College magazine analysis

This college magazine’s target audience is to college students aged 16-19yrs. The college magazine masthead is called “College” in a sans-serif font in bold letters telling us the magazine is about college and education. This font is simple yet bold as though someone has stamped it down showing power, the ability of doing and accomplishing something. By doing so, it motivates the reader to accomplish their vision of being successful which also gives a positive attitude towards the magazine. It also gives a modern vibe as it makes the magazine look more contemporary therefore it will appeal to the audience as they are young adults. 

The colour of the masthead is in a bright green which sticks out from the dark background. Green connotes with youth, wealth and stability. So by using green it shows enthusiasm and passion towards earning money which everyone has to be stable with throughout life.

The image is of a young man holding educational books, standing with an upright posture and dressed smartly. The costume consists of a black structured jacket, a plain white t-shirt and a long chain with a big cross. His jacket is in a form of a soldier’s uniform, it is structured similarly. Soldiers connotes with strong, powerful and brave. By using the costume it inflicts the same connotations on a student which puts them in that position to not hold back and allows them to relate to it. The image of the young student captivates the willingness of being a student. 

The chain with a cross around his neck symbolizes his religious values therefore it shows he is determined and strong minded.  Black holds connotations of power, elegance and classic. This signifies his maturity and understanding of college life as the costume was chosen carefully not to disapprove or hold stereotypes of young adults. It also shows him gripping his study books with one hand which can suggest he is eager to learn but also make time for social life as his other hand is free and loose by his side. 

Other props seen such as his watch with a brown strap worn on his left hand shows he is organised and on time. This can also indicate that time is running out therefore he needs to prioritise his studies.

The puff of the magazine consist of a bright fuchsia pink as the background in the shape of a spilt paint as it goes with the heading ‘splat!’ in bright mustard yellow. This appeals to the audience as it shows there is something interesting to look forward to. The bright pink excludes itself from the dark background so it attracts the readers’ eye to persuade them to purchase the magazine.  

The lighting on the cover is low key though it has high key around the main image giving off a glow. This emphasises the student as though he has an omniscience presence about him showing he is intelligent. 

The main cover line “Dancehall’s Bright Future” is in the same colour and font as the masthead just in a smaller size. It contrasts with the masthead as it says “College” therefore should be about education however the main cover line shows more of an entertaining side regarding dance and entertainment. This tells us that college is not all about education but has an enjoyable side to it.  

The cover lines are in bold following the theme colour which is white, green and black.  The sans-serif style font gives off a modern vibe within the college as serif fonts usually move towards more of a traditional approach. The bold cover lines draws attention to the latest news and trends as we are young people we want to hear what’s going on in our community.  

The text is layered around the main image trying not to overlap the image too much; this makes the magazine more neat and tidy instead of having it all over the place. This tells us that the college is organised and tidy therefore a good environment for students.  

The magazine is targeted at students ages between 16-19 intended for both male and female regardless of the main image of a young male. It aims more at the trendy, modern group because the magazine cover-lines consists more of an entertainment side yet educational. Therefore it makes it more entertaining and fun for young students who like to get involved into something new. It wouldn’t really appeal to those who are uninterested and are more into studying than anything else. 

I think that the college magazine has a more entertaining side to it however educational but doing it in a fun way. The main image shows a hardworking student that also has leisure time showing people education is not always boring. Most of the cover-lines have events interacting with other people and this can help widen your knowledge. The college seems to widen their choices of education making it different and easier for students to study. The main image seems to be comfortable in his college and knows he fits in.