2. Another website I will be deconstructing is INDIE, an American independent fashion magazine. I have
chosen this website as although it doesn’t feature any regional or cultural content, I really love the
design, graphics and visuals of the website. Although this website solely focuses on fashion, music and
pop I think the design would still be appropriate for my sports audience. I also think it is important to
deconstruct national magazines alongside regional as I feel the similarities will indicate what is vital for
a successful magazine in all fields and therefore what I need to 100% include myself.
My initial reaction to the website is really positive as immediately the page offers a simplistic but
inviting atmosphere. The plain, contemporary look is very intriguing and reflects the quirkiness of the
audience which then emphasises the aspect of being independent and subverting mainstream. I really
want my own website to have a really unique and regional approach as this will make it more dedicated
to the region and more personal for the readers. Instantly, I get the impression that INDIE prioritises
visuals over content and puts real emphasise on design and graphics.
3. The heading of INDIE is probably my favourite out of the websites I have deconstructed. I feel this is
the perfect size to set the page as it isn’t too big or too small like The Crack’s. INDIE have found a
perfect balance between typography size and header size which I take real inspiration from. The font
of the masthead is the exact same on the magazine which again shows continuity and promotion of
the brand. I really like how the letters are spaced out and capitalised as it draws greater attention
and noticeability. The bold black font contrasts well with the pink background and therefore makes
the heading almost 3D. It is positioned in the top left corner which I think is a very common
convention for contemporary culture magazines. You would expect the masthead to be positioned
centrally however the location makes sense as this is the first place the reader will look. It also sits
nicely against the dominant image without over layering or obstructing.
I like how when you scroll down the page, the masthead and top banner remain and the top and
following the direction of the user. This means that at all times the audience ae being reminded of
the brand name so that everything is associated back to INDIE. This makes the site and magazine
more memorable and more likely to stay in the users head however it does cause a distraction to
the images which could get annoying if you have to keep scrolling to move it out the way.
4. On the top banner is a menu button which when clicked on opens an additional column to the
page. It includes a shop and subscribe feature which is successful in widening the audience and
popularity of the magazine. In the shop you can buy digital copies of the magazine which I think is
really good for the target audience of young adults who are into the technology based culture. A
series of social media sites are also listed alongside contact details, broadening the depth of
attention the magazine will get. The menu also has a search bar and recent post section which
hyperlink to specific pages allowing the audience to keep up to date and find exactly what they are
looking for. It does however lack a real navigation bar with hyperlinked sub-genres.
5. In the top right of the banner is the logo for Vice digital which is a digital media and broadcasting
company. Vice create digital media for companies including online content and web series which are
primarily aimed at young adults aged 18-34. this involvement of a highly established media and
graphic company demonstrates professionality and shows INDIE have spent a lot of time, money
and dedication to provide the best possible website. As he design company has a similar target
audience, it suggests the site will definitely appeal to INDIE readers and therefore will be successful
in promoting the magazine. If you go onto the Vice digital website, you can then look at different
sites they have created for a range of different companies.
On the Vice site you can filter all of their websites by age, gender, class, genre and popularity. This
will be extremely useful to help me generate my own website as I will be able to find specific
websites with similar audiences and content to take inspiration from as I will already know they are
successful.
6. At first glance the site lacks any form of text however when you put your cursor over a specific image
a black overlay appears which shows the title of the article and the date it was written. This is a very
clever way of presenting information without making the page look too crowded or too long winded
to read. If you then click on the image you are navigated to the specific article which is very user
friendly and easy to do. Although the text is more less than The Crack, I feel the audience are more
mature and more intelligent therefore will easily be able to navigate a slightly more complicated site.
All of the images are different sizes to prioritise the most appealing stories and direct the audience’s
eye lines. I do however think that I want to have more real life images as INDIE all have only staged
photos.
7. Overall, I really like INDIE magazine and believe the design is one I will take the
most inspiration from. I feel it is very aesthetic and if adapted to my own
website will be a lot more diverse but with a bolder colour scheme. The only
down side to this site I feel is that they have missed out some key conventions
such as a social media bar on the homepage or navigation bar as unless you
know exactly what you are looking for it will be time consuming to scroll
through all the images to find an article that will interest the reader most.
