2. Who is being represented?
On the front
cover the main
person
represented is a
woman holding a
microphone.
There is also a
representation of
Alex Turner, the
singer from Arctic
Monkeys, in a
smaller thumbnail
image.
3. The same woman is
represented in the
contents page but
with a smaller image
and close up shot.
Alex Turner is also
represented on the
contents page but
again with a
different shot.
There is a
representation of the
singer from White
Lies, a popular Indie
band, in the live
section of him
playing a gig.
4. There is another representation of the woman from the front cover in the DPS
but one which differs drastically from the other images of her in the
publication.
5. How and why have I constructed
the representation?
• My publication is an Indie magazine and it
is therefore imperative for me to construct
representations of ‘Indie’ people to
connote the genre of my magazine. This
however is very difficult as Indie
encompasses a wide range of styles and
looks.
6. • To combat this issue two of the three people I have represented
are well known Indie front men such as Alex Turner from Arctic
Monkeys and Harry McVeigh from White Lies.
• All of the images are of them playing live shows which connotes
how this magazine is most concerned with their music above all
else and not the celebrity culture of other publications which
provides a USP.
• Also by representing well known Indie bands it connotes the genre
of the publication effectively to the reader and conforms to
stereotypes within music magazines.
7. • The first image of Alex Turner is one that I took at a gig I went to. I’ve
chosen to include this image as it represents Turner’s new 50’s look
which will entice readers as he is part of a very successful Indie band
and influential.
• This image also represents him as being completely interested in music
as he is singing and holding a guitar.
• This image represents Indie whilst simultaneously making the magazine
more enticing to readers.
• This image conforms to stereotypes as it represents Alex as
stereotypically ‘rock’ as he is wearing dark colours, playing a black guitar
and with harsh lighting which all connote darkness and aggression. This
in turn connotes the genre of rock through use of stereotypes.
• I have used stereotyping on the front cover to connote that the magazine
understands and presents different genres as well as to entice readers
as they can associate easily with stereotypes.
8. • The next representation of Alex is found on the contents page and
differs from the first one. It is again of him playing a live show
which again connotes the focus is on the music not the person.
• However this image contrasts with the other one of him as it has a
much different atmosphere. For example the lighting is much softer
and the inclusion of the screen behind him which shows a close up
of his face with his eyes closed connotes that the music he is
playing is much softer now. He also appears lost in the music
which is part of the magazines ethos.
• I have represented Alex Turner in both of these ways as it
connotes the different aspects of the band and also represents
Indie as a genre that is full of unique bands which are multifaceted.
•After first using stereotypes on the front cover I
have then subverted expectations and challenged
the conventions of representing a rock band to
connote the magazine’s ethos and genre.
9. • The representation of the White Lies singer Harry McVeigh is
again of him playing a live show.
• The representation of Harry differs to the representation of
Alex as the colour codes are much brighter with him wearing a
white shirt and being spotlighted with bright white light. This
gives the image religious connotations.
• These religious connotations in the ‘Live’ section of the
contents page connotes how gigs can almost be spiritual
experiences and shows the importance the magazine places
on live shows.
10. • The first and largest representation the reader
sees is of the woman holding the microphone with
red hair.
• She is represented as being physically bound to
the music as her hands are tied with the
microphone wire which connotes how closely she
is linked to the music.
• She is also presented as confident through her use
of direct eye contact which is inspirational for many
readers as a lot of the younger target audience of
Indie magazines aren’t very confident in
themselves yet as their early teens. The eye
contact also draws the reader in and creates a
connection.
• The bright red hair contrasts the established colour
scheme and connotes how the artist is rebelling
against all conventions and emphasises the
magazines revolutionary message. It also
connotes danger and passion which again could
connote the passion for music.
11. • The styling of big wavy hair also connotes the
oddness of the artist and Indie as her hairs
wild and supposedly untamed; emphasising
how different she and the genre is. It also
doesn’t conform to stereotypes which are
often of perfectly styled hair whereas this
looks slightly messy which again connotes
Indie.
• The red of the hair is continued onto the lips
and jewellery which helps to create a sense of
unity for the artist and creates the impression
that effort has been put in for her to look this
way. However the colour combination of green
and red is unusual and contrast boldly to
again connote confidence and Indie as it’s odd
and different.
• The slightly parted lips also provide some sex
appeal which conforms to stereotypes of
magazine front covers that represent women.
12. • This representation of a front cover image
challenges Indie conventions as most covers
present men but this represents a woman and
on the first edition which connotes how this
magazine’s target audience is both male and
female.
• However it also uses stereotypes as it uses
sex appeal to represent a woman but is not
overtly sexual so again is slightly different just
like the genre it’s presenting.
• Also the styling of the person doesn’t conform
to stereotypes as she is styled with odd colour
choices and simple bold makeup which
connotes Indie without trying to conform to a
set version of Indie which would look forced. It
therefore creates a strong front cover image
which connotes the meaning of Indie and is
eye catching which is the ultimate purpose of
a front cover image.
13. • The next representation of the red haired
woman is a close up of her face. The styling is
exactly the same as the first image with the
same hairstyle, makeup and jewellery. This
helps to connect the article to the person as she
is represented as a new artist so repeated
images with the same styling helps to create her
identity. It also connects the front cover image
to the main feature of that weeks edition.
• The image is a close up of her face with again
direct eye contact which draws the reader in. It
also represents her confidently and positively
thus connoting to the reader that being
individual and odd is a good thing.
• It conforms to the type of image for contents
images as it’s a close up with direct eye contact
but the styling is unique to this artist.
14. • The last representation of the
woman is in the DPS. She has a
completely different styling with
short sleek hair, a short black
playsuit and green shoes. This
contrast to the previous images
styling's connotes the different
aspects of the artist and shows how
the magazine does not just
represent people in one way and
label them but represents them
holistically. This again connotes the
magazine as Indie is all about being
different and not conforming but
being who you want to be which this
artist is doing. It also helps to
provide a more visually dynamic
magazine with a variety of shots.
15. • The woman's clothing represents her as being
someone who is comfortable with her body as
she is wearing clothes which are fitted. This
again connotes confidence with yourself.
• The clothing also emphasises her legs which
creates sex appeal but again not overtly sexual
which makes the image appealing to both men
and women to appeal to all of the target
audience.
• The green of the shoes by the masthead has
been used to reinforce brand identity and link the
artist with the brand.
• The same makeup, eye contact and use of
props have been used to draw the reader in and
link the images together.
• This representation conforms to stereotypes as it
uses sex appeal when presenting a woman but
through the use of a variety of shots and
styling’s it challenges stereotypes as it presents
a woman as a independent, confident person
who is unafraid of expressing herself which
again connotes the magazines ethos.
16. In conclusion I have represented young men
and one young woman in this magazine
as they reflect the target audience so
connect more to them.
I have represented them in a number of
ways to connote the ethos of the
magazine and the genre of Indie through
use of stereotypes which I then subvert to
show variety which is what Indie is all
about.
I have also represented them all positively to
create inspirational images of people for
the audience to look up to.
