When I chose the magazines I want to analyse I tried choosing magazines that inspire me yet are different so that I can get inspired and understand the conventions of all these different types of fashion related magazines.
In this post, I will analyse 2 different magazines (Bazaar & Atlas), and with the help of my previous research into conventions, I will most likely find it easier to analyse them.
By doing this, I think I can better understand the conventions of any style of magazine much better. Below is brief analysis of their cover, table of contents page and double-spreads, I think and hope this will help me see and understand their similarities, conventions, differences, genre and much more, and that it will prove helpful during my coursework development and further planning.
MAGAZINE 1 - BAZAAR
This magazine is the only one in Romanian, but I chose to buy this one physically in order to have the latest issue, to have the real life feeling when reading it, and to also see what the market in my country has to offer, since I had to go to a local store to buy it.
swipe for the other pages
THE COVER
When describing the general view of the magazine, it is observable that the main colours used are neutrals, mostly colours derived from blacks & whites, however, this is specific to this issue, not necessarily to other issues. The masthead does stand out yet it's not strident or harsh. The font is more on the elegant and minimalist side, but it still is a bold accent to the cover.
In terms of conventions it does follow some of them, such as the masthead mentioned above. Also, the headline, in this case placed on the lower part of the page, which summarises vaguely what the issue is about, in this case "a beauty guide for atypical holidays". Next to the main image, on the left, we can see a cover line stating the model credit and a glimpse into article that is written about her. The other cover lines can also be seen on both sides next to the model, written in smaller fonts, presenting some more detailed information about what the magazine has to offer. The cover also has a barcode, the price and the date, all in the lower left corner.
Along with these conventions, it's worth mentioning that the main/cover image is the thing that stands out the most on the cover of a magazine. The featured model is normally a celebrity or/and a model, in the case of a lifestyle, fashion or sports magazine. On this issue we can see Marion Cotillard. Also, the use of direct mode of address with her looking directly at the camera makes the magazine appeal even more.
This cover stands out even more with its use of contrasts, something not that consciously noticeable at first glance but that could potentially visually attract a viewer. As seen above, the design of the cover is a constant contrast between really light and really dark colours. For example, the writing over her dark dress is white, but when the writing crosses the background, it's black. Moreover, when looking at the cover lines, they are also written in black and white, depending on the relevance of the writing, black is used for the more important words, while white is for more detailed information, not as important.
TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE
The content pages do in this case respect most conventions, such as the column layout, categories, headings, credit mentions, and images. As an overview for this double-spread, the editors still managed to keep the colours simple as on the cover, but added a pop of colour with the orange bag.
In the case of this particular issue, there are two content pages. The layout makes use of columns and heading to separate the topics/articles and the page number is written next to the title of the article (on the right), as it is in most magazines. Also, on the far upper left, we can see the front and back cover, with a short description stating the model's name, all the clothes that she is wearing with prices, and all the necessary credits for photography, styling, etc. This is an important aspect and convention in any magazine as the credits always have to be given to those who deserve them.
As for the general view of the double-spread, the editors succeeded to maintain a minimalist and elegant design, by using the classic Bazaar font, leaving enough space between written information, and through the usage of photographs.
DOUBLE-SPREAD 1
The first double-spread I decided to analyse is part of a series called "Dress Up!" featuring Megali Delion. By looking at this double spreadsheet we can understand even more clearly the genre of the magazine, which is fashion and lifestyle, while we can also get an even clearer idea of the audience this magazine is aimed for. That is women of all ages interested in beauty and fashion. As for an overview of this double-spread, we can see that the design is very minimalistic, yet in my opinion , very powerful and expressive. The colour scheme is neutral, since usually elegance is transmitted through neutral colours and discrete details, as we can see in her outfit, the gold jewellery. On the left page, the photo is cropped, this offers more space and a clean look to the double-spread, so it's not overwhelming, while also provides space for the credits.
DOUBLE-SPREAD 2
The pages from second double-spread I decided to analyse are not on the same topic, yet are related, however the two pages look very good together, the colour scheme is meant to go well together, while the fonts might be different, this gives off a more interesting look to the pages.
On the left we have a big image of a colourful painting, with the credits on the far lower right side. Below the image is a rather short text about a project that Lavazza is doing. This is an incredible marketing strategy as it does not seem like the classic advertisement, yet the text does in some way advertise the coffee brand "Lavazza", while still engaging a lot with the audience, both visually and through the written content.
On the right you can see a front portrait of Steve McCurry, a photographer part of Lavazza's project I mentioned above. The image would probably be the first aspect that the audience notices from the whole double-spread, as the man is looking forward, creating eye-contact with the viewer, therefore it is much more engaging. Below is the start of an interview with him that goes on for multiple pages, with the font written in multiple sizes depending on the importance of the information communicated.
DOUBLE-SPREAD 3
The third double-spread from my magazine analysis and research is a collage of pictures (of people and products) and writing. This is a great example of how products are advertised in magazines, and a strategy often used. Engaging with the audience through articles and interviews that lead to them being interested in a product and then advertising exactly that product.
As an overview of the double-spread, there are no colours used apart from the pictures. The font is the same as most articles form this magazine, and is discrete and elegant. Each page has a title written in bigger text and some heading is somewhat of a bigger size that the content text. The pictures of products have no background for a cleaner feel, and are spread around the page in an organised way.
The particular thing to this magazine is that besides its artistic work and cultural creative path is that it clearly follows the main conventions of a commercial fashion magazine, similar to Vogue and L'Official when taking into consideration the editorials, interviews and ads.
This reassures the idea that the targeted audience for this magazine is undoubtedly intended for women, who are interested and want to be aware of all the news in fashion and beauty. Moreover I believe that the range of this audience is global and very wide in terms of interests when taking into consideration the fame of this magazine, its influential online platforms and the fact that it is sold and distributed globally.
When having in mind the way this magazine inspires me, I might want to include some elements it contains and use them as guidelines when creating my own issue of Flair Magazine.
MAGAZINE 2 - ATLAS
Atlas, in comparison to Bazaar, I believe focuses much more on the artistic side of fashion, and considers fashion as an art and channel of expression and growth. Barzzar focuses more on the concept of fashion being a lifestyle. I find both their concepts and styles very inspiring and plan to incorporate it into my own ideas.
slide 6-7 for content pages
slide 14-15 for the double-spread I analysed
THE COVER
When looking for the first time at this cover, we can already tell what the general genre of the magazine is, fashion. The colours used on the cover are neutrals, mainly various shades of brown. The masthead is very noticeable, given its size and font, yet the faded black makes it more discrete, creating the perfect ambience between it and the cover image. The picture chosen isn't a portrait of the model, it's something different than what most fashion oriented magazines choose to display on the cover. This might suggest to the viewers that the clothing pieces in the picture are of more relevance than the model herself. Moreover, there is also another text on the cover, that being the name of this issue of the magazine. The colour is white, bringing attention to it, however the size is observably smaller, showing that the masthead is of more importance overall. This is positioned on the bottom between the issue no* and its signifier.
In terms of conventions, this cover tends to challenge them. It does have a masthead, a heading, and the issue number, however compared to the average fashion magazine, this cover is much more minimalist. Personally, I think if the cover image is powerful enough, it doesn't need more information than this.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
slide 6-7
When looking at these content pages, we can tell again, that there are some conventions respected such as categories and headings, so the content is distributed on columns. Even though on this page, the editor's letter, credits, contact are not present, as they usually are with other conventional fashion magazines, they all have a double-spread dedicated for that at the beginning of the magazine. This gives the magazine much more space and a much cleaner look, as the written information is much lesser on each page. One thing that is noticeable is that this magazine does not include a large amount of advertisements, as it is a submission based magazine.
Overall, the information is clearly labelled, allowing the reader to easily understand what content is where, and is aesthetic and pleasant looking.
DOUBLE-SPREAD
slide 34-35
This double spread at first glance gives off a very powerful vibe, as the model makes eye contact and the photographic composition is very strong. The conventions of double spreads vary a lot depending on the magazine, but it can be said that this double spread in particular does not respect most conventions, as it is very minimalistic and does not have much writing, which is common for a commercial magazine. However, this magazine is not a commercial magazine and does not aim to be one, so for the type of magazine it is, a submission based creative fashion magazine, I'd say that it does look similar to most magazines like this.
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