Evaluation

Final Magazine

Here is the final finish of my magazine:

Magazine Name

After much thought about the style of my magazine I decided to make it much simpler. One of the first things I changed was the font of my magazine title.

To begin with, the title was red with a broken glass effect on top. This was originally designed to be very bold and stand out from a magazine cover that was going to be very busy and clustered.

However, when I decided to change the design of my magazine I thought this font would be very distracting for the readers.

I then decided that I would use the same font but change the colour and get rid of the broken glass effect. This would make it less distracting for the reader but still stand out and make a statement.

I eventually decided on the font 'Distant Galaxy' as it was simple but bold.

Assembling my Magazine

For my front cover I decided to use my self as the main artist. This decision was mainly for convenience because this would enable me to take the photos in my own time and would allow me to take more photos if the ones I had already taken were not of sufficient standard.

I also decided that I would use myself as the image for the double page spread, again for convenience.

I took a few different photos and then edited them on Pixlr. Here are some of my original photos:


The first thing I had to do before editing my photos was deciding which photos I would use for my front cover and which I would use for my double page spread. I finally decided that I would use a picture of me holding a guitar for the double page spread, as this would tie in with the theme of the interview. I also decided  that a photo of me facing the camera would be suitable for the front cover as this would catch the eye of the reader and give off a strong message.

Here is an example of one of my first attempts at editing my photos:

For my final front cover image, I started by placing a black and white filter over the top of the image to make the picture brighter and bolder. I then added some blue stripes on top of my image to make my cover more interesting, I got my inspiration for this from a magazine called Vs.

 

I thought this design was very interesting and a lot different from other magazines you would find on shop shelves. I took inspiration from this to do the stripes and widely spread lettering.

For my contents page I decided to continue with the simple design seen in my front cover. I used minimal amounts of photos and I used one large image at the top of the page. This is something that is not frequently seen in magazines however I thought that this helps to break up the page and keep information minimal.

For my double page spread image I used a picture of me holding a guitar. I decided this would give an easy-going, relaxed feeling to the interview, but not be too distracting.

I chose to do an interview for my double page spread because these are very easy to create and the short amounts of writing will hopefully keep my readers interested and feeling involved with the magazine. An interview can also allow the reader to find common interests with the artist being interviewed and feel like somehow they are getting to know them as a person. Short answer interviews are regularly seen in larger magazines such as Kerrang! and Rock Sound.

Throughout my magazine i used similar colours e.g. white and black, this keeps the colour scheme continuous and ties the pages together. You will see that on most pages of my magazine i use these two colours and normally only one other key brighter colour to make key information stand out. Important information is also usually in a larger font and is commonly in a different font to the rest of the txt on the page.

I have tried to combine conventions seen commonly in magazines with new techniques that will challenge the reader but not enough to discourage them from reading more.

Rough finish

This is a rough finish of my final magazine 'RIOT'. I have yet to apply my actual image however, I plan to use this style (i.e. blue stripes and headlines) for my final piece.

After experimenting with different designs, similar to magazines such as Kerrang! or Rock Sound, I decided I would chose a simpler design without as many distractions e.g. barcode, lots of colours or examples of things inside.




For this design I took inspiration from a Jimi Hendrix edition of classic rock magazine. I preferred this style as it would be individual/ stand out from other magazines and perhaps be more intriguing to customers.

Eventually I may make some changes to my design, for example i'm going to change the colour of the stripes to a pale blue and also change the angle slightly.  I have also decided that I will make my image black and white to make the cover even more eye catching and individual.

Content ideas for my magazine

1. My Chemical Romance reunion tour dates
2. Fall Out Boy leak new CD information
3. exclusive interview with Pierce The Veil
4. Motionless In White talk band's future
5. Papa Roach discuss the break up rumours
6. Weezer are back!
7. the evolution of rock music; The Situationists
8. Five Finger Death Punch poster madness

Typical Content of Kerrang!

• Band Interviews
• Posters
• Album Reviews
• Weekly Chart
• New Band Introduction
• Kerrang! Reader submissions
• Comic Strip
• Few Adverts
• Famous Rock Test
• Concert Reviews
• Giveaways