Shout
As this publication is aimed at a young "tween" audience, it contains a free gift and lots of posters. It comes in a plastic, protective sleeve that is decorated with lots of imagery of bloggers/Youtubers (bloggers and Youtubers are generally synonymous).
The cover is very busy. Instead of having a main image, there a lot of different images and bright colours, with pop up quotes etc.
multi coloured
There is barely any white space throughout the entire magazine, with pages usually having a multi-coloured background. I'm not sure how appealing that would be to the older end of my target audience however I think having lots of colour on the pages is really appealing.
insta challenge
Articles include things like a 30 Day Instagram Challenge which is a great idea for engaging the audience. I like the idea of having a competition or something that encourages the reader to get involved with the magazine.
little mix
I particularly like the layout of the interview with Little Mix. It's broken into sections with a handwritten style font for headings. It's a much more interesting way to layout an interview and isn't something I usually see. Generally a lot of the text throughout the magazine is sectioned off in boxes with imagery in the background.
Stylist
Blogosphere Magazine
The final magazine I looked at was Blogosphere. This is currently the only blogging magazine on the market and therefore my main competitor. It's a monthly publication and the current issue is over 100 pages.
On first glance I was quite intimidated by how well put together the magazine was. It's filled with Youtube/blogging celebrities such as Beauty Crush (on the front cover) and almost every article is written by a different blogger. It features some of the ideas I had like an agony aunt and illustrations on the pages however I do still feel like I have the chance to differentiate my magazine and create something completely different.
Firstly, the majority of the pages have the same layout and aren't very dynamic. There is little photography and the illustrations don't really go with the sophisticated brand image that is conveyed throughout the rest of the design elements.
The main photo shoot is the strongest part of the magazine and I enjoy the colour blocked backgrounds. It adds something interesting to the pages but the rest of them don't have the same vibrancy.
My Magazine
After researching magazines I now have a clear idea of what I want to do with mine. I want my magazine to be a completely different style to Blogosphere and offer something different to the market.
Firstly, the front cover and articles will feature more "everyday" bloggers rather than focusing on blogging celebrities that aren't always as relatable. I want bloggers to see people they know and are friends with grace the pages of the magazine and feel like they too could be featured.
Although it will cover important, empowering topics like being kind to other women and working hard, I want it to have a really fun and vibrant image/tone of voice; readers will feel like they are chatting to a friend.
I want the pages to be dynamic like in Shout and Look, with each page being slightly different but still having the same house style. The pages will include a lot of bright colours and large photographs, with quotes pulled out from the text.
The main USP regarding the design will be the illustrations. I was considering illustrating portraits of all the main interviewees however I think I'd like to have an illustrated front cover but then just have little illustrations on the pages. I want it to have a "scrapbook" feel to it, and personality to be expressed across each page.
It won't be overly polished or promote a lavish, superficial lifestyle but instead will celebrate women for their brain, talent, creativity and individuality.
Now that I have a clear idea of what I want to create I will start considering the content of my magazine.
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