Research 6: GQ Website

The GQ website has a black and white colour scheme, no other colours have been used which I will need to take into consideration as my magazine/website will be aimed at both men and women. Next to the search bar is a follow option which gives the audience the availability to follow GQ articles.

The links to the articles however are very hard to read due to the choice of font colour and the background image. From this I have learned to choose background images and fonts wisely. Also, from this I realised that there are sport articles unlike other women's magazines. Sport news is something I will need to include in my magazine to interest a male audience.

I find this picture and link interesting as it is second person, targeting the audience directly. The picture links to the article as many browns and dark greens have been captured, which are autumnal colours.

Mentioning of expensive brand names such as Gucci and Rolex represent GQ as a high class magazine for richer men.

Research 5: Fashion Website Grazia

At the top of the website there is the masthead and then links to different categories of news and articles, similar to Teen Vogue. However, unlike Teen Vogue the first category is fashion, which would lead the audience to believe that Grazia's main focus is fashion, not gossip and celebrity. There are icons of social media, encouraging the audience promote the magazine and website on social media.

The first feature on the website is fashion related and the heading engages the audience with the use of second person. I would like to use an article like this on my website as it is interesting for the viewer and helpful. The colour yellow contrasts to the black and white theme, therefore stands out.

Further down, past the fashion story are more links to articles on celebrities and gossip. This implies that readers are not only interested in fashion. Also, it is clear that Grazia is aimed at an older generation as the focus of the stories are about older celebrities.

Grazia also keeps fashion and beauty as a main focus however by the use of articles. For example, here besides the gossip story is a link that focuses on beauty.

Research 4: Fashion Website Teen Vogue

At the very top of the website is the masthead, which links to the website links below as the same shade of red has been used to create synergy. The first link is "news and politics" which implies that the main focus of the magazine is not fashion and is aimed at smart young people who care about news and politics. The links "fashion" and "beauty" are expected as Teen Vogue is a fashion magazine, however it is clear straight away that there is a wide range of features on the website which will appeal to a wider audience.

There is also an option to like Teen Vogue on Facebook crosses media platforms and widens audience's interaction with the magazine.

The first main articles you see on the Teen Vogue website are not fashion related, however are focused more on gossip. Each heading is categorised under a news type, for example "entertainment" or "TV." The fonts and colours used match the masthead to create synergy throughout the page. Target age group has clearly been taken into consideration as the articles are aimed at the younger generation, as there are articles about celebrities popular with teenagers and TV shows aimed at teens.

The first actual fashion heading on the website is a few articles down and again focuses on a popular celebrity. Also, the "yellow thigh high boots" the article is about are not shown in the picture, leading the audience to click on the link them and find about more.

Once clicked on the link, the text is fairly informal, for example "she has pretty much solidified the..." This also supports the fact that teen vogue is aimed at a younger generation.

On the side of the text are social media icons. It is important that in this day and age that these are included as social medias such as Facebook and Twitter are big platforms to promote the website on. The icons are easy to locate and use for the audience, therefore it is more likely that users will share the news story.

Teen Vogue includes cultural contexts on their website as a Muslim model is promoted and her story is shared in an article. The whole concept is called "I am America" and portrays equality which also can educate teens and the younger generation.



Masthead

I have decided to call my magazine "Valeo" as it means "thrive" in Latin. I have chosen a translation of this word because thrive is a word that means success and to do well. This links to the magazine I intend on creating as it targets a high class demographic who are likely to be attending college/university or finished degrees. Thrive can also imply how the fashion choices in the magazine will look on readers, as the models will be considered as "thriving" in the styles as they will be highly fashionable and classy.




Masthead font ideas:

 

I like this sans serif font (castellar) as its classy and is bold as it has a shadow effect. I also feel that all capitals brings more class and is more eye catching.

This font (Lucinda Console) is very bold which links to the concept of courageous fashion choices which my magazine will have, however I feel that the sans font has less of a classy feel than serif sans font as it is not associated with intellectuals.  

Institution Research: Bauer

History of Bauer:

“Bauer Media UK is an entertainment network of iconic, multi-platform brands. The business became part of the Bauer Media Group, Europe’s largest privately-owned media group, in 2008. Founded in Hamburg in 1875 and now in its fifth generation of family ownership, the Bauer Media Group operates in 19 countries including the UK, Germany, Poland, Australia, New Zealand and the USA and has 11,000 employees worldwide.”

Bauer has been managed by the Bauer family for five generations, ever expanding since it was founded in 1875. With their first UK launch being Bella magazine in 1987 under the name H Bauer Publishing, Bauer became the third largest publisher in Britain. Bauer then went on to purchase many other media groups such as Emap radio in 2008 and ACP Magazines in 2012.








How Bauer targets different audiences:

On the Bauer media website, there is a page dedicated to audience types where readers can look into different audience types that Bauer target as an institution.

Bauer targets a younger audience with an image which stereotypes youth as fun, smiling and conventionally outgoing. The image is taken in the sun which is interesting as that implies youths that Bauer targets are bright and happy. This could influence my magazine as I feel it is important to target the audience in a positive way.

Bauer has targeted older women by entitling them as "game changers." Again, this is a positive spin on the audience type as it can make older women feel powerful and important. The picture used is a sophisticated woman dressed in a smart, floral jacket looking to be in deep thought and concentration. The other woman looks to be explaining something to the other woman, which proves her sophistication. Both ladies are fashionable and classy, which is how I would like to target the audience of my magazine as. 



On the home page of the Bauer website, cross media convergence is used as there a slide show advertising different Bauer networks and businesses, for example radio stations such as Magic and their new station "hits radio." However, "we are Bauer" is printed on each advert along with the statistics "25 million people, 107 brands..." etc. This implies that Bauer want to advertise how big of a company they are as this advertises how successful the company is.

I have found that there are many niche magazines produced by Bauer, such as Angling Times, Sprit and Destiny and Bird Watching. This suggests that Bauer doesn't just target mass audiences. On the other hand, Take a Break magazine is very well known and targets a much wider scale of audiences. This implies that Bauer have varied magazines of genre and audience.



Grazia, being Bauer's only fashion magazine, advertises high fashion, news and beauty. Also, Grazia focuses on culture, which opens expands the audience worldwide. The magazine is sophisticated and classy, and targets an AB demographic. However, one thing that differs to the magazine I am producing is the age, as Grazia targets ages 25-45 and mine will target 16-25. This creates a gap in the Bauer market as there are no other fashion magazines.

Bauer has a range of magazines, for example more niche mags such as sporting and cars. Other mass audience magazines include gossip, music and radio stations. An example of a gossip and celebrity magazine produced by Bauer would be Heat magazine.

Heat doesn't target a specific age range, however according to https://www.statista.com/statistics/380770/heat-monthly-reach-by-demographic-uk/, 60% of the readers in this servey are aged 15-35. This suggests that my magazine will fit in well being produced by Bauer as they have magazines that appeal to younger audiences. However, heat magaine there is a large gap between male and female readers, which is why I feel creating a magzine that appeals equally to both genders is important as there is a gap in the market.



Research 3: Fashion Magazine Front Cover Teen Vogue and Brand Identity

It is important that magazine front covers have synergy and a brand identity. This front cover in particular has created synergy from the colour of the models clothing. For example, a lot of shades of pink and white have been used for the fonts and puffs in order to link to the picture. The masthead has been created the exact same through all magazines, however the colour of the masthead changes accordingly to how the model is dressed. This is something I would like to take into consideration when creating my front cover, as I like how the fonts and colours have been decided after the picture was taken.

Brand identity is created here as this implies that Teen Vogue magazine is the "best." Having an off lead entitled "best of beauty" suggests that Teen Vogue articles only discuss the very best of fashion and styles, encouraging people to buy the magazine. This helps to create brand identity as this is now what readers of the magazine expect, to be updated on the latest and greatest fashion trends.

This clearly targets a younger audience as it specialises in social media which is typically something associated with teenagers. The use of alliteration in a bigger, bolder font works here as it gives the reader a taste of what the off lead is about.

This front cover has inspired me to create synergy between the model and the fonts around the photo. I have also decided that I will use the same masthead and fonts on my website that I am using on the magazines, with the only difference being colour.

Research 2: Fashion Magazine Front Cover GQ and Codes and Conventions

I like the medium shot of this magazine cover as it shows off the model's suit, implying his high class and wealth, which is something I need to take into consideration when creating my front cover to match the AB demographic. Also visible is a clearly expensive watch, which also shows off his wealth. His facial expression is not like most other male magazines, as the model is smiling and looking mischeivous rather than straight. This suggests that men don't have to be serious to looking classy and sophisticated, as the model achieves high class and quirky at the same time. I like that this challenges conventions of facial expressions but follows them with looking into camera. I feel that I would like my male model to have a fun facial expression, as this gives the magazine a less harsh feel and would be more inviting for young males.

I like the synergy that is created throughout the front cover as the the puffs all link to the mast head, which is red and blue. The use of blue stereotypically links to the magazine as specifically for males.

The off leads are interesting because they specifically link to men, for example "the cheap man's guide to looking expensive." This makes the magazine exclusive to males, which is something I do not want in my magazine. This has made me realise I would like to advertise my magazine for both genders, and make it as clear as possible on the front page.