The Project That Changed Everything (And Why I Might Bring It Back)
The 10-Year Time Warp
Last month marked 10 years since I graduated college.
I received a BTECH in Visual Communications: Art + Graphic Design (I actually got two diplomas since the major was wrong on the first one, so… I’m extra educated), and went out into the big wide corporate world…where I very quickly became jaded.
Because here’s the thing:
College was fun.
I worked on projects that were actually cool. I interned at my favorite record label (shoutout to FBR, there’s a whole other blog about that).
And for my senior project, my thesis, the last thing I ever created as a student, I wrote, designed, and edited an 84-page music magazine called Underground Anthems.
The “Safe” Idea That Wasn’t So Safe
Our senior project had to solve a problem. That was the only rule.
I knew mine would involve music. That’s who I am. That part was never in question.
But while my classmates were building apps and subscription boxes (very 2016 of us), I kept coming back to something simpler: I wanted to design something physical. Something tangible. Something you could actually hold.
If I’m being honest, the magazine started as my fallback idea.
I was intimidated by the more tech-heavy projects around me, and I couldn’t quite figure out how a magazine solved a problem.
I just… wanted to make it.
The Moment It Clicked
Then I got an email from Alternative Press that completely changed everything.
Subject line: “You stop listening to new music at age 33, study says.”
That felt… impossible.
I was 22. The idea that I was just 11 years away from no longer discovering new music genuinely freaked me out.
You can read the informal online study here if you’re interested, but to summarize it for you, the study pulled from Spotify listener data and suggested most adults hit a “taste freeze” around 33, defaulting to music they already know instead of seeking out new artists.
While the study did cite that “new music” was referring to popular music that you might hear on the billboard charts, that didn’t make me feel better.
Because popular artists? You hear them whether you want to or not. When Taylor Swift or Harry Styles release new music, it’s everywhere. You’ll probably end up hearing some of their tracks through osmosis, even if you’re not trying to.
But what about:
The bands who are playing bars every other night
DIY-ing their stage production and merch
The ones coordinating mini tours around their 9-5 day jobs, trying to literally build something from nothing
If people stop actively looking for music…what happens to the artists who rely on being organically discovered?
And just like that I had my problem.
The No Longer Safe Idea
What if there was a resource designed specifically to help people discover up-and-coming artists?
Not just listen to them, but connect with them. Become part of their world. Become a day-one fan.
And what if that resource was as simple as…a magazine?
Research Goes Punk 2015
Once I got the green light, it was game on.
I built out three audiences:
Primary: Fans discovering new music
Secondary: The artists themselves
Tertiary: Industry professionals and advertisers
And then I went into full collegiate researcher mode.
I created surveys and gave them to everyone. I mean everyone.
Twitter was (slightly) less toxic 10 years ago and I hit up every band I followed and asked if they wanted to participate in ‘untitled music discovery magazine research’ (the name was still a work in progress).
I harassed every single person I worked with at Fueled by Ramen (sorry again for that, guys) and asked them for their input as tertiary audience members.
If I ever met you at a concert and we exchanged numbers or social media, you got a message from me with a google form link to take a survey and give me your feedback.
When the surveys all came back, the audiences were all aligned.
Over 80% of fans said it was difficult and time consuming for them to discover new music.
Over 90% of artists said it was difficult and time consuming to connect with new fans.
Funny how one audience’s problem was the other audience’s solution, huh?
Same problem. Different sides.
That’s when I knew I was onto something.
Naming the Damn Thing
When I tell you I was drawing the biggest blank on what to call this damn magazine, it was actually driving me insane.
I knew I wanted it to allude to more alternative and non-popular music since that’s who I was making it for. “Underground” was on my short list of words for that reason, but I didn’t love anything I was coming up with.
I remember so vividly when it happened. I was in my bedroom at my parent’s house. It was somewhere around 2AM, I had a random Spotify playlist on in the background. I was standing at a white board I had set up, writing down words as they came to my head.
Then The Anthem by Good Charlotte came on.
It sounds cliche, but when I tell you it just clicked in my brain, I promise you I mean it. I felt it happen.
Good Charlotte gave me their blessing through my bedroom speaker and once I had the name down, it was go go go.
(And yes, Good Charlotte did also inspire Riot Girl Design Co., though that was much less dramatic)
Full Production Mode
For the next 6-8 months I was unavailable for anything that wasn’t UA related. This was what that looked like:
I interviewed 4 bands, all from different states, one from a different country.
Went to shows when possible to take my own pictures
Created mini artist profiles for about 15 more artists (“band snaps”)
Designed features, guides, polls and editorial spreads
Created Created 10–15 custom ads for scene-adjacent brands
Built the entire magazine’s layout and branding
Designed merch for our Senior Project Expo
I even entered Underground Anthems into my school’s small business grant competition.
And it won.
My All Time High
By the time everything was done and sent to print, I was exhausted, but in the best way.
To this day, it’s still the coolest thing I’ve ever made.
It’s my baby.
And apparently… I’m still not done talking about it 10 years later.
So… Why Am I Telling You This?
Partially because I’m feeling a little nostalgic. I can’t believe it's been 10 years since I was a college student, running on too much coffee and too little sleep.
Partially because that 33 is coming up soon for me and I’m happy to report that I’m not slowing down on the music discovery front and I don't plan to.
And maybe…
Maybe because I’m thinking about bringing it back.
Like I said, this magazine was, still is, my baby. Whenever someone asks me what’s the coolest, most fun, or my personal favorite project I’ve worked on, Underground Anthems is the answer.
The bands and fans I networked with to create it were excited about it.
They asked if it was going to be real beyond my senior project.
Maybe it should’ve been. Maybe it should still be.
Wanna See It?
To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Underground Anthems, I’m attaching a virtual version of it to this blog so you can see her in all her glory.
I’ll also be sharing some BTS design content from the creation phase on my instagram.
Read the articles, don’t judge me too hard for some of my more questionable baby designer choices, and let me know if this is something you’d want to be a part of in the future.
Because the wheels in my head are turning.
And I have a lot of ideas.
🖤 Follow along on Social 🖤
