Gush Magazine Pitch

Shoegaze Fashion/Style

Like most (if not all) subcultures, "shoegazers" heavily focus on style - as well as music. Zachary Cole Smith, from the band DIIV, stated in an interview that fashion is massively influential to him personally. Fashion and style are hugely important in identifying who a person is: for example, in the 80s, skinheads were widely recognisable from their shaved heads, boots, rolled up jeans, and bomber jackets.

It's the same with shoegaze. Jumpers, oversized clothes and long hair are all commonly linked with the genre - below are some images that I think portray the shoegaze movement in fashion. It will be important to consider the fashion that is linked with shoegaze when making my magazine; for the featuring artist cover/double-page spread, I will need to ensure that my model (artist) is dressed appropriately. I could perhaps include a "Style" section to my magazine as well.

 

Song Playlist

Here are 20 songs that link to my magazine!

1. Ozean - Scenic
2. DIIV - Human
3. My Bloody Valentine -When You Sleep
4. Ringo Deathstarr - Guilt
5. Cocteau Twins - Heaven or Las Vegas
6. Beach House - Space Song
7. RIDE - Polar Bear
8. Kairon; IRSE! - Amsterdam
9. DIIV - Bent (Roi's song)
10. Slowdive - Shine
11. Splashh - All I Wanna Do
12. Eagulls - Tough Luck
13. Slowdive - Star Roving
14. LSD And The Search For God - I Don't Care
15. Siouxsie and the Banshees - Spellbound 
16. RAIN - LETHARGY
17. Horsebeach - It's Alright 
18. Car Seat Headrest - Fill In The Blank
19. Sunflower Bean - Come On
20. The Jesus and Mary Chain - Happy When It Rains 
21. Blonde Tongues - Hey Good Lookin'

Deciding on a Magazine Title and Fonts

Since my magazine will lean towards the shoegaze genre, it is key that I choose a title that associates with that style of music. I feel that shoegaze tends to be very sensuous; for me, words like 'Gush', 'Lush', 'Gaze', 'Dive' and 'Crash' come to mind. I want to choose a one-word title because that ensures simplicity, and keeps the magazine far more structured. As well as this, I have noticed that all of the magazines I have been inspired by have singular word mastheads (e.g. Clash and DIY).

Title/Font Ideas

Here are a few title ideas:

The two fonts featured in these title ideas are: Pier Sans Black (top) and Muller Narrow (bottom). I have decided that I much prefer the Pier Sans Black font, as it is reminiscent of the font from both Clash and DIY magazine - both of which have highly appealing mastheads. The Muller font is far too narrow - I don't want to create a confined image for my magazine. In contrast, the Pier Sans font is nicely rounded and spaced out, allowing for a structured and simplistic look.

Final Choice

In terms of titles, I like both 'Gush' and 'Crash' because of the 'sh' sound that is created at the end of each. As well as this, the font works well with both of these titles. Overall, I feel that Gush links more to shoegaze, and so it will be the final masthead for my magazine!

Choosing a font for main bodies of text

In contrast to the font for my masthead, I want the font for other sections of text to be smaller and slightly less spaced out. As well as this, I feel that a serif font would be better - as opposed to sans serif - because the sharper lines are more composed, allowing for a clean and professional appearance. 

Shoegaze Mood Board

This "mood board" contains a collection of images that I personally link to shoegaze music. This mood board will have some influence over my magazine - particularly colour. 

Final Music Style Decision

After completing my research, I have decided to focus my magazine on the genre of shoegaze music; due to my interest in the genre, I feel that it would be the easiest (and most fun) style of music to choose. The colour palette and fonts for my magazine can be easily adjusted towards shoegaze, and the artists that feature will derive from my own personal music taste. As well as this, I could also include elements of indie/alternative for other artist features.

Style of Music Magazine 1: Shoegaze/Dream Pop

Introduction

The shoegaze genere is one that focuses heavily on guitars and vocal, especially when it comes to distortion, and the aim is to create an immense wall of sound that almost "washes" over listeners. Some classic shoegaze bands include: My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Slowdive and Lush. 

Font Inspirations

"Shoegaze" is a term coined from the idea that most band members are constantly looking at their shoes, due to the amount of pedals used to craft their sound. I decided to look into this for the design of my magazine, since many pedals have cool names and fonts!

Here are a few of my favourites:

The text on this Big Muff pedal has a nice 3D style design, which may have an influence on the choice of font I use for the masthead of my magazine. I like how it is clearly visible, but simple as well - I think simplicity is highly important for an aesthetically pleasing magazine.

The choice of font for this pedal is soft and rounded, which isn't too harsh to look at. I like how the cut outs in both the letters 'D' and 'a' are used: I gain an 80s vibe from it and I'm reminded of cheesy science-fi films from that period - not really a look I want for my magazine, however! 

This final pedal that I've chosen - Shoegazer - has a tight, closely linked font that incorporates a mix of symbols. This is certainly something to consider for the masthead of my magazine as it links to the idea of distortion within the genre of shoegaze. As well as this, it looks pretty cool! 

The "aesthetic" of Shoegaze/Dream Pop

Shoegaze and dream pop are both genres that make images of colour, long exposure and movement come to mind - in terms of visuals. There are huge connotations to psychedelics like LSD involved with the genres, and this fuels the myriad of shapes, sounds and colours linked with the music. This is something that I'd like to achieve in portraying through my magazine - if I choose this style of music - as it will encapsulate the shoegaze "scene". Here are a collection of images that, in my mind, "sum up" shoegaze and dream pop:

It's clear from these photos that purples, pinks and blues are prominent, and so that will aid in deciding a colour palette!

Music

Here are some examples of shoegaze and dream pop songs/albums that I enjoy!