This is the final idea for my masthead for my alternative rock/grunge genre magazine. I decided to choose the name “Underground” because I thought it was suitable and fitted well. I thought it was suitable because you can imagine it on the front page of the magazine, and along with the style and the type of font it will create a really edgy, unique look that will hopefully catch the eye of many people and attract them to take a look inside the magazine, and possibly then lead them to buy it.

When you’re underground, you’re below the surface. It’s hidden and concealed away from everything above the surface and in the radar. For instance, pop and RnB are extremely popular and constantly in the charts and on the radio, Underground will highlight music that isn’t as popular and well known, and it’s aimed at a market of people who prefer the rocky, alternative type music and would prefer to stay away from chart hits.   Underground also portrays the sense of exclusiveness, it being underground and mysterious, you have to be aware of it before you really know it.

The font I decided to use was slightly eroded and destroyed. I wanted to conceive an untidy and chaotic look for the front cover and starting with the masthead is the best way to go. The masthead really reinforces the magazines genre so it’s vital to pick a suitable one that will bring out the music style and highlight the house style. I wanted to pick an edgy, reckless style as that’s exactly what the music is. It’s different, loud and outgoing. The colour I wanted to use from the start was black. Black is bold and has connotations of being dark. It has more negative connotations than positive, but it correlates with the music type, and especially the actual name underground. It’s quite rough and grungey, which is perfect for the genre and style. In the end I went for both black and white. They are contrasting colours but it creates a really clear masthead, which is significant for the market to recognise the magazine, in particular at the beginning stages of your magazine when it’s not established or well known.  

Photoshoot Inspiration Collage

Location Ideas for Photoshoot Collage

Feature Artists - Idea

Band or Solo Artist?

I have chosen for my feature article artist to be a band.

 

Who are they?

I decided to make the entire band female. This is because it is rare and unique and typically many bands in the alternative rock/grunge genre are male, or a mixture of both male and female, they are hardly ever just female. I made up four different members and gave them certain characteristics I would believe for them to have.

• Scarlet - 24 years old. Plays the guitar and is the lead singer of the band. Is outgoing, quirky, loud, funny and talkative. Doesn't mind being the centre of the attention and being the front-man of the band. She has natural 'star quality' and always pushes herself and the band to be and do the best they possibly can.
• Elsie - 26 years old. Scarlet's older sister. They both decided to make the band as they both have a passion for music and being the in the entertainment career. Plays the drums, and has done for as long as she remembers. Both Scarlet's and Elsie's parents used to like alternative rock/grunge music such as Nirvana, The Doors who are slightly older, Pearl Jam and The Beatles. They have both been inspired from a young age. Elsie has slightly more reserved traits and is the quieter one out of her and her sister. She doesn't mind not being in the lime light.
• Lailah - 25 years old. Plays bass in the band. Is a friend with Scarlet and has known her for years through high school. Lailah is a new addition to the band replacing a member who previously quit. Lailah is also quite outgoing and confident, and contributes a lot in interviews etc. Lailah is key in writing the songs and the band has thrived since she has joined.
• Jenna - 25 years old. Also friends with Lailah and Scarlet from high school. Has always been an original member of the band. Jenna plays the guitar as well as Scarlet. Jenna isn't overly confident but she isn't reserved either.

Why are they doing an interview?

The band is doing an interview because they have released a new album and it is popular in both Europe as well as the US. This is the first step to them becoming more established and known world-wide so it's a big step forward.

The article will be promoting the new album as well as talking to them about inspiration and where they got the ideas for the songs and lyrics from.

Their achievement in gaining popularity will also be mentioned and future plans of the band etc.

Appearance and look of the band?

I wanted to make the appearance of the band to be really unique and quirky. I thought a 90s style grunge fashion would be really suitable for the band. This kind of fashion is coming back in again. For example denim jackets, ripped jeans and tartan/plaid pattern. Colours of their clothes will also lean towards the darker colours such as black, grey, red, brown and dark purple. The style and appearance of a band is significant in making the band recognisable and distinct as well as relating it to the genre of music the band play. It will tie everything together and give the band an edgy, different portrayal compared to many other bands. Their makeup will be dark and edgy; this includes black eyeliner and red/dark lipstick. I don't think hair styles matter as much due to the clothing and make up being prominent in the specific style I want, but their hair won't be formal or neat, it will have that 'rock star' trait to it, for instance curly and volumised.

 

What locations would you chose to shoot your pictures at?

Many different locations can be used to shoot the kind of grungey/rock pictures that would fit into my magazine. For example on a stair case. This is a really simple, but effective location for a photo-shoot. It can fit the entire band in, and the different levels make the photo interesting. Another example of a good photo-shoot location is against a graffiti wall. This adds a lot of colour and character into a photo, without any effort or editing needed. It will create an almost 'rough' and 'risky' atmosphere that the band is outside on the streets etc. You can really make any kind of background for your images look effective though, whether it's a graffiti wall or a wooden fence, you can experiment with different settings to conceive a different atmosphere in the different photos. 

 

Planning photograph ideas...

Location:

• Against a fence (wooden/metal)
• Staircase
• Trees/Woods
• Outside on a street when it's getting dark (use of streetlights etc.). 
•  Against a wall (brick or graffiti)
• Plain background to really highlight props & poses etc.

Clothing and Makeup:

• Scarlet - tights with rips, black skirt, military style boots, band top. Makeup will be dark eyes, red lips.
• Elsie - black jeans, greeny blue flannel/plaid shirt, black converse. Makeup will be fairly natural, no bold lip colour but black eyeliner.
• Lailah - denim shorts with flannel shirt tied round waist, band shirt and military style boots. Makeup will be similar to Elsie's.
• Jenna - red skater skirt, black leotard top with a denim jacket. Makeup will be bold, black wing eyeliner and dark purple lipstick 

Props to use (potentially):

• Chairs
• Microphone
• Torch
• Headphones

Poses/Facial Expressions?

I think the majority of the photos will be 'posey' ones. I think they will be fun, exciting pictures to show that they're having a really good time in the band and are excited for their new album release and their increasing popularity. 

 

Potential Names:

• Undead Chaos
• Reckless Abandon
• Tattooed Heart
• Powered Victory
• Night of the Dead 

Brand Name Ideas

Brand Name Ideas

·        Audacious – has connotations of being brave, daring, reckless and fearless. Relates to music genre of being loud and “out there”.

·        Underground – “Underground grunge” à exactly relates to genre. Sense of being hidden and away from being mainstream.

·        Arcane - understood by few; mysterious or secret. à Dark and hidden, not out in the open.

·        Other Side – “other side of music”, what you don’t hear about in the charts that much. Not so mainstream.

·        Uproar – Makes you picture a lot of people being loud, for example at a gig. It’s a loud and impassioned noise or disturbance. The word has other connotations of extreme noise, commotion and mayhem.

·        Turbulence – shaken and spontaneous (you don’t always expect it when it happens). Can be seen as violent and unsteady

·        Intense – Bold, eye-catching, “in your face”, loud, clear. All ties into the music genre, the music is intense, the lyrics are intense. It’s an extreme force of strength and high power.

·        Emphatic - expressing something forcibly and clearly. Being energetic, clear and insistent.

·        Distinct – Connotations of being recognisable and clear. Contrasting with arcane/cryptic. Distinct is being known. Bands included could have a distinct sound.

·        Cryptic - having a meaning that is mysterious or obscure. Similar to arcane, it is discreet. Could relate to lyrics being darker, and having a lot of feeling etc.

Idea Collage for Feature Artist

Readership Profile

Readership Profile

Client Profile

Name: Alice

Age: 17 years old

Gender: Female

Occupation: Alice is a student currently studying A Levels; she also works part time at HMV. Alice dreams of having a future career involved in either the media, writing for a music magazine or being a part of the music industry herself either as a solo artist or in a band. 

Disposable income: Alice spends her disposable income on band merchandise, tickets or CDs and typical teenage girly things like clothes, shoes and makeup. She is also saving some of her money to put towards her first car. 

Interests:

·        - Going to local music gigs.

·        - Spending time with friends and family.

·        - Enjoys photography and photo editing.

·        - Playing the guitar and singing. 

Brands & Stores:

·        - Apple

·        - Canon

·        - Topshop

·        - H&M

·       -  MAC

Initial Ideas for My Music Magazine

Initial Ideas for My Music Magazine

Grunge/Rock

Potential Name: Audacious

Style
The main house style and theme I have chosen for this particular magazine idea is very dark, chaotic and rebellious. This is because this is the typical image that comes to mind when somebody says grunge or rock. I would use colours such as black, greys and reds. These colours have connotations of being dangerous, reckless and bold which is the exact theme idea I am aiming for.

Target Audience
The target audience for this magazine is older teenage girls, around the ages 16-20. This is because there is no other magazine in the market that targets this age group and gender with this genre of music. Although the colour scheme isn’t feminine, the articles and artists included will make it appeal to a female audience, just with a bit of an edge.

What is included?
The magazine will include exclusive articles, album reviews, posters of bands and artists, tour and gig dates and anything significant that is happening with well-known and established bands in the genre.

What makes it different?
The fact there is no other magazine in the market that compares to this exact genre that appeals to the chosen target audience, let alone any target audience.

Indie/Alternative

Potential Name: Pocket Daydream

Style
The main theme I have chosen for this idea of music magazine is a very mature and sophisticated style. Soft neutral colours such as browns, greys, greens and light blues will be used with black for the main text colour. I decided to choose these colours because it would make the magazine look simple and light hearted, which is what it is intended to be. The colours aren’t in your face and bold, they are pastel and calm portraying a relaxed atmosphere. These colours will be used by in photographs as well as text, making an all over neutral house style.

Target Audience
I think a target audience of teenagers interested in this genre of music is appropriate for this magazine. Especially as indie/alternative music is growing in popularity due to festivals with the younger generation. Teenagers are usually looking to break-out of their ‘shell’ and find their own sense of style, this magazine is perfect for anyone interested in the type of music and the festival type scene. If my magazine had to lean towards a particular gender it would be female, simply because there isn’t another magazine that is popular with teenage girls in this genre.

What is included?
Inside the magazine will be information on up-and-coming bands in the genre, tour and gig dates and posters etc.

What makes it different?
If I were to make the magazine I would make the sizing A5 instead of A4, this is because it makes it more unique and ties in to the name of “Pocket Daydream”.
I decided on this potential name because it’s like you’re escaping out of the busy school/work lifestyle and loosing yourself into the magazine, and going into a daydream.
It is different to a lot of magazines because of the target audience and style of genre, there is no other magazine that is established and hugely popular with teenage girls for indie/alternative.

Pop

Potential Name: New Wave

Style
I chose a colour scheme of pink, purple, red and white. This is because it will make the magazine look girly and informal. For main text I would use reds or purples because these are the darker colours chosen and I want to avoid black as much as possible, unless there are some exceptions (against a patterned background). It will have a light hearted feel to it and won’t be too heavy and loud.

Target Audience
Target audience can include anybody who enjoys this type of genre or artists included. Mainly targeted towards girls, an appropriate age range of 11-14. I decided to choose a slightly younger target audience because they are the audience usually interested in this type of music genre.

What is included?
This magazine would include a 65% images and 35% text. This is so it appeals to a younger audience who don’t want to read as much information.
It will also include exclusive interviews and articles, the UK top 40 music chart, posters of popular artists at the time and freebies.