Research & Planning: College Magazine Evaluation

Are the font sizes correct? Are they appropriate?

I believe my college magazine cover and contents page's text layout and size works well with the accompanying images and shapes. I have varied the sizes to add interest to the page and to make it look fuller. As well as this, I have used an array of different fonts and styles to make the magazine eye catching and interesting.

Does it [The college magazine cover and contents page] follow the 3 colour rule?

My front cover follows the three colour rule, I have used red, white and a skin tone colour. The background is red, as is the publishing line. The cover lines are white, as is the bar-code and the model's cardigan. Finally, the model's face skin tone matches the masthead text colour. My contents page also follows the three colour rule as I have used just red and black. I have used a lighter red for the background and darker shades for headings and dividers. The rest of the text is black with a tint of very dark red.

Can you tell that the contents page and the cover are from the same magazine?

There are many noticeable features that relate the contents page to my front cover. For example, I have followed the same red-based colour scheme on both pages. I have also used a few of the same fonts, as well as this I have inserted the masthead design in the top left corner of my contents page. If I were to do it again I would try and use more of the same fonts for the contents' text.

Are the photograph(s) well taken, and are they appropriate?

I think the photo's that I took for the front cover and contents page look very professional and suit my college magazine style. I used Photoshop to edit out any blemishes and change the contrast and tone of the images. I used an array of other tools also to make it look 'airbrushed'. For the contents page, I made the photo gray scale as this was not the main element of the page, unlike the front cover.

Are there enough stories on the cover and contents page, and are they appropriate?

On my front cover I have featured five cover lines. From past research, I can conclude that this is about the average amount of cover lines for a college magazine. I think the stories that I have featured are typical for a college magazine, for example "Make money in college" is clearly aimed at college students, as is "Save our canteen!" For my contents page, I did not write out story titles as this was merely a mock-up.