Iconography

To find out how to attract and appeal to the audience I had to research the iconography of an indie music magazine. Things I had to look at would be the conventions of an indie music magazine. For example looking at mast heads on different existing products. Another piece of iconography I had to research was what font you would regularly see on a indie music magazine. Also looking at the mise-en-scene would help me when I come to construct my product. With this information I should be able to understand my target audience and know how to appeal to them. I also made a mood board when researching my audience and their likes/dislikes.

I first looked at the conventions that feature on a indie music magazine. I did this to see what conventions always feature on a indie magazine and which ones are expected from the audience in an indie music magazine. I first looked at mast heads, as these are the convention that sets each magazine apart from each other. The audience can instantly tell if they are going to be interested in the magazine by looking at the mast head. For example Kerrang’s mast head looks like the font is shattering; this has been done to show the audience that their magazine is about rock and the metal genre of music. Whereas NME’s mast head may only be in red block, bold, capital letters it tells the audience that it’s magazine is of the indie genre. This is because the colours red and white (two colours that regularly feature in the NME mast head) are conventional for an indie magazine. This is the same as Q magazine (although Q is not an indie music magazine it does often feature indie artists in the magazine. MOJO’s mast head is just black, bold font however this is different to the two mast heads I have researched and look at. This could work in to the magazines advantage as their mast head looks different from existing products. After researching mast heads I decided my mast head should be of the colour red. This is because the audience will be able to instantly recognise my magazine and the genre it is. I have been heavily influenced by NME so I decided my mast head would be inspired bythem. My mast head will be bold letters just like theirs. Therefore with my mast head being like NME’s my audience may be more inclined to buy my magazine.

When conducting my research, I looked at different fonts that featured on music magazines. I looked at those that featured on indie music magazine and how different they was from ones that were featured on a pop magazine. This shows the dramatic difference in the target audience. However by doing this I feel I will have a greater understanding of how to appeal to my audience. The power that different fonts can have is tremendous. For example the We Love Pop magazine uses bright, colourful, bold font on the front of their magazine. They are of various colours and stand out. These colours are attracting an audience of young girls, as stereotypically this is what they like. Whereas an indie magazine’s font is usually either the colour red, black, white or grey. The font is in bold, capital letters usually. This shows the audience that it is an indie magazine, also the colours do not categorize the magazine to one gender. These colours allow the product to appeal to both genders, which helps the magazine reach a mass audience. Therefore different types of font can have a different effect. For my product I have also decided to use both bold, clear font and grunge, messy font. This is because both types are conventional for a indie music magazine. Also with varied fonts on the front cover this will appeal to the audience more.

To find out how to attract and appeal to my target audience I looked at the mise-en-scene the audience would usually see in an indie music magazine. This includes costume/clothes, hair and make-up, and props. When looking at mise-en-scene I researched existing indie music magazines to see what they feature in their magazines. I also looked at iconic indie artists to see what they wear. So this would help me when I dress and position my artist in my magazine. I first looked at a Kerrang! Magazine even though their genre is rock, they still feature indie bands. I looked at how they positioned their front cover artist. The example I looked at was Paramore, I am mainly looking at Hayley Williams. This is because my front cover artist is going to be a female. However I am going to feature males as well in the magazine. Hayley is in everyday clothes, this appears to the audience that she dress either like them or for comfort. If Hayley looks like she wears similar clothes to the audience, they may feel a connection to her and may feel more inclined to buy the product. The colours of her clothes are very dark, this is conventional of an indie music magazine. However she brings colour to the magazine through her hair and make-up. Hayley’s hair is in two bright colours split down the middle and is in messy curls. This shows the audience that she does not care to much about hair and make-up, as she is not covered in make-up. Her style is therefore achievable for the audience to duplicate. Hayley’s expression is her pulling a funny face, this shows how she is not to serious and has a fun side to her. I then went to look at a NME front cover that features the Gallagher brothers. This is because I am going to feature male artists in the magazine, therefore I need to know what they wear. This is because I need to attract my target audience and they will expect indie artists to dress a certain way. Liam is wearing a red tracksuit top, this shows what he wears is casual and Noel is wearing a black harrington style

jacket. The colours they are both wearing are red and black, this is similar to the house style of an indie music magazine. Therefore when I feature artists in my magazine I must make sure they fit the iconography of an indie magazine; and casual clothing is part of iconography. By doing this I will attract the audience and they may be more interested in my magazine. I also have to make sure my magazine looks desirable to the target audience, as I am trying to attract them. So by including both genders in the magazine I can attract a mass audience.

Also when I was researching mise-en-scene I made a mood board. I did this to have a greater understanding of my target audience, as this will help me when I make my product. This is because I will be able to attract the audience. My mood board included a collection of images of products that the target audience would like or appeal to. I included a variety of pictures, they both would appeal to male and female. For example I have included indie bands that are iconic and recognisable in the indie genre. I included the Gallaghers and The Vaccines, both bands/artists the target audience would recognise and may like. Therefore I have to replicate these artists and create something similar when deciding what artists I will feature in my magazine. Also from looking at these artists I knew that the industry is dominated by male artists, therefore I wanted to create something different and have a

female as my main feature artist. I also included clothing brands I thought my target audience would like. This is because not only do my artists have to wear similar clothing or these brands, I could hold competitions or offer free vouchers for these clothing stores. My target audience are students so the age can range from 16 up to roughly 24. Therefore I have to consider what advertisements I will feature in my magazine. For example I may include an advert for alcohol as this would appeal to the older students from my target audience.