Transition times: Louise Holden has some tips on layout and design in our cut-out SchoolMag guide
Publishing a school magazine will bring you face to face with issues that confront any magazine or newspaper team. How do you give it a distinctive personality, a look that readers won't be able to resist and an image that reflects your ethos? And, even before that, what do you call it? Many of last year's entrants went for twists of the school motto. Others went for shelf-ready titles with no particular connection with the school. Impact! was the title chosen by the boys of Presentation College Bray who won last year's senior prize in the Irish Times SchoolMag competition (see cover above). After you have chosen a name, decide the shape of your publication. Will it be A3, like Hot Press, A4, like GQ, or A5, like Glamour? How many pages will it have? The size and length will affect how long articles can be, how big pictures can be and much more.
Now to the look. Do you want to be seen as a serious publication or as light entertainment? People will assume the content is as serious as the look.
According to Joe Breen, who is charge of how The Irish Times is presented, you can customise any one of many templates from, for example, Microsoft Publisher, the software package that comes with Office and is therefore available on many PCs. "Alternatively, you can create your own presentation style. Try to set some ground rules that will apply throughout your magazine - what is know as house style.
"For instance, don't use loads of headline typefaces. Settle on two that are readily available, such as Times Bold and Times Roman, and stick to them. In addition, grade your page by agreeing on a range of sizes for stories. The headline on your lead story could be 36pt with three decks" - or lines - "of type. The second most important story's headline could be in 30pt, with two decks, and so on.
"And be careful with text. Again, decide on the size you want to use - say, 9pt Times Roman - and stick to it. The virtue of all this is that your publication will have a consistent and professional look. In addition, within such neat confines it is possible to take the occasional leap into something more visually adventurous.
"The style of font you use, be it serif, sans serif or a combination of both, will convey a message of sorts to your readers," says Breen. "Type and how it is used are very important subliminal factors in the delivery of information. For instance, note the difference in typography between a popular tabloid newspaper and a quality one such as the London Times or Independent."
Check out a range of publications to see how different fonts convey different messages.
When the pages are complete, you must print them. (You could also publish them on your school website.) You could use the school photocopier, then staple the pages together. "More professional routes might include going to a commercial print shop," says Breen. "This can be costly, depending on the number of pages and the use of colour. Be sparing with both, and remember that your publication will be remembered more for its quality than its quantity."
