CD Album Covers

For my indie solo artist, I decided to create two album cover, to display the variety of skills that I have when it comes to creating and designing possible merchandise. I wanted my theme and concept to be present in every aspect of my artist as possible, and I believe that I was successful at this with the album covers. The reason I chose to use strange and obscure photography is because I felt that it fitted my indie theme and was very different from any photography I had seen before, and this is what my artist is about. Furthermore, it would also attract my target audience because followers of indie culture prefer things that are not classed as normal. 

Article - Draft

"Your world is too mainstream.. so I made my own!"

To Shannen Smith, being individual isn't just about looking different, but simply living in a world in which only she understands. "If it's my own world, it does not matter if others do not understand it". Growing up Shannen knew she was different from the boring humans around her, and this aspect of her life quickly took over. By the age of 10 she was shopping in thrift shops looking for vintage clothes that would take her look to the next level. Strange I know... but just bare with her! Her obsession then infested its way into her tastes in music and interests, and before she knew it she had created her own bubble. Her bubble consisted of vintage and rare items of clothing, and stretched to the extremes of shaving her hair all in aid of being 'DIFFERENT'. Now if someone walked past you on the street with bright pink hair, wearing a jacket from the 40's, you are more than likely going to stare, but for people like Shannen its all that unwanted attention that spurs her on to be even more unusual. "For me it was important to test my boundaries at a young age, that way you have no boundaries for when you get old!" Her life has been consumed by unusual tastes in fashion, music and media from the womb, and yet she has no regrets as she believe it was this ambition to be individual that drove her to write such successful music. Her music has been as influential all around the music, as her styling and aesthetics. 

Shannen is also grateful for her support from social media sites such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook as they allowed her to spread her slightly bizarre image and music style. She was first recognised by producer Henry Stevens (Future Records) over the internet, and from then, her future was set. Her first hit 'Unorthodox Jukebox' reached number one in over 13 Countries, and still to this day her popularity grows, and there is no sign of it stopping. Her recent album 'The black and white rainbow' is due to be released in May 2014, but if her earlier hits are anything to go by, this album will be not exception to her success. "I am thankful for all of the support I have received.. but in all honesty I only started singing because I had nothing better to do". Her unique style is something that has not gone unnoticed.. but with that hair it's not bound to. She has been described as a 'Pioneer of music' and she continues to lead the way for 'Indie' music and fashion all over the world.


To be indie or not to be indie... that is the question

What is 'Indie'? This is a question that has been asked since the birth of Jesus, and is still asked quite a lot today. Wearing a fruit basket on your head does not make you indie.. so what does make a person indie? Is it their hair style? Is it their sense of fashion? or is it just generally their state of sanity? In fact all of these are contributions to what make a person individual. There is a broad spectrum to what we normal folk class as being indie, and the difference between being indie and a psychopath. To make it easier to understand, I have created my top 5 for what make a person individual.. and no a fruit basket on your head is not included. The list is as follows;

• Wear clothing that would not be classed as 'NORMAL' or 'EXPECTABLE' in public
• Make your hair look as though the hairdresser did it by accident..
• Not caring about what people think, except your mother.. as she is always right!
• Listening to unconventional music with unconventional instruments (Often includes the spoons and a banjo)
• Having a calm and cool approach to every situations (WITHOUT THE USE OF ILLEGAL DRUGS)

In fact, none of these have to be present for a person to be individual, as there is no stereotype to what makes a person indie. However the key to being indie is to not care about others opinions of you, and to be what you are without having to explain yourself. As the great William Shakespeare used to say 'To be indie, or not to be indie... that is the question.' Indie people have no specific image, they are just what they are... and most of them probably do have SILLY HAIRCUTS.

By Cameron Vear

(UNDOX Editor)

Institution (Bauer Media)

Information: Bauer Media is a division of the Bauer Media Group, Europe’s largest privately owned publishing Group. The Group is a worldwide media empire offering over 300 magazines in 15 countries, as well as online, TV and radio stations.

 Collectively, the Group employs some 6,400 people.

Bauer Media is a multi-platform UK-based media Group consisting of many companies collected around two main divisions – Magazines and Radio - widely recognised and rewarded as being industry innovators.

Our business is built on influential media brands with millions of personal

relationships with engaged readers and listeners. Our strategy is to connect audiences with excellent content through our broad multi-touch point brand platforms, wherever and whenever and however they want. Our wide portfolio of influential brands gives us advantages over pure play magazine or radio competitors.

Our magazine heritage stretches back to 1953 with the launch of Angling Times and the acquisition in 1956 of Motor Cycle News, both still iconic brands within our portfolio.

The seeds of the company’s radio business were planted in 1990 with the acquisition of London dance station Kiss FM (now called Kiss 100), followed by the acquisition of Liverpool's Radio City and later by TWC and the Metro Group. Then came the acquisition of Melody FM which was transformed into the market-leading Magic 105.4.

In 1994, the company bought a small magazine called For Him Magazine which is now the core of the best-selling international multi-platform brand FHM.

In 1996, we acquired digital music TV channel The Box, as a route into the small screen business, which has grown into Box Television, a seven channel joint venture TV business with Channel 4.

Continuing its history of magazine launches, Closer was launched in 2002 and Britain’s first weekly glossy, GRAZIA, was launched in 2005.

Today, Bauer Media spans over 80 influential brand names covering a diverse range of interests including heat – the must have weekly celebrity title, Parkers, MATCH!, CAR and Yours. For a full list our powerful brands.

Bauer Media is a sister company of H Bauer Publishing, publisher of the UK's biggest TV listings, Take a Break and Bella.

All of the information above has been sourced from the BAUER website. It includes the range and  capacity they offer their services. In order for the text to become personal for an audience, they use very direct and personal pronouns when describing the institutions aims. As a global institution, they believe that it is their job to capture the attention of readers and listeners of all types of media's and audiences to be globally recognised.

The reason I chose Bauer Media as my institution is due to the fact that are a large organisation which influences a large audience in regards to types of media. Bauer Media also has connection with other large institutions, not only in the UK, which means my magazine would be subject to a larger market. By aiming it for audiences outside the UK, other countries would be able to follow trends and music from UK musicians and stylists. This would give me to ability to advertise and publicise artists to a wider audience, which would expand the musics global potential.

Lesson Targets

My targets for today's lesson 27/2/2014 are:

• To experiment with several different house themes (colours)
• To play around with possible fonts
• Sketch photograph ideas and concepts
• complete final research on target market

House Style

Throughout my magazine, I will follow a house theme so that there is a link between all of the pages, and this will allow the audience to recognise the branding of magazine. For my colour Palette, I have chosen just black and white, which although is very simple, this will allow me to attract attention to the main source of colour which will be my models face.

Also, I believe that as simple and bold black border would also compliment my house theme and design. This simple design will allow the artistic aspect of my magazine to take over, and to not overcomplicate the aesthetics of the magazine. Also just a simple border allows me to frame my model and the action inside the photo.

Social Media

In order to follow trends and to be able to connect with a modern audience. I felt that it was crucial to set up a number of social media sites for my artist. These accounts will become useful throughout the coursework. My reasons for choosing Twitter, Facebook and Instagram is because they are the most commonly used social network sites globally. They can be used by the age ranges of 10 years old to 80 years old, creating a wide market to spread the word about my artist, even if my target audience is not the large.

The Logo

For my magazine, I did not want a logo as such, but a big bold name that would be easily recognised by all audiences. With my colour palette of black and white, I wanted the overall look of the header to be as eye catching as possible and these two colours help this to happen. Also, with a more male dominated target market, I wanted the header to look as less feminine as possible. In order to find the header that I believed was the best, I had to play around with certain designs and fonts and this was pretty time consuming, however the finish product is basic but bold! I also wanted the 'Indie' culture to be represented in the header, so I experimented with ways to make it look more unusual and artistic. I finally decided to double up the font to give it an unique but still simple look. I then incorporated this into the headers of both my contents and double page spread.

My Artist's Name

When creating a name for my female artist, I wanted something that would reflect the 'Indie' image that I wanted her to portray. This meant I would have to choose a name that was simple but unusual. Choosing a name was a difficult task, and it was a crucial as she would be the main feature of my magazine.


Initial Ideas:

• Shannen Jones
• Shannen smith
• Kerry Smith
• Paloma Jones
• April Martin
• Summer Smith
• April Jones
• Mandy Pollock
• Rhia Summers
• Danni Hart

After going round my media class and asking friends and family, I found that the most common favourite name from the majority is 'Shannen Jones'. I like this name as it is simple, and the unusual spelling of the name 'Shannen' is the different aspect that I want, but it is just subtle and not outrageous. I also feel as though it suits my models face and personality very well.

Article Idea & Inspiration (NOT FINISHED)

When deciding the subject that I would write my article about, I struggled to choose a topic that would reflect my idea of my magazine being different from anything on the high-street. As my theme was indie, I looked back through all of my inspiration to see if  it once again would spark some ideas for my article. When looking through, it was clear to me that  the indie such a broad spectrum that it is often hard to categories what is indie and what is not. When people look into ways to make them selves more indie, I can understand that it would be hard to see what is classed as being indie, and what is classed as being a trend follower (Sheep). So I decided to write my article on the different aspects that make a person individual, and separates them from followers of mainstream trends. In order to write an article that I feel would be interesting, it required me to do some research into the things that other people believe are the secret to being indie.



Also, another idea that I came up with was the conc

Peer Feedback - 25 Word Pitch

In order for my peers to be able to improve and develop their work I gave them constructive criticism via their blogs. By looking at the work of others and evaluating it, this gave me chase to learn from others, and pick up certain words or aspects that I could include to improve my own work further!

Preliminary Magazine - Evaluation

How does your prelim represent particular social groups?

With it being a 'school magazine' it is aimed at all four years that  combine to make up the school (10-13). there are over 2000 students which gave a large in school audience to aim my preliminary magazine at. However, this means that my magazine will not be relevant to anybody outside of the school facility. It is more specifically aimed student that struggle with certain aspects of school life, as they will be more interested in the help that the magazine will offer them. This means that it will be broadly aimed at different social groups except those a a 'geeky' social group as they would not need help in any educational aspects.

Who would be the intended audience for your product?

My preliminary magazine is marketed at the population of the school, with upcoming events, clubs and news as well as the main feature being advice and tips on how to survive school. My magazine will attract a wide range of students as organised ones will want to read about important upcoming events, and the less organised ones will read the help columns.

How did you attract/address your audience?

I used a very expressive face for my model on the cover as it grabs attention very easily, however his expression is 'worried' to give the idea that it is for students who are worried or need help. The colours I used are very simple so it does not look overcomplicated connoting the idea of easy advice for students. Also it will gain interest from older students who are taking exams and need tips and advice.

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

For this magazine I used Photoshop to construct it, which was a very hard skill to develop, but was worth doing. Once I had become familiar with the layout, it became a lot easier. With my own knowledge as other peers in my class, we all became efficient on the software which was a massive help. This allowed me to create a realistic preliminary magazine that could be sold to students, however some aspects where not up to standard. For my real piece, i will ensure I develop my skills to make it look as professional as possible.

Reflection of my preliminary work

When analysing all of my preliminary work, I found that there were several problems during the production of the school magazine. The first issue to arise was during the editing process and using the Photoshop software. I found it very difficult when highlighting the section of my image that I wanted to cut out with the magic wand tool, as I needed to do this in order to remove the unclear original background of the image and place it on a crisp white background. This would help to make the image look more professional, and to also make it easier when I had to eventually consider the layout design of the front cover. In order for me to create a clean cut around my models head, I had to use the eraser tool to carefully cut around the section that I did not want, this unwanted section was then deleted leaving my required section. However, the eraser tool did not create a very smooth cut, and make the edges around my model look bumpy. In order to avoid this, I made the eraser tool slightly bigger, and used the blending tool to cover over the edges.

The next problem I encountered was when ordering the layout of my magazine cover. The letters that combined to make my masthead did not fit neatly next to or underneath each other. The acronym for 'The College Survival Guide' consisted of 'T', 'C', 'S' and 'G'. The 'S' in the acronym did not sit neatly next to or underneath the 'G' which stopped me from making it look as professional as possible. Also it did not look aesthetically pleasing to the eye as it should. In order to correct this, I adjusted the positions of all three letters in what  I believed was the most efficient and best looking position.

The next problem I came across when producing my preliminary magazine was that it was very difficult to make sure that I did not exceed three or less main font colours to place onto my plain white backdrop. If I did exceed the three colour limit, I was in danger of making the cover look to 'busy' and crowded, and also make it look tacky. The main problem whit this was choosing specific colours on the chart as there were so many different shades and textures for each basic colour. This made it very hard when it came to adding extra fonts to my cover.


The forth issue came with my feature image as it did not give off the effect that I wanted it too, and did not look as clean or sharp as I believe that it should have. This was crucial as I wanted the cover to look as professional as possible, however not having a high quality image made it look very amateur and unappealing to the eye. This highlighted to me just how crucial the image is to the cover, and its ability to make or break a magazine feature. It is crucial to choose the correct one, and to display it at a  high quality.

When designing my contents page, I started by drawing it in pencil so I could just erase ideas and features that  I did not like, or did not work. This basic design would suit its purpose effectively with a suitable correlated font with the cover, as well as complimentary colour palettes. The logo is a main feature of the cover as it is identification of the magazine that the readers are reading, however I feel that for my developed future version, I will need to alter the logo to make it look more professional in order to fit the clean deign look that I want present through out the magazine.

After producing my preliminary work, I have not only developed my Photoshop skills for future editing, but it has also highlighted which of my chosen features need further development in order to look more professional, and also which aspects I should consider for my real edition.

Reflection on equipment used

Photography & Editing

A crucial aspect in the production of the magazine cover, is the photography editing of the features model or image. To get used to the unusual  concept of photography, I started by taking some sample images that we were going to use for our school magazine cover. I quickly got used to the fact that correct lighting is crucial when taking a photo, and also the correct aperture and shutter speed. As I wanted my model (Ben) to be the main focus in the photograph, this meant I wanted the background slightly blurred so the focus on Ben was sharper. For the background to be blurred,  wanted a shallower depth of field which meant that I would have to use a lower aperture number.  Another problem I also faced was finding the correct distance between my subject and he camera to create the perfect amount of focus. I did not need to use zoom, as I found the focal length was perfect and did not need adjusting. The shutter speed however did need adjusting, as it was letting too much light hit the lens of the camera, so I change the speed from 1/250 s to 1/500 s. This allowed me to take a more detailed picture, with a sharper and brighter quality. Eventually after adjusting each aspect of the camera, I took some very detailed images that I believer were good for my first go at photography. 

Next it came to the editing of the photographs. I wanted the background  of the images to be clear white, as this would make it easier when it came to placing it on the magazine cover. To create a clear white background, I used the colour replacement tool. After the background was complete, I decided to adjust the brightness of the photo as I wanted it to be brighter than it was. In order to do this, I went on to the image properties, and changed the contrast in colour. Finally, I wanted to slightly airbrush some of the imperfections on my models face, And to do this i used the blending tool which allowed me to cover over the marks without leaving a visible trail. 

From using both of these items of equipment, I now feel more comfortable with using them, and I have now developed more in depth knowledge of the crucial aspects that are involved. This will definitely help when it comes to creating the final magazine cover.

The Stereotype

Along with every type of music and artist comes a category that they fall into, this is called the stereotype. All of these association can change depending on factors such as your age, ethnicity, location and individual style taste. These can present whether the stereotype is positive or negative and stereotypes are hard to break!


An 'indie person' is simply somebody that does not fit into a mainstream stereotype. They are not exactly "defined" which is why they are indie. For example, they tend to listen to music that doesn't really fit into any genre "alternative" or music that is signed to independent labels. This is not to say that they only listen to rock/alternative - they listen to a wide range of music from many different genres. With indie men, they are often associated as being clean cut with a hint of abnormality on regards to style and fashion. The are often described as having shaved heads, tattoos and slightly 'gay' looking. This is some sense can be a very negative band to place them into. When researching the indie stereotype online I came across the following description; 

"indie kids. they're different, they don't all dress the same, nor do they all have wavy hair. 

they're classified as indie because of the bands they listen to. The obscure ones that when you tell people what you're listening to, they don't know. This includes tapes n' tapes, black kids, I love you but I've chosen darkness, the French kicks and British sea power, among many others. 

they are usually happy people, who carry their iPod's around smiling in the summer sun. they be friends with whoever they like. 

they wear clothes they've found in thrift stores and hippie markets and occasionally urban outfitters, never from Hollister or anything like that. headbands are a plus, along with the wayfarer sunglasses."

Indie girls dress with a mixed style, they have elements of hippie, rock chick and girly. Indie boys tend to wear graphic tops, jeans (and skater shoes like Vans, DC, Puma, Adidas, or Converse.) Their hair has a sort of bed head look, but is often carefully styled.

Every stereotype can be split into several sub genre's, each of which can be placed into different places depending on views and interests.

At one time, perhaps, the taxonomy of indie kids could be limited to one definition, but as the word becomes increasingly bandied about in mainstream circles and the image thoroughly commodified by youth-orienting clothing chains, several distinct sub-types have emerged: 

• THE ART-POP KID
• THE AVANT-POP KID
• THE FAG-POP KID
• THE HANGER-ON
• THE HIPSTER HARLEQUIN
• THE POP HISTORIAN
• THE REFORMED PUNK 

A stereotype can make or break a style or trend and this is why I believe it is important to keep these in mind when creating the aspects of my magazine, and by constantly referring to all of these stereotypes I am keeping in mind my audience and what the would want!

Fashion & Style

The indie fashion is just as unusual and unique as the rest of the culture. It is often described as very elaborate and never boring. Mainstream artists usually follow brands and styles that are currently trending world wide, however artists of the indie genre are the opposite. This abstract approach to their choice of fashion and music, helps an artist stand out form the rest, and gives them a unique stamp, which is something mainstream artists struggle to get.

When analysing the fashion of indie artists, I decided to look at Paloma Faith as she, in my opinion, had the most outgoing style. When attending award ceremonies, and being seen by the public, she demonstrates a very un-basic dress sense, and an even more unusual sense of hair styles. This could connote that as an artist, she is proud of being different, and also that her public image is not just about her voice, which it would be in the case of a mainstream artist. Her choice of make-up, always contrasts her outfit as being simple and natural looking. The simple make-up could be a way of keeping the focus on her hair and her choice of clothing. Her make-up is always light, and always targets the focus towards he lips more than any other facial feature. Her lips are the most colourful aspect of her make-up, and this gives her a slight vintage look as well as her overall indie look. Her hair is always large in scale, which connotes confidence as a individual artist, and sets her image to the public eye.

My artist for my cover, will not be a replicate of Paloma's style or concept, however there will be aspects that are similar and inspired from. Instead of using large hair, I

want my model to have simplistic hair, so the focus can be more concentrated on the artistic aspects of the photography. This will allow me to fit into the stereotypical look of my chosen music genre, and also ensure that the music and style are of both equal priority. This is suitable to the abstract nature of stereotypical indie artists and bands.

Photography Inspiration

Once I had completed my research into my chosen genre, I decided to find some photography inspiration. I used search engines, tumblr and general photography websites to find sources of inspiration for my magazine cover. This was incredibly useful as it will Aid me during the thinking and designing process. The ideas that I have created will not only be suitable form my cover, but for the contents and double page spread feature.

By carrying out preliminary research on my artist genre, this allowed me to gain a better understanding of what would fit my genre, and what would look aesthetically pleasing for followers of indie culture.  By carrying out detailed research through the internet, it allowed me to get a better understanding of the diversity that indie culture has to offer and also the wide range of photography a design. All of these unique ideas I have sourced could be altered to produce something incredibly creative and diverse.

American photographers Russ and Reyn are a team based in New York City that focus on the conceptual side of art and fashion as well as exploring concepts that have never before been tried. They both came up will the idea of using shadow hands to alter the position of the model. I found this piece very effective and interesting to look at, and when looking at the images in detail it is clear at the amount of precision  and care that they have taken when design and producing these images. These images in very inspiring and make me want to carry out more preliminary research to find even more unusual images and concepts that would inspire me. The creativity of these images shows me that even the strangest idea can be the most aesthetically pleasing, and this is something I am very keen to reflect in my coursework piece.

25 Word Pitch

Indie Rock Audience Research (UK TRIBES)

From researching into the characteristics of a typical indie rock audience, I found the main and most frequent groups of people that come up are Hippies, Art students, teen males and more free willed people. Indie rock is another way of indicating the minority of the teenage society, which includes the most unique brands and design of fashion, often chart music and several unusual types of music artists compared to most mainstream names and bands.

A questionnaire to ask my target audience:

1. What is your all time favourite song

2. What are your favourite music characteristics? And why?

3. Do you prefer types of music that are different from mainstream genre's?

4. Do you like less well-known artists? And who?

5. What fashion category do you fit into?

6. Where do you shop the most for clothes? How often do you shop here?

7. Where stores do you purchase your music from?

8. How important is music in your every day lifestyle?

9. What music artist inspires you the most? And why?

10. Do you listen to the radio? If so which station(s)?

By creating a questionnaire for my target audience, It will allow me to research into the background of the genre in more detail, and give me a better idea of those who follow the styles that compliment it. The answers given will give me a good idea of what features to add to my magazine, so that my chosen audience will be able to connect with the magazine more, and also give them the detail they would expect. This combined with my 25 word pitch will not only allow me to sell the concept of my unique magazine, but ensure that I develop it to the standard that will compliment my target audience, and make them want to keep buying more issues.

25 Word Pitch Preperation

In order to make my pitch as effective and impacting as possible, I would need to think wisely about the type of vocabulary that would persuade my peers. By doing this, it will allow me to present my ideas in a way that invite a potential audience, and also leave a lasting effect. By presenting my personal ideas, opinions and feedback, it will allow me to develop my creativity and overall imagination to an even higher level. By doing this, it will allow me to sell my magazine to my chosen target audience, and find areas of weakness that need improvement, and a different perspective from those who I have not chosen as my target market.

My initial 25 words:

• simple
• indie
• 16-25
• unique content
• creative 
• males
• unique
• different
• innovative
• styles
• artistic
• contrasting
• Wellgosh
• clean
• abstract
• culture
• fashionable
• unorthodox
• vintage 
• textured
• "people's magazine"
• universal