Analysis of College Magazine 1/3

Lewisham College Summer Edition 2011

The main image fills the front page, is very simple and represents the college and the students that study there in a positive way. The subject in the image highlights that the target audience is teenagers (16-18) – she is also looking happy which connotes enthusiasm of progression into further education. This image differs from my brief because the MCU does not consist of just the head and shoulders but is a long-shot used to show the full body – she is also not making eye contact with the audience. The long-shot enables us to see the costume and posture of the model – her costume connotes that she is a stereotypical teenager. The text uses anchorage by featuring a college student to make it relevant to the purpose of the magazine and its target audience. There is use of the conventional large font title followed by a smaller font size to highlight the main article in bold which is much easier to read. There is also a non-bold explanation text underneath teasing the contents. The plain black background allows the audience to focus on the text and images which makes them more prominent. The clarity of the colour scheme (white on black) and the information hint could act as a connotation to show the magazine is a light-read and the college itself is not a complex place to be – it is a place social and relaxing but also a place of work. The same font is used on the front cover for each element and the colour white is not associated with either females or males, this helps include the range of the target audience. The date of publish is shown in this masthead to attract the reader’s attention and to show it is an up-to-date copy of the college magazine. The barcode and price are not featured on the page implying that it is free of charge.

The majority of the contents page is filled with letter from ‘Maxine Room’ – she has an excitable expression which signifies her excitement and encouragement towards the target audience showing enthusiasm when thinking about progression into further education. This letter acts as an introduction and sets the main topic of the magazine. The contents is presented as a list in bold black writing with a small explanation in non-bold underneath each point and a page number to the right – the style and size of the text makes it difficult to read but it is consistent. The contents are listed in chronological order making it easier to use and indicating the level of organisation required at college.