School Magazine Cover - First Draft Analysis

This is the first draft of my school magazine cover. It is quite a rough draft, with sketches of the details I want to include on my cover.

The masthead of my magazine is, "Pieces of 8." I chose this masthead after researching the history of the magazines at my school, and found that this was included. Although the masthead is quite abstract, it is meant to represent the idea that a magazine is made up of various pieces, as in stories and features, as well as it being a phrase for gold. Also, the number, "8," refers to the school's name, King Henry VIII. I chose an various old fashioned-styled fonts for the masthead, to represent the vintage look, as it is a remake of the old magazine, however, I changed the number eight to, "8," as it emphases the more modern culture and aspect that I was looking to achieve, and is more easily understandable by readers.

The main coverline of the cover is titled, "Arts VS Sciences." I chose this title to be my main coverline because I though it would be a very interesting feature to include in my magazine, as well as being an attractive main storyline. I like the idea of presenting, "Arts," with a fancy, artistic font, and, "Sciences," with an old fashioned, typewriter styled font, as I think it compares the subjects well, even though it is a very subtle comparison. I also thought it would be a good feature story because it is not only interesting, but could offer advice for pupils in the school, if they are considering options for GCSEs and A-Level, as it could explain the positives and negatives of the subjects, and reasons why certain subjects are suitable for various people.

The splash I included, "Which are more important? Leading members of the KHS Staff fight their corners!" correspond with the main coverline well, as it gives the reader more information about what to expect in the feature, and hopefully will make them want to read on, as it makes the story sound interesting and exciting.

I decided to include another coverline, to inform the reader and potential customer that there are other stories featured inside. I chose the cover line, "Mrs. Powell says farewell - will the newbie step up the the "mark," because it is relevant to what is happening in school at the present time, and also emphasises the cheesy comedy I wanted to include in the magazine, as it would attract readers, such as the emphasis on "mark," because obviously school work is 'marked,' by teachers. I also thought it would be interesting for pupils and teachers, as it could include an interview, or a personal background, which they want to read about, especially as she could be their teacher/colleague. I also included a small image of a 'tick,' to again go along with the idea of the pun.

Although probably unclear by the drawing, the main image of the magazine cover is two teachers arm wrestling. I decided to go with this idea because it is relevant to the main coverline, and will be a very attractive, interesting and funny main image, which I think will definitely attract buyers. Although not visible in the drawing, I would dress the teachers in the stereotypical outfits, one artist, with paints, pencils and other equipment, and one scientist, dressed in a lab coat, wearing glasses, with a clip board or recording sheet placed on the desk. I think the idea of overlapping the, "VS," onto the image further emphasises the idea of competition, and will make a good cover.