The document provides details on the design and layout choices for various elements of an indie music magazine created by the author. Key influences included magazines like Loud and Quiet, Fader, and Dazed. Simplistic fonts and a black and white color scheme were used to conform to indie magazine conventions. Photographs were composed and lit to draw attention to the featured artist. Unconventional elements like tilted frames and layered text were included to make the magazine unique. Overall, the design aims to represent the indie genre through a clean, minimal aesthetic while adding some distinguishing characteristics.

1. Evaluation 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products.
Cover Page inspiration:
The main inspiration for my cover page layout and design was
Loud and Quiet. This too is an independent, monthly music
paper. I liked the original layout of the magazine which is how
the image does not fill the A4 sheet but has a white boarder. I
think this conforms with the magazines simplistic theme. Due
to the fact that my magazine is also indie, I chose to adapt a
simplistic theme for aesthetic purposes.
Cover Page inspiration:
For my contents page, I did not have a particular pre existing magazine inspiration. Instead, I did a lot of my
research on Pinterest. This is a social network that allows users to visually share, and discover new interests by
posting (known as 'pinning') images or videos of anything. I found so many amazing and inspirational magazine
designs and layouts and it proved very useful. I typed in the search bar ‘indie magazine designs’ or ‘indie magazine
layouts’. This brought up a huge variety of different deigns which I admired therefore I decided to combine a few
different designs into one. The reason why I did not want to be inspired by any existing magazines was because I
wanted my magazine to have its own unique feature. This would attract my target audience as they would be
interested in new and different ideas and designs.
Double Page inspiration:
My double page is the area o my magazine that is most heavily influenced. When
completing my research I came across the Fader issue 91. This issue had a feature on
the artist FKA Twigs. I fell in love with the design of this article and how they had
positioned the photograph in relation to the text. This is why it had such a heavy
influence on my magazine design.

2. The title of the magazine:
The name of my magazine is ’The Upside’. The idea came after the research of my target audience. I needed something that would target
all their interest but also be reasonably short and simple. I was inspired by the saying ’everything has its downsides’. Meaning that nothing
in life is perfect, everything has negatives. However, I wanted my magazine to give more positive vibes to the reader, therefore I wanted to
focus on the positives in life – so I came up with The Upside (opposing the downside in the quote). Because my magazine is targeting a
reasonably creative audience, I feel that. My masthead was heavily influenced by the popular music magazines ’Loud and Quiet’, ‘Fader’
and ’Dazed’. As previously mentioned, due to the indie genre of my music magazine I wanted to follow popular indie magazine
conventions by keeping my magazine simplistic. However, simultaneously I loved that I could manipulate the meaning of the title to do
something unconventional and different to make the title more memorable. Although ‘The Upside’ represents the good times in life, I also
used the meaning literally by rotating the letter ’i’ upisde down. Therefore I chose a standard and prominent font type Ariel. Not only was
this font well suited for the aesthetics of my magazine but choosing a non-complex font type was also important to me as I wanted the
masthead to be eye catching and very easy to read. This would mean that even from the corner of someone's eye, you would be able to
make out the title. Again this is another reason why I chose to keep the title black on white. After researching Karl Borgrgrafe’s tests to see
which colours worked best together and looking at his taxonomy of colour mixes, I discovered that black text on a white background was
5th most legible. This would therefore decrease the difficulty of reading the title from a distance or whilst moving.
Graphology/ Page layouts:
Due to the fact that my main inspirations were other indie music magazines like Clash, Loud and Quiet and Fader, I was following
the simplistic theme as it appears clean and professional. Therefore, for my choice of fonts, I didn’t have a huge range. For most of
my text on the cover page, I used ‘Arial Bold’. This was because it was simplistic and didn’t draw to much attention away from the
photograph, which was my main focus on the cover page. I wanted this to be the main focus as Clive Edwards advice on layout
included a quote from Rodger Black which states “A cover should be a poster. A single image of a human will sell more copies than
multiple images or all type. Always has, always will.”. Therefore, by following this advice I hoped that my magazine would be more
successful. In addition, when looking at Clash, Fader and Loud and Quiet, they too had a very similar font choice. Furthermore, my
more contrasting fonts were ‘EDO Sz’ and ‘Bodoni 72 bold’ I used these fonts when I wanted to focus the audience’s attention to an
extra detail and add some individual style to my magazine. Something that would set me apart from other magazines, say Fader.
The sizing of the masthead and coverlines decreased in size due to the level of importance. The masthead is by far the biggest in
size as this is how the audience can identify my magazine in relation to other magazines. Next is the name of my main feature artist
and the name of her article in the magazine. I used the ‘EDO Sz’ for this text as, although the sizing wasn’t the biggest because it
wasn’t the most important feature, I still wanted the audience to acknowledge it. I also changed the colour of the text to the same

3. as the models lipstick, so it would not look out of place and to further focus the audience’s attention to
her name. Ideally this would be a selling point for my magazine as the audience would know my artist, as
she is a recognizable figure to the indie culture, and want to purchase the magazine so they could read
about her. Following this, my other coverline text which is placed next to the image and is my third most
important text on the cover page. This too is promoting other feature artists which may capture my target
audience. I decided to put this text on the right hand side of the artist as her head is slightly tilted the left
and would therefore prevent there being an empty space. Simultaneously, the issue number of my
magazine and price is equal in size as it is giving the audience important information. The smallest text on
the page is the tag lines placed at the bottom of the page. This text is a brief summary of everything that
the magazine includes. It is not essential for the audience to see, however if they were undecided on
whether to purchase the magazine they could always refer to this text to see if it persuades them further. I
love the overall colour palette of my cover page as I believe each colour compliments one another well. It
also creates a muted, vintage feel to my magazine. I think this would attract my audience as it is
aesthetically pleasing. For the contents page I stuck to a similar colour palette as I wanted it to be a
recurring theme through out my magazine as it will tie everything together. My double page was heavily
influenced from the Fader magazine featuring FKA Twigs. I loved the unconventional style of this page. It
displayed the same white borders as my cover, which once again would help my magazine to come
together as a whole. I also loved the originality of the text, how it is purposely placed behind the image.
This is an unconventional feature as it is not featured in any other magazines in my genre. And although
the artists name is covered by the image, it is not overly important. My artist is, supposedly, so
recognizable and her name is clearly established everywhere else in the magazine, that it shouldn’t
confuse the audience.
Here’s the example
of the Fader article
that inspired the
layout for my
double page spread.
You can see how the
layout is similar.
Costumes, props, iconography used to reflect genre:
My model, ‘Margot Lee’s’ outfit was chosen very carefully. I stuck to a very simplistic overall look as I wanted her style to appear innate. I chose to only dress her in black and white clothes as
any other colour may distract the audience from her facial features. I also thought it would give me more flexibility when effecting my final image and colouring the text in my magazine. By
adding coloured text and an effected image, I thought that it would set my magazine apart from other indie magazines like Fader and Clash and add individuality. For the final outfit, I chose a
loose fitting white top which could give the impression that her outfit didn’t take too much thought. However, the colour would connote a fresh and clean look. I also chose a black lace
bralette that would be visible over the shoulder. The lace added a bit of individuality and stopped the outfit from looking too plain. In addition, it also brings a feminine and elegant feel to the
outfit. As a part of the costume, I also chose to add a simple sliver necklace. Once again, this would add some more detail to the outfit. I also thought that it would add some personality to
the costume to stop the model from looking too ‘fake’. The necklace is supposed to represent a sentimental gift from a family member which I thought would demonstrate to the audience
that she is caring and loving, in the hope that she would appear more appealing. Additionally, I also accessorised with some hoop earrings. When completing my research for my artist’s style,
I found that I loved this trend which is incorporated from a typical 90’s style. Therefore, by adding them to the outfit I thought my artist would look very trendy. This conforms to the genre of
indie music magazines as they are heavily associated with fashion. Lastly, in one of the pictures on my contents page, I have featured a wooden stool. I chose to use this opposed to a plastic
chair as I thought it would reflect my indie genre more accurately. Since the wooden chair is battered and clearly worn with age, it appears vintage. This means that it is one of a kind and
therefore reflects styling in the indie/alternative culture.

4. Camera work, lighting and framing images:
Although the majority of my work follows the common codes and conventions of other indie
magazines, I have also attempted to add some unconventional features. The conventional
features are areas where I have included predominantly mid/ mid-close up shots throughout
my magazine focusing on style, facial expression and makeup. Also, in most my photographs,
the model remains in the centre of the image so that the audience’s attention is drawn to
her each time. However, the photograph on my cover page, the model is tilting her head to
left. This makes the model appear slightly off centre, following the thirds rule in
photography meaning that a professional photo has been created to allow my magazine to
look realistic. Having researched lots of photography inspiration, I discovered that I love the
photographs where there is a light shadow cast across the face. I love that it highlights the
facial feature presenting my model as very beautiful. According to Laura Mulvey and her
theory about the male gaze, this would cater for my male audience as they would be
attracted to the beauty of my artist. Therefore when I was taking the pictures, I positioned
two light boxes to the right hand side of my model whilst keeping the other directly in front.
This would prevent the photographs from being too contrasted and concealing the left-hand
side of the face whilst creating a soft shadow. I was really pleased with how they turned out,
although I did have to brighten the images and lower the contrast as the photo was still a
little too dark. Out of the two photographs on my contents page, one is a simple close-up
shot whilst the other is a little more interesting. I chose to seat my model on a wooden
stool. This idea came from my photography inspiration mood board. I loved it because I
thought it would allow me to become more experimental with my poses whilst featuring the
whole costume. As this is an indie magazine, I thought that the originality of the phot would
capture my audience.
Article, header etc font and style:
Unlike my contents page, where I didn’t have a direct influence from any other magazine – my double page spread is heavily influenced by an article
in the Fader magazine. The Fader magazine issue 91 included an article with FKA Twigs was a huge inspiration in the layout of my double page spread.
The main photograph is on the left hand side of the page with a white boarder around the outskirts. I thought by including the white boarder I would
consolidate the influence from the Loud and Quiet magazine (which was evident on my cover). Further more, I also used the font ‘Edo Sz’ to connect
the artist’s name on the title with the article. It is also different and quirky which adds some individuality to the article. I used the font ‘Futura’ which
I found on the website fontinuse.com. I loved the simplicity of it and thought that it would fit perfectly with my minimalistic theme. I also thought
that it would be easy to read in such a small font size in my article.

5. Genre and how the magazine cover, contents and double page spread suggests it:
My magazine conforms to the common conventions and styling of typical indie magazines. With its white
and black minimalistic theme it creates a fresh and clean look. On top of the modern feel, it is
complimented with some smaller details which makes the magazine unlike any other magazine. This is
always important when designing an indie magazine because although there is a clear style to follow each
magazine is different in some way making it original. The unique details is what will make the audience
more inclined to purchase it. Having researched numerous other indie magazines, I learnt to follow the
one thing they all had in common - having the photography at the center of attention throughout the
magazine.
How the artist is represented:
In order do captivate my audience demographic effectively, I decided that I wanted to portray my artist
as an idealistic character for my reader. By portraying her in this way, the audience will look up to her.
The key traits I wanted my artist to represent was confidence, creativity, intelligence, to be caring and
fashionable. I didn’t want her to be especially feminine which is why she doesn’t wear to much pink (a
colour generically associated with women). Despite this did want her to appear elegant, hence why for
her costume I chose to add lace. In this way she connotes other indie female artists like Lorde and
Birdy. I specifically wanted the confidence to shine through in my photography to highlight the strength
of female roles in the indie scene as it is mostly dominated by mole artists. I thought that this would
attract a greater audience in my magazine as the indie culture is surrounded by the idea of
experimenting with new and unique ideas.
Colour scheme:
For my colour scheme, I maintained a muted tone throughout my magazine. It was important to me
that the colour scheme remained consistent throughout my magazine to tie my product together as a
whole. I followed the typical conventions of an indie magazine by using a simplistic black on white
foundation. Therefore when taking my photographs I kept the outfit black and white too. I also kept my
images monochrome so that it would allow me to effect my images after taking them. On many of the
indie magazine photographs (particularly Loud and Quiet magazine) the images had an effect that gave
the impression the image was taken on a film camera. This is a trend I had noticed a lot when
researching the indie culture therefore I thought it was important to feature it in my magazine.