Magazine Competitions. What is different about 'Indie Jam'?

During my research of Indie magazines, I discovered that my magazine would be competing with two mainstream magazines; NME and Q. 
NME would be a big competition as they're within the same age range as my target audience and they both have a similar layout/colours.
Q would also be a big competition as it's more popular with my maturer audience and again has a similar layout to mine.


What is so different about 'Indie Jam'?
Indie Jam isn't entirely different to mainstream Indie magazines out today however, I believe my magazine would bring a youthful feel to shops around the country. Although NME is aimed at my target audience, I feel that they haven't done the magazine justice with their fonts and the entire layout. With Indie Jam, I've tried to stick to who I believe my target audience should be so, with the questionnaire I carried out before I started this project, I made sure the people answering the questions given were within that age range. 
With NME and Q, it's all about mainstream celebrities such as Kings of Leon and Lily Allen. Although they are both great celebrities to be inspired by, with Indie Jam, up-coming artists around the country and across the pond will be more of the main focus of this magazine to give my readers the sense that they could be on the cover of Indie Jam one day. 


Overall experience of creating a music magazine...
Creating this magazine was hard work as I always had to focus on one thing; my target audience. However, with my research and planning that I carried out before creating the magazine, I feel I have done my magazine justice. I've managed to stick to my colour scheme; red, black and white which I believe has made Indie Jam look like a real life magazine. As I want a career in journalism, I feel this project has helped me enhance my skills with Photoshop and websites such as Picnik. When writing up my interview, I feel this has helped me develop my writing skills as I now know how to write a professional interview for professional artists. 
As I said, working on the magazine has been hard work however, I have thoroughly enjoyed the course and look forward to seeing my final AS grade.

Evaluation of Indie Jam.

Below is the evaluation I created on the presenting website www.prezi.com for my music magazine; Indie Jam.

Evaluation of Indie Jam Music Magazine. on Prezi

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

My magazine is conventional in the sense that it uses the exact colours and fonts to other existing indie magazines. My inspirations for my magazine were Q and NME. On the front cover of my music magazine, I tried to stick to NME’s theme of red, black and white. For example, my masthead is similar to theirs as I’ve used the exact colours and it pretty much covers the entire top of my magazine. My model has been positioned in a laid back style to portray his laid back attitude. With my main image, he takes up most of the page making him the exclusive purpose of this issue. My double page spread also follows the conventions of a real life magazine as I’ve included a bold letter at the beginning of my article to show the start. I’ve included two main images on my double page spread which are often presented in real life magazines.

How does your media product represent particular social groups? Who would be the audience for your media product?

My target audience would be people who like to listen to indie music varying from 16-20 years old. I think I’ve achieved this by looking at colour, images and language. My magazine divides social groups through gender and age. Throughout my magazine, my model is shown wearing a blue plaid shirt representing that this magazine is male oriented. As I have used a male model this attracts both males and females. He is also between the age range of my target audience which makes my magazine appealing to teenagers and young adults. If I had used a much older person on my front cover, this might not have appealed to my audience. In order to represent the social group ‘indies’, I researched into existing products (Q and NME). After noticing what stereotypical Indies wore, I tried to include this in my magazine. I also researched into hobbies so I could include them in my magazine for example live concerts. Most of my representation comes from my contents page.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

After researching the two magazines that were inspirations for mine, I discovered that NME had announced that they were joining with John Menzies Digital to create an online version of their magazine. However, I think my magazine would sell best with Bauer Media. This company operates in 15 countries and often produces and distributes popular magazine. They own Q which means they have expertise in selling to my target audience. I believe I could distribute my magazine in music stores such as HMV, social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, an official website and music festivals just to name a few. Digital publishing is now becoming more popular with young audiences (17%) therefore; this would enable my product to be spread across a wider audience. With over 500 million Facebook users now online, I feel this will enhance my magazine's appeal. 

How did you attract/address your audience?

I feel I attracted my audience in a variety of ways (colour, layout, text and images). For example on my front cover, my model takes up pretty much the entire page which instantly grabs my target audience’s attention. I used Jake as he is within the age range of my audience (17 years old). I also took into consideration what my model would be wearing throughout my magazine as I wanted my audience to relate to the magazine (and people with the same style.) The fonts I’ve used are conventional for an indie magazine which I think also appeals to my target audience as it’s simple and easy to read. The colours (red, black and white) I’ve used are quite neutral so both males and females would appeal to the magazine. For the text, I’ve used colloquial language in my interview on my double page spread to represent how young my model is which then appeals to the target audience. As my model also likes The Beatles (which was inspiration for the font of Jake's name on the double page spread and was also included in the interview), I believe this would appeal to a more mature audience who also like the band as well as my target audience who also have similar interests. 

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Although I’ve used Photoshop before, I feel from the process of constructing my magazine, I’ve developed my skills when manipulating photographs (such as using the magnetic lasso tool and changing colour levels) Before, my cuts would often to be sloppy which did affect my grade for my preliminary task.  When creating my blog, I feel I have developed my blogging skills such as creating new posts, importing videos and images and re-arranging my layout. I also decided to show off my blogging and design skills by finding various buttons on the web and putting them onto my blog for example, I found a button that says ‘life isn’t about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself’ which indie kids often do.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

By looking at my preliminary task, I feel that it has helped me in many ways when creating my final product. One major factor was time management for example, updating my blog on time and manipulating my photographs on Photoshop. I feel I’ve used my time effectively as I would often spend most of my time manipulating other images rather than just one at a time. When manipulating images during my preliminary task, I wouldn’t take my time which left my photographs looking sloppy. However, with my final product, I took my time when manipulating which in my opinion makes my magazine look professional and like a conventional indie magazine. I have also learnt a lot more about the music industry by looking at various music websites and reading a variety of music magazines which made a positive impact on my finished magazine. Overall, I feel like I’ve done myself justice with my final product and hopefully this shows when through my overall grade.

Magazine As A Whole.

Front Cover:

Contents Page:

Double Page Spread:

Inspiration for my Indie Magazine as well as my Artist's Inspiration.

Here is a clip of The Beatles singing one of their hits; Hey Jude. They're one of the main inspirations that my artist talks about during the interview on my double page spread.

Other Inspirations:

Ellie Goulding: Starry Eyed.

Kings of Leon: Use Somebody.

Fallout Boy: Thnks Fr Th Mmrs.

Completed Double Page Spread.

Below is my completed double page spread for my AS Music Magazine; Indie Jam.

Featured on this page is the upcoming artist and a close friend: Jake Bentley Ross.

Process:

 

Completed Contents Page.

Below is my completed contents page for my AS Music Magazine; Indie Jam.

Featured on this page is the upcoming artist and a close friend: Jake Bentley Ross.

Process:



Completed Front Cover.

Below is my completed front cover for my AS Music Magazine; Indie Jam.

Featured on the front cover is an upcoming artist and close friend: Jake Bentley Ross.

 Process:

Interview with Jake Bentley Ross.

Hey it’s great to have you with us today. First of all, how are you coping with the pressures of your new found fame?

It’s good to have feedback from my fans and ya’ know creating new songs and producing tracks. I'm just grateful that I had the opportunity to showcase my talent. 

I’ve heard some of your demos and I’ve seen your YouTube videos. When did you begin to put them on the popular website?

I started hearing about it from friends and started watching viral videos like ya’ know cat videos coming up on the internet and I came across some covers of songs that I love. It just went from there. My first cover was 'Fat Lip' by Sum 41. That was when I was going through my punk phase. I just grabbed my guitar and it just went from there.

I used to love Sum 41! Who are your major influences?

The Beatles hands down! They did so many different songs like Dear Prudence and Blackbird which everyone loves. They did a totally different kind of thing full of rock. It’s just a great influence.

Oh god. The Beatles are one band I can't stand! What inspired you to write your own music?

How can you hate The Beatles?! They're amazing! Well we all do that kind of thing when we fancy someone and you start writing poems. Mine turned into songs. I was in Year 7 when I wrote my first song called ‘Girlfriend’ and it was one of the most simplest songs you could think of.

Wow, so you started at an early-ish age! By looking at your YouTube videos, I can see you play a lot of instruments. Which one’s your favourite?

Definitely guitar but I’ve started playing piano so it might change. But the guitar was my first instrument.

What has been you biggest challenge so far?

'Cause I’ve got so many new ideas and challenges in my life, songs that I write now really hit home. My new song's called ‘Unrequested Love’ and it's my most emotional one to date.

I can't wait to hear it! What is your ultimate direction for the future?

I’ll be releasing my debut album this year called 'Risen Above'. I haven't set a date but it'll be very soon.

Sweet! Any upcoming shows?

On the 25^th March, I have a gig at Ignite from 6-9. They'll be many other bands and artists at the event so it’s just for the music. You can have another chat with me if you come.

No pressure there! Alright, it’s time for some interrogation... Who was your last text from?

*takes out his swanky new iPhone 4G* My last text was from my friend Joe saying ‘Chlorophyll is the green stuff in plants.’

Well that explains a lot! Have you slept with any of your instruments?

Hate to admit but yes I have. I got a guitar for Christmas and my mum took a picture of me sleeping next to it. The picture’s viral on facebook. I hate my mum till this very day for it.

Wow! Your mum?! She must really love you! Are you making any drastic changes for the future?
Yeah I am. My friend’s are forcing me to get a haircut like Kurt from Glee. For some strange reason, they think I look like him. It’s a good thing he’s a good-looking lad!

Come to think of it, you do look a little like Kurt. Any pet peeves?People that just write music for fame. If you’re gonna write music, you should do it to touch people. Katy Perry is writing her own stuff which is really cool. And I hate it when people wriggle their toes in front of me!

Any pet peeves?

People that just write music for fame. If you’re gonna write music, you should do it to touch people. Katy Perry is writing her own stuff which is really cool. And I hate it when people wriggle their toes in front of me!

We'll be sure to have our shoes on at all times then! Well thanks for coming in Jake. Standard procedure at Indie Jam.. we high five our guests!
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Standfirst: As Jake Bentley-Ross enters the Indie Jam studios, he’s looking rather ‘chill’ wearing his tight jeans and battered converse. He jokes around with our hairstylist regardless of the fact that this is his first EVER interview and photoshoot. -> SCORE for the Indie Jam team! We can’t wait to find out what the almost 6 foot something lad has been up to!

Photos I'll Be Using In My Magazine.

Below are the photos I took of my model and friend; Jake Bentley Ross. I carried out this task on the Deep Learning Day.

Front Cover

Contents Page

Double Page Spread

Shot Plan:

Our next task was to create a shot plan that we will be following on the Deep Learning Day on Wednesday. Below is my detailed shot plan:

Front Cover:

 Contents Page:

Double Page Spread:

Evaluation of Flat Plan: Double Page Spread.

For my double page spread, I took inspiration again from the magazine; Q. For their double page spread, they used the singer; Adele. This is the double page spread I am hoping to use for my final magazine. Below is the analysis of my double page spread. With this, I'll justify the decisions I have made.

Colours:
For the colours on this page, I've carried on with the conventional colour scheme for an indie magazine: red, black and white. In contrast to these colours, I have asked my model to wear different shades of blue to represent the stereotypical male (as blue is associated with the gender.) I've tried to limit my colours as I don't want my double page spread to be too cluttered. 


Layout:
For the layout of my double page spread, I wanted to keep it quite simplistic. With the columns on my double page spread, I took inspiration from Q magazine and various magazines I've read in the past. Most people are going to put a box around their columns however, I feel this represents the barriers that will slow solo artists and bands down. I've decided to let my columns flow throughout the page to show that my model is going at a steady pace throughout his music career. 


Main Image:
My main image on my double page spread is on the top right of the second page. In this image, my model will be positioned in the middle of the set that I will be using. I've kindly asked my model to bring in his ukulele and guitar on the day of the photo-shoot which will be positioned either next to him or behind him (however, the consumers will still be able to see these instruments.) I didn't want this image to be too big as I want the interview to be the most important feature on these two pages. In my main image, I will have a spotlight on my model showing that it's his time to shine. However, I might change this position and have my model play either his ukulele or his guitar. 


Other Images:
As I didn't want my double page spread to be too cluttered, I've only placed two more images on it. The image with the black line going around it will represent everything that my model likes e.g. drama, music etc. I've decided to have my model give a natural pose to show his laid back personality. However, this might change as this might seem dull and tedious. One other option could be him praying (symbolising that he's hoping he'll have a long career ahead of him!) The image next to his name at the top of the page was just used to fill up the gap. However, after I thought about it, I might photoshop this image to make it look like a polaroid showing that my magazine can be vintage and retro.


Text:
The text on my double page spread will be very simplistic as I don't want it to look too cluttered. All of the text on this spread will be black to contrast against the white background. The quotes I'll be pulling out from the interview will either be in red or blue. I'm liking the idea of having them in blue to again, represent the stereotypical male. The quotes will also be in bold and italicised to show its importance in the interview. The font size of my model name will be large to remind the readers who the double page spread is about. 

Evaluation of Flat Plan: Contents Page.

For my contents page, I took inspiration from the popular indie magazine; Q. Below is the analysis of my contents. With, this, I'll justify my decisions made and how it stands out from other magazines.


Colour: 
The main colours on this page are red, black and white. I decided to carry on with this colour scheme from the front page as I wanted my consumers to know what magazine they were reading. As my music magazine is based on indie music, as these are the usual colours for a conventional indie magazine. The red page numbers on my contents page also stand out against my white background which links to the masthead on the front cover. 


Layout:
The layout of my magazine is very simple and concise. The contents page is aligned to the left, centre and underneath the small picture which makes the contents page a lot more clearer to my target audience. For the 'COVER STORY', 'FEATURES', 'COMPETITIONS' and 'REGULARS', I've decided to use the iPod logos. This relates to my target audience as almost every single teenager has either an iPod or MP3 player. The main titles for my articles have to written in black whilst the description has been written in red. This makes it easier for my audience to understand what the articles and interviews are about. 


Text: 
The font of the masthead: 'Indie Jam', is the same as the front cover. Although on the image of my contents page there isn't a '16' in bold on the picture of the boy playing guitar, for my final contents page layout, I'll have the number '16' in bold to show that this is the cover story and the most important article in the magazine. The names of the articles have been capitalised on my contents page to show the difference between the titles and descriptions. 


Image: 
On my contents page, I've only included two small images. However, the main image on my contents page is of the boy playing the guitar. I've decided to include not as many images on my contents page as opposed to a regular magazine as I wanted my contents page to be concise and simple.

Evaluation of Flat Plan: Front Page.

For our next task, we were asked to design a flat plan for our music magazine. Whilst carrying out this task, I took into consideration what I had discovered when completing my questionnaire and when carrying out my market research (i.e. researching indie magazines and the conventions of two particular magazines - mine being 'Q' and 'NME.' Below is an analysis of my front cover. With this, I'll justify the decisions I've made and what I plan on changing when producing my magazine cover.

The name for my magazine is Indie Jam. I had an idea of what I wanted my magazine to be called for a few weeks and I feel this name is catchy and easy to remember. I decided on 'Indie Jam' as I wanted to put across to my consumers that this is in fact an indie magazine. The word 'jam' is usually associated with teenagers and young adults as it's slang. Although when you hear the word 'jam' , you instantly think of the food however, 'jam' also means to hang out with friends. Due to the fact that this is in fact a music magazine, I decided on 'Jam' as it also means: to play an instrument with great intensity.


Colour Schemes:

For my front page, I settled on the colours; red, black, white and blue. These would continue on onto the contents page and double page spread. When designing my flat plan, I decided to have my background as blue and this would appeal to my male audience. When looking at my front cover after I had completed it, I decided that I wanted my background to be white to represent the conventional indie magazine. I feel this represents my target audience (16-20) as the colour scheme is simple and concise. On my front cover, there is only one image and this instantly grabs the consumers attention as there isn't much to look at.

Articles:

On my front cover, I've included well-known bands such as Paramore, Kings of Leon and My Chemical Romance as well as the world phenomenon we know as Lady Gaga. I've chosen these artists as my target audience is more familiar with them. I've picked out key words on the front cover for example: 'Has 'Gaga' gone GAGA?! has this outrageous aritst become FAME hungry?' I used her popular album name 'The Fame.' to get the readers interested and to familiarise themselves with the artist.
For my main article, I chose to write my artists name in a bigger font than the other articles in order to show its importance.

Selling Line:

The selling line for my magazine is 'THE UK'S LEADING INDIE MAGAZINE.' I chose to have this as my selling line as I want the consumers to notice that people are buying my magazines and liking it which increases interest in new readers.

Main Image:

The main image is of Jake Bentley Ross who is an up and coming singer/song-writer from South London. I've decided to have only him on my front cover as I don't want my front page to look too cluttered. He takes up the entire page making him the exclusive purpose of this issue. The outfit I have picked out for my model is a dark blue cardigan, a light blue plaid shirt, skinny jeans and blue converse. - I decided to have this outfit to represent that this magazine is unisex.

Button:

For my button, I chose to include the singer; Ellie Goulding. By including this artist, more people will be interested in buying my magazine as she has often been regarded as a fashion icon as she has an edgier style.

Q & NME Contents Page Analysis.

During one period, we were asked to analyse the contents pages of two magazines. I've chosen Q and NME. In this slideshow, I'll be talking about the text, images, layout and colour of both contents pages.

Q & NME Contents Page Analysis

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Q & NME Magazine Front Cover Analysis.

We were asked to analyse two front covers based on our chosen genre. I chose NME which is aimed at younger audiences and Q which is aimed at older audiences. I chose these two to see the differences between their target audiences and how their target audience influenced their front covers.

Q & NME Magazine Covers Analysis

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Double Page Spread Analysis.

'Q' Magazine:

Whilst reading and studying this double page spread, I've learnt that editors reflect their layout of the interviews and articles based on the personality of their main artists featured for example, with the use of natural colours, I now understand that Adele is a very down-to-earth soul singer. 

During this task, I've learned that I need to take into consideration who will actually read my magazine - depressed teens, working class adults etc so, I need to think about my word choices carefully. In order to make my magazine stand out, I need to make my interview informative so it will hook the reader and so it won't look like a typical question and answer interview. In this magazine, the layout as tidy and not too busy. As well as this, they have often embedded quotes on each page. I think I'll be sticking to this sophisticated and classy theme as I want to appeal to my older audience as well as my younger audience. 

'NME' Magazine:

With this both of these double page spreads (James Allan and Barry Nicolson), I've learnt that they pretty have the same concept however, the layout has just been changed. Although I do like the layout of these two double page spreads, I have to say, I do prefer Q's double page spread as the colours they've used as natural which will be a great contrast to my magazine front cover. As well as this, the double page spread isn't too busy with colour whereas with the James Allan double page spread, there is so much to look at (the white beam, the red background - you can't really read the standfirst either) 

My Reader Profile.

Based on the questionnaire I carried out a few days ago, I can now create a reader profile that will help me consider what to include on my front cover, contents page and double page spread. I believe with the information obtained, this will be the foundation to my magazine and will provide me with the right features that I want to include in my magazine. With this information from the market research I have done over the past 2 days, I'll construct a reader profile for my Indie magazine.


Reader Profile:

Sam is a seventeen year old girl currently studying Music, Media and English at her local college. She is often praised in her music class as she's always coming up with new ideas of how to compose music. However, she often leads herself into her own world when listening to her iPod. She mostly listens to Kings of Leon, Ellie Goulding, Blink 182, Bowling for Soup, The Midnight Beast, the made up band from the movie 'Jennifer's Body'; Low Shoulder and the occasional Hip Hop artists such as Nicki Minaj and Drake however, she listens to this genre rarely in her spare time. She was brought up with 50's music which is why she is holding a vinyl record in her hand.

She often attends gigs with her two friends from college although, she does enjoy spending time with her older sister; Gemma. The last gig she attended was 'The Midnight Beast' at the O2 Academy in Islington.

Her hobbies and interests include; singing, playing the guitar, playing the piano, reading Tolstoy (e.g. Anna Karenina) listening to music, watching comedies such as Zombieland and ballet - however, she hasn't told anyone that she enjoys dancing as she doesn't want to be seen as 'soft.' In her spare time, she enjoys reading 'Q' magazine as her favourite artists are usually featured on the front cover.

When it comes to fashion, Sam often looks at pictures in magazines for fashion inspiration. Her fashion icons are: Pixie Geldof, Hayley Williams (Paramore) and Ellie Goulding -- all of which dress with a edgier look. She also takes inspiration from the 1970's when rocks and indie music was slowly developing. If she could pick a music icon from the 70's, it would be Joan Jett. She often goes for the bohemian look at school which sometimes grabs the boys attention. 


In the future, she would like be either a music teacher or a solo artist however, she feels that her social skills are slim to non-existent as she never speaks to anyone other than close family and friends. 


With this reader profile, I'll be sure to make my magazine look like a lot of fun e.g. fun colours etc to make my readers feel good about themselves as well as the music featured. 

Market Research Questionnaire.

For our third task, we were asked to create a questionnaire for our target audience (mine being 16-20 year olds.) In my questionnaire, I mainly looked at what type of magazine people buy in shops rather than how people buy music merely because I wanted to know what increased interest on a magazine and what the reader wants. Below, I have shown the questions asked throughout my questionnaire which I had created for my target audience (16-20 year olds). With this information, I produced 9 pie charts where my answers were combined together. 

With this question, I found out that most of my target audience are attracted to the stories featured on the magazine. With my 18-20 year olds, I wasn't surprised however, I was surprised to find out that 16-17 year olds are more interested in the stories than the actual celebrities on the front cover. This has helped me with how I will develop my magazine as I will take into consideration how important my target audience feels the stories and articles featured are in the magazine. 

With this question, I found out that most of my target audience are interested in R'n'B rather than Indie/Rock. Although my genre is close second, I feel this will negatively impact my magazine as more teenagers and young adults might think twice before buying my magazine. However, I do believe that if more Indie magazine are distributed across the UK, more people with my target age range will gain interest in the genre if the front cover looks appropriate and if I provide a selection of artists such as Ellie Goulding, Lily Allen, Paramore, Kings of Leon and artists within different genres e.g. Kanye West and B.O.B.

With this question, I found out that my target audience is mostly interested in the articles inside. This contributes to their attraction to the magazine in shops so, I feel if I provide the right amount of articles as well as small images of celebrities, my magazine will be a success.

With this question, I found out that the majority of my target audience would prefer to pay between £1.50 and £2.99 for my magazine. As I said before on my post on the analysis of 'Q' magazine, theirs costs £3.99. Although my target audience may not be the same as theirs, I feel my magazine will attract more consumers as it will be cheaper making it a successful magazine. 

With this question, I found out that my target audience is interested in the trio: Red, Black and White. This is a common trio with Indie magazine for example, 'Q' and 'NME' magazine. In order to make my magazine successful, I'll have to consider what shades of these colours I will use that will make my magazine stand out as well as how I will place all of my information, key features and images.

With this question, I found out that my target audience would prefer it if my magazine featured more articles than it did small images of celebrities. This will be a great advantage to me as I obviously don't personally know any chart-topping bands however, my front cover and contents page may suffer as I feel if it contained just articles, my target audience wouldn't be interested. 

With this question, I found out that the majority of my target audience would be put off by the price of my magazine. As the majority of my target audience would be willing to pay between £1.50 and £2.99, I feel I'll stick to this price range as my magazine will be affordable yet attractive enough to sell.

With this question, I found out that most of my target audience would rather have a group of artists on the front cover for example, a mix of artists within different genres (Ellie Goulding, Kings of Leon and Kanye West for example) This may work to my advantage as I could gather friends or people (preferably within my target age) and pose as celebrities. This could show readers that my magazine isn't just based around Indie/Rock - it could contain some elements of other genres.

With this question, I found out that my target audience didn't have anything to say about what they would want on the front cover. However, the readers that answered 'Yes' suggested features such as fashion advice, gossip and 'juicy facts on celebrities'. Although this may attract my target audience more, I feel this contains more elements of a Pop magazine than it does an Indie/Rock magazine. However, I could 'jazz' up the fashion advice page that younger readers can also enjoy without making it look too innocent and child-like as a Pop magazine would. 

Magazine Market Research. Analysis of 'Q' & 'NME' Magazine.

For our task today, we were asked to decide on our target audience. For a few weeks, I already knew what music genre I wanted to focus my magazine on and that was Indie/Rock. My audience is aimed at around 16-20 year olds. I chose for my audience to be 16-20 year olds as although there may not be a gap in the market for this age range, indie magazines are uncommon when searching in shops such as WHSmith and off-licenses.


The magazines I used for inspiration were: Q Magazine and NME. All of these magazines have the conventions of an Indie magazine as they have a contemporary and unique style on the Front Cover, Contents page and the double page spreads featured in their magazines.

I've noticed that the colours used by BOTH of these magazines are mainly red, black and white. Although I believe this might not target my specific audience, NME for example has a similar target audience (16-19 year olds) and Q having a audience from the 30-40 year old age range however, younger audiences can read it too.

During this task, I had to deconstruct the key features of the front covers. From this, I discovered that Q and NME have very similar key features.


Prices: Out of the two magazines I've picked, Q seems to be a little more expensive than NME with its price currently standing at £3.99. This makes it £1.79 more than NME with their price only at £2.20. Q Magazine could face a slight problem with my target audience as the younger generation have recently hit money issues regarding university fees and having to buy essential materials for college.



Colour Schemes: Both of these magazine have pretty much the same concept; red, black and white with the occasionally gold (on Q's front cover) This targets their specific audiences as it's simple and concise. The front covers aren't too flashy so this tells me that their aiming at their target audiences. On the front cover of 'Q', there is only one main image. This instantly grabs the consumers attention as there isn't too much to look at. However, NME's front cover presents us with various images. Although this front cover may look cluttered, I think their front cover reflects their target audience as 16-19 year olds have various bands that they admire and love - this could represent the young adult mind.


Articles: On the front cover of 'Q', they've featured an article called '50 ALBUMS of the YEAR' - this relates to both the younger generation and their target audience of 30-40 year olds as Indie isn't a typical music genre that young adults listen to. However, through aunts, uncles and parents etc listening, this may also hook siblings and people related to the targeted audience. 


Layout/placement: Both of the layouts are very straight forward. On 'Q' magazine, the text is emphasizing the young female's body which increases sex appeal as well as promotes a curvy star as opposed to other magazines 'promoting' anorexia by including unhealthily thin celebrities.  On 'NME', the group of artists shown appeals to both older and younger audiences as they show a variety as opposed to current artists such as Florence + the Machine. 


On a double page spread in 'Q', they've featured the band; Razorlight who are an indie/rock band. The double page spread appeals to both male and females audiences. The way that Razorlight have been dressed appeals to males as they're 'fashion icons' for example, they're wearing skinny jeans and blazers which younger audiences tend to wear nowadays. The rain effect instantly adds sex appeal to the image so this appeals to females.

In contrast to 'Q', 'NME' has a more basic layout for their articles. Their colour scheme is black and white and occasionally red. This appeals to their target audience as the model; Lily Allen, is a younger solo artist so, she's encouraging the younger generation to be aspirational. The font used is often used in gossip magazines which also makes it suitable for their target audience. 


Website: http://www.qthemusic.com/ On the 'Q' website, they pretty much have the same concept as they do on the hard copy. The colours used are red, black and white which appeal to the younger audience. The features on the site are more technological (including videos, photos, blogs etc) which can also appeal to a younger audience. On the website, articles are available however, they're not as detailed as they are in the hard copy.
http://www.nme.com/magazine/ On the 'NME' website, again. they have the same concept as they do on the hard copy. The colours used are red, black and white which appeal to the younger audience. Both sites are very similar to eachother with NME also featuring videos, photos and blogs which appeal to their target audience.