Production of my College Magazine front cover :)

When thinking about my front cover for my college magazine I took many ideas into consideration with how I wanted it to look, however what would appeal to others.

After analysing several college magazines I decided to aim my college magazine mainly at the younger students in the college age 16-18 middle class students as they are the hardest age group to get through to involving eduacation, therefore they need something within the college that creates fun and creativity. I am also taking into consideration the adult learners at the college that may like to know what is going on around the college therefore I am going to add aspects of college information for this. Thinking about males and females I will choose the colours carefully. The colours I looked into using are blue's and yellows linking to the college logo, I wanted to add reds into the scheme as it is quite a catchy, bright colour that many age and gender groups attract to.

Firstly I wanted to decide on the masthead for my magazine as I felt I would then be able to link my ideas for other aspects around my masthead. I chose my masthead to be called 'NC Complete' portraying that everything you need to know about the college is inside this magazine. The name is short and catchy however the word 'complete' shows that this is all the information you need. I then thought about the cover lines I should add into my front cover, involving information from around the college but also adding fun to the page such as information on a winter ball and ways to keep warm this winter. However also information on the new building and when we will be moving over. 'Winter ball coming soon, time to grab your date'
I decided on using just one main image on the front cover to attract the attention of the students, a picture of a student outside on the college grounds, showing them enjoying the environment of the college and also showing the weather, linking to the relevance of my magazine it being the december issue.
I decided to keep the price of the magazine affordable between £1.00 and £2.00 as the people that will be buying it are students therefore may not be working.

Here is a mind map of ideas I originally thought of...

College Magazine :) Introduction

A college magazine is something that can bring fun and creativity to education. Allowing me to create a magazine that I would be interested in reading however also having aspects of college life and whats happening around the college inside it, I also had to think about how others would prefer the college magazine. This allowed me to learn about different stereotypes that are surrounding us in the college environment. By designing a college magazine students may become more motivated towards their work, and more interested in what the college is offering them, to ensure that they achieve their own personal goals in life.
I will ensure that my college magazine consists of fun articles that the students would be interested in and also that they could relate to, however still keeping an aspect of education in there, as after all it is a college magazine, and you would expect to see updates on what is happening around the college, exam dates, etc.


There are two main programmes I will be using to complete my college magazine. I have chosen to use Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop, my reason for this is because it allows me to use the knowledge I already have from previous tasks and to exceed and progress further in them to ensure me and my magazine reach its full potential. Whilst creating my college magazine I am expecting to learn more about the tools within both programmes and how I can work Photoshop along side InDesign, editing images and writing, ensuring that my knowledge progresses within this for future magazines.

Photoshop allows me to work alongside InDesign as I edit the images I will be placing on my college magazine, to ensure they look the best they can, giving it a professional looking outcome. Such as if my image needs to look brighter for instance, as when you are printing your magazine your image may come out darker then you originally anticipated. Or if I do not want my image on its original background it has been taken on I am able to cut my image out and place it into InDesign on a new background of my choice. Photoshop will bring a very professional and sophisticated outcome for my magazine creating new styles and better quality images.

Adobe InDesign allows me to create a sophisticated page layout for print publishing. InDesign is a software application produced by Adobe Systems. It can be used to create works such as posters, flyers, brochures, magazines, newspapers and books.
There are many great tools offered within Adobe InDesign such as integrated drawing tools, built-in Adobe Photoshop effects, finer transparency controls, and support for 3D Photoshop artwork.
Allowing the production of sophisticated page layouts by using features such as smart guides, rapid table creation, multiple-file placement – providing the ability to create pages of different sizes in a single file, and streamlined object selection and editing. InDesign definitely brings all the best qualities in allowing me to create that professional look within my magazine, as it offers a clear understanding of how to get the best out of the programme.