Client Brief

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Click here to download the client brief.

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Keep a printed copy of the client brief at the front of your folder. Throughout this project, you must refer back to it to make sure your work matches exactly what the client has asked for. Read it carefully and highlight important requirements. Make notes on the design brief to identify key points such as the target audience, purpose, style, and any limitations.

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Production Log

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A production log is a diary where you record everything you do during the project, and the dates you completed each task. This helps you track your progress and proves that you are following professional media‑production processes. Complete this log WEEK BY WEEK so you don’t forget any details. You should write about what you did, why you did it, and any problems you encountered.

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Click here to download your template. Dates have been added for you. You can print it out and handwrite it or keep it in your OneDrive Unit 4 folder.

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Mind Map

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Create a detailed mind map to explore a range of initial ideas quickly. Your mind map should include different possible themes, topics, and visual styles connected to the school environment.

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This mind map will help you view your ideas in one place, compare them, and select which concepts are the strongest. From this task, you must identify two possible ideas that you will develop further.

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Initial Ideas

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You must write about at least two ideas for your magazine. Your mind map should support the development of these ideas. When writing about each idea, you should refer directly to the client brief and may quote specific parts of it.

You MUST include the following in this section:

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• What the magazine is going to focus on. Describe the subject, theme, or area your double‑page spread will cover.

• Visual examples. Explain the style you want your magazine to have. Mention layout ideas, colour themes, fonts, and the general “look”. Make sure this links to the target audience.

• Why your magazine is needed. Explain its purpose. How is your idea different from information already on the school website? What gap does it fill?

• A detailed explanation of both ideas. Make your ideas clear, describing exactly what each one would involve.

• Who the target audience is. Include both primary and secondary audiences and explain why you chose them.

• The purpose of your magazine. Are you informing, entertaining, or educating your readers?

• How the mind map helped you. Mention how the mind map helped you compare ideas, spot patterns, or make decisions.
   

Research
 

You must carry out secondary research to support your ideas and help you develop them further. Your research can include:
 

• Magazine designs (not limited to school magazines). Describe why you like their design choices — images, layout, font choices, colours, tone, etc.

• How each design appeals to its target audience.

• Colour schemes used in similar magazines.

• Existing products related to your theme (e.g. sports magazines, art magazines, school newsletters).
   

Your research section MUST include:
 

• Quotes and information from sources you have found.

• Screengrabs of existing magazines or designs.

• Written information with references — include the full website address.

• Analysis of your findings, explaining:
   

  • What the information shows

  • Why is it useful

  • How it will help you develop your own magazine
     

This analysis is essential for higher marks.
 

Meeting 1
 

Click here to download the agenda sheet.
 

Your meeting documents must include:
 

• Agenda – A brief overview of your ideas. If you have created a questionnaire, attach it to the agenda as part of your discussion points.

• Discussion notes – Write what was said during the meeting about your ideas, including suggestions, concerns, and feedback.

• Action points – Based on the advice given in the meeting, explain what you plan to do next. These are extremely important because they show how you develop and improve your ideas.
   

Proposal
 

The proposal is a written document that expands on your chosen idea and explains how your magazine will be produced. This should be detailed and show clear planning.
 

Your proposal must include:
 

• Overview of the chosen idea. A detailed description of your double‑page spread concept and what content will be included (images, interviews, topics, design style, etc.)

• Target audience. Explain how your magazine is designed to appeal to your audience. How does your content interest them?
  What do they gain from reading it?

• Existing products -  Include screengrabs of similar magazines and explain how they have influenced your decisions.

• Purpose -  Are you informing, entertaining, or educating the audience? What value will readers get from your magazine?

• Technical considerations -  Planning methods, deadlines, equipment needed, software required, and templates/documents you will use.

• Budget -  Demonstrate that you have considered the general costs of producing a magazine.

• Contributors -  Identify who you would like to contribute (e.g. staff, students, external organisations).

• Risk assessment -  Consider safety risks related to locations, interviews, equipment use, etc.

• Legal and ethical considerations -  What rules do you need to follow? Consider permissions for photographing students, copyright rules, safeguarding, and what content is appropriate.
   

Questionnaire
 

Create a questionnaire to collect primary research from your target audience.
 

• Use Microsoft Forms to create it, or you can create your own on a Word Document.

• Ask open‑ended questions if you want detailed feedback. Avoid yes/no questions.

• Email/show the questionnaire to your teacher FIRST for approval.

• Only send it to your audience after approval.
   

Questionnaire Analysis
 

Once you have collected your results:
 

• Create pie charts to show the responses visually.

• Analyse the results — explain what they show and why this is important for your project.

• Explain what you did and why you chose these specific questions.

• Show how this research helps you improve or adjust your ideas. For example: content ideas, layout ideas, or audience preferences discovered through the responses.
   

Resources Needed
 

You must show that you have thought about everything you need to create your magazine.
 

Include information about:
 

• Availability of equipment/space. Write about booking equipment such as cameras, lighting, props, or photography spaces. Explain that these must be booked in advance because other people may also need them.

• Expertise within the production team. Describe the skills you may need from others (e.g., photography skills, graphic design, Photoshop editing). Explain how these people can help you.

• Personnel required. Write about which production roles are needed (e.g., editor, photographer, designer).
  Use your research from the previous assignment to support this.
   

Communication with Contributors
 

You must contact:
 

• A member of staff connected to your topic, OR

• Someone from an external organisation (check with your teacher first).
   

This person will contribute to your article through an interview, information, or involvement in your photoshoot.

Examples of communication:
 

• Emailing a teacher to arrange an interview.

• Contacting a local organisation to request information or permission to photograph a location.
   

You MUST communicate professionally.

Print your email and include it in your planning folder as evidence.
 

Finance and Budget
 

Estimate how much it would cost to create your magazine realistically.

Consider:
 

• Costs of equipment and software (office space, computer, camera, internet, editing software).

• Hiring equipment or booking spaces to photograph in.

• Paying contributors or “talent” (if relevant).

• Sources of income such as advertising space, investment, or funding.
   

Explain how income would help cover costs (profit explanation).
Use the cost information from your previous assignment to support your budgeting.
 

Locations and Risk Assessment
 

Choose two locations for your photoshoots.
 

For each location:
 

• Include a photograph of the location.

• Describe where it is.

• Identify health and safety risks (public areas, weather, hazards, equipment safety).

• Explain why you chose this location and how it relates to your magazine theme.

• State who or what you will photograph.

• Consider legal issues — do you have permission to photograph people?

• Complete a risk assessment for each location.

• Explain how you will prevent data loss (backups, online storage, USB, hard drives).
   

Risk assessments show that you understand how to identify risks and how to minimise them.
 

Legal / Ethical / Regulation
 

The publishing sector is regulated by two main organisations:
 

1. IPSO – Independent Press Standards Organisation
 

IPSO regulates newspapers and magazines in the UK.
They hold publishers to professional standards, protect individual rights, and ensure journalists behave responsibly.
 

2. ASA – Advertising Standards Authority
 

The ASA regulates ALL advertising across all media platforms.
If audiences see an advert they think is misleading or offensive, they can complain directly to the ASA.
 

For this task:
 

• Write a paragraph about how you will follow IPSO’s rules.

• Write another paragraph about how you will follow the ASA’s rules.

• Explain how these rules affect your text, images, interviews, and overall content in your magazine.

• Remember your magazine will be published on the school website, so you must follow all legal and ethical rules.
   

Contingency Plan
 

Write what you will do if things go wrong or if plans need to change. This is mostly for tasks involving other people, locations, and deadlines.

Explain what you will do if:
 

• Someone you planned to interview becomes unavailable.

• You cannot use your chosen photoshoot location.

• Your work is deleted or lost.

• You think you might miss a deadline.
   

A strong contingency plan helps ensure you don’t fall behind.

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Mood Board

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A mood board shows the overall look, style, and atmosphere you want your magazine to have.

Tasks:

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• Collect magazine styles you like (A3 size, in colour).

• Include visual examples that show the mood, colours, typography, and layout style you want.

• Add images or layout examples by David Carson, the graphic designer you are studying.
   

Thumbnail Layouts​

Create simple, small pencil sketches of:
 

• An A4 front cover design

• A double‑page spread (two A4 pages side‑by‑side)
   

These sketches help you plan your layout before creating your final drafts.
 

Evaluation

Your evaluation explains how your pre‑production documents helped you throughout the project. Include the following:
 

• Logistics – How your planning, organisation, research, and notes helped you stay on track.

• Finance – How budgeting helped you plan your magazine realistically.

• Creative processes – How your ideas developed through research, meetings, feedback, and mood boards.

• Personnel management – How working with others supported your project.

• Time management – How you kept up with deadlines and your production schedule.

• Professional practice – How you followed legal and ethical rules.

• Monitoring progress – How your production log and checklists helped you track your work.

• Risk & crisis management – Contingency plans, safety, and permissions.

• Documentation – How keeping your work organised helped you stay on track.

• Problems/difficulties – What challenges you faced and how you solved them.

• Improvements – What you would do differently next time.
   

Assessment Expectations for the Evaluation:

 

To achieve a Pass, you need to explain how logistics, finance and creative processes were managed during pre-production. Your explanations may be basic and descriptive, with limited detail.

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For a Merit, you need to analyse how well your project management worked by referring to specific pre-production documents. You should discuss areas such as time management, monitoring progress and working with others, and suggest relevant improvements linked to your project.

 

To achieve a Distinction, you must evaluate how effective your project management was overall. You should clearly link logistics, finance and creative processes to the success of your planning and explain how strong pre-production directly improved the final outcome.