Preliminary Task

Our preliminary task is to produce a front page and matching contents page of a magazine aimed at new college students. The cover must feature a medium close-up shot of the student, with appropriate text and a masthead. This must be done on an image manipulation program, aswell as using a DTP.

We looked at Squash, a magazine created by a student last year. By evaulating the magazine, and using the key terms in audince segmentation, we can see how an audience is targeted.

I could identify it as a magazine by the use of "magazine" on the front under the title. A price and the usual information that is associated with magazine covers also feature.

It helps attract students through the use of a picture showing a relaxed or silly face. This helps show that the magazine is still quite relaxed, despite being about student finance, universities etc.
A light blue is also used, to help further impact this relaxed attitude. The slanted writing also projects an informal appeal to the cover. The big bold text is used to grab the attention of readers.

The target audience is college students, aged 16-19. The gender is likely male, as the colours and picture suggest this, but I think the information within would still be useful to females. I believe that the magazine is aimed at the aspirers of the psychographic chart. I know this as the magazine covers information about making and keeping money, as well as achieving well at university. I think this magazine is aimed at the B/C1 category of the Jignars scale. This is because only the higher groups would consider university, but as students are not likely to be massively well off, I doubt most would fit into the A category. I can explain this as all the main features are aimed at students, with information about student finance, revision techniques and university open days etc.