Mast head superimposed over the top of a slanted box, both to make the title stand out against the busy background and to make the logo look more fresh and bright

‘on form’ is a pun suggesting the magazine is aimed at students in the sixth form and students who want to keep up to date and perform their best. (definition of on form: playing/performing well)

The strapline is purely informative which suggests that the magazine does have some formal undertones.

The font for the mast head and main cover line connotes a sense of school spirit as it is a common type of font used in school sports teams.

‘What unis want’ will capture the attention of the target audience as many a-level students will be applying to universities. Title suggests the main feature in the magazine without giving away too much detail, as a convention of sixth form magazines is the coverlines don’t tell the reader much about what the features include.

Cover lines inform the reader of the magazine’s content but entice the target audience because they all sound useful for an ambitious student. They suggest the magazine will offer students exclusive information and therefore put them at an advantage.

The main image is a mid shot with the subject centered which fits the codes and conventions of both sixth form magazines and commercial magazines. The face of the student is positioned a third of the way down the page which conforms to the ‘rule of thirds’ so the face is a focal point of the image. The subject is looking into the camera lens to create a direct mode of address to the reader. The pictured student isn’t related to any cover lines but represents what a target audience member would look like in school, ideally. The hair and clothing is relatively smart with neutral tones such as navy which appeals to the mass market as the style simple and classic. The small floral pattern on the skirt also represents the magazine’s ethos of being a fresh looking more relaxed magazine aimed at high achieving ambitious students.

Title written in same font as the front cover masthead and fits with the cover’s colour scheme. This reinforces the magazine’s house style and the connotations of that typography; freshness & community (as the font is commonly associated with sports teams)

The copy is far more informative than the cover Because the purpose of the contents page is to inform readers rather than entice them. The text is laid out simply and clearly against a block colour background rather than the main image to make it easy to quickly read.

Sans serif typography on the ‘features this issue’ matches the coverlines on the front cover which suggests the coverlines boasting the magazine’s content are linked to the ‘features this issue’

The main image is a mid-shot two subjects (as sixth form magazine contents pages tend to contain more than one subject) with no anchorage text. The picture of implied typical students of the sixth form reinforces the image of the sixth form being for young, fresh-faced bright students because they are smartly dressed but without looking too dull. The soft natural lighting makes the image appear more natural and fresh and holding work folders shows the ideal sixth form student to be hard working.

A smaller version of the front cover is a common feature of contents pages of sixth form magazines and allows readers to refer back to the cover lines that interested them. This reinforces the ‘on form’ image as a practical image connotes efficiency – as it is not on the contents page for decoration.