ROCK BOTTOM EVALUATION

By Lee Wootton

Audience

The audience for people reading my magazine would be:

Between the ages of 12 to 30 as they are the type of people that would be interested in modern rock

People that are interested in the rock genre as my magazine is all about rock

People that like to go to concerts as my magazine mentions who are on tour and when

First draftFront cover

I placed the masthead at the top like normal magazines, however, I have placed the issue number above the title. This is because I feel that it fits in with the title better when its above.

On the real photograph, the male did not actually lick the guitar, however I smudged the tongue to make it unnaturally large. This shows a uniqueness to the band and persuades the reader to see what the long tongue is about.

The green text I used shows up well with the dark background and matches the males coat.

I moved the image to the right so the headlines did not clash with the characters.

The barcode is on the bottom of the page, like most magazines do. I also put the date and price with the barcode instead of in the masthead as this is allows the reader to see the front cover without seeing the price first.

ImprovementsFront cover

The changes I was told to make to improve the magazine are as follows:

To make the headlines more jumbled up so the top headline looks more in place.

Change the date and price so they look more visible.

There is a border on the magazine so it looks more realistic as a magazine

First draftContents page

The word “contents” matches the same house style as the front cover. This boosts realism and recognition that it is a part of Rock Bottom if taken as an extract.

The font used on this page is the same font as the font page. I like it because it looks slightly handwritten and easy to read.

I used pictures at the bottom of the page for the reader to preview what the magazine has to offer. Many magazines often do this technique.

The background picture is a picture of a fan at a gig. It shows the type of person that would buy the magazine.

ImprovementsContents page

The contents is squashed in so it does not cover the males face. However the text is still readable.

The word “Contents” is higher up so it seems that more space is used.

The pictures at the bottom are bigger to fill in more space and is easier to see.

I used mashed Postashio for one of my photographs so they get promoted more

Again a border is used for realism

First draftDouble page spread

The title at the top is a different style to the rest of the magazine. This is because it has to match the style of the band for the reader to instantly know who the band are.

For the picture of the band performing, I had to take 4 different photographs and blend them together.

I have used quotes from the interview at the top of the page to catch the readers attention and encourage then to read more.

The colour scheme I have used for the band is yellow. This is because I bashed the band name on an Italian mix on the dish mashed potato

ImprovementsDouble page spread

The writing was overlapping the objects, therefore making it difficult to read, so I have shaped the text around the objects so the objects stand out and the text is easy to read.

The quote on the first page is too low so I have moved it, along with the text

I have put page numbers on so the reader can easily navigate through the magazine

The tour dates are on the bottom as a space filler and to promote the band

Comparison to front cover

Matches conventions

•Title on the top of my magazine makes the magazine easily recognisable and will not get mistaken as another magazine•The barcode, date and price at the bottom of the magazine gives the reader about to buy the magazine the information they need•The headlines are around the main focus. This is effective because the focus stands out and the headlines are easy to read

Comparison to front cover

Develops conventions

•The issue number is at the top, rather than the bottom•My headlines are slanted and all the same colour. As I have a background, it makes it hard to use many colours as it may clash with the background•In my picture, I have used a picture of a band playing rather than a posing shot. I have done this so it looks like Rock Bottom is an action magazine

Comparison to front cover

Challenges conventions

•I have not used backgrounds for my headlines. This is because I thought that it looked decent enough between the rails of the fence.•I have only used one picture rather than 2 or 3. this is because I did not want to overcomplicate things by adding too many objects on the page

Comparisons to contents page

Matches conventions

•The word “contents” is at the top so that the reader knows what the page is.•Smaller pictures are used to give a preview of some of the pages to come.•There is a list of contents with the corresponding page numbers so the reader can navigate through the magazine easily

Comparisons to contents page

Develops conventions

•The contents fill more of the page so it is larger and therefore a lot easier to read. Also I can add more information onto the page.•I have used less pictures as I thought that I may have overcrowded the page if I used many.

Comparisons to contents page

Challenges conventions

•I used a picture background rather than a plain background because it fitted in with the house style I used with my magazine•I did not add an editor’s note as I felt that it looks better in the back of the magazine because it is there that he or she can respond to letters.•I have not separated my contents into sections as it would not have fitted into the object very well.

Comparisons to double page spread

Matches conventions

•I used the typical layout for an interview, where the interviewer introduces the band, asks the band questions about their music, lifestyle and personality and a conclusion to usually inform the reader about the new album or single•I have added the page number so the reader knows where to look for this section just by flicking the bottom corner

Comparisons to double page spread

Develops conventions

•I have put the interview around the band rather than on a separate section. This is because the picture itself looked blank by itself.•I have put the band’s name in large font at the top. This is because it is a new band so they need as much publicity as possible.

Comparisons to double page spread

Challenges conventions

•I have only used one picture rather than multiple pictures because I tried using more than one but I could not edit it to look like it was part of the page.•I have a picture of a band performing rather than them posing. This is because I thought that an action pose would be better because it shows them at their best.•I have put their tour dates at the bottom of the page so it gives the band some promoting .

Technologies learned

I have learnt how to use Photoshop to cut out the objects that I wanted using the magnetic lasso tool.

I have also learned how to use the transparency tool to colour in people while still seeing them.

As I have never used a blog before, I have learnt to blog using the website www.blogger .com

Other technologies I have used are using Fireworks and its tools, like its magic wand and crop and using a camera.

Target audience

The typical person that would buy my magazine would :

Be between the ages of 15 to 25

Have an interest in the rock genre

Be someone that attends a lot of rock concerts and buys a lot of rock CD’s

Be someone that would rebel against certain rules and possibly follow devil worship.

Improvements

If I had to do this again I would

Research into magazines so I know what would be the typical layout for a magazine

Learn how to edit better so I can make my magazine look more realistic

Take more photographs so I have a better range of photographs