My Preliminary task 12/2/16

Before I could begin creating my music magazine cover, contents page and double-page spread, I had to begin by producing a school magazine in order to understand the codes and conventions of this style of task. We were given just over week to complete this challenge in order to feel the pressure and experience deadlines just like those in the world of magazine publishing. 

I was very proud of my final product as I believe it followed all of the necessary requirements that we were obliged to include:

• A medium close-up shot of a student
• A minimum of 4 images
• Original material (images and written text)
• Evidence of Photoshop and In Design produced work

The biggest challenge I experienced whilst completing this task was making sure that I stuck to the codes and conventions of a magazine. This is why I decided to research the difference between the two and how they would help contribute towards my finished product.

Code:
Codes are systems of signs, which create meaning and can be divided into two categories – technical and symbolic.Technical codes are all the ways in which equipment is used to tell the story in a media text. Symbolic codes show what is beneath the surface of what we see.

Convention:

Conventions are the generally accepted ways of doing something.

See below my completed school magazine cover and contents page:

For my cover page, with regards to language, the large bold banner- 'Just Bay Yes' (which is a witty pun on the popular phrase 'Just Say Yes') is eye-catching and suits the theme colour of navy blue which also matches the uniform in which the pupil models. Moreover,  the use of alternative headlines, exciting punctuation and bold statements encourage the audience to read the magazine as they are intriguing and create a sense of light-hearted humour.  For the image and style, the concoction of different fonts in varying sizes are visually enticing and compliment one another. The large main image of the happy student follows the 'medium close-up' requirement and her content facial expression and body language helps to persuade the audience to read on. The image is very well-lit and shows the pupil looking directly at the reader which is another attempt to draw attention to the magazine. 

For the contents page, the theme is continued as I used the same font and colour scheme as that present on the front cover. However, this time I decided to use a gradient effect background as this is striking and creates further visual enticement. The layout is aesthetically pleasing as the 4 images are of equal size and frame the writing. Additionally, the images used match one of the 8 story titles and are clear, well lit and colourful. 

In my magazine I shall try to include the strong-points of my preliminary task which I believe are high quality, well-lit and content-relating images as well as bold and striking fonts which display a catchy banner and text.