The document discusses components that will be included in an indie rock magazine the author is creating. It examines existing professional music magazines as inspiration. Key components that will be included are: a masthead at the top of the cover page; a main image featuring a solo artist in a medium close-up shot; surrounding sell-lines; a consistent three-color palette; genre-specific text and fonts; supplemental images; and a layout with the main image centered and other elements arranged around it. The author aims to incorporate standard magazine elements while making the design unique and appealing to an indie rock audience.

1. Researching genre!

2. Indie Rock
These are all magazines I will look to be inspired from for my own Indie Rock magazine that will incorporate different aspects from already existing professional
magazines that feature similar music styles.

3. Masthead
In most, if not all, of professional magazines regardless of genre have their masthead featured at the
very top of the page as seen in all of the music magazines that I have included as examples. Therefore
this is a feature I will keep the same for my own music magazine. This feature is a common component
of all magazines because by including the name of the magazine at the very top of the magazine, it is
more likely to be seen and attract the attention of the reader when placed in magazine stands. Also, as
the human eye reads from top left to bottom right, the name is more likely to be seen and remembered
more especially if the font used is both bright and bold and stands out (this is also seen in the images
below.

4. Main image
As for a magazines main images, specifically for music magazines, the images used are usually
either of a individual heavily featured in the magazine whether it be a solo artist or a band. The shot
type can also vary however it is more common for it to be of a medium shot (MS) to a medium closeup (MCU). As my own image is most likely going to be of a solo artist, it may be more prudent to use
a MCU as it is of just the one sole person instead of multiple fitted into a shot.

5. Sell-lines
As seen with most music magazines, sell-lines are plenty and surround the main
image like a blanket. However, most magazines feature sell-lines on top of the
main image as long as it doesn‟t affect or block the view of the model(s) face(s).
This therefore makes the cover look full without looking too overcrowded and this is
definitely a component I will have to consider using when I come to create my own
cover.

6. Colours
Magazines as a general media platform, tend to stick to a colour palette so that the colours throughout the magazine look
organised and thought-out. More so, it is usually three or four colours that provide the bulk and basis for the colour
scheme of the magazine and this is a component I will definitely use. As seen in the images of the three example
products I am using, you can see their use of three plus different colours, improving their professionalism. The colours,
especially for the front cover, usually relate to the colouring featured on the model used. In the image of Q, Cheryl Cole
can be seen wearing a red lipstick and is used for the sell-lines and masthead background, Kerrang instead replicating
the bright burnt orange colour that is Hayley Williams„ hair, NME however, sticking to a three colour palette of red, white
and black. For the Q and Kerrang magazine, three colours have also been primarily used too, showing how common a
feature this component actually is.

7. Text/font
For a music magazine, text will always be based around this genre and the genre of the
music magazine. For my own, which will be for Indie Rock only, I will have to include selllines and content that will appeal to an audience that is heavily into Indie Rock. As such,
these music magazines I have used as examples have also done the same to appeal to their
target audience too. See in the images to the right where I have quoted text from each of the
pages of the magazines.

8. Other images
Other images used in magazine and music magazines usually support the text content
featured so as to create a balance between the two, still keeping the attention of the
audience without boring them with text-only pages. As seen with the images of the
Kerrang My Chemical Romance issue where you can see the images attached to the
captions on the contents page.
As well as the images supplementing the double page spread where a full and indepth article on MCR.

9. Layout
As for the layout of most magazines, the main focal point in the main
image, placed in the very centre of the magazine cover. The sell-lines
and other content are therefore placed around this image with the
masthead always being featured at the very top of the page.
As for other pages, the layout is less important but what usually occurs
is the content pages follows on from the front cover and one or more
double page spreads, usually featuring full-length articles from the
person featured on the front of the magazine, is included also.
Overall, for the genre I am choosing to create a product for (Indie
Rock), the repertoire of elements can vary slightly to create a more
unique and individual product for a more unique and individual
audience.
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10. What I’m going to include?
For what I am going to include in my work this year, I am going to
include the general components most magazines entail which will be a
masthead featured at the top of the magazine cover, a contents page
and one double page spread including an article of the featured
“musician” on the front cover, sell-lines, a barcode etc., but I will also
add more individual features such as competitions, free posters,
content just focusing on Indie Rock artists such as Bastille and
Imagine Dragons so hopefully the final product will be very audienceselective and only appeal to the individuals who are interested in Indie
Rock artists.
I will also try to make my product as unique as possible by including
bold and daring colours and images so it will also be appealing and
attractive to the human eye, which should therefore mean the
magazine could gain a more general audience other than Indie Rock
who then become interested in this music afterwards. I hopefully will
then have created something that looks in the same league as these
images below.