By Nathan Brown

SCHOOL MAGAZINE MOCK UPS

FRONT COVER MOCK UP 1

My first mock up was based loosely around the other school magazines that I had seen whilst doing research, and in my mood board full of school magazine examples. The generic mast head at the top of the page with a mid/close up shot of a pupil.

This layout allows me to include lots of other lines of text that will describe what's in the magazine and give the potential customer more incentives to buy the magazine.

The logo, although pushing the amount of space I have left on the page and making it a bit cramped, allows the user to audience to know what school it is from almost like a type of branding. It will also be a nice touch to just generally tie the magazine together.

The trio of pictures on the left side of the page will help to counteract the amount of text that fills in the blankness, and also give another angle of insight into magazine.

FRONT COVER MOCK UP 2

In my second mock up I decided to go for a more reserved looked to counter the cluttered one of my first mock up. It’s a simplistic design but incorporates everything I believe necessary to catch an audiences eye and keep them reading.

The mast head is considerably smaller than that of the first mock up, it also doesn’t stretch across the whole page leaving room for the school logo. I think this approach allows the audience’s attention to be captured by more things than just the mast head.

The trio of pictures I decided to keep the same as it also helps tie the front cover together and will fit in nicely with the large text box below it.

The image has been changed from a close up to a mid range shot in order to capture a positive pose and it also hints that the issue won’t be as personal with the subject in the picture.

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD MOCK UP 1

Although I’m not creating a double page spread for my final product I decided to create mock ups just to see what they would look like.

Unlike front covers, there isn’t a main convention or style that everyone follows, its more original styles catered to each magazine or the style fits the type of story captured within the magazine.

For my first mock up I went for a more image orientated look as one of my main target audiences will be year 7s who have just stared at the school and long passages of text might be overwhelming to them.

The smaller pictures on the right side will help tie together the text and information. This mock up was inspired by the layout of a professionally made school magazine.

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD MOCK UP 2

Using all of my research for school magazines I decided to create my very own design, or template for a double page spread.

With the title of the article spanning across the two pages it should grab the audiences attention straight away. The images being a range of sizes and dimensions will add a bit of uniqueness.

CONTENTS PAGE MOCK UP 1

My first contents page is rather abstract and the layout is quite spread out. I did this to try and create my own style different from other school magazines. The main talking point of this would be the contents title in the corner being split up halfway through.

The positioning and tilt of the picture boxes was to give it an edge and not just be dull, boring and conform to the general conceptions of a school magazine.

CONTENTS PAGE MOCK UP 2

I opted for a more conventional approach when making my second mock up of a contents page as I felt that the first was a bit hit and miss with its tricky layout and lots of blank space.

This mock up uses a range of media to its advantage and the actual contents are clear and readable. The use of pictures will also help the magazine appeal to younger years.

My final decision on which front cover, double page spread and contents page mock up I’ l l be using are shown below. After all my research into school magazines they look like the most professionally made ones. I also believe that the mast head on the front cover looks a lot better than that of mock up two as it incorporates the school colours. The double page spread is less cultured and more organised making it easier to follow.

DECISION