to represent a page from a notebook or a diary drawn by a student and I did this by using a font in a handwriting style and brushes of stars, arrows and scribbles on the background to represent doodles. I felt that this created a fun, creative and informal feel to the page that would encourage teenage students to read on.

I used the results of my research to decide what I would list on the contents page of what would appear in the magazine. I mainly focused on events and advice for school and sixth form as most people said that they would like to see advice for sixth form life in the magazine. I found that students would prefer to read a magazine on their own interests than school information as this could be too 'boring' so I mixed the school information between music features and competitions on the list. I also included captions with each feature in informal language to make them more appealing to read such as 'Natasha, Helen & Alex speak out' which was a phrase commonly used in popular magazines when featuring an interview with a celebrity.

When carrying out the project I encountered some problems when taking photographs as I found it hard to frame the photographs well and many of the photographs did not look as effective when loaded onto the computer. I also had a problem with sun spots on some of the photographs and so I had to re-take them on a less bright day and I learnt how to use the self timer setting on the camera which I used to take a photograph that included me on the contents page. From this project I have increased my knowledge of using cameras to take and frame photographs well as well as how to use photoshop as I had not used it before this project.

Contents page

Magazine cover

Research summary

After carrying out my research for the preliminary task, I found a lot of useful information about the interests and expectations of my target audience which will help me design my magazine to appeal to them. By analysing school and sixth form magazines, I could get ideas from the designs, style and language used to appeal to certain audiences. I found that most school magazines are aimed at parents rather than students but sixth form magazines seemed to connote maturity which would appeal to older teenagers who are aspiring to be seen as young adults rather than teenagers. Sixth form college magazines such as Dave would appeal to older teenagers and students with its 'busy' cover and vivid colours. I also found that many of the magazines that I found came from white middle class institutes but have an absence of ethnic representation and so I designed my magazine to cater for other ethnic backgrounds. Most students would prefer their school magazine to contain a variety of general topics on the interests of teenagers rather than just school information which seems quite formal and uninteresting for teenage students. 

I also used questionnaires for my target and focus group to find out more about the interests and hobbies of teenage students. Generally, teenage girl's main interests included fashion, music, gossip and celebrity news while teenage boy's interests were focused on sport, music and computer games. Girls generally read more magazines that teenage boys and so I will try to design my magazine to appeal to boy's interests also to encourage them to read the magazine too. I will incorporate all of these ideas into my magazine so it appeals to all sixth form students. 

Focus group

To find out more about the interests and expectations of my target audience, I am going to use a focus group of 3 students at Southend High School for Girls sixth form. They will help me to decide on the final details of my magazine such as titles and layouts, as well as giving me more of an insight into the daily lives of teenagers. I have chosen 2 female students and 1 male student for my focus group to give me a range of different opinions and ideas.



Cassie, 16

Cassandra, also known as Cassie is currently in year 12 at SHSG sixth form, studying English language, theatre studies, history and government & politics. Cassie is very interested in performing arts and would like to go on to a performing arts school after sixth form. She attends a theatre school where she dances, sings and acts 5 days a week and takes part in many shows. Cassie attends many classes with people her age, who are also interested in performing arts, which seems to be a popular interest with teenagers and so Cassie's view will be useful when deciding what will feature in my magazine. Cassie uses the internet a lot to talk to friends, on msn and social networking sites such as Myspace and often buys magazines such as Elle and Cosmo.

Aimee, 16

Aimee is also currently in year 12 at SHSG, studying English literature, spanish, sociology and R.S. Aimee is very sociable and enjoys parties and going out with her friends. She likes spending time with lots of different people and spends a lot of time texting, on the internet and watching TV soaps such as Hollyoaks and Eastenders. Aimee also enjoys listening to music on her ipod and is interested in fashion and celebrity gossip as she often buys magazines such as Look and More. Aimee is very up to date with the social interests of teenagers which will be very helpful when designing my magazine to appeal to them.

Alex, 16

Alex is also in year 12 at SHSG and is studying Geography, Maths, Physics and I.T. Alex does a lot of sport and has a passion for racing, cars, motorbikes and planes. Alex's ambition is to be an RAF pilot and he spends a lot of time doing these activities. Alex also likes going out with his friends, listening to music and using the internet to keep in touch with his friends through social networking sites such as Myspace. His interests are quite typical of a teenage boy and therefore his ideas will be useful when designing my magazine to appeal to different students in the sixth form.

Audience profile

For my preliminary task, I am going to target my magazine for sixth form students at Southend High School for Girls, aged 16-18. The sixth form is a mixed gender sixth form and so I will ensure that my magazine appeals to female and male students of this age group. I used a questionnaire and focus group to find out more about the interests of teenagers and what they would expect in sixth form magazine. Generally, girls are interested in fashion, celebrities and spend a lot of their money on clothes, cosmetics and magazines. Teenage boys are generally more interested in sport and computer games. Both girls and boys share the common interest in music, concerts and the social side of school, as well as networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook. I will try to incorporate some of these themes into my magazine to interest different students to read it.

Questionnaire results

I asked 15 people in my target group to complete my questionnaire to get a range of opinions that would represent the total group. The sixth form is mixed so I ensured that I got results from both male and female students so I can design the magazine to appeal to both girls and boys. The first question I asked was whether they would like a magazine for their sixth form. Most people said that they did want a sixth form magazine, with only two people saying they did not.





The next question was to find out what they would like to feature in the magazine and the most popular answer was advice for sixth form life which shows that students would expect the magazine to focus on school life. However, the second most popular answer was music and film reviews which suggests that the magazine should also include features on music and common interests of teenagers.




Another question I asked was whether they would prefer the cover to be plain or busy. 100% said that they would prefer the magazine cover to be full of photos and captions rather than plain with one photo, logo or pattern. I will make sure that my cover contains lots of photos and information, like a general magazine with eye catching colours and text.



Another question asked on the questionnaire was to find out what sixth formers would like to appear on the cover of the magazine. The most popular answer was photos and captions about the features inside, as this is the layout of most general magazines. Most people also wanted photos of students on the front. This shows that students would rather see photos of themselves and their friends on the front of a magazine, who they can relate to, rather than celebrities. No one wanted just the school name and logo to feature on the cover which shows that most students would like the magazine to be more 'teenage-friendly' rather than focused on the academic side of school.





The next question that I asked was which name my target audience would prefer for their magazine. Although 'Connect' received the most votes, the results were very close and I will ask my focus group to help me decide on the final name of the magazine.
I tried out the two titles that got the most votes in my first questionnaire; Connect and High Life on my focus group to get their feedback on which one they preferred.
Cassie 'I prefer the name Connect as its short and catchy and I would be more likely to remember that than High Life. Connect is associated with school/college but not obviously, so it would still encourage me to read the magazine'
Aimee 'I think that High Life would be more appealing to teenagers as Connect seems a bit formal and associated with school. Although its memorable, I would prefer to read a magazine that is not focused on school and the name High Life suggests this'
Alex 'I think Connect would be a more appropriate name for your magazine as it relates to school life and the students who will read it. High Life doesn't really have any relevance to 6th form which is what the magazine is based on'
I will use the name Connect for my magazine as two of my focus group preferred it and I agree that it is more appropriate for a sixth form magazine than High Life.

Another question was how often sixth formers would like to receive a magazine and weekly was chosen the most.

I also wanted to find out what the main interests of sixth formers were in my target audience. The most popular interest was music, which was the same with both boys and girls and so shall play quite a big part in my magazine. The second most popular answer was fashion, which was mainly for girls, with sport being the most popular interest for boys. This shows that there is quite a range of interests in my target group and I will have to include a range of these to appeal to the whole group.

Another question that I asked was whether the parents of sixth formers would read their magazine. Most people said no, although many said yes. This led on to the next question, would they prefer the magazine to be aimed at them rather than their parents. 12 people said yes, which shows that students may feel that their school/college magazines are aimed at their parents rather than themselves but would prefer to have a magazine that is targeted at them. I will ensure that my magazine is targeted at sixth form students through informal language, style and layout.

Questionnaire for sixth form magazine

I created a questionnaire to find out more about my target audience of sixth form students; their interests and what they would expect from a sixth form magazine. I can then use these results to ensure that my magazine meets the expectations of its readers and their interests.



Would you like a magazine for your sixth form?

Yes/ No/ Not bothered


What would you like to feature in a sixth form magazine?

School news/ General news/ Advice for 6th form / Music&film reviews/

Other……………………………………………………………………………..


What would you like to see on the magazine cover?

Photos of students/Article/ Photos & captions about features inside/ School name & logo/

Other……………………………………………………………………………..


Would you prefer a sixth form magazine cover to be:

Plain & simple; one photo,logo&headline/ Colourful & busy; lots of photos & captions / Plain with a pattern logo & captions


What name do you prefer for a sixth form magazine?

Sixer/ Sixmag/ Connect/ High life


How often would you like to receive a sixth form magazine?

Weekly/ Monthly/ Termly/ Yearly


What are you interested in outside of school?

Music/ Sport/ Books&films/ Fashion

Other ………………………………………………………………………….



Would you like the magazine to be:

Informal/ Formal



Do your parents read your school/sixth form magazines?

Yes/ No



Would you prefer the magazine to be aimed at you rather than parents?

Yes/ No/ Not bothered

Moodboard for preliminary task

This is my moodboard for the preliminary task of creating a sixth form magazine cover. My magazine will be aimed at both male and female students aged 16-18, so my moodboard represents the general interests of teenages of this age group. I have used the colours blue green in my moodboard backgound as these colours are fairly neutral and will appeal to both genders. I have included photographs to represent the interests of girls and boys which differed slightly, as girls are interested in fashion, shopping, gossip and boys are more interested in sport and computer games. As many students are interested in the social side of school, I have included photos of groups of friends as well as social networking sites which appeal to both male and female. Music and television programmes are a common interest between teenagers which I have also included in the moodboard. I also included the school logo and a school bus as the magazine needs to also focus on school life as well as the interests of teenagers.

Analysis of magazine

Analysis of 'Closer' Magazine

The title of the magazine, ‘Closer’ is short, easy to remember and easily recognisable. The title ‘Closer’ has connotations of being closer to celebrity’s lives and the newest gossip and news about them. It also implies that the magazine gets closer to the latest news than other magazines.
‘Closer’ is published by EMAP Entertainment, a well known company which publishes other magazines such as ‘Nursing Times’ and ‘Heat’, one of the main competitors for ‘Closer’. EMAP entertainment also owns some UK radio stations and runs a portfolio of music channels including the Hits, Kerrang! and the Box.
‘Closer’ magazine is published weekly for £1 which is cheap and affordable to most people and encourages people to buy each issue to get constant updates on celebrities that week. The magazine also has a website, http://www.closermag.co.uk/ to advertise the magazine even more and encourage more people to buy it.
The target audience of ‘Closer’ is young women. We can tell this from the types of articles and adverts in the magazine, which are mostly gossip, celebrity news and fashion. There are many articles and comments on body shape and the latest diet plans, as looks are a concern for many young women who will read the magazine.
The adverts in the magazine are also aimed at women, as most of the adverts are for cosmetics such as make up, hair dye, fake tan which are particularly chosen as they would probably be purchased by young women readers who find looks important. There are also some adverts for food products such as Birds Eye vegetables and bolognese sauce, which may appeal to women who have a family and shop for food. All of the products advertised are relatively cheap and affordable to the people buying the magazine as they are generally around the price range of the magazine price. However, the adverts with models in are harder to relate to for the female target audience as they have been airbrushed to look 'perfect' which does not represent the readers of the magazine.
On the cover of the magazine, the main images are of Denise Van Outen and Kate Lawler in bikini's to show their body shapes. The text is commenting on their weight loss and gain which are both classed as 'body traumas'. Both women look unhappy in the photos which makes them seem 'sad' and 'lonely' as quoted on the front cover. This clearly shows what type of reader the magazine attacts as the main stories are about looks and weight, mainly in celebrities. It tells us that the target audience of young women are 'obsessed' with their looks and the lives of celebrities.
Also on the front cover of 'Closer' is previews of other articles and stories inside the magazine with eye-catching text such as 'shock new pics' and 'porn scandal'. The most interesting features are previewed to encourage people to buy the magazine to read the rest of the article.
The main colour of the front cover is pink, which is stereotypical of a 'girly' colour and so is clear that the magazine is aimed at women. The front cover looks very similar to other women's magazines such as 'heat' and 'new' with lots of photos and gossip about celebrities. The tag line, 'the only read you need!' tries to encourage women to buy 'Closer' rather than any of the very similar competitiors. Other titles in compeititon with 'Closer' include 'heat' 'new' 'love it' and many more. These magazines are also generally cheap and in the same price range as 'Closer', ranging from around 60p-£2. All of these magazines look quite cheap with eye-catching front covers, and pages of celebrity gossip which are all very similar.
However, there are some differences between the magazines, for example; 'Heat' contains more features and reviews on tv, films and music as well as many more interviews than 'Closer' rather than articles about the artist.
The presentation of the front cover is very eye-catching and bright, it is full of text and images with as many things as possible to stand out among other magazines. 'Closer' looks like a cheap magazine as it is quite small and the wide range of colours used also makes the magazine look cheap. The language of the magazine is quite colloquial which gives the whole magazine an informal feel which relates to its readers. The gossip creates a chatty address to the reader to encorage young women to read it. The main subjects covered in 'Closer' are body weight and looks, especialyl of celebrities, for example, gossip about celebrities such as Denise Van Outen, Jade Goody, Sinitta and their weight loss/gain. There are also many features on fashion and diets, which shows that looks are the main concern for young women readers. These articles are very stereotypical of young women and makes them seem quite shallow as the whole magazine centers on looks and the lives of celebrities.
The women in the magazine are also represented as quite shallow as the photos are mostly posed rather than natural. There are a limited range of representations of women in the magazine as they are mostly celebrities or are very stereotypical of young women, concerning looks and body shape.However, in the article about Denise Van Outen's weight gain, natural photos are used with the caption 'phew she's human' which relates to the worries of most of the target audience. There are also no men in 'Closer' as women can relate more to other women featuring in the magazine with problems similar to their own. Celebrites featuring in the magazine are well known, such as Jade Goody and Danni Minogue which attracts people to buy the magazine to get 'closer' to these celebrities. All of the celebrities chosen for the magazine are women so readers can relate to them.
Overall, we can tell a lot from the front cover of the magazine 'Closer' and the magazine is definately well targeted at an audience of young women who are interested in celebrites, fashion and looks.

Analysis of school magazine covers

School magazines

The layout of this magazine cover for Rainey Endowed School is simple with the school logo as the main feature, which seems to sell the status of the school and focuses on its tradition and sobriety and therefore is probably aimed at prospective parents who are looking at the school. 
The background colour of red may be the school colours as the logo is also red, and one photo shows a group of girls dressed in red. The colour is quite a neutral colour and so would appeal to both male and female readers. The font stands out clearly against the background but it is plain and simple, giving the page a 'formal' feel to it which is probably aimed at prospective students and parents. There is nothing on the cover to indicate what features inside the magazine which makes the magazine seem more like a prospectus than a magazine.
Although the photos draw attention to the magazine and make the cover seem more interesting, they all look quite posed which also adds to the formality of the magazine. Most of the photo's show adults, maybe teachers or past pupils which is more encouraging for parents to read than students.
The bottom photo shows a group of girls holding a cup and medals which creates the impression that pupils at the school are hardworking and aim and achieve high. This photo was probably chosen to appeal to prospective parents who are planning on sending their children to the school. Overall, looking at this magazine, we get the impression that it has been created with the target audience of adults, teachers or prospective parents in mind as its simple and formal layout would not appeal to younger students.




This is a magazine cover for The City of Pourtsmouth Boys' School and different in terms of layout and style than the previous cover. Unlike the cover for Rainey Endowed School, the school logo is smaller and a part of the title, rather than the main feature of the page. This makes it less obvious that the magazine is for a school but the title 'City News' creates a serious almost 'business' feel to the magazine which would not appeal to older teenage students. The main feature of the page is a collage of photographs taken from the year eleven prom and a short article about the event. Although the photographs are taken from a social event, rather than set in a studying environment. they look quite posed and serious which suggests that the photo is also aimed at parents as well as students. The text font is standard and quite formal, as is the language used in the article which suggests that the magazine is aimed at parents rather than students. The overall layout of this magazine is quite standard and simple and could represent a newspaper article rather than the cover of magazines that are popular with older teenagers. Overall, although this magazine has a different layout from the previous magazine, it seems to represent a newspaper article due to its formal style and language which suggests that it is aimed at parents rather than the students themselves. 





This is a magazine cover for the King Edward VI High School for Girls. Like the previous magazine, this cover does not make it obvious that the magazine is for a school as it does not include a logo and the school name is not used as the main title. The bold title 'High Profile' clearly stands out and would probably attract student readers as it does not center on the school name. The layout of the cover is quite simple but the background photograph is eye-catching and effective in encouraging younger pupils to read the magazine. The photograph shows three girls, dressed in their own clothes and wearing animal featured face paint. This photograph shows that the school also organises fun events for its pupils who look relaxed and enjoying themselves on a school trip. The photograph indicates that the magazine is aimed at the pupils at the school rather than parents as it is looking at the social and fun side of school rather than the academic. The captions at the bottom of the page give an indication of what features inside the magazine in a style that could be expected from a normal teenage magazine. The language is simple and the phrase, 'And lots more inside!' seems informal and engaging to young readers rather than adults. Overall, the simple yet effective layout and style of this magazine would target the younger pupils of the school to buy and read it as it focuses on the social 'fun' events.

Sixth form magazines

This magazine cover is for the South East Essex College and is aimed at students in further education, ages 16 and above. The magazine title 'Dave' could be the name of a friend or classmate which immediately creates an informal feel to the magazine which would encourage students to read it. The name does not link to the college's name and therefore shows that the magazine is not about academic life and will talk to the reader as a friend. However, 'Dave' is also a mens television channel and the male name seems to be aimed more at male students rather than female. The font style is modern and seems to connotate style which would appeal to young adults which is also reflected in the colloquial and chatty language on the cover which would appeal to a younger audience, as its informality talks to the reader as a friend, for example, 'Can you gig it?' The cover photograph is of Sam Duckworth, the frontman in a popular band Get Cape Wear Cape Fly which would appeal to young students who are interested or studying music. Sam is also originally from Southend, the area in which the magazine covers which could inspire young people in Southend to read about his success.  There are also previews of the features inside the magazine on the cover which are mainly associated with music and culture in the area such a gigs and festivals. The caption at the bottom of the page 'Whats on, where & when' shows that the magazine is not about the college itself, but the culture and events in the surrounding area which would interest students and encourage them to read it. Overall, the layout, style and language of this magazine clearly shows that it is targeted at younger students at the college and their common interests rather than prospective students or adults who may be more interested in the academic side of the college. I like this idea for a sixth form magazine as it would encourage more students to buy the magazine if it is based on their interests rather than the school, however, I would include more information about sixth form/school events than 'Dave' so it is still recognisable as a school magazine.

This magazine is written by sixth form students, for students at Cardinal Heenan Sixth Form in the Liverpool East Collaborative. The general 'look' of this magazine is modern and bright, like the previous magazine. However this magazine makes it quite clear that it is written for sixth formers as the main photograph shows a group of students with an award which is explained in the caption, 'Young Entrepreneurs judged best in Liverpool' unlike 'Dave' which focused on celebrities rather than students at the college. This would encourage students to read the magazine, especially if themselves or their friends appear on the cover or inside. The design for the cover of the magazine is quite artistic, with a simple but eye-catching pattern of circles and 'splats' of blue on a plain neutral background. This design would appeal to both male and female readers and creates a more 'fun' and modern look the the magazine, unlike the magazine for Rainey Endowed School which focuses on the academic side of the school. There are also 3 short sentences on the front cover to show what features inside the magazine, unlike the cover for Rainey Endowed School which looks more like a prospectus. The caption 'Band and film reviews' shows that the magazine is not completely based on school and also includes articles that would generally interest I think it is a good idea to include some previews on the front cover as this will encourage students to buy the magazine when they have an idea of what will appear in it. Overall, this magazine is successful in targeting sixth form students to read it as its modern design and content would appeal to young students.

This is a magazine cover for students at City of Bristol College, probably mostly aged 16-18, the same age group that my sixth form magazine is aimed at. The cover is bright and eye-catching, with a photo of a college student as the background. The student is relaxing on the grass rather than studying which creates a personal feel to the magazine that students could relate to. The photograph connotates freedom and seems to focuses on the readers interests rather than the academic side of college. The title 'Level Best' relates to A Levels, which most students would be studying at the college and also has connotations of doing your best. The college logo and name is in the corner to show that the magazine is still based on college life. This magazine cover does not have any indications of what features are inside, but the informal and friendly feel to the cover would intice both male and female students to read it. However, I would include some captions of what features are inside on my cover as it would give students an idea of what the magazine is like before they read it.I feel that this magazine seems to be aimed at people 'aspiring' to be older than they are as the sixth form magazines seem to have sense of maturity compared to the school magazines. Overall, the colours, layout and photograph show that this magazine is clearly aimed at students rather than parents and I think that the photo is very effective in creating a relaxed feel to the magazine which I will try to incorporate into my magazine cover.