Feeling the Music: My Experience with Tastemakers at Northeastern
There are over 500 clubs at Northeastern University, featuring a wide spread of involvement, topics, and opportunities. From student government to Cheese Club, there are plenty of groups to discover here. For me personally, one of my favorite clubs that I’ve been a part of so far during my time at Northeastern has been Tastemakers Magazine.
Tastemakers is a student organization on campus that was founded in 2006. It’s bi-semesterly articles feature content and spreads on all things music industry. The club offers students professional opportunities in design, journalism, photography, and art direction. Tastemakers publishes interviews, opinion pieces, stories, and other material regarding artists, albums, and other topics on the music industry. Articles cover local, national, and international music featuring both well-known and up-and-coming artists.
I joined the Tastemakers design team in Fall 2023 at the beginning of my third year. I was looking to expand my resume, be more involved on campus, and take advantage of my freetime after finishing co-op each day at 5 PM. I scrolled through Northeastern’s database to come up with a list of student-run magazines on campus, researching each on Instagram as I went. Fortunately, the application cycle for Tastemakers hadn’t closed. Just a few weeks later I was admitted onto the design team and began attending weekly meetings on Wednesday night.
At the beginning of each Issue cycle, designers sign up to design a spread for an article on an org-wide spreadsheet. Spreads range from one to four pages in length, so depending on each designer’s schedule, they can take on more or less work. Designers have access to an org-wide Google Drive folder featuring thought-boxes, first, second, and final drafts of content for the articles they’re responsible for designing. Typically content writers will explain their ideas and guiding wishes for the design in the thought-box documents, giving each designer a starting point for their work. First and second drafts are due within the following two weeks, where designers attend weekly meetings for each to show their work and get feedback from other designers and content writers. With the advice from fellow designers, final drafts are developed, packaged, and submitted to the art directors.
During my time as a designer for Tastemakers, I’ve designed four 2-page spreads featuring stories and interviews with artists like Sky Ferreira, Troye Sivan, YSA Fernandez, and the Northeastern student band, Looking for Rocks. Through my role in this club, I’ve developed professional skills in InDesign, magazine layouts, design research, and critique procedures. I’ve been able to add each of these spreads to my professional portfolio and my title as a Graphic Designer to my resume. However, resume building is not the most important part of being a part of a club at Northeastern. I’ve learned about new topics in the music industry from both my own spreads, and reading others. Additionally, weekly meetings have helped me meet other designers on campus that I haven’t had class with, helping me to be more integrated in the Northeastern design community. Overall, joining Tastemakers has been a highlight of my Northeastern journey and something I definitely recommend checking out!