Research into similar products

A music genre I have researched into is indie pop since I am particularly attracted to this genre which is why I am considering this genre of music for my music magazine. I have chosen to research this particular genre since indie pop is usually associated with outgoing and slightly rebellious lifestyles which implicates that artists of this genre go against the expectations of society which causes the genre to seem quite cool and unpredictable.

The genre has built an identity through the many different artists and bands within it such as wolf Alice, Florence and the machines, peace and Lorde. These artists are known for pushing the boundaries in an alternate and sometimes shocking way to get their point across, which has now caused them to become very successful and highly recognisable and so supported them in the selling of their music. This alternate style that indie pop artists are known for has helped brand the genre by giving it a laid back and edgy identity.

The identity of indie pop has also built this idea that indie pop artists have a certain fashion style which is wearing urban and slightly worn out clothing to reinforce their carefree image by wearing clothing that is trendy and in style the indie genre also are related to this idea of the genre being quite conventional and laid back since it could suggest that bands and artists of the genre don't try extremely hard to impress their audiences with their image but more so with their music. This idea is continued through the facial expressions made by the artists or band members which are usually quite relaxed and minimal and so reinforces the simple image that indie pop artists and bands try to achieve so that their main focus is their music.

Research into similar products

Here, I have looked into artists that are similar to the artist I am wanting for my music magazine. A particular artist I am interested in is Melanie Martinez. Melanie Martinez is an upcoming artist who has become successful from entering 'The voice: US' back in 2012. She is known for her range of genres that she comes under but is mostly associated with indie style music though her last album 'cry baby' included elements of electropop. Melanie Martinez is extremely recognisable for her cartoony and childish style clothing which is incorporated within her music with songs such as 'Dollhouse', 'sippy cup' and 'pacify her' all songs that relate to her childish yet retro manner.I am interested in Melanie's alternative outlook on how music can be portrayed and her original fashion style with retro elements. I personally like how she appears to develop her music more and more for her audience and not for the music industry. Having a variety of songs that appeal to all sorts of genres is quite interesting as many audiences will be appealed to her and will be able to relate to her due to the music she sings usually discusses issues prominently found within the younger generations. The indie genre is mostly appealed to the younger generations and so Melanie portrays herself as appealing for younger generations through her clothing, style of music and overall rebellious ethos implied through her music

Research into similar products

 Here, I have developed my understanding into the different styles of layout I can do by being given an image of a popular artist such as Bjork, Drake, Marilyn Manson and Kings of leon. However, I was also instructed to create my own band name for the magazine 'M' to help us in how to create a band name for our own magazine which we will create later on in the year. Creating our own band name allows me to illustrate the style and ethos of the band and so I decided to call the band 'Sunny side up' since the word 'sunny' has connotations to happiness and brightness which associates with the indie and slightly hippy look to the band. I decided to use large black font for the Drake 'M' magazine as it suggests dominance and superiority which links to the main cover line of the magazine 'Drake The God of Rap' and so reinforces that Drake is the dominant artist within rap. Also I decided to use white and eerie style font for the 'Music_x' magazine to reveal Bjork's odd and highly recognisable style of music. To add to this, the 'pitch' magazine I decided to create a dangerous and strange ethos to it and so used creepy typography and used colours such as yellow and black for the puff 'Exclusive' to support the ethos of the magazine since the colours yellow and black associate with danger as crime scene tape is yellow and black too. Furthermore, I used orange font frequently within the 'Pitch' magazine to clash with the light blue and black colours of the main image of the cover star to imply that pitch magazine clashes with what's normally expected from a magazine and so draws a range of audiences in because of it's unusual ethos. I think this exercise was quite effective as I was able to explore a range of different layouts, fonts and colours that could be used for my music magazine and so therefore I will be able to consider different ways to layout my magazine and be able to demonstrate the ethos of my magazine through my layout.

Research into similar products

Here, I have looked into music bands that are of a similar genre to the bands that I will include for my magazine front cover. A band that I am particularly interested in is Haim. I am particularly interested within this band because they have a very typical urban style and represent the ideal look for an indie pop band due to the leather edgy clothing that reflects their rebellious and stand out image that is reflected within their music. 

Within the image of the band and the front cover there is a sense of unity created through the closeness and having one image of all three girls sitting down and one of all three girls sitting up reflects the equality between them and reveals that they have an equal part in the production of the music they make and implies this message of girl empowerment that Haim are known for. 

Additionally, having the album cover of the band be taken on a grass field suggests how simple and understated the band is which reinforces the cool and relaxed style of the band which will appeal to audiences since there non over stylized look will interest audiences.  Furthermore, this cool and urban look that Haim represents is continued from the use of all three girls wearing sunglasses which is associated with the indie, pop and rock genre. This will attract audiences since sunglasses allow the band to see the viewer but the audience cannot see past the sunglasses and so will intrigue audiences into wanting to know what’s behind the image of this band. 

Research into similar products

Here, I have completed research into what particular band names I like the style and look of and am interested in doing something similar for my indie pop music magazine. I have selected two band names in which I find quite eye catching and quirky to the typical style of band names and styles that are within the indie-pop genre and so therefore are quite effective. Additionally, the band names are short and snappy which will make it easy for the audience to recognise the name. More so, the use of both band names referring to animals is quite appealing as it indicates the wild and uncontrollable ethos of the bands and therefore indicates the rebellious yet natural style of music associated with both bands, which will attract audiences as they will be interested in the unusual and unconventional styles that both bands are known for. To add to this, the typography of 'Jaws' is written in a neutral and plain typography yet the use of colours and the use of a triangle in place of the 'A' creates a retro and old school feel to the band which will attract audiences due to the unconventional and irregular style which will intrigue audiences. However, the second band's use of typography indicates the edgy bold and alternative ethos that is highly recognisable with 'Arctic monkeys' and is reflected within their music and image. Additionally, the use of colour is effective as having two bold colours contrast with one another could imply how the band Arctic monkeys contrast with the conventional ideas associated with Indie-pop which will attract a wide range of audiences as they will be interested in the unusual style that the arctic monkeys are known for. By doing this research I can look in depth at a range of band names and develop my ideas into what kind of band name I will want to use and how the genre of music the band will be has a large impact on the look and name of the band.

Research into similar products

I have looked into artists that are of a similar genre to the artist that I will hopefully have for my magazine front cover. One artist from the indie-pop genre that I am particularly interested in is Lana Del Rey.
Lana Del Rey is an American singer, songwriter and model who is quite successful and famous for her alternative and edgy style of music that comes under the genre of indie pop yet has rock and pop influences within her music which reveals the her versatility which is attractive for a music magazine as fans of a range of genres will be attracted to the magazine and so therefore having an artist similar to Lana Del Rey would be quite effective in appealing to a wide range of audiences. Lana Del Rey has a very contradictory style of music to other competitors within the music genre as there is an edgy and sensual ethos associated with her which is reflected within her music, image and style.
This iconic look associated with Lana is reinforced from the rolling stones magazine since the house style of the magazine is quite promiscuous due to the warm pinks, reds and yellows used. However, the use of this quite bold blue colour used for the main cover line 'Lana Del Rey' indicates her distinct and eye catching look since the title literally catches your eye as it stands out against the rest of the magazine and could imply that Lana stands out against the rest of the music industry due to her unique yet iconic image, which is what I particularly like most about her.
Also, Lana Del Rey has a very recognisable style due to her iconic yet slightly eccentric image associated with her, which conflicts with the conventions of the Indie-pop genre as other artists have a more casual and laid back image whereas Lana Del rey has a more urban and unpredictable style since all three images have very different styles such as rock and classic beauty which reinforces how unpredictable Lana Del Rey can be which will maintain the audience's attention and keep their interested in her.
I would like to base my artist off someone like Lana Del Rey as she an unusual artist that stands out against the other artists even within the indie genre as she goes against the normal conventions of the genre and the whole of the music industry and so therefore will draw attention to the magazine since she is highly recognisable.

Research into similar products

This is a magazine front cover from a ‘Flare’ fashion magazine. I have chosen this magazine even though it is of a different magazine style from the music magazine I will be creating as this particular front cover uses colour scheme, photography and layout quite effectively to get the ethos of the magazine across to the audience, the use of the photography, colour scheme and layout will help as I can further develop my ideas for my magazine and ensure I understand the variety of different ways my magazine can look. I am particularly interested in the colour scheme of the cover as the black and white editing of the image creates this classic look which relates to the cover star that is known for her raw and classic style of acting and vocals. More so, the colour scheme of a black and white image which is then followed by yellow cover lines that follow around the shape of the star accentuates the cover stars face which causes them to look at Lea Michele immediately which will entice the reader as they may be fans of the star and additionally directs the audience to look immediately at her and the direct address used within the image entices them further and therefore the use of the colour scheme is extremely effective and if given the chance I hope to use a similar style. In addition, the use of the layout of the text is successful to convey the stylish yet professional ethos associated with this magazine. Having the text on her hands and arm slightly is beneficial to the magazine as it draws attention towards the magazine against other competitors as the layout is unusual which will intrigue the reader to why this issue is so special or individual in comparison to others. To add to this, I also particularly was interested in the font of the masthead as it conveys the formal yet stylish feel to the magazine which in my opinion is quite an effective font to use and is similar to the style of font I wish to use for my magazine. Finally, the photography of the image is quite successful for the overall appeal of the magazine as the extreme close up used draws immediate attention again on the cover star as she is the only thing the audience can see within the image.

Research into similar products

This is a magazine front cover from a ‘Flare’ fashion magazine. I have chosen this magazine even though it is of a different magazine style from the music magazine I will be creating as this particular front cover uses colour scheme, photography and layout quite effectively to get the ethos of the magazine across to the audience, the use of the photography, colour scheme and layout will help as I can further develop my ideas for my magazine and ensure I understand the variety of different ways my magazine can look. I am particularly interested in the colour scheme of the cover as the black and white editing of the image creates this classic look which relates to the cover star that is known for her raw and classic style of acting and vocals. More so, the colour scheme of a black and white image which is then followed by yellow cover lines that follow around the shape of the star accentuates the cover stars face which causes them to look at Lea Michele immediately which will entice the reader as they may be fans of the star and additionally directs the audience to look immediately at her and the direct address used within the image entices them further and therefore the use of the colour scheme is extremely effective and if given the chance I hope to use a similar style. In addition, the use of the layout of the text is successful to convey the stylish yet professional ethos associated with this magazine. Having the text on her hands and arm slightly is beneficial to the magazine as it draws attention towards the magazine against other competitors as the layout is unusual which will intrigue the reader to why this issue is so special or individual in comparison to others. To add to this, I also particularly was interested in the font of the masthead as it conveys the formal yet stylish feel to the magazine which in my opinion is quite an effective font to use and is similar to the style of font I wish to use for my magazine. Finally, the photography of the image is quite successful for the overall appeal of the magazine as the extreme close up used draws immediate attention again on the cover star as she is the only thing the audience can see within the image.

Research into similar products

This is a magazine front cover of a Rolling stones magazine. I am particularly interested in the similar genre that this music magazine has to the indie-pop style that is usually featured within this magazine though the rolling stones magazine is related with rock. Additionally having the cover star of Lana Del Rey is intriguing as she as well as the magazine itself has a cross genre of music associated with them since Lana Del Rey is usually associated with indie and slightly pop music, which I am hopefully planning to incorporate within my music magazine. Furthermore, I particularly like the colour scheme used as the vibrant red used to overpower the black and white background is beneficial as it connotes to powerfulness and vibrancy and creates this idea that the rolling stones magazine stands out brightly against other competitors, which in my opinion is quite effective and hopefully I will be able to use a similar colour scheme for my magazine. More so, the photography used for the main image of the front cover is beneficial to the overall ethos of the magazine as the style of this photography creates a stunning yet relaxing to the image which is similar to Lana Del Rey’s stunning style of music but also the vibrant colour scheme reflects the artists bold and daring style of music also, which I wish to do too. Finally, the black and white colour scheme used creates a classical feel to the music which is also suggested from the mise-en-scene of the magazine front cover since the cover star is wearing an arguably simple and classic swim suit look since swim suit girls are typically related with pin up girls which were very popular in the 1950’s.

creative NME task

Here is an image of my creative NME task in which we were given the image of Trent Reznor and the masthead to create a magazine front cover. For this task I have added a puff and a main cover line to make the cover more effective and eye catching as well as a bar code, a price and a date for the issue to give the magazine a more professional style. This task has given me the chance to develop my skills within Paint.net which is the programme I used to create this. Having my skills develop within this task is beneficial as it will be easier for me to use this programme for my music magazine and therefore ensuring I have a higher quality style of a magazine. Additionally, Having the image of Trent Reznor cover the masthead creates a symbiotic relationship between the artist and the magazine as the magazine not only features him but he is actually apart of the magazine. Finally, I chose to use a plain background to sustain the focus on the cover star and the article mentioning him.

Preliminary task

Here, I have produced my preliminary task with the use of a image manipulating programme to form a school magazine front cover and contents page. For this task I used an original piece of photography with features a medium close up of a student with appropriately laid out text and an effective masthead. This task has helped me with the creation of my music magazine as I understand how significant the layout and colour scheme can be to the overall ethos of a magazine. I chose a simplistic layout to make it easier for my readers to find certain features and to also draw the readers attention towards the images.Additionally, the use of the red, black and white colour scheme is used as it represents the school colours, makes the front cover and contents page quite bold and stand out against other magazines and finally chose to use these three colours as when I did my questionnaire I had the majority of people say that they think it would be more effective if I use those colours.

Research into similar products

Here, I have analysed the front cover, contents page and double page spread of a Q magazine featuring Lady Gaga. I have chosen to analyse this particular magazine as it contained a range of techniques, such as a bold yet consistent colour scheme to illustrate the professionalism of the magazine though still depicting the rebellious and edgy style that Lady Gaga reflects. This analysis has helped me because I have a more in depth knowledge of how the use of a variety of images and how different styles of photography can indicate things such as the variety of music artists that I will include within my magazine, reflecting the attitude and personality of the artist and the high/low key lighting that can be used to illustrate what topics may be discussed within the music artist’s article, since this magazine in particularly used high key lighting for the front cover but only on the artist to suggest that the feature including Lady Gaga will bring to light new and exclusive information about her.

Research into similar products

Here, I have analysed the front cover, contents page and double page spread of 'Q' magazine which features Lana Del Rey. The magazine has an overall formal style to it which Q magazine is known for though there is humour and irony throughout all three pages. There have been many techniques such as a skyline, a puff and cover star which are only three of the codes and conventions that attracted me towards this magazine. I have chosen to analyse this magazine issue particularly because of the unusual style of photography that is used as well as using two colours which do not necessarily work harmoniously but still convey what style Lana Del Rey is through it. This magazine analysis has helped me to understand what type of magazine I want as I have learnt that I would like to do a music magazine based on Indie pop music as they usually are magazines that are bold and eye catching like this one.

Drafting & planning - investigating typography

In our task today, we given the chance to discuss which one of these 6 magazine typography's reflected the magazines ethos the most. The order in which I placed these 6 magazines was E, B, A, F, C and D. I decided to rank E as the most effective typography because it is a bold text type which allows it to catch the audiences eye. Also, the typography is distinct and edgy which fits in with the house style of the magazine but still keeps with the 'urban yet chic' style of the magazine. However, I ranked magazine D as the least effective as the typography is very formal and elegant text type which doesn't properly represent the bold style of the magazine. Furthermore, I ranked magazine A as the third most effective typography as the style allows clarity for the audience but doesn't correctly fit the house style of the magazine and doesn't accurately illustrate the urban and chic style 'Vibes' wants to reflect. I placed magazine C fifth because the use of comic sans for the main cover line is not the most effective way to represent a magazine like 'Vibes' as the text style is quite plain and a typical text used which may reflect the magazine negatively as it lacks a certain professionalism a magazine needs to be taken seriously.
This task has helped me with the creation of my own music magazine as it has supported my understanding into how significant text typography can be and what impact it may have on the audience.