2. Before choosing which images to select for my project, I took a number of pictures so I had a
choice. There was a lot of deliberation in which image was best for ideal magazine I was trying to
create. I wanted the model to be looking at the camera for the front cover to establish a
relationship and understanding of my Indie demographic. The front cover of my magazine was
edited several times before I decided on my final cover image. Likewise, the small feature images
were also important, I needed the right image, and so made sure I had at least two shots of each
model so I could decide which to use.

3. The masthead of my
magazine is in a quirky, and
simple, unlike most
magazines in the market, it
isn’t just blacked capitals,
it’s softer than most
magazines. Because this font
is different than
conventional music/any
magazines alike, it makes
the audience exclusive.
The dateline/issue number/price is
in a simple font, this information
goes unnoticed by most magazine
consumers because it’s
‘unimportant’ in terms of audience
appeal.
The Selling-Line reads ‘All the latest from
Indie music before it gets mainstream’- The
Indie demographic tend to like the ‘niche-
ness’ of the Indie music genre, and so
rebelling against ‘mainstream’ music will be
appealing to this audience.

4. An ‘Exclusive’ interview with Ellie
Goulding (A well established UK
Indie artist) will be interesting to
Indie music audiences, as they will
most likely follow her music.
This is a featuring article/cover
line. It is clear this isn’t the main
article by its positioning to the
side, the side of the model
credit/quote of ‘Ariella’. I tried to
stick to three fonts on my front
page so the page didn’t become
cluttered. The accompanying
picture of ‘Josie Mills’ is supposed
to seem vintage, as this is the
appeal of my magazine. I lowered
the saturation to make the picture
more of a sepia effect like the main
image, this way my magazine
keeps continuity with this
vintage/indie appeal.
This is the ‘competition’ aspect to my
magazine, adding suspense, and also
incorporating this competition with a
well known indie/folk band (Mumford).

5. From my research/planning, I knew
that an important factor to Indie music
is it’s featuring at festivals. So I
incorporated this into my magazine
‘Top 5 festivals to attend this year” so
customers would buy the magazine,
and read up about the magazines
recommendation of the top 5 music
festivals. The outdoors picture by this
feature gives a festival appeal,
especially the trilby hat (staple item for
festivals) and also the acoustic guitar
which is a key instrument to Indie
music. Again, the colour brown/orange
is used-my colour scheme was
grey/orange-brown/red and because
these are vintage and subtler, apart
from the red which offers a modern
twist…reviving vintage is a very Indie
idea, I combined this with modern
appeals i.e. the collaboration with
modern artists (Ellie Goulding and
Mumford and Sons) and the vintage
notions of the main sepia pictures
being enhanced by stand-out red lips.

6. Like the ‘Josie Mills’ feature, the Jake DeRand
is a feature (and also filling the ‘left third’ of
the magazine) , but not the main feature. I
needed a boy and girl feature so my
magazine isn’t bias, although as mentioned in
my planning my magazine is aimed at
perhaps more girls than boys, the Indie genre
is more associated for girls. The caption
‘Indignant’s new crush…’ makes the
magazine personal, it’s acknowledging a sex
appeal/ celebrity ‘crush’, and using this to
sell the magazine. The picture of ‘Jake
DeRand’ seems personal, he is looking head-
on at the camera in an eye-line match. The
border is the same border as the festival
picture, again keeping continuity and an on-
going colour scheme to my magazine. All the
models chosen for my magazine had a
specific ‘look’- Jake in particular looks
rugged (facial hair), quirky (from his vintage
short back and sides haircut) and carefree
from his casual pose and outdoor setting.

7. The main image of my front cover is simple, yet the
way I edited it makes it stand out, so although the
sepia/black and white image is surrounded by
coloured images, the way I enhanced it, in
particular the red lips, still makes it the dominating
picture of the magazine. The diagonal cover line
with the name of the main feature and a quote is
the biggest piece of font (besides the masthead),
and its position makes it seem put perhaps
accidently across the front page, with gives a subtle
sign of rebellion. The font seems as though it’s been
done on a type-writer which goes with my ‘vintage
appeal’ . My plan was to have a black and white
image as the main image because it’s unusual for
magazines, it makes the magazine unique, exclusive,
and edgy.

8. I used to same main front as the masthead on the front
cover on my magazine so consumers recognise they are
linked.
A quotation from part of
the double page spread
is an expected
feature, usually the
enlarged text is the
most important, or most
relevant to the article. In
this case I chose a quote
from the feature artist
which to me is inspiring
and also says something
about the character of
my feature.
The pictures are different pictures than used on the front cover/contents page to show
variety, and also a professional quality to my magazine, as if my pictures were all
similar it would lower the quality. The pictures are all different, different
angles/lighting/settings, as typically a magazine would have varies images perhaps
indicating the fame of an artist because of the different photo shoots/outfits.

9. A note from the editor gives a
more personal feel to my
magazine, making it seem as
though the editor and everyone
behind the magazine actually
cares. The font is again the same
as the masthead to show a
recurring theme.
I included The font is again the same, as
the website/ this is the ‘title’ of the contents
Smartphone page it seemed relevant to use
app part to the same font as the masthead.
appeal to The colours of the feature
gadgeteers column are black, white, brown
or people and red as this is the colour
who’d scheme I have chosen.
rather have
a digital The only pictures on my features
copy of my page are the three main
magazine. articles, my theme being ‘hot
young things’. I lowered the
contrast of the pictures to make
them softer and more vintage
looking.

10. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My chosen audience and music genre was Indie. I chose Indie because it was the genre
I knew most about, and also, the preferred genre of most of my friends and my peers
who answered my questionnaire. The way I have presented the Indie music genre is,
hopefully, as a niche and exclusive market, who are very specific about what music
they like. From my Indie market/music research, I knew Indie was quite selective,
freelancing, ‘against the man’ kind of music, and so my magazine had to appeal to that
clientele. I think the models I selected looks as though they could be indie musicians. In
my magazine I also used celebrity endorsement of existing Indie musicians (Ellie
Goulding) because I knew they were well known Indie musicians, so incorporating
them shows my knowledge of the Indie market, and also credits my magazine. I didn’t
want to be stereotypical, so my models are varied, the girls in particular, though both
having an ‘Indie’ look, are very different from each other, which means I haven’t
specified or discriminated what I deem Indie to be. My male model has almost a
‘classic’ indie look, his vintage hair cut and roughed appeal is conventional of perhaps
the 1970’s…my magazine is supposed to have a vintage feel which is common amongst
Indie music because of it’s stripping back of background vocals/techno/computer
generated sound and having more of an acoustic/natural sound.

11. What kind of media institution mind distribute your product and why?
The kind of media institution that may distribute my magazine if my magazine existed
would be a smaller, but established institution such as WHSmiths. My magazine is not
the kind of magazine aimed at a very wide and known audience, and therefor wouldn’t
be stocked in supermarkets. As said in planning, the black and white cover page could
be a recurring convention, so every issue of my magazine had the main image in black
and white, and therefor the exclusiveness of my magazine would become it’s selling
point. I like the idea that my magazine would only be able to be found in certain
stockists, and this would encourage people to subscribe to it online or via a smartphone
app. I like the route of an online magazine, as technology is changing in a few more
years people won’t be buying newspapers or magazines because then can download it
online and save: paper, time and money. If my magazine was just an online magazine it
be in collaboration with social networking such as twitter and facebook, my magazine
would freely advertise their sites in exchange for sponsorship.

12. How did you address your audience?
I tried to address my audience with a personal appeal and also with specific
knowledge of my audience. I wanted my audience to be a niche audience to coincide
with the niche indie market. I knew Indie music followers are not the typical music
lovers, their genre is specific and so my magazine is specific. I like to think I addressed
colloquial appeal, and showing a real passion for Indie music.
I also tried to show an understanding of my audience, this showing in my model
choices, font choices, editing choices, colour choices.
What have you learnt in the process of constructing this product?
In the making process of my magazine I have learnt a lot about the Indie music genre, I
have also learnt a lot about general magazine layouts, and all the features that have to be
included in a magazine e.g. fonts, pictures, writing approaches…
I have learnt how crucial planning and research are to any product, without my
extensive research into existing magazines and music genres, I wouldn’t have come out
with my final product.

13. Looking back at your preliminary project, what do you feel you have learnt
from it to the full progression of your final product?
I think mainly I have learnt to use a software I understand, my preliminary project
was constructed with InDesign, I wasn’t completely familiar with this programme and
so didn’t reach my products full potential as I did using publisher. I feel my eye for
photography, layout, and especial y colour schemes has improved, my preliminary
project is a very simple concept of a magazine, whereas I think my final product does
has a professional appeal.
I have learnt to manage my time, I made sure all my photographs were taken before I
started to put my magazine together, I didn’t want to be chopping and changing, and
so after creating my ‘mock up’ I knew roughly what I wanted.