- Maker: Isabella Giraldo
- Genre: Project 3 Multi-Page Layout
- Level: Graduate
- Program: Composition, Rhetoric, and Digital Media
- Course: WRIT 5800: Editing, Layout, and Design
- Instructor: Dr. Eric Mason
- Semester Created: Winter 2026
Description
The Albums On Rotation (A.O.R.) Zine is a six-page music zine that releases every month. Each month includes a different genre or subgenre of music that is on our minds, and the albums of that genre that have been on rotation in our playlists. This month’s “spread” focuses on the subgenre of second-wave emo occurring mainly in the 1990’s. The albums/EPs spoken about include Cap’n Jazz’s 1998 “Analphabetapolothology,” Braid’s 1998 “Frame & Canvas,” and The Lazarus Plot’s 1998 self-titled “The Lazarus Plot.” It has just now been realized that all of these albums were released within the same year (what a great year for music). The purpose of A.O.R. is to create an introductory point for anyone who is looking to dive into new genres of music that they haven’t explored or even thought they’d be interested in. Always free to subscribe, the A.O.R. zine remains set on its values to serve all communities with none of the too-cool pretenses.
Reflection
This zine was a sort of passion project of mine. Many of my qualms with design reside in my inability to place the content in any place but at the forefront, a hindrance that always seems to affect the creativity of its surrounding design. Originally for this project, I wanted to create a layout that was completely abstract and place most importance on the design and experiment without pause. Yet, without any content in mind, I found myself back at square one as the possibilities seemed far too endless, and my indecision, too present. So, in deciding what to do for this project, I really wanted to create a layout with music as the content, as it required less thought and over-analysis due to the knowledge I already had within that space. Which is when I landed on creating a zine.
I have made zines before, but never digitally, so this was my first time using a program for it. The program I used was also one I wasn’t previously familiar with: Affinity. I was really interested in creating with new tools, and this project allowed me to do so. I was able to learn Affinity pretty quickly due to its familiarity with Adobe InDesign, as well as its pretty simple interface. I think this program also allowed me to experiment with different design methods that I wouldn’t normally do, as I’m used to creating more analog pieces. I wish I had a bit more time to make it into a multi-media design, but I think this serves as a good introduction to what I could possibly do in the future. Overall, I’m proud of this project, and I think it just may be one that I continue well after this project and beyond this course.
