Magazine Conventions

The main focus of the College magazine is the imagery used. The wide shot eye levelled image invites the audience and welcomes them to read further into the magazine. The Mise en scene of a leather jacket and dark jeans used portray a casual image which introduces the ideology of a fun and laid back education, however not to casual due to the use in study books, the use of “law” revision books emphasises on the college lifestyle as Law is an intellectual subject. The male image used illustrates a mixed race generation, which introduces a wide target audience. The use of the male image still allows the audience to be gender neutral.

The yellow masthead conveyed in capital letters emphasises excitement, the capitals also evidence the ideology of the casual fun education. The mast head is slightly covered due to the large image, this enhances that the magazine already has an established target audience and doesn’t need to attract many people other than college students. The repeat of the strong yellow colour is repeated in the use of kickers and subheadings creating a house style effect, which also secondly creates an instant recognition which adds to the effect of the established target audience. The strong yellow contrasts against the black background, allowing it to stand out and attract the audience. The use of black creates a serious tone, illustrating the college lifestyle.

A barcode is situated within the left hand side emphasising seriousness and the establishment of the magazine. The pink flash used stands out against the background, which also allows the audience to be gender neutral, the male model and use of pink even one another out to attract a larger niche audience. The sans serif font evidences the serious effect of the magazine. The magazine attracts a young however older educated audience, more university students then high school/ college students, this is evidenced with the student illustrated on the front page of the magazine.


The main image of the magazine instantly attracts the target audience; the use of young children immediately attracts a younger audience of young adults. The magazine was taken from Cottingham high schools term collection which illustrates that the magazine is available for students aged 12 to 18. The magazine “headline” is celebrating the sporting faculties and teams within Cottingham high. The background of the imagery imitates a cool and relaxing atmosphere which illustrates the student life they school/ college want to represent to the audience, and to people considering attending the college. The use of the green colour scheme introduces a fresh image.

The serif “headline” font, in the purple font characterises a cartoon effect, this illustrates again the target audience, however in contrast the purple emphasises on expense, the juxtaposition creates a great effect which allows the magazine to attract different audiences, for example a male and female gender, a difference in age, children from aged 12 to young adults up to the age of 18. “A kick out of sport” establishes the ideology the magazine is trying to represent. The yellow font contrasts against the background, the colour yellow illustrates sunshine and happiness, emphasising on the image the magazine wants to represent to the target audience. The colour yellow also contrasts with the purple font, again evidencing a larger audience. The magazine challenges magazine conventions as it doesn’t contain a bar code and sub headings or plugs.