TEXTUAL ANALYSIS

"Student ID"

FRONT COVER:

The magazine published by Ludlow college has a bright, memorable front cover, with various student pictures, appealing fonts and vivid colours. The masthead gives it brand identity, as it stands out, so is easily remembered.

The main background image is of a red leaf and there is a "Cheap ideas for Halloween" section on the front cover, making it clear that this is an autumn issue. The price is 90p, and is shown in the top right corner of the cover.

The layout is very disorganised, but in an appealing way for teenagers to relate to it and make them want to read it, as lots of graphics are used. If it was a plain, boring layout they would be less interested. The font is a mix of sans-serif and serif, emphasising the colloquial style.

Bylines are used as captions under images, to make it clear to readers what the picture means. For instance, various images of students at a party is supported by the captions: 'BASH PHOTOS' and 'SUMMER BALL PHOTOS'. These are the cover lines, showing their importance within the issue.

There is is picture of 'District 9' and 'Big Brother' at the bottom, letting readers know that even before they open the magazine, different interesting topics will be discussed, for instance television programmes. This is appealing to students as they are made aware that it's not just aspects of school life that are covered in the issue. The byline of this is 'Reviews' showing exactly what will be discussed even before looking inside.

The 'PLUS' banner at the bottom shows some of the other things that will be included, such as college art and horoscopes. In a way this is has some of the traits of an average teenage magazine, making it attractive to students.

CONTENTS PAGE:

The contents page is much more basic than the front cover, but still has an exciting layout, with the majority of the page orange. This time the typeface is sans-serif, so the font is much more consistent and relaxed.

On the left hand side column, there is a letter from the editor, with some details of what will be included in the issue and information about the team who create the magazine. The mode of address she uses is very laid back and casual, helping to target it at young people. There is also a picture of her at the top, with a caption, making everything clear to readers.

The large 'OWL CITY' image again, appeals to teenagers, so is a niche product. The caption explains how it was created by a student on the new Graphics Tablets, and gives and address to people so that they can send their work in. This gets the readers more involved in the issue, asking them to be a part of it and have their work featured in it.
The actual contents box is very simple and brief, to prevent confusion and overwhelming the readers. It details the basic main topics on each page, with numbers next to it to make it easy for readers to access, making them want to continue reading the magazine.