Coursework.

1. Fanzine Research

2. Existing
Product
Looking at the cover its main
colours are black and white. This
gives it an old feeling as well as
it fitting the theme of punk rock.
The layout of the cover also fits
in with the punk rock setting,
as it is laid out in a very messy
way. This fits in with the punk
rock lifestyle as well as linking
in with punk rock being
different and not afraid to be
different.
The cover also looks very much
like a cover to a magazine. One
of the reasons for this is because,
it is very sketchy. This also links in
with the punk rock theme.
The cover is also
portrayed in a, in your
face way. This links with
the punk theme. You can
tell this by the hand at
the top left side of the
cover which is swearing
to the reader, and the
huge text that reads “UP
YOURS!”.
In the center of the page it
has lots of punk bands,
which almost looks like they
have been listed. The top
one being ‘The Sex Pistols’.
The cover also tells you what is
inside the fanzine, which
includes special offers/deals on
punk albums.
The cover also uses a lot
of different fonts and
styles of image.

3. The pages match the cover sticking
to that black and white theme as
well as the punk rock theme.
Existing
Product
(Double-
page
spread)
The title stretches across the top of one of the pages.
This is because, when someone reads they are most
likely to read from top to bottom. Also one of the
reasons that it is stretched across the top of the page is
so that it stands out like a title should.
The left side of the
page is styled like a
comic book, this fits
in with the rest of the
style of the fanzine.
Both pages are black and white like
the rest of the fanzine, this could
just be because its quite an old
fanzine or it could be trying to fit in
with the old theme.
The right side of the
two pages looks like it
is a cover rather than
an actual page.
The whole style of the
magazine reminds me of
an old magazine. The
colours mixed with that
gradient that sort of
looks like a newspaper
page.The speech bubbles
on the left page
reminds me of a
comic book and
adds a unique style
to the fanzine.

4. Existing
Product
The cover is very bold with
a good use of colour and
thick, bold lines. This
represents that the fanzine
is about tattoos as well as
the title saying ‘tribal’.
The cover has a comic book
look to it as well, which links in
with it being a tattoo fanzine.
The background is made up
of lots of different tattoo
cards or facts. It kind of looks
like a newspaper print
background.
The most striking thing on the
cover is the title and the main
image which are both fairly
large with bright colours.
The title says ‘Tribal’
even though the main
images/tattoos on the
cover are completely
different.
For a tattoo fanzine I think that
the cover is very fitting towards
that theme. The style of the cover
gives off a tattoo vibe.

5. Existing Product
(Double-Page Spread)
The double-page spread
is very different from any
other one as the text
looks like it has been
highlighted over with
black and the white text
is coming through that. I
really like this design, I
think that it stands out
and fits in with the tattoo
theme, as tattoos usually
consist of the colours
black and white.
The page also shows a selection of
tattoos on the arm.
I really like the lay out of the
double-page spread, it has a
mixture of text, and images, and
the colour combination of using
just black and white works quite
well.
Compared to the other
fanzines that I have
looked at this fanzine
is neater inside of it.
The pages are laid out
more neatly, in straight
lines and are easier to
read.
The pages showcase a variety of
images and tattoos that you can get, as
inspiration and ideas for readers.

6. Existing
Product
The cover of this
fanzine has a
gradient over the
main image, which
makes the cover
look old, and it
makes it look as if it
has been used.
The rip down the
center of the page with
the words ’Fanzine’,
makes it look more
distressed and look as if
it has actually been
torn. It also gives it that
rock n roll vibe.
The title at the top of the page
stands out as the font is quite bold
and large which makes it stand out.
The letters are also slightly distressed
which matches the rest of the cover.
The information at the
bottom left of the
cover, are styled so
that it looks as if it
could belong in a
newspaper. It has that
box lettering style, as
well as the black and
white theme.
The main image of the cover
is also the background and
the women’s eyes are
covered up by the secondary
title. This could be some sort
of message such as we are
blinded by something, or it
may just be because it looks
good for the cover.

7. Existing
Product
This has a similar style to the other Ibiza Rocks
Fanzine, the layout, the monochrome colour scheme,
the gradient and the main image/background. This
may be just their style that they do with every issue
of their fanzines.
One of the differences of
this issue of Ibiza Rocks is
that the blacks are darker
and the whites are
brighter. It has some sort
of gradient on it that alters
the exposure of the cover.
The image looks exactly like
the other image used on a
different issue. It may be
because it is and all they have
done is added an effect to the
cover, and messed with the
saturation of the image. They
could have easily have done
this.
Compared to some of the
other fanzine covers that I
have looked at, this one is
more simple and less
detailed.
Compared to the other
issue of Ibiza Rocks, this one
seems more styled around
rock n roll. I think it may be
because of the effect they
have added along with the
cigarette hanging from her
mouth.

8. Existing Product
This fanzine looks very
different from all of the other
ones that I have looked at so
far. The main reason for this, is
the colour. Most of the
fanzines that I have looked at
are black and white, whereas
this fanzine has colour on it.
The style of the cover is
also very different from
the others, this one looks
more modern than the
other fanzines that I have
looked at.
This fanzine is about
terrace culture, and
music that became a
massive influence on
the future football
fanzines.
This fanzine uses
buildings as a
silhouette background
for the cover, as if you
are looking out at the
city. This also splits the
page up allowing there
to be room for more
images and text.
The two colours used
contrast each other very
well, and stand out.

9. Existing Product
This fanzine is styled very
different compared to the
others that I have looked at.
It looks as if it has been
drawn.
This fanzine is about art, and
showcases this through
sketches and detailed
drawings of some artists
work.
The style of the text looks
as if it has been typed out
and ripped from a page
and then stuck onto the
cover. This gives it an old
feeling as well as matches
the art.
This fanzine is a fanzine on
Laura Oldfield Ford and her
artwork. It is a urban comic
strip that combines graphics
with pyschogeography. Her
fanzines are very political.
This is styled with a
sketchy, hand drawn
feeling which makes it
stand out as its not like
your typical fanzine cover.
The colours used are very
monochrome. There are a lot
of different shades of grey
and white used. This fits in
with the sketchy, hand-drawn
feeling.

10. Research
summary
I have learnt that fanzines are very much like magazines but less professional, and are often
produced by amateurs, such as fans of a group. They also can be about anything. They can range
from a music fanzine to a gardening fanzine, or a photography fanzine.
Whilst researching fanzines I have found out that most of them are black and white. I think one of
the main reasons for this is because black and white is cheap to print and if they were to make it in
colour the cost of printing more than one of these fanzine full of colour would cost a lot. Another
reason may be just for pure aesthetic, as they may want it to look like the older fanzines. This
would be more for the newer fanzines, as making them look retro and punk is seen to be an
aesthetic. I have also found that most of the fanzines are about punk rock music. This could just be
because at the time of punk, this was the cheap way of advertising gigs and bands, as it was a
cheap way of doing so. Another reason why some of the older fanzines may not have colour is
because when they were published colour may not have been easily accessible to them or it could
be that it wasn’t used in print at all. I also found that fanzines all seem to be very sketchy and
cartoony having a sort of comic book style to them. A lot of the content inside the fanzine is drawn
by hand depending on what the fanzine is about. I also learnt that a lot of the punk and other rock
genre fanzines look very rebellious. This may just be because, punk and rock in general is often
portrayed as being very rebellious.

11. Initial Ideas

12. Idea 1 – Music fanzine
If I am to create a music based fanzine, I will try to make it stand out, as there are already lots of music
fanzines out there. I would make the style very cartoony and hand drawn, like you see many album metal
and punk album covers. I could also make it like a comic book, and have comic strips, little sketches that I
have made. This will create something different rather than just looking at an album and song and talking
about it. I could also talk about the subculture of the music such as the style that comes with the music,
etc. This would add more interest to my fanzine, and would interest more people to read it.
Another idea that I had for the cover if I
were to use this idea for my fanzine was
to make it look like a advert for a movie,
or just like a movie poster in general.
The two images that I have gathered are
the style that I would like to create. The
‘Pulp Fiction’ poster on the right is
something that I would like to create, as
it is very visually interesting to look at. I
like the colours that have been used, as
they all contrast one another. One of
the reasons I would do something like
this is because you don’t see many
fanzines with covers like this especially
ones to do with music.

13. Idea 1 – Music fanzine
Music genres that I could create my fanzine on:
- Classic Rock
- Hard Rock
- Grunge
- Punk Rock
- Pop Punk
- Alternate/indie Rock
- Heavy Metal
On one of the pages I could create a section for my top bands and artists,
along with my favorite albums and songs. Depending on what music genre I
pick, I could talk about the time period when it was most popular and talk
about the style of that music genre.

14. Idea 2 – Gaming fanzine
If I am to create a fanzine on gaming, I could narrow it down to one specific genre of games such as
MMORPG or FPS games. Or one game in general, that I could talk a lot about. This would make it easier
for me to do. I could also have a fan art page if I were to do it on one game. If I am to create a fanzine on
one game, I could talk about tactics, and glitches on that game along with images to backup my text and
help the reader understand what I am trying to tell them.
In terms of what images I would used in my
gaming fanzine, I would use a mixture of
cinematic screenshots and fan art. I may
also use regular screenshots, depending on
what I am talking about, as I would prefer to
use screenshots that look good rather than
a badly taken one.

15. Idea 2 – Gaming fanzine
• MMO (Massive multiplayer
online)
• MMORPG ( Massive
multiplayer online
roleplaying game)
• RPG (Role playing game)
• FPS (First person shooter)
• Adventure game
• Action game
• Stealth game
• Real-time strategy game
• Puzzle game
• Sports game
Types of game genres that I
could create my fanzine on:
One game that I could create my fanzine on is
‘Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege’. If I do use this
game I would have a operators page showcasing
my top picked operators and why I use them so
much. Some games that I like and would like to
look at potentially in my fanzine are:
- Rainbow Six Siege
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and lore
- Fallout franchise

16. Idea 3 – Art fanzine
One art style that I would like to do it on if I am going to do an art fanzine is Street art and deviant
art. I think they would be the best art to look at as they are styles that I enjoy looking at. Also both
types of art are not afraid to go against the norm, and be different. In terms of style I could have it so
that my fanzine is distressed looking. This would make it fit in with street art. I would like to use a
wide range of colours as street art and deviant art is often colourful, with a wide variety of colours
used. In terms of font choices, I would mix a lot. I could use bubble writing, graffiti, distorted, and
destroyed fonts. There are many fonts that I could use.
I like the style of this double-page
spread fanzine that I found. I like
how it looks like pages have been
ripped out of a magazine or
newspaper and stuck onto these
pages. I would like to do
something like this but add more
vibrant colours to make it more
visually interesting.

17. Idea 3 – Art fanzine
• I could focus on one artist rather than looking at lots of art. However, I would much prefer to look at
lots of different work, as it would make my fanzine more interesting. I could look a few artists or I
could just look at pieces of art I like in general. I like the idea of just looking at lots of pieces of art
rather than just looking at a single artist’s work. One of the reasons that I would create an art fanzine
is because I don’t think there are many out there, and the type of art that I would choose to look at, I
will find interesting so that I am not looking at something I hate. For the cover of the fanzine I want to
do something like the tattoo fanzine cover but have art on the cover. I like how the cover has lots
going on with highlighted colours that stand out. I also like how the background is actually made up of
lots of different things.

18. Idea 4 – Urban legends and
myths fanzine
• I like this idea the most as I haven't seen a fanzine to do with urban legends and myths. I think this
would be a good idea as it’s unique. If I am to do this I could look at a wide variety of urban legends
and myths. If I were to create a fanzine on Urban legends and myths, the cover will let people know
that, that is what the fanzine is about. I would like to add images to the cover, but I can’t take my
own pictures but I will have to get some from other sources as most of the myths that I will be
looking at won’t be anywhere near me. Therefore, I will have to get copyright free images. However,
an alternate option would for me to draw the scene where it takes place or draw the myth that I am
talking about. The types of colours that I will use will be dark colours and will most likely be
monochrome. However, I would like to experiment and use a few colourful colours such as red for
blood. In terms of text I will try to keep it to the minimum and have it split up into paragraphs so
that it isn’t one giant block of text as that usually scares people away . Therefore paragraphs,
images, and page dividers will split the text up. In terms of the fonts styles that I want to use, I will
most likely make it match the urban legend or myth that I am talking about.

19. Bibliography

20. Bibliography
1. Interviewees, Name. (2018) Target Audience Interviews (conducted
on DATE)
2. Interviewees, Name. (2018) Target Audience Interviews (conducted
on DATE)
3. Publisher. (Year of Release) Magazine Name
.. (2 September 2018). Fanzine. Available:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanzine. Last accessed 12
September 2018.
John Robb. (5 February 2012). Top 10 best fanzines. Available:
https://louderthanwar.com/top-10-best-fanzines/. Last accessed 13
September 2018.