When creating a school magazine, I need to know what it is that my target audience would be interested in as some students have very different views to others. This meant that I would need to get audience feedback before even considering what to base the school magazine on. The first thought that came to mind was Questionnaires as they are fast and easy to fill in, whereas interviewing students would cause me to waste time that I simply do not have.
For the Questionnaire, I figured that I'd need to use closed questions as opposed to open questions. This is because I will collect many different answers from students if I used open questions and this would also cause me to waste time that I do not have. Therefore, closed questions are the better option as they are quick and easy to tally up.
The questions I would consider using are:
- Name of the magazine
- Colour theme (Christmas, Halloween, Easter, etc)
- Articles (changes in the school like the barriers, clubs, exam tips, teacher / student gossip, subjects, exam results, etc)
- When it should be released (weekly, monthly or yearly)
- Cost (£1 - free)
When considering themes for the school magazine, such as bonfire night, Halloween, Christmas, New years, Easter and Summer, I began looking forward to starting the preliminary task. The theme I choose not only needs to have symbols from that particular holiday, but also colours need to link in with that holiday. For example, if I chose Halloween, I would need to have props in the picture with the student(s), such as pumpkins or spider webs, and the colours for that particular Halloween special magazine would need to be black as well as different shades orange and brown. If I were to choose Christmas, the props I would use could be a Christmas tree within the background of the picture, tinsel draped over the students neck or maybe the student could wear a Santa Claus hat. The colours for the theme would be green, red and silver or gold. If I chose Easter, then the props I could have would be a small basket filled with eggs or a stuffed toy rabit and the colours for the theme would consist of pastel colours. If I were to choose Summer, then the props would consist of maybe sunglasses (if the student(s) were sitting outside) or suntan lotion. The main colour for this theme would be yellow, but a pale orange and a pale blue colour could be used as well.
When considering areas for the location of the picture that needs to go on the front cover, the first place that sprung to mind was the front of the main building. However, upon walking around the school, I discovered other places could be just as good as the front of the school. The ones we looked at were: the front of the school, in front of the sixth form block, the quad and one of the corridors inside the main building. All of them were just as good as each other, so it is going to be hard for me to pick. The first thing I need to think about when deciding on a location is whether or not it is a magazine for the whole school, or just for the sixth formers. If it was a magazine for the whole school, then many of the locations would be ideal but if it was a magazine for the sixth formers, then only a few of the locations would be ideal, such as in front of the sixth form block and in front of the school.
Also, the lighting of the area needs to be taken into consideration as well as what is in that area. For example, if it is dark or shaded in the place where the photo will be taken, then I need to find a prime time that the sun will be shining on that place. As for the things in the surrounding area, I need to make sure that no bins or litter are there as they could ruin the photo and make it look, no pun intended, rubbish. Or, if for example the place was the front of the school, I would need to find a time when no cars would be in front of the main building as they can also ruin the photo's effect because it is a school magazine, not one based on cars.
Overall, for now I am thinking of creating this magazine just for the sixth formers and with Halloween coming up soon, I figured that it would be the theme for the magazine as well. I also figured that one of the best times to take the photo's was during lesson time when I have a study period. This way, no student will be wandering around the school, meaning that the chances of them ruining the photo are very slim. Other times would be early in the morning or late of an evening after everyone has gone home. However, one thing I must consider is the lighting of the area as the time of day can affect this, in which case, during the day seems to be the prime time for taking a photo.
