Initial ideas for student magazine.

Name:

Student's Guide- This gives potential readers the message immediately that it is a magazine with advice for students. It is direct, clear and precise. It tells students that it is a guide tailored for them.

Ludlow Life- Uses alliteration to stand out and gives the impression that it is about what to do generally in Ludlow. This may be good, as students may want articles on hobbies, activities and not just advice on exams and college life; however it may also not be clear that it is a student magazine, so use of language, image and colour would need to make this clear.

Ludlow Student Stop- This Masthead combines both of the previous ideas. It has student in the name so the target audience is clear, but it isn't just a guide or advice magazine; it is a 'stop' for students; somewhere for the students of Ludlow college to go and relax, find out about activities and gain some advice too. It is a clear, but open name for my magazine.

House Style:

From my research into the target audience, it is clear that balance is key when designing a student magazine. It must be grown-up, whilst remaining fun but also not patronsing. I intend to achieve this by using contrast: Bright colours such as red, yellows, and purple, connote fun, with black, white and grey which represent sophistication and a level of subtle style. The font must also be interesting to look at and not too boring, but also not be perceived as childish. Continuity is also essential so that the audience know what they are getting from start to finish. Therefore the colour scheme, fonts and language must remain very similar throughout the magazine.

Mode Of Address:

My magazine needs to be relate-able to students so should be fairly informal and direct, as if just having a conversation with a student. Again, I must be careful not to be patronising. Being a teen myself, it should be easier to acheive this. Despite this, it should maintain a sense of professionalism and coherency so shouldn't over-use slang, but should contain some element of fun and friendliness.

Central Image:

My central image should show one or more students having fun and making direct eye contact with the camera, this will draw students in and hopefully be relate-able to my target audience. It should also contain some elements of colour as it will be the image for my background so needs to be eye-catching. It will also need to have an interesting background and lighting, possibly somewhere outside on the college campus to connote relaxation and an inspiring outdoor theme,rather than being stuck inside or just stood by a wall.

Content:

My magazine will focus on activities to partake in when the winter weather comes, it will also contain reviews for upcoming films and guides on walking and photography. It will also have guides on college life, such as getting enough sleep and efficient revision techniques. I aim to get the balance between fun activities and useful advice for college right.

Fonts:

I will remain fairly consistent with fonts between my cover and contents pages, but also vary some fonts and sizes on my cover for a dynamic, eye-catching front page. I want some fonts to be more fun, colourful and playful and some more sleek and subtle. This, again, will help to maintain the balance between relate-able and fun/grown up and professional.